Home sales tumble 10% in north Orange County: 19 trends to know

Homebuying in Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia and Yorba Linda fell 10 percent this summer vs. a year ago.

It was the slowest-selling third quarter in four years for Orange County’s housing market, as buyers balked at high prices and expensive mortgages while homeowners and builders boosted the supply of residences for sale.

Here’s what my trusty spreadsheet told me when looking at house-hunting patterns at the neighborhood level in 2018’s summer quarter vs. the July-to-September period a year earlier.

CoreLogic found these 19 trends in 13 ZIP codes covered by the Orange County Register’s North County News weekly, …

1. Purchases: Home sales in this period totaled 1,279 vs. 1,414 a year ago, a decline of 9.6 percent.

2. Who’s up: Prices increased in nine of the 13 ZIPs as sales rose in only two ZIPs.

3. Countywide: $734,000 median selling price, up 3.4 percent. Orange County sales totaled 9,160 residences, existing and new, vs. 10,350 a year ago, a decline of 11.5 percent. Prices rose in 50 out of 83 Orange County ZIPs and sales were up in 21 out of 83 ZIPs.

Here is how prices and sales moved at the community level …

4. Brea 92821: $736,500 median, up 9.9 percent. Price rank? 38th of 83 Orange County ZIPs. Sales of 107 vs. 122 a year ago, a decline of 12.3 percent.

5. Brea 92823: $872,000 median, up 6.3 percent. Ranks 23rd priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 31 vs. 36 a year ago, a decline of 13.9 percent.

6. Buena Park 90620: $582,500 median, up 2.9 percent. Ranks 66th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 102 vs. 133 a year ago, a decline of 23.3 percent.

7. Buena Park 90621: $565,000 median, down 0.7 percent. Ranks 71st priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 74 vs. 76 a year ago, a decline of 2.6 percent.

8. Fullerton 92831: $633,500 median, up 1.0 percent. Ranks 60th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 71 vs. 84 a year ago, a decline of 15.5 percent.

9. Fullerton 92832: $572,000 median, up 3.1 percent. Ranks 69th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 54 vs. 37 a year ago, up 45.9 percent.

10. Fullerton 92833: $615,000 median, up 4.2 percent. Ranks 63rd priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 135 vs. 164 a year ago, a decline of 17.7 percent.

11. Fullerton 92835: $717,000 median, down 15.9 percent. Ranks 45th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 93 vs. 110 a year ago, a decline of 15.5 percent.

12. La Habra 90631: $549,000 median, up 9.0 percent. Ranks 74th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 171 vs. 186 a year ago, a decline of 8.1 percent.

13. La Palma 90623: $735,000 median, up 16.9 percent. Ranks 39th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 44 vs. 35 a year ago, up 25.7 percent.

14. Placentia 92870: $670,000 median, up 7.5 percent. Ranks 51st priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 138 vs. 139 a year ago, a decline of 0.7 percent.

15. Yorba Linda 92886: $850,000 median, flat in the period. Ranks 24th priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 180 vs. 205 a year ago, a decline of 12.2 percent.

16. Yorba Linda 92887: $875,000 median, flat in the period. Ranks 22nd priciest of 83 ZIPs. Sales of 79 vs. 87 a year ago, a decline of 9.2 percent.

Plus, three more countywide trends found this summer vs. a year ago. …

17. Single-family-home resales: 5,618 Orange County sales vs. 6,284 a year ago, a decline of 10.6 percent in the period. Median: $785,500 — a rise of 3.4 percent in the period.

18. Condo resales: 2,429 sales vs. 2,802 a year ago, a decline of 13.3 percent in 12 months. Median: $513,000 — a rise of 4.7 percent in a year.

19. New homes: Builders sold 1,113 residences vs. 1,263 a year ago, a decline of 11.9 percent in 12 months. Median: $985,000 — a rise of 11.6 percent in a year.