Southern California’s housing market has continued to draw attention from economists and buyers alike, with both home prices and sales showing resilience over the years following the mid-2010s recovery period. The figures below, originally reported by real estate data provider CoreLogic, offer a useful historical snapshot of the trends that shaped today’s market.
At the time of the original report, sales across the six-county Southland had climbed 8% year over year — the seventh straight month of increases and the longest such stretch since late 2012 through early 2013.
Home prices had climbed a more modest 4.3% to a median of $438,000 — a figure that, by 2026 standards, reflects just how dramatically Southern California home values have risen in the intervening decade.
Economists at the time welcomed the slowdown in price appreciation from the double-digit rates of prior years. The more moderate gains signaled a housing market that was normalizing after years of dramatic swings — a pattern that would repeat itself in various forms through the early 2020s and beyond.
Meanwhile, an improving economy had given more families the confidence to make what is often the biggest purchase of their lifetimes, economists said.
The housing market was also improving nationally. Sales of previously owned homes had reached multi-year highs, and single-family builder confidence was at its strongest since the housing bubble era.
Regionally, sales and prices were up in all six Southern California counties at the time of reporting. In Orange County, the median price rose 4.3%, while sales increased 3.4%. In Los Angeles County, sales climbed 5.9% and prices 7.0%.
Looking at the Southern California market in 2026, inventory constraints and elevated interest rates continue to shape buyer and seller behavior, though demand in desirable Southland communities remains strong. The long-term trend of price appreciation that was already visible in this early report has proven durable across multiple market cycles.
Article originally courtesy of the LA Times. Data reflects August 2015 reporting.
