Prices are rising while buyers grow more selective. San Diego Realtor Andrew Bloom explains what the conflicting market means for buyers and sellers.
SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — San Diego home prices are climbing. Homes are selling faster. More than a third are selling above asking.
So why are thousands of buyers still sitting on the sidelines?
According to longtime San Diego Realtor Andrew Bloom, the answer is simple: there is no longer one San Diego housing market.
“The headline might say San Diego is a seller’s market, but that doesn’t mean every seller has the leverage,” says Bloom. “Two homes ten minutes apart can have completely different outcomes based on price, condition, property type and demand. Buyers and sellers need to understand their market, not just the market.”
The latest numbers illustrate that divide.
San Diego County’s median sale price reached $961,781 in August, up 5.7% year over year. Homes sold in a median 28 days, and 35.4% closed above asking price. Yet 22.3% of listings had price reductions, while pending sales fell 13% year over year, according to Redfin.
Bloom says those aren’t contradictory statistics. They are evidence of a market becoming increasingly selective.
Buyers Have More Leverage Than the Headlines Suggest
With the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 6.76% as of September 10, affordability remains a major hurdle.
But Bloom cautions buyers against focusing solely on waiting for lower rates.
“Everyone asks when rates will come down,” Bloom says. “But if lower rates bring more buyers back into the market, you may trade a better rate for more competition. The smarter question is: where do I have leverage today?”
That leverage can appear in homes that have been sitting longer, undergone price reductions, returned to market or simply missed the initial rush of buyer attention.
“The best opportunity isn’t always the cheapest house,” says Bloom. “Sometimes it’s the house where the seller has a problem you can solve.”
For Sellers, the First Week Matters
The same market is sending sellers a different message.
More than one-third of San Diego County homes sold above asking in August, yet more than one in five listings recorded a price reduction.
Bloom says the gap demonstrates why sellers should think carefully before testing the market with an aggressive initial price.
“Buyers haven’t disappeared. They’ve become more selective,” he says. “When a property is positioned correctly, there can still be serious competition. When the price and the property don’t align, buyers move on quickly.”
The ZIP Code May Matter More Than the Headline
The differences become even clearer at the community level.
In August, Santee homes had a median sale price of $786,979, with 52.1% selling above list, while Coronado’s median reached $2.89 million and 17.6% sold above list. El Cajon recorded a median of $755,000, with 39.5% selling above asking.
For Bloom, those differences reinforce a simple point: countywide averages are useful context, but they aren’t a strategy.
“Real estate is hyperlocal and incredibly personal,” Bloom says. “A buyer doesn’t purchase the San Diego median. They purchase one house, on one street, at one price. Sellers are competing under those same conditions.”
Experience Through Multiple San Diego Markets
A San Diego native raised in Alpine, Bloom has spent more than two decades in real estate representing buyers and sellers throughout San Diego County.
Today, he serves as Team Lead and Realtor® with Velocity Realty, specializing in residential sales, buyers, sellers, investments and San Diego and East County properties.
Having worked through dramatically different housing cycles, Bloom believes trying to perfectly time the market can distract consumers from a more important question.
“I’ve watched people make great decisions in difficult markets and bad decisions in great ones,” Bloom says. “The goal isn’t to beat the housing market. It’s to make a decision that still feels smart five years from now.”
About Andrew Bloom
Andrew Bloom is a San Diego native, Team Lead and Realtor® with Velocity Realty, with more than 20 years of real estate experience. Raised in Alpine, Bloom represents buyers, sellers and investors throughout San Diego County with an emphasis on local market knowledge, strategy and straightforward guidance.
Andrew Bloom
Team Lead & Realtor® | Velocity Realty
California DRE #01717251
619-922-7167 (tel:619-922-7167)
mailto:andrewbloom13@yahoo.com
Jessica Kopach
The JKO Agency
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