Southern California condo sales slump 28%

Why aren’t cash-strapped house hunters flocking to condos, Southern California’s relative housing bargain?

My trusty spreadsheet reviewed Attom sales data for the six-county region from November 2025 back to 2005. It found that the recent affordability-linked sales slump has been little different for condominiums and pricier single-family houses.

Ponder the depth of Southern California’s sales slowdown by tracking the pace of the past three years vs. the previous 18 years of homebuying. Condo purchases dropped 28% while single-family houses were down 33%.

These largely parallel sales patterns are another example of the split performance of the economy.

Folks who’d typically buy a condo suffer financially. Higher-income households, whose finances are largely doing well, have kept the pricier slice of the housing market relatively stable.

In addition, condos have fallen out of favor with some home buyers due to poor upkeep of shared property, overbearing condo boards, and unpredictable community fees driven by rising insurance and maintenance costs.

Cost conscious

Consider the condo’s cost advantage amidst stubbornly high prices.

Southern California condos had a median sales price of $680,000 in November, just 2% below the $697,000...