Rates moved this week, and they moved hard. Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.95% on September 17, up from 6.76% the week before. Nineteen basis points in seven days. A year ago the same loan was 6.26%. The 15-year fixed went to 6.26% from 6.09%. Here’s what that costs […]
Category Archives: Blog
This is where I give practical advice to Orange County and Laguna Beach home buyers and sellers. I’ll keep you updated on both real estate and lifestyle in Laguna Beach and South Orange County.
17
Sep
Sep
Thoughts from an Orange County real estate agent with 14+ year experience on how to handle an Orange County Inspection Negotiation The inspection report lands. Forty pages, full of red photographs, and somewhere in there are a bunch of little things and possibly a real problem that costs real money. Most people think the next […]
10
Sep
Sep
I’ve sat across from a lot of Orange County buyers over fourteen years. Here are the biggest mistakes I see buyers make all the time. Maybe not all of them at once, but many will hit at least one. Here they are… 1. Shopping houses before shopping the loan A pre-qualification is a conversation. A […]
08
Sep
Sep
Two numbers in this week’s Orange County market data look like they are describing entirely different realities. The Orange County Housing Report puts the county’s expected market time at 98 days across 4,982 active listings and 1,528 escrows. Meanwhile, the California Association of Realtors reports a median days on market of just 26 days. Both […]
02
Sep
Sep
OC homes over $2.5M are closing 4.2% below asking while homes under $2.5M close within 1%. Here’s how I set a coastal list price around that gap.
Blog, For Buyers, For Sellers, OC Market Updates
The Biggest One-Week Move in Orange County’s Days on Market All Year
01
Sep
Sep
OC’s median days on market jumped to 44 this week, the largest single-week move of 2026. Here’s my read for South OC buyers and sellers.
25
Aug
Aug
I’ve watched quite a few South Orange County escrows wobble over insurance in the last two years. Not because the homes were uninsurable. Because buyers didn’t prioritize getting insurance quotes until the last minute, and California isn’t making it any easier for you. What changed this month The FAIR Plan is getting 29.1% more expensive […]
Blog, For Agents, For Buyers, For Sellers, International, OC Market Updates
One fifth of Orange County’s Home Listings Have Gone Stale.
24
Aug
Aug
Rates went down again this week. That’s the headline everyone will run with, and it’s the least interesting thing in my data. Here’s what I actually pulled apart this morning. Rates fell for a second straight week — barely Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.65% on August 20, down […]
23
Aug
Aug
Selling a home in Orange County has always been both deeply personal and highly strategic, and fall 2026 is no exception. Spring gets all the attention, but some of the cleanest, most focused sales I see every year happen between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Fewer listings, more serious buyers, and a coastal climate that still […]
Blog, For Buyers, For Sellers, OC Market Updates
OC Housing Update: What buyers and sellers need to know this week
22
Aug
Aug
If you’ve been waiting for the Orange County market to make a giant, headline-grabbing swing, I have some news that might feel a little anticlimactic: it isn’t. But honestly? What the market is doing right now is actually a lot more useful for you than a dramatic crash or spike would be. Here is the […]