Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

North County Coastal split in two by pricing power

By Ken Schwartz

Real estate, North County Coastal

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices up 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. That number is real. It just does not describe North County Coastal. Here, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted results ranging from down 10% in one ZIP to up 22.1% in another, all in the same three months ending July 31, 2026. If you own or plan to buy here, the national headline can mislead you. Your ZIP code is the number that matters.

Where prices rose

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted the biggest gain in ZIP 92007. The median sale price there was $2,793,500, up 22.1% from the same three months in 2025. Inventory fell 44% in that same period. Only 14 homes were for sale, and 1.5 months of supply is very tight. Nearly 4 in 10 homes sold above list price.

ZIP 92014 was close behind. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $3,112,500, up 15.9% year over year. Homes sold jumped 127.3%. Days on market dropped 11 days shorter than a year ago, to 28 days. Nearly a third of homes sold above list price.

ZIP 92075 and ZIP 92024 also moved up. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of $2,054,500 in 92075, up 12.6%, and $2,050,000 in 92024, up 9.3%. In 92024, nearly half of homes, 48.1%, went under contract within two weeks of listing.

Where prices slipped

ZIP 92037 is the clearest example of the other side. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median sale price of $2,245,000, down 10% from a year earlier. Homes took 34 days to sell, 10 days longer than last year. Only 15.3% of homes sold above list price, down 8.5 points. That is not a collapse, but it is a clear softening.

ZIP 92008 and ZIP 92009 also saw small price dips. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted medians of $1,684,000 in 92008, down 3.5%, and $1,585,000 in 92009, down 0.9%. ZIP 92010 was nearly flat at $1,262,500, down 0.8%. These are not big drops, but they are moving in the opposite direction from 92007 and 92014.

How fast homes are moving

Speed varied just as much as price. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of 21 days on market in ZIP 92024 and 22 days in ZIP 92075. ZIP 92037 was the slowest at 34 days, and ZIP 92011 was close at 35 days. Faster days on market generally matched the ZIPs where prices rose.

The rate backdrop

Mortgage rates are not helping buyers. CNBC reported the average contract rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage with a conforming loan balance at 7.30% as of September 30, 2026. Realtor.com reported rates topped 7% in September 2026. Rates at this level raise monthly payments and shrink the pool of buyers who can qualify, which puts more pressure on sellers to price carefully.

What this means for you

One ZIP code in this market is down 10%. Another is up 22.1%. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's national figure of 2.6% sits right between them and describes neither one. If you price your home by the national number, or even by the wrong ZIP code, you can leave money on the table or sit unsold.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also shows that within each ZIP, individual streets can read differently from the whole. A canyon view lot, a corner position, or a block closer to the coast can shift your number further. The ZIP code average is the starting point, not the final answer.