The decision to purchase real estate or to place your home for sale in the Santa Barbara real estate market can be one of the biggest you and your family will make at any given time. This decision can be made easier if you are adequately informed about the buying and selling process, the local real estate market and the neighborhoods and communities in which you are interested. As a local real estate professional with more than thirty years of experience helping buyers and sellers just like you, it would be my great pleasure to introduce you to the Santa Barbara Real Estate Services I offer to both buyers and sellers.
For sake of simplicity, buying a home is a three-step process: finding the right community, finding the right home and negotiating the best contract terms. For your convenience, I have compiled a wealth of information on local communities and their real estate trends as well as provided you access to the search the entire Santa Barbara MLS to view available properties. Once we have narrowed down the ideal community and the right home, I will use my many years of experience and expertise and my Santa Barbara Real Estate Services to negotiate the contract terms to suit your needs and to exceed your expectations.
For sellers, I believe you will find my commitment to untiring communication and service, masterful marketing and negotiation skills to be most refreshing. Resulting from years of extensive experience and research, a superior ability to anticipate problems and solve them and unsurpassed ethics and professionalism, you will find these qualities will help your home sell quickly and for its highest dollar.
Whether you are moving across town or across the country, it would be my great pleasure to assist you with all your housing needs and to share my Santa Barbara Real Estate Services with you and your family. Please feel free to browse my Santa Barbara Home Buying and Selling Tips at your leisure and do not hesitate to contact me, Stan Tabler at your convenience. I look forward to hearing from you soon and assisting you with all your real estate goals, big and small.
Santa Barbara South Coast Real Estate Update
April 10, 2026
According to data from the County Recorder’s Office by way of Fidelity National Title, the number of residential property sales on the Santa Barbara South Coast increased by 18% in March 2026, with 131 sales as compared with March 2025. Of these 131 sales, there were 99 House or Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) sales, up from 79 in March 2025; the median sale price of these House/PUD sales was $2,225,000, down 21% from 2025, and the average sale price was $3,456,232, down 20% from 2025. Of these 131 sales, there were 32 Condominium sales in March 2026, the same number as in 2025; the median sale price of these Condominium sales was $1,150,000, down 3% from 2025, and the average sale price was $1,288,122, down 3% from 2025.
Carpinteria had 13 residential sales in March 2026, up from 4 in February. There were 10 House/PUD sales, up from 3 in February; the median sale price of these House/PUD sales was $1,710,000, and the average price was $5,413,100. There were 3 Condominium sales, up from 1 in February; the median sale price of these Condominium sales was $800,000, and the average sale price was $818,333. In March 2026, the lowest-priced Carpinteria sale was a Condominium on Catlin Circle @ $800,000, and the highest-priced sale was an oceanfront Estate on Padaro Lane @ $29,000,000.
Summerland had no sales in March, the same as in February 2026.
Montecito had 15 residential sales in March 2026, up from 12 in February. There were 14 House/PUD sales, up from 9 in February; the median sale price of these House/PUD sales was $5,650,000, and the average price was $6,235,115. There was 1 Condominium sale, down from 3 in February; the sale price of this Condominium was $2,875,000. In March 2026, the lowest-priced Montecito sale was a PUD on Plaza De Sonadores @ $1,785,000, and the highest-priced sale was an Estate on Alston @ $14,011,604.
Santa Barbara had 59 residential sales in March 2026, up from 57 in February. There were 40 House/PUD sales, up from 38 in February; the median sale price of these House/PUD sales was $2,112,500, and the average price was $2,384,379. There were 19 Condominium sales, the same number of sales as in February; the median sales price of these Condominium sales was $1,350,000 and the average sales price was $1,410,627. In March 2026, the lowest-priced Santa Barbara sale was a Condominium on W Valerio Street @ $520,000, and the highest-priced sale was a Home on Campanil Drive @ $4,500,000.
