Single Agency
Buyers aren’t crazy about signing a three-month contract just to see homes for sale – and neither are the buyer-agents. Every problem with home sales will get solved by cutting out the buyer-agent, even though it’s bad for buyers.
Open House Report
The buyers are out there. They’re just being coy and playing hard-to-get.
Popular Spots
The darker green areas have populations that are growing the most – hopefully it means that people who moved there had to know something!
Want to stay in the west?
Check out Utah – it’s been #1 for the last three years:
https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/05/06/utah-best-state-us-world-news-report-2025
NSDCC Monthly Listings
With the unsold listings piling up everywhere, I went to check the stale factor (above) and was surprised to see that the ratio of the active listings on the market for 15+ days was actually lower than it was previously.
It must mean that there has been a flurry of new listings recently.
There have been 87 new listings this month between La Jolla and Carlsbad, which means we should be well on our way for 300+ for the month of May.
Here’s how 2025 compares with the last two years:
Because today’s home sellers are loaded with equity and are somewhat reluctant to leave San Diego unless they get all their money, the less-motivated sellers who sense that it’s a ‘bad time to sell’ are going to wait until 2026 to hit the market.
It should mean that the number of new listings won’t explode from here to December.
What about 2026?
There will probably be a bigger surge next year, caused by the larger group of 2025 leftovers plus those who waited. They won’t be a panic on price – they want their money – but the seller nervousness will cause them to start earlier.
The 1Q26 surge is going to be wild!
Oceanside Harbor
There is nothing like Oceanside Harbor between Dana Point and Mission Beach!
Happy Pope Day
It’s been well-documented here what a lucky guy I am, and here’s another.
In 2016, Natalie was studying abroad in Florence, and we went to visit.
Kayla had done her study abroad in Rome five years earlier, but we didn’t visit then. So we started our tour in Rome so she could show us around. Being good Catholics, we went to the Sistine Chapel, where usually the guards are adamant about not taking any photos.
But the day we were there, the guards were on strike!
They had a skeleton crew of staff at the door who were encouraging us to take as many photos as we wanted!
Nestled
Of the 3,122 detached-home listings in San Diego County, 672 of them (22%) include the word ‘nestled’. It is followed closely by ‘dream’, which is in 19% of the listings.
If you don’t want to be replaced by robots, don’t be so robotic.
Today’s Home Sellers
According to Opendoor’s new First-Time Home Seller Report, the COVID-era buying spree is not only over, it is biting back.
The low-interest rate buying frenzy in 2020 and newfound flexibility with remote work led to a wave of regret – 79% of first-time home sellers admit they made mistakes, with 91% saying these errors played a major role in their decision to sell.
The biggest culprits?
- Buying too fast
- Misjudging long-term lifestyle fit
- Underestimating maintenance costs
- Assuming remote work was forever
These regrets could be fueling a shift away from the traditional “forever home” mentality. Once seen as the ultimate goal, it now feels unrealistic for many, especially with changing lifestyles and economic pressures. In fact, 68% of first-time home sellers no longer see it as attainable, and 81% are selling what they once thought would be their lifelong home.
Read full report here:
The Squeeze
It’s easy for sellers to miss these days!
Just because you have comps doesn’t mean you’re going to sell. Adjust on the fly!
Bob Seger
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band will be on tour later this year!
