What a local Redondo Beach agent helps you decide
Redondo Beach covers about 6.2 square miles on the south end of Santa Monica Bay, between Hermosa Beach to the north and Torrance to the south and east. The city describes itself as twenty miles from downtown Los Angeles and seven miles south of LAX, with King Harbor's 1,500-slip marina, the Redondo Beach Pier, Seaside Lagoon, fifteen parks and thirteen parkettes. The Northrop Grumman campus anchors the north end and the Galleria at South Bay anchors the east. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey counts 69,291 residents, 30,753 homes and a median household income of $150,245, with 53.4% of occupied homes lived in by their owners.
Redfin counted 179 sales in the three months to September 2026, 16.8% more than a year earlier, with 136 homes on the market and 2.3 months of supply. The median home took 47 days to sell and closed at 99.9% of its list price; 26.1% sold above list and 38.2% went under contract within two weeks. In short, a balanced market where well-priced homes still move quickly and the rest wait.
That shapes the questions a local agent helps you answer. Is the home in 90277 or 90278, and are the comparable sales from the same ZIP? Is it a detached house, a townhouse on a lot that was split in two, or a unit in a 1970s building on the Esplanade with an aging structure? How does the asking price compare with the median of $839 per square foot? And for sellers, which features buyers here pay extra for, such as an ocean view, a newer build or a short walk to Riviera Village.
Buying a home in Redondo Beach
Zillow's typical home value, which covers all homes rather than only the ones that sold, was $1,473,478 in September 2026, up 2.4% in a year, 16.1% in five years and 80.2% in ten. Typical rent was $3,483 a month. The steps below are the ones that differ most from buying elsewhere in Los Angeles County.
Redondo Beach buying step 1: price your payment at today's rate
At Freddie Mac's 30-year average of 7.24% (week of October 29, 2026), 20% down on Redfin's median of $1,541,766 is $308,353. The remaining loan of $1,233,413 costs about $8,406 a month in principal and interest, and the 1% base property tax adds about $1,285 a month before voter-approved bonds and assessments. Most purchases at that price need a jumbo loan, so get a fully underwritten pre-approval.
Redondo Beach buying step 2: compare homes by ZIP and by type
Over the same three months, Redfin's median was $1,779,477 in 90277 and $1,519,304 in 90278. Type matters even more. In 90277, detached houses sold for a median of $2,319,415 against $984,971 for condos. In 90278, detached houses sold for $1,564,605 and townhouses for $1,438,502, and the two are often on the same block. Ask for comparable sales of the same type in the same ZIP. Our Redondo Beach ZIP code guide breaks this down.
Redondo Beach buying step 3: read the HOA papers on any attached home
Many Redondo Beach townhouses and condos have small associations, some with only two or three units. Read the budget, reserve study, minutes and any balcony inspection report before you remove contingencies. Our Redondo Beach condos guide covers the buildings and the checks.
Redondo Beach buying step 4: be ready to move fast in 90278
North Redondo's detached houses had about one month of supply in the three months to September 2026, and 43.9% sold above list (Redfin, ZIP 90278). If that is your target, have your financing, inspection plan and offer terms ready before you tour.
Selling a home in Redondo Beach
Sellers are working with fewer competing listings than last year. Inventory was 12.7% lower than a year earlier in the three months to September 2026, while sales rose (Redfin). That helps, but the median home still took more than six weeks to sell.
Redondo Beach selling step 1: price from your own segment
A 90277 house near the beach, a 1970s condo on the Esplanade and a 2025 townhouse in North Redondo are three different markets. Ask for a pricing analysis built from your own type and ZIP. Across the wider Los Angeles metro, Zillow reports that 24.4% of listings had a price cut in September 2026, so an optimistic first price often ends in a reduction.
Redondo Beach selling step 2: prepare the disclosures early
California sellers give buyers a Transfer Disclosure Statement and a Natural Hazard Disclosure. Near the harbor and the beach, ask your report provider to show tsunami and flood mapping. If you sell a unit in a building with balconies or walkways, have the association's inspection status to hand. Our California seller disclosure guide lists every form.
Redondo Beach selling step 3: count the city transfer tax
Redondo Beach is one of five Los Angeles County cities with its own documentary transfer tax: $2.20 per $1,000 of the price, on top of the county's $1.10 per $1,000, according to the county Registrar-Recorder. On a $1,541,766 sale that is about $3,392 to the city and $1,696 to the county, $5,088 in all. Our California transfer tax guide and California closing costs guide cover who usually pays.