Hope Ranch had 8 residential sales in March 2026, substantially up from 2 in February. The median sale price of these House sales was $6,712,500, and the average price was $6,480,625. There are no PUDs or Condominiums in Hope Ranch. In March 2026, the lowest-priced Hope Ranch sale was an Estate on Via Glorieta @ $3,375,000, and the highest-priced sale was an Estate on Cresta Avenue @ $9,825,000.
Goleta had 36 residential sales in March 2026, up from 32 in February. There were 27 House/PUD sales, up from 19 in February; the median sale price of these House/PUD sales was $1,561,250, and the average price was $1,982,378. There were 9 Condominium sales, down from 13 in February; the median sales price of these Condominium sales was $815,000 and the average sales price was $1,009,778. In March 2026, the lowest-priced Goleta sale was a Condominium on Dearborn Place @ $690,000, and the highest-priced sale was a Home on Bedrock Court @ $5,190,000.
Analysis
As of April 1st in the Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service (MLS), there were 180 available House/PUD listings (up from 171 on March 1st) and 58 available Condominium listings (up from 50 on March 1st) along the Santa Barbara South Coast. The lack of housing inventory available for sale has loosened up a bit since last year, but it has continued to put upward pressure on housing values. Compare our current supply levels to the years 2007 through 2011, when the total number of available listings for Buyers to choose from fluctuated between 734 and 1,026. Historically, the highest number of available listings along the Santa Barbara South Coast was recorded in June 1992, when there were an amazing 1,297 available!
While the number of days that listings stay on the market before entering escrow has risen, the competition among Buyers creating bidding wars has also diminished, although it has not totally disappeared. According to the Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service (MLS) sales data, there were a total of 119 residential sales in March on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County, up from 96 in February. The County Recorder reported 131 total sales in March, indicating that 12 private sales did not register in the MLS. Of the 119 MLS sales, 26% closed over the original asking price (up from 23% in February), 18% closed at the original asking price (down from 23% in February), and 56% closed for less than the original asking price (up from 54% in February). After analyzing the March sales data, there were 16 listings (substantially up from 3 in February) which sold $100,000+ over their original asking prices; these listings were Hollister Avenue which sold $312,250 over asking, La Vista Del Oceano Drive which sold $305,000 over asking, Calle Pinon which sold $300,000 over asking, Via Airosa which sold $245,000 over asking, Las Positas Place which sold $230,000 over asking, San Miguel Avenue & Knoll Circle Drive which both sold $205,000 over asking, Loma Street that sold $139,000 over asking, Dara Road which sold $125,000 over asking, Sandpiper Lane which sold $115,000 over asking, Berkeley Road which sold $115,000 over asking, Laguna Street & Atasco Drive & Camino Del La Aldea which all sold for $105,000 over asking, Milpas Street which sold $102,000 over asking, and Miradero Drive & Del Norte Drive which both sold $100,000 over asking. Nationally, the percentage of sales over the asking price has hovered around 28% as compared to the South Coast of Santa Barbara’s 26% March sales ratio. If you think Buyer competition is high in Santa Barbara, data from COMPASS in the Silicon Valley shows that at least 40 homes sold for $200,000 or more above list price in February, including 17 homes that sold for $400,000 or more above list price. Notably, one property in Los Gatos sold for $1,400,000 above asking price in just 8 days on the market, and two other homes sold for $900,000 more. Multiple-offer bidding wars are fierce: one house attracted 25 offers in 8 days and 5 other properties received more than 10 offers each.
