La Jolla Market Report

La Jolla sits on the northern edge of San Diego County and remains one of Southern California’s highest-value coastal neighbourhoods. This La Jolla Market Report pulls together the latest pricing, inventory, sales and trend signals so you can see how the La Jolla real estate market is moving in 2025. 

What is the Current State of the La Jolla Real Estate Market?

As of October 2025, La Jolla remains a high-end, relatively stable market. The median sale price was about $2,375,000; which is up roughly 1.1% year-over-year; and the typical home took around 58 days to sell.

Neighborhoods still vary a lot; village and condo pockets move faster with lower medians, while coastal and canyon properties command multi-million prices and sell more slowly. Overall, prices are holding near recent highs with modest growth, days on market are longer than the peak years, and inventory is variable; sellers can still earn a premium on the right property, and buyers generally have more time to evaluate and negotiate. 

Navigating the competitive La Jolla housing market

The residential profile in La Jolla is one of Southern California's most complex, from homes in La Jolla ranging from coastal condos to luxury homes over the 5m mark. Today's market is showing strong demand, limited inventory, and a high median price. Expect higher price per square foot near the beach and in Del Mar, while comparing days on the market to days last year is important; watch pending sales for early signals.

Buyers should determine whether to live in, rent, or invest in, and then refine their searches by public schools, elementary and middle school catchments, amenities, and proximity to the beach. They should also research rental demand versus days on market, compared to San Diego listings. This should be done with a local agent who understands CA's housing market development and comps.

Sellers and investors should emphasize amenity, coastal views, and school strengths to justify premiums, price to the average La Jolla sale and recent comps, and be prepared for competing offers, pending contingencies, and the complication of buying and selling. Local expertise guides staging and list-price strategy.

Average List Price

La Jolla’s median list price sat in the low-to-mid multimillion range in late 2025. Zillow’s snapshot for late October 2025 shows a median list price just above $2.6 million for La Jolla, which reflects how sellers price premium coastal and luxury properties before any negotiation. That list figure is a good rule of thumb for current asking-price expectations.

Average Sales Price

The median sale price and the median list price can diverge in a cooling market. In October 2025 the median sale price reported for La Jolla was about $2.39 million, which is slightly lower than some listing medians and signals that negotiated sale prices are generally near, but not uniformly above, list. Use the median sale price as the clearer signal of realized value.

Number of Homes Listed

As of early December 2025, public listing sites report roughly between 168 and 220 active homes for sale in La Jolla. Counts vary because different sites use slightly different boundaries, include or exclude condos and off-market MLS feeds, and refresh at different cadences. For an exact, up-to-the-minute count for a specific neighborhood or property type, consult the local MLS or a La Jolla listing agent.

Number of Homes Sold

Monthly sales volumes are modest. In October 2025 around 140–160 La Jolla properties closed, depending on the exact neighbourhood definition and whether attached units are included. Those sales counts are consistent with a relatively low turnover market where many owners hold for longer and the high-end segment transacts more selectively.

Average Days on Market

As of October 2025 the typical La Jolla home spent about 58 days on market, according to Redfin. That average masks clear variation: condo and village listings often move faster, while coastal and canyon properties commonly take longer to sell. 

Compared with the hottest peak years, days on market are longer, which generally gives buyers more time to evaluate and negotiate and asks sellers to price and present their homes carefully.

Price Drops

Price adjustments are more common now than in recent years. National MLS data indicate a substantial share of sellers have used at least one price reduction during 2025; locally, agents report a higher incidence of price modifications on higher ticket and marginally overpriced properties in La Jolla. 

That pattern is visible in local listing feeds and in curated market comments from brokerage reports. If a La Jolla listing shows a price drop, it is often a market signal rather than an idiosyncratic negotiation tactic.

How Have Home Values Changed in La Jolla?

Home values in La Jolla have moved unevenly among neighborhoods rather than as a single block. While the coastal and canyon properties have higher price points, village and condo pockets show smaller gains or flatter pricing; such changes reflect local supply, interest rates, and buyer demand. The shifts are broken down in sections below into one-year, three-year, and longer-term changes with date-stamped figures.

