Long Beach, California Housing Market

How much can you negotiate in Long Beach?

Only 46 out of every 100 homes for sale have found a buyer. The other 54 are still waiting. Your offer may be the only one on the table. Few sellers are dropping their price. Asking prices are holding firm. Your discount will come from one stale listing, not from the whole market.

A typical Long Beach home takes 52 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago. There are 566 homes for sale in Long Beach. That is 3.1 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 670. Supply is growing against last year.

What to do about it

• Start in 90802, 90803, and 90813. Those are the three softest ZIP codes in Long Beach.
• Filter for homes listed 60+ days ago that have already cut their price.
• Offer below the reduced price.
• Keep your inspection and financing contingencies.
• In 90802 only 27 out of 100 homes have a buyer. You can lose a few offers there and still win.

Is now a good time to buy in Long Beach?

Asking prices are 13.2% below their Sep 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices are still falling. Waiting has paid off so far. Let listings age, then come back lower. Long Beach prices have risen in 100 of the last 108 months. Drops here have been short and shallow. Buying in a slow month has rarely hurt a long hold.

There is no rush. Prices are still coming down. Watch the homes you like. Come back after they cut. Let the seller move first.

Who will rent from you in Long Beach?

Most Long Beach households rent. 58 out of every 100 households are renters. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 60 in 100. Just 5.7% of homes sit empty. A well-priced rental fills fast here.

The median Long Beach household earns $89,785 a year. Incomes here have grown 6.1% a year since 2019. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving. A typical home costs 9.4 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. A tenant on the median income can pay about $2,245 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast.

What numbers should you underwrite a Long Beach deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +3.2%/yr. 1 year: -2.1% · 5 years: +3.2% · ten years: +4.3%. The five-year and ten-year rates agree. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Measure growth per square foot. Long Beach median list price grew 3.5% a year, but price per square foot grew 4.3%. The gap is smaller homes, not weaker growth. The house you buy will not shrink. The one-year rate is a timing signal. It is not an underwriting input.
• Months of carrying cost — 2. A typical home takes 52 days to sell. Budget that long when you exit or refinance.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 6. About 17% of homes on the Long Beach market right now have already cut their asking price. Assume you are one of them when you sell. Do not underwrite an exit at your asking price.
• Comp on this, not median price — $649/sqft. The average listing runs +22% above the median. Luxury homes skew it. Comp your own size class per sqft.
• Competition when you exit — +8%. That is how much the number of homes for sale grew in a year. Your resale will face a bigger crowd than today's comps did.
• Price-to-income ratio — 9.4×. A typical home costs 9.4 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving.
• Tenant rent ceiling — $2,245/mo. 30% of the median household income of $89,785. Rents above this line shrink your tenant pool fast.

Is Long Beach a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Yes, if you negotiate. Buyers have the upper hand in Long Beach right now. 0.46 out of every 100 homes for sale have a buyer, 17% of sellers have cut their price, and a typical home takes 52 days to sell.

Are Long Beach home prices going up or down?

Asking prices are 13.2% below their Sep 2023 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices are still falling. Waiting has paid off so far. Let listings age, then come back lower.

What price growth should I assume for Long Beach?

+3.2%/yr. 1 year: -2.1% · 5 years: +3.2% · ten years: +4.3%. The five-year and ten-year rates agree. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Measure growth per square foot. Long Beach median list price grew 3.5% a year, but price per square foot grew 4.3%. The gap is smaller homes, not weaker growth. The house you buy will not shrink. The one-year rate is a timing signal. It is not an underwriting input.

How fast are homes selling in Long Beach?

A typical Long Beach home takes 52 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago.

Is Long Beach a renters' market or an owners' market?

Most Long Beach households rent. 58 out of every 100 households are renters. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 60 in 100. Just 5.7% of homes sit empty. A well-priced rental fills fast here.

What rent can Long Beach tenants afford?

A tenant on the median income can pay about $2,245 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast. The median Long Beach household earns $89,785 a year.

Which Long Beach ZIP code has the most negotiating room?

90802. Only 27 out of 100 homes there have a buyer, 22% have cut their price, and a typical home takes 52 days to sell.