I walked Newport Avenue last weekend, picked up a coffee at Jungle Java, and counted four "for sale" signs between the pier and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. That's more inventory than I've seen in OB in a while — and it tells you something about where this little pocket of San Diego is right now.

If you live here, are thinking about selling here, or are quietly wondering if you could afford to buy here, this is what the Ocean Beach real estate market actually looks like this spring.

What the numbers say

The median sale price in Ocean Beach landed at roughly $1,020,000 in April. Homes are sitting about 52 days on the market on average — closer to 54 days for single-family. That's a touch faster than the national pace, but noticeably slower than the frenzy years.

In plain terms: well-priced homes still move. Overpriced ones sit. Buyers have a little breathing room they didn't have eighteen months ago, but inventory in 92107 is still tight enough that the right place can pull multiple offers in a week.

What the numbers don't say

Numbers don't capture why people put up with paying a million dollars for a small bungalow two blocks off the alley.

OB is the only place in San Diego I know of where the building code has stayed put since the early '70s — nothing over 30 feet. That's why the skyline still looks the way it did when your parents visited. It's why the light hits Newport the way it does in the late afternoon. It's why you can hear the drum circle on Sunday from blocks away. The neighborhood traded high-rises for character a long time ago, and the people who buy here are paying for that trade.

The housing stock matches the vibe: post-war bungalows, Craftsman cottages, small two- and three-unit buildings, low-rise condos with ocean peeks. Some are beautifully redone. Some haven't been touched since 1978. The range is part of what keeps OB feeling like OB and not like the inland new-build subdivisions an hour east.

If you're thinking about selling

A few things I'd want you to know before you list:

The buyers showing up in OB right now are pickier than they were two years ago. They're reading every inspection, they're asking about the roof, they're noticing deferred maintenance. That doesn't mean the market is bad — it means presentation matters more than it used to. A cleaned-up, well-staged, fairly-priced home in 92107 still has a real shot at a multiple-offer week.

Pricing is the lever that decides everything. List too high and you'll burn the first two weeks — which are the most valuable two weeks a listing ever has. Price it right and you set the room up for the buyers to compete with each other instead of with you.

If you're curious what your home is actually worth this month — not a Zillow estimate, but a real read — I'm happy to pull comps for your block and tell you straight. No pressure to do anything with it.

If you're thinking about buying

You have more room than you did. Not a ton, but more. Sellers are open to conversations they weren't entertaining in 2022. If you've been priced out of Ocean Beach for years, it's worth at least running the math again — especially on the smaller condos and one-bedroom bungalows that don't trade as quickly.

The trick in OB is patience. The right place comes up; you have to be ready to move when it does.

How to reach me

I grew up in San Diego and I work this part of town all the time. If you want a straight read on Ocean Beach — what your home would sell for, what's actually on the market, or whether the timing makes sense for you — send me a note. I'd rather have a real conversation than send you a marketing email.

— Richard Torres, Realtor | Shore Realty | CA DRE# 02006826

Your Home. Your Story. Your San Diego.

Richard Torres is a San Diego real estate agent focused on the central-coastal neighborhoods, including Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, North Park, and Hillcrest. Contact him at www.richardtorresrealestate.com.