Speaking of inventory levels, according to Jiayi Xu’s National Housing Market Update March 28th article: “The year-over-year growth of newly listed homes was up 0.7% in March, but the year-to-date total actually remains negative, signifying that there have been 1.6% fewer new listings so far this year than in 2025 to this point. Lower mortgage rates than at this time last year should be leading to more sellers listing, but rising rates over the past weeks and increased economic uncertainty due to the Middle East tensions could be holding some would-be sellers back for now. This will be the point to watch in the coming weeks and months.” https://www.realtor.com/research/weekly-housing-trends-view-data-week-march-28-2026/
Of the 119 residential sales in March 2026, 103 sold over $1,000,000, which equates to 87% of the total sales, down from 88% February. The South Coast of Santa Barbara is not an inexpensive place to purchase real estate compared to other areas of the United States, but many people will pay more to live in Santa Barbara. According to Property Shark’s survey, California had 7 of the 10 most expensive median-priced ZIP codes in the United States. Montecito’s 93108 ZIP code came in at #5 with a median sale price of $6,995,000. The #1 spot is held by Fisher Island (off the coast of Miami) where the median sale price is $11,925,000, which is 27 times higher than the U.S. median sale price. https://www.propertyshark.com/Real-Estate-Reports/most-expensive-zip-codes-in-the-us/
Another verification of Santa Barbara’s popularity, no matter the cost, the New York Post’s survey ranked the most expensive cities in the US to visit as a tourist and the winner is #1 Aspen where a three-day trip for two costs $2,708! Closely followed is #2 Santa Barbara where a three-day trip for two costs $2,446! Filling out the top five on the list were Anchorage, Bar Harbor, and Fairbanks. The last (#55) on the list and the least expensive tourist destination for vacationers was Clearwater where a three-day trip for two costs $1,630, 40% less than Aspen. https://nypost.com/2025/07/04/lifestyle/most-expensive-tourist-destinations-in-the-us-in-2025/
Another reason Santa Barbara is so sought after is its local educational system as University of California Santa Barbara ranked as #91 out of 2,250 universities worldwide, and Santa Barbara City College ranked #1 out of the 116 Community Colleges in California.
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings and
https://bold.org/blog/best-community-colleges-in-california
At the Federal Reserve’s March 17th meeting, Chairman Powell spoke. “Today, the FOMC decided to leave our policy rate unchanged. We see the current stance of monetary policy as appropriate to promote progress toward our maximum-employment and 2 percent inflation goals. Our monetary policy actions are guided by our dual mandate to promote maximum employment and stable prices for the American people. But the implications of events in the Middle East for the U.S. economy are uncertain. In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation, but it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy.” On March 30th, Powell said “Now we’re facing events in the Middle East which will certainly affect gas prices, and we feel like our policy is in a good place for us to wait and see how that turns out. Energy shocks have tended to come and go quickly. So the tendency is to look through any kind of a supply shock. It’s one of those times where you get a series of supply shocks: first the pandemic, then the much smaller one from tariffs, and then we’re getting now an energy shock. No one knows how big it will be. It’s way too early to know.” https://www.federalreserve.gov/mediacenter/files/FOMCpresconf20260318.pdf
Since the beginning of 2022, 30-year mortgage interest rates have doubled, but started easing downward in 2024, and were 5.95% as of March 1st 2026. Due in part to the war in the middle east, mortgage rates are 6.38% as of April 1st. Historically, the lowest 30-year mortgage interest rate since 1970 was recorded in February 2021 at 2.65% and that low rate was matched in July 2021 during the COVID pandemic. If Buyers are expecting 3% or even low 5% mortgage rates to return to buy a home, they are waiting for an anomaly and should wait no longer. The highest historical 30-year fixed-rate interest rate was recorded in 1981 @ 18.63%. The average 30-year mortgage rate over the last 50 years has been 7.70%, so current rates are still well below that average. Mortgage rates of 8.03% in October 2023 were at a 23-year high following all-time lows reached just three years before, highlighting the effect that financing costs have on the housing market. A $913,100 loan in 1981 would have been $13,423/ month, the payment in June 2021 would have been $3,679/month, and now, as of April 1st, that payment would be $5,700/month. As an alternative to obtaining a mortgage, in March 2026, 37% of South Coast Buyers purchased homes with cash, down from 44% in February.