Redondo Beach areas at a glance
Zillow does not publish neighborhood values inside Redondo Beach, so the notes below use the two ZIP codes and public sales records we opened. For more detail see the Redondo Beach neighborhoods guide.
North Redondo (ZIP 90278)
North Redondo, the ZIP 90278 side of the city, is mostly a grid of smaller lots, many redeveloped as two or three townhouses. Zillow's typical value in 90278 was $1,378,065 in September 2026, up 2.5% in a year. Streets such as Ripley Avenue, Mathews Avenue, Clark Lane and Ruhland Avenue mix 1950s houses with new townhomes; a 3-bedroom 1955 house on Ripley sold for $1,399,000 in 2026 and a new 4-bedroom townhouse on Mathews for $1,845,000. The Metro K Line's Redondo Beach station on Marine Avenue is here.
South Redondo (ZIP 90277)
South Redondo runs from the harbor south to the Torrance line. Zillow's typical value in 90277 was $1,641,898 in September 2026. It holds most of the city's beach-close houses and its taller condo buildings, and it carries the higher prices of the two ZIPs.
The Esplanade and the beachfront
The Esplanade runs along the bluff above the beach, lined with condo buildings from the 1960s and 1970s. A 1-bedroom unit in the oceanfront Surfrider building, built in 1971, sold for $820,000 in 2026 with HOA dues of $568 a month, while a 2-bedroom unit at 727 Esplanade sold for $2,400,000 in January 2026.
King Harbor, the Pier and Seaside Lagoon
The waterfront around King Harbor and the Pier is the city's visitor district. Homes close by trade convenience against crowds, parking and, near the water, tsunami and flood mapping that you should read in the hazard report.
Riviera Village and Hollywood Riviera
At the south end, Riviera Village is the city's walkable shopping and dining district. Inland and south of it, the Hollywood Riviera area runs toward Torrance Beach; a 2-bedroom condo on Paseo de la Concha in the Seacrest community sold for $784,000 in November 2025. Hollywood Riviera straddles the Redondo Beach and Torrance city line, so check which city the parcel is in.
Central Redondo and the Galleria side
Between PCH and the eastern city line, central Redondo has apartment-scale condo buildings along streets such as Camino Real and newer complexes on Artesia Boulevard, such as Breakwater Village, built in 2007. The Galleria at South Bay sits on the eastern edge near Hawthorne Boulevard.
Local property checks in Redondo Beach
- Tsunami and flood mapping: beachfront and harbor-area parcels can sit inside tsunami hazard areas and FEMA flood zones. Read the Natural Hazard Disclosure and look up the parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
- Earthquake: the whole region is seismically active, and many homes predate modern codes; the median home in the city was built in 1973 (Census ACS). See our California earthquake insurance guide.
- Insurance: get a homeowners or HO-6 quote before you remove contingencies. Our California homeowners insurance guide explains the options.
- Property tax: the bill starts at 1% of your purchase price under Prop 13, plus voter-approved debt for the school district and other agencies. Use the Los Angeles County treasurer's site for the current bill, and see our Los Angeles County property tax guide.
- Permits and lot splits: for a townhouse or a remodeled house, ask the city's Community Development Department, 415 Diamond Street, for the permit history.
- HOA health: for attached homes, read the reserve study and balcony inspection status; see our California balcony inspection law guide.
Schools are run by Redondo Beach Unified; our Redondo Beach schools guide shows the latest results and how to check which schools serve an address.
How to choose a real estate agent in Redondo Beach
There is no official ranking of agents, so judge them on evidence. These questions sort the useful from the rest.
- Recent local sales: how many homes of your type did they buy or sell in your ZIP in the last year, and at what price compared with list?
- License: check the name on the California Department of Real Estate public lookup. It shows status, the responsible broker and any discipline.
- Pricing method: ask for a written pricing analysis with comparable sales from 90277 or 90278, not the citywide median.
- Attached homes: ask how they review HOA documents and balcony reports for condo and townhouse buyers.
- Who does the work: on a team, ask who shows the home, who negotiates and who manages escrow.
Since the August 2024 settlement involving the National Association of Realtors, buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring, and buyer-agent pay is negotiated rather than shown on the MLS. On a $1,541,766 home, each 1% of commission is about $15,418, so get fees in writing. Our California real estate commission guide explains the options. If you want a starting point, see our featured local agents, and interview more than one.