Torrance, California Housing Market

What stands out in Torrance?

• The median asking price is $951,074: one of the priciest of 765 tracked cities. Entry costs are high, so cash flow is harder. Price growth has to do more of the work.

How far have Torrance prices fallen?

Asking price per square foot in Torrance is 11.1% below its Nov 2024 high and down 3.1% over the last year. Prices were above the year before in 73% of months since the data starts, so this market has climbed back from drops before. 17% of sellers have cut their price. Underwrite with no price growth for now and let the seller carry the next cut.

What does a shrinking population mean for Torrance landlords?

The population in Torrance's ZIP codes fell 1.7% over five years. 6.9% of homes are vacant, higher than 51% of tracked cities. Households still grew 2.4% while the housing stock grew 2.4%. Fewer people living in more households means rental demand has held up better than the population suggests. Check vacancy by ZIP before you buy.

How much can you negotiate in Torrance?

For every 100 homes still for sale, 52 are under contract. In 2017–2019 at this time of year it was 83. The rest are still waiting for a buyer. Few sellers are dropping their price. Your discount will come from one stale listing.

The typical Torrance listing has been on the market 50 days. That is 8% longer than a year ago. There are 181 homes for sale in Torrance. That is the most in ten years. It is 4 times the low of Jan 2022. Every one of them competes with the house you want.

What to do about it

• Start in 90502, 90501, and 90504, the softest ZIP codes in Torrance: in 90502, 23% of sellers have cut and the typical listing has been up 58 days.
• Filter for listings older than 60 days with a price cut, and offer below the reduced price.
• Keep your inspection and financing contingencies.

Is now a good time to buy in Torrance?

The median asking price is 20.1% below its Nov 2024 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 11.1% below the Nov 2024 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices are still falling. Waiting has paid off so far. Let listings age, then come back lower. Torrance prices have risen in 81 of the last 111 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.

What is the fair market rent in Torrance?

HUD sets one fair market rent for Los Angeles County. For fiscal year 2026:

• 1 bedroom: $2,085 a month. Up 0% on last year, up 81% since FY2016.
• 2 bedrooms: $2,601 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 75% since FY2016.
• 3 bedrooms: $3,298 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 64% since FY2016.
• 4 bedrooms: $3,672 a month. Down 1% on last year, up 65% since FY2016.

The figures include tenant-paid utilities and apply to all of Los Angeles County, so one home's rent can sit well above or below them. See fair market rent by city.

Who will rent from you in Torrance?

In Torrance, 46 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. That share has held steady for five years. Torrance added about 1,000 renter households in five years. Renter households here average 2.5 people. Families rent here. Buy bedrooms. Studios will sit.

The median Torrance household earns $109,359 a year. Incomes here have grown 4.6% a year since 2019. Incomes are rising faster than home prices. Affordability is improving. A typical home costs 8.7 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. At 30% of income, a tenant on the median income can pay about $2,734 a month.

To see what one Torrance address would rent for and cash flow, run it through the app.

What numbers should you underwrite a Torrance deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +1.4%/yr. Torrance grew 4.6% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Torrance grows about 1.4% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 3.1% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 6. 17% of Torrance listings have cut their asking price. Underwrite your exit below asking.
• Comp on price per square foot — $657/sqft. The typical Torrance listing shrank from 1,576 to 1,353 sqft since Jul 2016. So median price hides real growth: 59% per sqft versus 40% on the median. Comp on median price and you will overpay for small homes.
• Competition when you exit — +14%. Homes for sale in Torrance are up 14% on last year, so your resale faces more competition than today's comps did.

Read how price cuts signal a market turning and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.

What is the median home price in Torrance?

The median asking price in Torrance is about $951,000 as of Sep 2026, down 9.0% from a year ago. The typical listing is 6% smaller than a year ago, and asking price per square foot is down 3.1%. So the size of homes on the market explains much of the drop. This is the asking price on homes listed for sale. Sites that report sold prices or estimated home values will show a different number. Our Torrance figures cover the 10 ZIP codes with a Torrance mailing address, which can reach past city limits.

Is Torrance a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Buyers have more room in Torrance than usual. We compare Torrance with 2017–2019 at this time of year: there are 52 pending sales per 100 listings, against 83 then; the typical listing has been up 41% more days; there are 27% more homes for sale.

Are Torrance home prices going up or down?

The median asking price is 20.1% below its Nov 2024 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 11.1% below the Nov 2024 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices are still falling. Waiting has paid off so far. Let listings age, then come back lower.

Which Torrance ZIP code has the most negotiating room?

90502. Only 35 homes under contract for every 100 still for sale. 23% of sellers there have cut their price, and the typical listing has been up 58 days.

What is the best month to buy a house in Torrance?

Across 9 full years, Torrance asking prices ran lowest in January, about 4.7% below the year's average. They peaked in August. The most homes for sale show up in August, about 21% above the yearly average.

What price growth should I assume for Torrance?

Assume +1.4% a year. Torrance grew 4.6% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Torrance grows about 1.4% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 3.1% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.

What is the fair market rent in Torrance?

HUD's fiscal year 2026 fair market rent for Los Angeles County is $2,601 a month for 2 bedrooms and $3,298 for 3 bedrooms. The figures include tenant-paid utilities and cover the whole county.