The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index in the US edged up to 38 in March 2026 from 37 in each of the previous two months, compared to forecasts of 37. Current sales conditions increased one point to 42. Sales expectations in the next six months gained two points to 49 and traffic of prospective buyers posted a three-point increase to 25. Also, 37% of builders cut prices in March, up slightly from 36% in February. The average price reduction remained stable at 6%. The use of sales incentives was 64% in March, down one percentage point from February, and marking the 12th consecutive month this share has exceeded 60%. “Many buyers remain on the fence waiting for lower interest rates and due to economic uncertainty. Builders are facing elevated land, labor and construction costs and nearly two-thirds continue to offer sales incentives in a bid to firm up the market”, said NAHB Chairman Bill Owens. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/nahb-housing-market-index
As for the worldwide cost of living as of April 1st, Expatistan compiled an index of 109 major worldwide metropolitan areas. According to the index in the United States (and the world) the most expensive area to live in is #1 New York City with a @ 249 Price Index score (the least expensive gallon of regular gas costs $3.93/gallon in New York). The least expensive in the United States is #85 Cedar Rapids, Iowa @ 83 ($3.29/gallon). The lowest State average gas price in the United States is $3.27/gallon in Oklahoma. Of the top 25 most expensive areas on the worldwide list, two are in California: #3 San Francisco @ 208 ($6.07/gallon) and #10 San Diego @ 179 ($5.87/gallon). According to the index, the least expensive area to live in the world is #109 Yogyakarta (Indonesia) @ 32 ($2.92/gallon – government subsidized). Gas prices on the South Coast are as low as $5.39/gallon (up $1.00+ from February) and are generally lower than in other California coastal areas. A Chevron Station near LAX is charging up to $8.71/gallon! According to AAA, in California, the most expensive average cost of gas is in Mono County @ $6.68 and the least expensive is in Sutter County @ $5.46. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of gas in California is $5.89/gallon, while the National average is $4.02/gallon. The most expensive gas in California is in Gorda by the Sea on the Big Sur Coast where a gallon of gas will cost you $9.99. If you think that is a high price, you may be surprised that a gallon of gas in Hong Kong costs $15.60! Expatistan’s Cost of Living Index is an interesting way to compare the cost of living in cities around the world. https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/index
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® edged up by 0.8 points in March to 91.8 (1985=100), from 91.0 in February. The survey period for preliminary results was March 1 to 24, 2026. While not obvious in the headline or its component indexes, the weight of rising costs due to tariff passthrough and spiking oil prices was evident among other measures in the survey like inflation expectations. “Consumer confidence ticked up again in March, as a modest improvement in consumers’ views of current conditions outweighed a slight downshift in expectations for the future,” said Dana M Peterson, Chief Economist, The Conference Board. “Three of five components of the Index firmed in March, and overall confidence improved modestly for a second month. Nonetheless, the Index has been on a general downward trend since 2021.” https://www.conference-board.org/topics/consumer-confidence
Consumer sentiment fell in April 2026 to the lowest level recorded in the 70-plus-year history of the University of Michigan’s survey: Americans are concerned that the Iran war will hit the domestic economy. The survey’s preliminary April reading came in at 47.6, down from 53.3 in March. That was worse than analysts had expected. The previous low point, 50, was recorded in June 2022, when the U.S. was facing searing inflation. https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/
Historically, the highest Year-to-Date median sale price on the Santa Barbara South Coast was recorded in 2007 at $1,031,500, but that high mark is now ancient history. The median sale price of all residential 2026 sales Year-To-Date as of April 1st was $1,785,000, down 5% from 2025, and the average sales price was $2,650,674. While the median sale price was hovering near 2007’s historic high for most of 2017, 2018, and 2019, it started its upward climb in 2020, accelerating in 2021 and into the first half of 2022 before leveling off throughout and declining 1% in 2023. There have been no double-digit price increases in the median sales price since a 17% increase in 2020, 24% in 2021 and 15% in 2022. The current 5% decrease in the median sales price has not been this low since a 10% decrease in 2011.
