Joseph Haymore California has watched this gap grow all year. It is the main thing buyers and sellers miss when they only read one big countywide number instead of looking at their own property type.

Here is a simple way to picture it. Two neighbors list their homes the same week. One owns a house. One owns a condo. In three weeks, the house gets four offers and sells above its asking price. The condo just sits. Weeks go by. The condo owner starts to wonder, is it the price? The unit? The agent?

Nothing is wrong. This is just how San Diego works right now. Houses and condos are acting like two different markets, not one.

San Diego Snapshot

Property Type	Detached Houses	Condos and Townhomes
Median price (2026)	~$1.1 million	~$670,000–$675,000
Price change vs. last year	Flat to slightly up	Flat to down
Speed	Fast, often multiple offers	Slower, more time on market
Supply	Down ~25% from last year	Up ~6% from last year
Buyer power	Low, sellers hold the edge	Higher, room to negotiate

The Real Numbers Behind the Split

Here is what is really happening, in plain terms.

Countywide, the median home price is up about 1.3% from last year. That sounds calm. But that number blends two very different stories together.

Houses are the story of “not enough to sell.” The supply of houses for sale has dropped about 25% from last year. When supply drops that much and buyers still want homes, prices hold steady or climb, and homes sell fast.

Condos are the opposite story. Supply of condos actually rose about 6% from last year. More units for sale, plus higher monthly costs, means slower sales and softer prices. Condo listings now take about 40 days to go under contract, a bit longer than a year ago.

What is pushing condo costs up? Three things, mainly:

1. HOA dues, many buildings have raised monthly fees.
2. SB 326 inspections, a California law that requires older condo buildings to inspect balconies and other shared structures, which can lead to costly repairs or special assessments.
3. Insurance, insuring shared buildings has gotten more expensive across California.

If You Are Buying a House Right Now

Get ready to move fast. Well-priced, move-in-ready houses are still getting multiple offers, especially near good schools.

Simple steps that help:

• Get pre-approved for a loan before you start touring homes.
• Keep your offer terms clean and simple.
• Do not wait around hoping the price will drop. It usually does not, because another buyer is ready to jump in.

If You Are Looking at a Condo Instead

You have more room to negotiate here. A condo that has sat on the market for over a month, or one that already had a price cut, often means the seller is ready to talk.

But do not just chase the lowest price. Before you buy:

• Ask for the HOA’s financial statements.
• Ask if the building has done its required SB 326 inspection.
• Ask about any planned special assessments.

A cheap price with a broken HOA can turn into a costly year one problem.

What Sellers Need to Understand Today

If you are selling a condo, this market asks more of you than it asks of a house seller. A few simple moves help a lot:

• Price it right on day one. Do not test a high price and drop it later, repeat price cuts make buyers nervous.
• Fix small cosmetic issues before you list. Buyers comparing similar units pick the one that needs less work.
• Share your HOA’s financial details upfront. Buyers are asking harder questions about reserves and future costs.
• Expect it to take time. A 45-day sale is normal for a condo right now, not a failure.

How Coronado Fits Into This Picture

Coronado is a small island with very little land left to build on. That scarcity protects home values here even when the wider county cools down.

But Coronado is not immune to the split. Buyers here have become more selective, not more aggressive. They will pay full price for a great location and a move-in-ready home. They push back harder on homes that need work, or condos with high HOA fees.

Coronado	What It Looks Like
Land supply	Very limited, protects long-term value
Buyer mindset	Selective, not desperate
Strongest sellers	Move-in-ready homes in prime spots
Slowest sellers	Homes needing repairs, or high-HOA condos

This kind of neighborhood-level read, comparing your exact property type against your exact neighborhood, not the whole county, is the approach Joseph Haymore California uses when guiding clients through Coronado and the wider San Diego market.

Making a Smart Move in a Split Market

The biggest mistake right now is treating San Diego as one market. A house and a condo three blocks apart can need completely different pricing and timing, even if they look similar on paper.

Track your own property type, in your own neighborhood, against real recent sales, not one big county average. That is the difference between a smooth sale and months of frustration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are houses selling faster than condos in San Diego right now? 

Houses have much less supply, down about 25% from last year. Condos have more supply and higher monthly costs like HOA dues. That makes condos slower to sell and softer on price.

Is the whole San Diego market cooling down? 

No. The countywide median price is still up about 1.3% from last year. The slowdown is mostly in condos and townhomes, not houses.

Should condo sellers just wait for the market to improve? 

Waiting rarely helps. A fair price and a well-presented unit usually sells faster than holding out for a shift that may take months.

Is Coronado still a good place to buy? 

Yes, thanks to its very limited land supply. But buyers should expect more pickiness around condition and HOA costs than in past years.

How do I know which side of the split my property is on? 

Compare recent sales of the same property type in your exact neighborhood. Do not rely on the countywide average, the split only shows up once you separate houses from condos. Getting this comparison right is exactly the kind of guidance Joseph Haymore California provides to buyers, sellers, and agents.

The Bottom Line

San Diego is not one housing market this year. It is two, running side by side in the same zip codes. Houses are rewarding sellers. Condos are asking sellers to work harder while giving buyers more room to talk. Knowing which side you are on, instead of trusting one big headline, is the real key to making a smart move, and it is the core message behind everything Joseph Haymore California shares with clients.