Happy Halloween! 🎃
We only have two months of 2025 left (!), and as we go into the holiday season, we see the usual market slowdown.
During the month of October, no new sales records were set. You can see in the graphs below that prices have remained steady throughout 2024 and 2025.
So what about inventory? At the end of July, the number of homes available on the market peaked. Three months later, the inventory has dropped by 20%. In the charts below, you can see how inventory has gone up and down for the past couple of years.
Listings are taking longer to sell: Days on Market has increased throughout the year. Today, most properties sit on the market for 3-4 weeks, before opening escrow with an accepted offer. If they are overpriced, it can be a much longer wait. This is a huge increase from previous years, when most homes sold within a week, even if it was priced aggressively.
Here are September 2025 median detached home sales prices, with inventory numbers as of October 20, 2025:
Carlsbad – $1,825,000
Last all-time high: $1,972,500 – June 2025
Encinitas/Cardiff-by-the-Sea – $2,150,000
All-time high: $3,100,000 – September 2023
San Marcos – $1,075,000
Last all-time high: $1,340,000 – April 2025
Vista – $927,500
All-time high: $1,008,500 – June 2025
Oceanside – $954,950
Last record: $1,031,000 – December 2024
Escondido – $955,000
Last all-time high: $1,044,000 – July 2025
Interest Rates and the October Fed Rate Drop
People often talk about the federal funds rate with mortgage interest rates. Whenever there’s a decrease, people think that mortgage rates are about to drop. As we have seen in the past, it doesn’t work that way. People mistakenly tie the overnight funds rate with long-term mortgage rates.
Last month, on September 17, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by .25%. Earlier this week, on October 29, the Fed did it again. As usual, news outlets predicted that mortgage rates would suddenly go down. As always, they didn’t – and they continue to hover between 6-6.5%.
More than ever, your credit score makes a huge difference. If you’re considering buying or refinancing, start with a credit check, to make sure you can secure the best rate possible. When your FICO goes down, it becomes harder to qualify for a loan.
Homeowners: Is it time to relocate? Do you know how much you’ll net if you sell your property this year?
If you own a home, it’s probably worth more than you think. Contact me for a free personalized home valuation, or if you have any other real estate questions. I’m always happy to hear from you!
