In Los Angeles County, houses and condos are giving buyers and sellers very different deals. In Q3 2026, LA County houses sold in 35 days for 98.8% of their original asking price. Condos and townhomes took 50 days and sold for 96.8%.
Scope note: This guide covers single-family detached homes and attached homes (condos, townhomes, and attached single-family) in Los Angeles County listed in CRMLS. The full numbers are in the two companion Q3 2026 LA County reports.
That shapes every move in this guide:
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County. The full numbers are in the two companion Q3 2026 LA County reports. This guide is about what to do with them.
Los Angeles County, from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), pulled October 3, 2026.
| Measure | Houses (detached) | Condos and townhomes |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale price | $1,551,572 (up 8.0%) | $891,716 (up 4.2%) |
| Closed sales | 8,258 (about flat) | 3,243 (up 6.3%) |
| New listings | 12,638 (down 5.2%) | 6,234 (about flat) |
| Average days active in MLS | 35 | 50 |
| Percent of original price received | 98.8% | 96.8% |
| Closings per 100 new listings | About 65 | About 52 |
About the data: Los Angeles County homes are listed on more than one MLS. These figures cover LA County homes in CRMLS, so the totals may not include every sale in the county. The trends are still a reliable read.
How the figures were built: CRMLS reports these measures month by month. Sales and listings are added together. Average price, days active, and percent of original price are weighted by the number of homes that closed each month.
LA County is dozens of different markets. In the same quarter, Cerritos houses sold in 17 days on average, less than half the county’s 35. A county average is a starting point. The numbers that decide your price or your offer come from your own neighborhood.
Yes. Prices are up 8.0% year over year and 13% for the first nine months. Homes sell in about five weeks, and sellers received 98.8% of their original asking price. New listings were down 5.2%, so there’s a bit less competition than a year ago.
It’s workable, but it’s the hardest seat in the local market. Units took 50 days and sold for 96.8% of original price, and 96.3% in September. Sales were up, so buyers are there. They’re just patient and negotiating.
Spring is strongest. In Q2 2026, LA County houses averaged 32 days and 99.7% of original price. Condos averaged 45 days and 97.6%.
Winter is hardest. In January 2026, houses averaged 47 days and condos 60 days.
The move: if your home is ready, list this fall rather than drift into winter. If it needs real work, prepare over the winter and list in early spring.
Price at the market from day one. The percent of original price received counts every price cut. House sellers gave up 1.2% on average. Condo sellers gave up 3.2%, roughly $28,500 on an average-priced unit (an illustration using county averages, not a figure for any specific home).
Step by step:
For a condo or townhome, it’s one of the best opportunities in the area. For a house, expect a fair market with modest room. Either way, prices haven’t dropped: houses are up 13% and condos 11.2% for the year to date.
Match your offer to the property type and how long it has been listed.
For example:
These are general patterns, not rules for any specific home.
You’re selling in the softer market and buying in the stronger one. In Q3 2026, the average LA County house cost about $660,000 more than the average condo or townhome, up from about $581,000 in Q3 2025. Those are county averages, not your numbers, but the gap has been widening.
The move:
This is the strongest position in the local market. You sell into the market where sellers get 98.8% of asking, and buy in the one where sellers get 96.8%.
The move: list your house at the market and let it sell. Then negotiate on the condo, especially units that have been listed past 50 days.
The downsizer. A homeowner whose kids have moved out lists their LA County house this fall, priced off the last 90 days of sales nearby. It sells in about five weeks, close to its original price. They buy a condo that has been listed for two months, negotiate below asking with recent building sales attached, and get a seller credit toward closing costs.
The move-up family. A couple with a growing family owns a townhome. Knowing condos take about 50 days, they price it right from the start, settle their loan plan, and decide in advance to write a contingent offer on a house. Because they planned for the slower sale, the move holds together.
Same county, same quarter. Both used the gap between houses and condos instead of getting caught by it.
It depends on the property. Houses lean toward sellers: 35 days and 98.8% of asking. Condos and townhomes lean toward buyers: 50 days and 96.8%.
For a prepared buyer, yes. Condos are taking longer to sell and sellers are negotiating more than in any other segment of our local data.
About $660,000 more on average in Q3 2026, up from about $581,000 in Q3 2025.
Spring brings the fastest sales and the closest-to-asking prices. If your home is ready now, listing this fall avoids the January slowdown.
Request a complimentary market evaluation based on your home and your neighborhood, not the county average.
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County, licensed since 2004. Selling? Start with the Sure Seller course. Buying? Start the Buyer Bootcamp. Ready to plan your move? Book a consultation.
Source: All data is from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. InfoSparks © 2026 ShowingTime Plus, LLC. Los Angeles County and Cerritos, single-family detached and attached (single-family, condominium, and townhouse), monthly data January 2025 through September 2026, as of October 3, 2026. Quarterly and year-to-date figures are weighted by monthly closed sales.
In Orange County right now, houses and condos are two different markets. In Q3 2026, single-family detached homes sold in an average of 33 days for 97.9% of their original asking price. Condos and townhomes took 41 days and sold for 97.1% (CRMLS).
Scope note: This guide covers both single-family detached homes and attached homes (condos, townhomes, and attached single-family) in Orange County. The full numbers for each are in the two companion Q3 2026 reports.
Prices split too. Detached homes averaged $2,090,835, up 11.2% from a year ago. Condos and townhomes averaged $953,992, up 1.3%.
That gap shapes every strategy in this guide:
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County. This guide is about what to do with the Q3 numbers, whichever side of the table you’re on.
