What the Laguna Beach price trend shows
Laguna Beach home prices are rising again after two flat years. Zillow's typical home value, which covers every home in the city rather than only those that sold, reached $3,043,251 in September 2026, a record and 6.8% above September 2025. The table shows the September value each year.
| September | Zillow typical home value, Laguna Beach | Change on prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,527,378 | |
| 2018 | $1,875,023 | |
| 2020 | $1,854,312 | |
| 2021 | $2,279,088 | +22.9% |
| 2022 | $2,697,697 | +18.4% |
| 2023 | $2,756,447 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $2,875,300 | +4.3% |
| 2025 | $2,849,342 | -0.9% |
| 2026 | $3,043,251 | +6.8% |
Three phases stand out. Values barely moved from 2018 to 2020, then jumped more than 45% in two years, during the low-rate period of 2021 and 2022. From late 2022 to mid-2025 they drifted sideways, dipping to $2,625,875 in May 2023 and slipping again in 2025. Since January 2026 the index has climbed every month. Over ten years the gain is 99.2%, and over five years 33.5%, slower than Dana Point's 44.9% or Newport Beach's 55.9% on the same Zillow measure.
Redfin's sale prices tell a similar story with more noise, because only about 30 homes sell in a typical month. Its median for ZIP 92651 was $3,348,016 for the three months to September 2026, up 17.2% on the same period a year earlier, at a median of $1,621 per square foot. The citywide Redfin median, $3,285,935, was up 17.4%. A jump that large partly reflects which homes sold: more high-end sales in a small sample lift the median quickly.
Sale speed, price cuts and inventory in Laguna Beach
Days on market in Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is a slow market by Orange County standards. Redfin's median was 71 days on market citywide for the three months to September 2026, one of the longest of any Orange County city in Redfin's data (only Los Alamitos was slower), against 47 days for the county as a whole in September. In ZIP 92651 the median rose from 51 days in May 2026 to 80 days by September, the usual late-summer slowdown. Condos took longer still, a median of 124 days.
Sale price vs list price
The average home sold for 96.1% of its final list price citywide, and only 7.9% sold above list. On a $3.3 million home, that average gap is about $128,000. In the spring of 2026, about one in five 92651 sales closed above list, so competition comes and goes with the season.
Inventory and months of supply
Redfin counted 158 homes for sale in Laguna Beach in the three months to September 2026, 15.3% fewer than a year earlier, and 5.4 months of supply. In ZIP 92651, supply peaked near 10 months in spring 2025 and has fallen to 5.3 months. Fewer listings explain much of the 2026 price gain. Five to six months of supply is still a balanced market, not a seller's one; the county had 3.3 months in September.
Price cuts
Redfin does not publish price-drop shares for Laguna Beach. Across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro, Zillow reports that 24.4% of listings had a price cut in September 2026. Only 23.4% of Laguna Beach homes went under contract within two weeks of listing in Redfin's data, so a listing that has sat for a month is common and often open to a lower offer.
Laguna Beach home prices by ZIP code and area
Laguna Beach is a single ZIP code, 92651, which also covers unincorporated Emerald Bay. Zillow's typical value for the ZIP was $3,114,975 in September 2026, up 6.8% in a year, a little above the city figure; the ZIP also includes Emerald Bay. Zillow publishes no neighborhood values inside the city, so price differences between areas come from individual sales rather than an index.
The spread inside the ZIP is wide. Blue Lagoon condos in South Laguna and older canyon cottages sit near or below the condo median, while guard-gated oceanfront homes in Irvine Cove and Emerald Bay trade at many times the city median; the Orange County Business Journal reported a $13.6 million Upper Three Arch Bay sale that closed in March 2026. Ask for comparable sales from the same setting, such as bluff, village or hillside, before you judge a price. Our Laguna Beach neighborhoods guide and Laguna Beach ZIP code guide go further, and the ZIP 92651 data page has the monthly history.
Houses, condos, luxury and new homes in Laguna Beach
Single-family homes
Houses make up most of the market: 79 of the 94 sales in ZIP 92651 over the three months to September 2026. Their Redfin median was $3,699,067, up 17.2% on a year earlier, at $1,661 per square foot, with 130 on the market and 5.1 months of supply.
Condos and co-ops
Only eight condos or co-ops sold in the same three months, at a Redfin median of $1,394,959 and $1,378 per square foot. Eighteen were listed, 6.6 months of supply, and none sold above list. With so few sales, one oceanfront unit can move the median by hundreds of thousands of dollars. See our Laguna Beach condos guide.
Small multi-unit buildings
Duplexes to fourplexes had a Redfin median of $2,650,000 on seven sales. Check the state rent cap rules and the city's short-term rental rules before you count on income: new short-term rentals are no longer allowed in the city's residential districts.
Luxury and oceanfront homes
The top of the market sits in the gated beach enclaves and on the bluffs. These homes sell rarely and often privately. See our Laguna Beach gated communities page for the enclaves and their recorded sales.
New construction
New subdivisions are rare in Laguna Beach. The city is ringed by the greenbelt and state parks, so new homes come from tear-downs and rebuilds on existing lots, which need design review and often coastal permits. Expect a rebuilt house to be priced well above the single-family median.
Is now a good time to buy a home in Laguna Beach?
The data gives buyers more leverage than the headline price rise suggests. Homes take a median of 71 days to sell, they close on average at 96.1% of list, and 5.4 months of supply means sellers face real competition. Against that, inventory is 15.3% lower than a year ago and Zillow's index has risen every month of 2026, so waiting has cost money this year.
Financing is the bigger question. At Freddie Mac's 7.24% average (week of October 29, 2026), 20% down on the Redfin median of $3,285,935 leaves a jumbo loan of about $2.63 million and principal and interest near $17,915 a month, before property tax of about $2,738 a month at the 1% base. A financed offer competes best with a full underwritten approval, not a prequalification letter. Get insurance quotes for the exact address early, since about 85% of the city is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Our how to buy a house in California guide covers the steps, and the Laguna Beach cost of living guide covers the running costs.
Is now a good time to sell a home in Laguna Beach?
For owners, values are at a record, and Zillow's typical value is up 6.8% in a year. Lower inventory means less direct competition than in 2025, when supply in 92651 topped nine months. But buyers still negotiate: only 7.9% of homes sold above list, and the typical listing needed more than two months. Price from recent sales in your own setting, order the Natural Hazard Disclosure before listing, and plan for Orange County's transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000. Our how to sell a house in California guide and seller disclosure guide explain each step, and long-time owners should read the capital gains tax guide first.
Laguna Beach housing market outlook
We do not publish our own forecast. Zillow's forecast for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro, made from September 2026 data, is -0.1% by October 2026, -1.0% by December 2026 and +1.9% by September 2027. Zillow does not forecast Laguna Beach on its own, and the city has outpaced the metro this year. The things to watch are mortgage rates, the number of new listings each spring, and insurance availability in fire zones. The Orange County market data page and our California housing market guide are updated as new data arrives.