Southern California Housing Market Update — September 2026

Pending sales dropped across all four Southland counties in September. That is the signal sellers need to hear, not the price line.

Watch the September 2026 Market Update

Los Angeles County — Pending Sales Down 46.6%

Los Angeles County active listings held near flat at 17,394 (+1.1% month over month), but pending sales fell from 3,658 in August to 1,955 in September — a 46.6% drop. Closed sales eased 9.6% to 3,434. Average days on market ticked up to 41, and months of supply rose to 4.8. The median sales price was $1,348,331, up 1.2% from August, while new listings came in at 5,919, down 7.5% month over month.

Orange County — Steepest Pullback

Orange County saw the sharpest pending-sales decline of the four counties: down 56.3% month over month, from 1,717 to 751. Closed sales slipped 10.0% to 1,581. Days on market rose to 22, and months of supply edged up to 3.5. The median sales price was $1,210,000, down 0.4% from August, while new listings came in at 1,838, down 23.0% month over month.

Riverside County — Smallest Drop, Still a Drop

Riverside County's pending sales fell 31.8%, from 1,901 to 1,297 — the smallest decline of the four counties but still a meaningful pullback. Closed sales dropped 13.3% to 1,741. Days on market actually improved slightly to 51 (from 53), and months of supply rose to 4.2. The median sales price was $682,918, up 0.4% from August, while new listings came in at 2,837, down 2.1% month over month.

San Bernardino County — Volume Compression Continues

San Bernardino County pending sales fell 39.4%, from 1,396 to 846. Closed sales dropped 10.2% to 1,279. Days on market rose to 28, and months of supply climbed to 5.1. The median sales price was $550,000, up 0.2% from August, while new listings came in at 2,025, down 11.6% month over month.

What This Means for Sellers

Every county in the Sold With Paul service area saw pending sales fall by at least 30% month over month in September. That is a demand-side signal, not a price signal — closed sales and prices moved far less than pending sales did. Sellers who price to current buyer behavior now will transact faster than sellers who wait for the pending-sales trend to reverse on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Why did pending sales drop so much in September 2026?

Pending sales are a leading indicator: they reflect buyer activity today, weeks before it shows up in closed-sales or price data. A month-over-month drop of 30-56% across all four Southland counties points to a broad demand pullback, not a one-county anomaly.

Does a drop in pending sales mean prices are falling?

Not directly. Closed sales (the deals that already went through) fell by a much smaller 9.6% to 13.3% across the four counties in September, and months of supply rose only modestly. Price data moves slower than pending-sales volume.

Which county had the weakest September?

Orange County had the steepest pending-sales decline (-56.3%) of the four counties tracked.

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Paul Fernandez · REALTOR · CA DRE# 01835505 Rise Realty · soldwithpaul.com Data source: CRMLS Infosparks, September 2026 snapshot (report_date 2026-09-01), validated 2026-10-02.