Orange County, July through September 2026, from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), pulled October 3, 2026.
| Measure | Detached houses | Condos and townhomes |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale price | $2,090,835 (up 11.2% from Q3 2025) | $953,992 (up 1.3% from Q3 2025) |
| Closed sales | 3,174 (down 3.0%) | 1,841 (down 6.3%) |
| New listings | 3,972 (down 4.7%) | 2,712 (down 2.6%) |
| Average days active in MLS | 33 (34 a year ago) | 41 (38 a year ago) |
| Percent of original price received | 97.9% (97.3% a year ago) | 97.1% (97.0% a year ago) |
| Closings per 100 new listings | About 80 | About 68 |
How to read the last row: for every 100 homes that came on the market, about 80 detached homes closed in the same quarter, compared with about 68 condos and townhomes. Detached homes are being absorbed close to the pace they’re listed. Condos and townhomes are selling more slowly than new ones arrive.
How the quarter figures were built: CRMLS reports these measures month by month. Closed sales and new listings are the three months added together. Days active and percent of original price are the three monthly figures weighted by the number of homes that closed each month.
For a detached home, yes. Detached homes sold about a day faster than a year ago, sellers kept more of their original price (97.9% against 97.3%), and new listings fell 4.7%. Less competition and steady demand favor the seller who prices right.
It’s a workable market, but a slower one. Condos and townhomes took 41 days on average, three days longer than Q3 2025 and well above the 35-day average in Q2 2026. Closings fell 6.3% from a year ago, faster than new listings fell. That means more condo and townhome sellers are competing for each buyer.
What held steady: the percent of original price received, 97.1% this year against 97.0% last year. Condo sellers who price well are still getting close to their number. It just takes longer, and an overpriced unit sits.
Spring is strongest for both. In March through May 2026, detached homes averaged 26 to 30 days and sold for 99.0% to 99.3% of their original price. Condos and townhomes averaged 33 to 40 days and sold for 97.8% to 98.4%.
Fall has the least competition. New listings fell every month of Q3 for both. Detached: 1,540 in July down to 1,118 in September. Attached: 1,026 down to 784. Last year, new listings kept dropping through December.
Winter is hardest on sellers, especially condo sellers. In December 2025 and January 2026, condos and townhomes averaged 47 and 54 days and sold for 96.4% of their original price. Detached homes held up better at 41 and 47 days and 97.0%.
The move: a detached home that’s ready now can list this fall and face lighter competition. A condo or townhome that’s ready should list soon rather than drift into winter. If either needs real work, prepare over the winter and list in early spring.
Price to sell at the first number. The percent of original price received captures every price cut, and it’s the clearest message in the data. Detached sellers gave up 2.1% on average. Condo and townhome sellers gave up 2.9%.
Step by step:
Late fall and winter, for both. And the room is widest on condos and townhomes.
Last winter, detached homes sold for 97.0% of their original price in December 2025 and January 2026. Condos and townhomes sold for 96.4% both months and averaged 54 days on market in January. That’s the most negotiating room anywhere in the last 21 months of data.
The tradeoff is choice. Fewer homes list in winter. In December 2025, 726 detached homes and 449 condos and townhomes came on the market in Orange County, against 1,738 and 1,005 in April 2025. You’ll see fewer homes, but you’ll negotiate harder on the ones you see.
Match your offer to how long the home has been on the market, measured against the right average: 33 days for a detached home, 41 for a condo or townhome.
For example:
These are general patterns, not rules for any specific home. Every offer starts with the comps and what the seller needs.
This is where the gap between the two markets matters most.
You’re selling into the slower market and buying into the faster one. Your condo may take 41 days or more, while the house you want may be gone in under 33.
The price gap also widened. In Q3 2025, the average detached home sold for about $938,000 more than the average condo or townhome. In Q3 2026, the difference was about $1,137,000. Those are county averages, not your numbers, but the direction matters: houses gained value faster than condos over the past year, so the step up costs more than it did.
The move:
The gap works in your favor. You’re selling into the stronger market and buying into the one with more room.
The move:
The move-up family. A couple with a growing family owns a townhome and wants a detached house. They list the townhome in October, priced off the last 90 days of sales in their own complex instead of what a neighbor listed at in the spring. With their lender plan settled, they tour houses the same weekend. The townhome takes about six weeks, close to the average for attached homes. Because they planned for that instead of a two-week sale, their purchase timeline holds.
The downsizer. A homeowner whose kids have moved out sells a detached house this fall, priced right from day one, and gets an offer within the first month, close to the original price. They spend that time shopping condos, focus on units that have been on the market past 41 days, and negotiate a seller credit on one that had already cut its price.
Same county, same quarter, two different markets. Both households used the gap instead of getting caught by it.
It depends on the property. Detached houses lean toward sellers: 33 days on market and 97.9% of original price received. Condos and townhomes give buyers more room: 41 days and 97.1%.
Condos and townhomes averaged 41 days active in MLS in Q3 2026, compared with 38 days in Q3 2025 and 33 days for detached houses.
Detached homes sold for 97.9% of their original asking price in Q3 2026. Condos and townhomes sold for 97.1%.
Last winter gave condo buyers the most room in the data: 96.4% of original price and up to 54 days on market in December 2025 and January 2026.
It depends on your financing and your timing. Condos are selling more slowly than houses right now, so build that into your plan. Book a consultation to map out the order that works for you.
Request a complimentary market evaluation based on your home and your street or complex, not the county average.
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County, licensed since 2004. Selling? Start with the Sure Seller course. Buying? Start the Buyer Bootcamp. Ready to plan your move? Book a consultation.
Source: All data is from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. InfoSparks © 2026 ShowingTime Plus, LLC. Orange County, single-family detached and attached (single-family, condominium, and townhouse), monthly data January 2025 through September 2026, as of October 3, 2026. Quarterly figures are weighted by monthly closed sales.
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