Santa Barbara Real Estate

California Real Estate Market Trends

Santa Barbara Real Estate Market Trends from 2018 to January 2024

86 Santa Barbara Home Sales in January 2024 up from 49 Homes Sold in January 2023

The California Association of Realtors 2024 Housing Market Forecast is optimistic due to falling interest rates, rising prices, economic expansion, and a strong demand for housing. Home prices are predicted to rise 6.2% to a record median of $680,300 and housing affordability will remain flat even despite an outmigration of Californians to low-tax states. The state remains viable and people want to buy homes here.

Is this the year frustrated buyers will finally have the opportunity to buy or will rising home prices leave them all behind?  Realtors, investors, home buyers, and renters across California continue to wait in limbo for the 2024 California housing market to unfold.  Is this spring the “inflection point” the media has touted for the real estate market?

Mortgage Rates have fallen below October’s levels and will likely fall further as the year progresses. Even though that’s good news without knowing how the FED will react it’s difficult for Sellers and Buyers to know what to do.

Statistics show that homeowners aren’t listing their homes. New reports have it that baby boomers aren’t willing to let go of their homes. There doesn’t seem to be a solution for the housing crisis, and as the US and California economy return perhaps later this year, it’s easy to see home prices in California picking up pace. So far, demand doesn’t seem to fade in California. While the state has suffered a major loss of businesses and residents, there is a continuous supply of new residents arriving and businesses being formed. The attraction of the Golden State never seems to falter.

SELLERS ARE COMING BACK TO THE HOUSING MARKET * ALTOS RESEARCH VIDEO

Santa Barbara California photo Mark Lomas
Share this:
Mark Danforth Lomas

Recent Posts

I Madonnari Festival returns Memorial Day Weekend!

Every Memorial Day weekend, our local slice of paradise does something incredible. The historic plaza…

1 day ago

Weekend Open Houses May 23rd & May 24th, 2026

Explore this weekend’s featured open houses across the South Coast. From coastal retreats to hillside…

1 day ago

Market Trends

The Volume Surge: Total sales in April jumped 22% year-over-year. After a slow start to…

1 week ago

Housing

We’ve all seen the headlines. The "1%," the billionaires, the exploding cost of living—and right…

1 week ago

Santa Barbara’s State Street

The Santa Barbara’s State Street Blues. It’s the first time in history a city might spend…

3 weeks ago

Private Listings vs. Pocket Listings

There's been a massive shift in the industry. As of early 2026, Compass has become a true…

4 weeks ago