One-Year Change

Year-over-year through October 2025, La Jolla’s median sale price rose modestly by roughly 1–3% depending on the data provider and the precise neighbourhood boundaries. 

This small gain reflects a mixed market: steady demand for top coastal inventory alongside broader affordability pressures that slow velocity. Month and year stamps are important here; the cited numbers are current as of October 2025.

Three-Year Change

Over a three-year window; from the end of 2022 to late 2025; prices in La Jolla are up compared with pre-pandemic levels, but appreciation has slowed compared with the double-digit gains seen in the immediate post-2020 period. Luxury and beachfront segments retained more upside than inland pockets. Local MLS rolling-12-month reports make the best reference for the precise percent change by ZIP code.

Five-Year Change

Across five years La Jolla remains significantly higher in nominal dollars than it was in 2020, led by scarcity of beachfront and ridge properties and by continued interest from out-of-area buyers who value coastal location. The long view shows that La Jolla’s premium maintains capital appreciation, but the pace varies widely by neighbourhood and property type.

Ten-Year Change

Over ten years La Jolla has been one of the stronger long-term performers inside San Diego County. The coastal premium and limited developable land have supported higher price-per-square-foot growth than most inland suburbs across the decade. 

For investors or long-range owners, La Jolla historically outperformed the county median in cumulative appreciation. Use county MLS and Case-Shiller regional indexes for precise decade-long percent changes.

How Are Mortgage Rates?

As of late November–early December 2025, the national 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits near the low 6% range, while the 15-year fixed rate is roughly 5.51% per Freddie Mac. Rates have eased modestly from earlier 2025 highs.

Mortgage pricing is driven mainly by movements in the 10-year Treasury and demand for mortgage-backed securities, so daily changes reflect broader financial markets as much as Fed policy. What a borrower actually pays depends on lender spreads, loan program, credit score, and down payment; comparing quotes and locking a rate when ready are practical steps.

Is it a Buyer or Seller’s Market in La Jolla?

Inventory is higher than the tightest periods of 2020–2022 but still low in absolute terms for a coastal, high-value destination. Days on market have lengthened and price adjustments are more frequent, which gives buyers more negotiating leverage on marginally overpriced listings. At the same time, well-priced, move-in-ready single-family homes in strong neighbourhoods still sell competitively and often trade near list. 

FAQs

What is the current median sale price in La Jolla?

The rolling median sale price for La Jolla was roughly $2.39 million in October 2025, per Redfin’s neighbourhood report. Use the MLS rolling 12-month median if you need a ZIP-code-specific figure for financing or appraisal comparisons.

How long are homes taking to sell in La Jolla right now?

Average days on market for La Jolla ran in the high 40s to upper 50s in October 2025 depending on the sub-neighbourhood, with luxury inventory generally slower to move. Condition, price band and marketing quality remain the biggest determinants of time to sale.

Are luxury properties cooling faster than other price bands?

There is evidence that some ultra-luxury listings sit longer and see more price adjustments in 2025 than in the frothier years. That said, truly exceptional, well-priced coastal mansions still draw specialized buyers and can sell for strong dollars; the market is simply pickier and more selective.

How do mortgage rate changes affect La Jolla prices?

Because La Jolla properties are high-ticket, a small percentage change in rates translates to a large monthly payment swing. Higher rates generally cool velocity and increase negotiation; modest rate relief tends to pull some buyers back into the market. Use current Freddie Mac rate data and the agency forecasts to model monthly payment impacts when evaluating a purchase.

How do seasonal patterns affect listing timing and buyer activity in La Jolla?

Buyer interest tends to be stronger in spring and early summer, which can compress days on market for well-priced homes, but La Jolla’s high-end and coastal inventory shows somewhat muted seasonality compared with more price-sensitive markets. If timing matters, look at recent months of comparable sales in your specific neighbourhood to pick a window that balances visibility and competition.