Based on the Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service data, as of April 1st in the City of Santa Barbara, there were 60 active House/PUD listings (down from 65 on March 1st) and 44 pending sales (up from 35 on March 1st) which equates to a 1.4-month supply (down from 1.7 on March 1st) of listings for Buyers to choose from in the City of Santa Barbara. Generally, a 1-month supply would indicate the listings would be sold within one month. A less than 1-month supply of inventory indicates a feverish Seller’s market, a 1-to-2-month supply indicates a heated Seller’s market, and a 2-to-4-month supply is considered a basic Seller’s market where Buyer demand is still high, and inventory is scarce. Historically, a 4-to-6-month supply of available inventory indicates a Balanced market. More than a 6-month supply indicates a Buyer’s market where inventory is plentiful, with Buyers being slower to make decisions as they compare numerous properties on the market. Based on Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service data as of April 1st, Carpinteria/Summerland has a .8-month supply (down from 1.7 on March 1st), Montecito has a 4.9-month supply (up from 4.3 on March 1st), Hope Ranch has a 6-month supply (up from 2.7 on March 1st), and Goleta has a 5.3-month supply (up from 1.1 on March 1st). Carpinteria/Summerland has dropped into a Feverish Seller’s market. Montecito, Hope Ranch and Goleta are all in Balanced markets. Santa Barbara remains in a Heated Seller’s market. With a combined total of 75 House/PUD pending sales (down from 87 on March 1st) and 180 active listings (up from 171 on March 1st) along the South Coast of Santa Barbara County, there is a 2.4-month supply (up from 2 on March 1st) of House/PUD listings from which Buyers can choose. By removing the 67 higher-valued House/PUD listings in Montecito and Hope Ranch and their 13 pending sales from the equation, there is only a 1.8-month supply (up from 1.5 on March 1st) from which Buyers can choose along the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. With a combined total of 27 Condominium pending sales (up from 23 on March 1st) and 58 active listings (up from 50 on March 1st), there is a 2.2-month supply (the same as on March 1st) of Condominium listings from which Buyers can choose.
There are many concerns for Buyers and Sellers. These include the wars in Iran and Ukraine, continuing tensions in all of the Middle East, continued worldwide geopolitical tensions, inflation, insurance premium volatility, mortgage interest rates, health insurance rates, President Trump’s tariffs, continuing repercussions of the government shutdown, geopolitical tensions, and how other administration economic policies are confusing to our trading partners. Also, a major concern for Buyers and Sellers is the scarcity and cost of homeowners’ insurance coverage, especially since State Farm, Nationwide, Kemper, Marine America, Trans-Pacific, Allstate and others have refused to issue new policies in California and are not renewing existing home insurance policies. Farmers Insurance has been restricting the number of new policies it offers since July 2023, but recently removed the cap on the number of new policies it will issue, but insurance still remains very expensive as compared to years past. Now on March 12th, the real wildcard is the possible effects the Iran war will have on inflation (gas prices), mortgage interest rates, financial markets and consumer confidence. At the moment, there is so much political and economic uncertainty that no one knows how it will impact the housing market.
California’s Proposition 19 allows homeowners aged 55+ to transfer their existing real estate tax base to a home anywhere in the State; this newer law may encourage some older Sellers who wish to sell their current homes and downsize. The imbalance between Santa Barbara’s low housing supply and high demand is more pronounced than in most national cities, so over the years, there has been a surge in local property values. While market corrections may still negatively impact property values on the Santa Barbara South Coast, the impact is expected to be less severe compared to many other areas in the state and country. New 2026 listings may have remained on the market a bit longer than in 2024 and 2025, but they continue to sell. Home values in the Santa Barbara South Coast Real Estate Market continue to be supported by supply and demand dynamics due to our current market’s persistent low listing inventory. Pre-pandemic House/PUD active listings in April 1st 2019 totaled 384; as of April 2026, there are now only 221 active listings, which is 42% lower than in 2019.
Review the attached list of the 119 properties sold on the Santa Barbara South Coast in March 2026, and contact me for information on specific sales in our area.
Stan Tabler, CRS, GRI, ABR, GREEN
Compass
801 Chapala Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805.689.2305
CalBRE Brokers License #00774377 since 1980
Realtor of the Year
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