Long Beach runs on contrasts — a working port with a surf-town soul, Art Deco landmarks steps from beachfront bungalows, and neighborhoods stretching from Belmont Shore to the historic West Side. It’s Southern California coastal living at a price point that, while still steep, has long undercut Los Angeles proper.

Last month’s data shifted the advantage toward buyers. Active inventory surged 16.4% year-over-year — nearly four times the national rate — while the median list price dropped 8% compared to last April. Homes still sold in 46 days, faster than the national pace, so if you’re buying, there’s more to choose from but the best deals aren’t sitting around.

Buyers Have More Choices — A Lot More

If you’re shopping in Long Beach right now, you have real options. Active listings hit 514 homes in April, up 16.4% from a year ago — while the national inventory grew just 4.6% over the same period. That kind of supply surge typically hands negotiating power to buyers, and last month’s price data confirmed it did exactly that.

List Prices Pulled Back Sharply From Last Year

Sellers are asking less — meaningfully less. The median list price in Long Beach came in at $721,250 in April, down 8.0% year-over-year, compared to a national decline of just 1.4%. Even with that drop, Long Beach listings ran nearly 70% above the national median of $425,000 — this is still a premium coastal market. One encouraging sign for sellers: the share of listings with a price cut actually fell 1.6 percentage points year-over-year to 16.6%, suggesting sellers who priced sharply from the start avoided having to cut later.

Homes Sold in 46 Days — No Slower Than Last Year

Demand hasn’t disappeared, even as prices fell and inventory climbed. The median Long Beach home spent 46 days on the market in April — unchanged from a year ago, and faster than the national median of 52 days. For buyers, that means well-priced homes still moved quickly. For sellers, it’s a clear signal: accurate pricing from day one was the most reliable path to a timely sale.

Long Beach’s April data described a market correcting, not collapsing. More inventory, lower prices, and faster sales than the national average all coexisted last month. If you’re buying, conditions were among the most favorable in recent memory — but move with intention, because desirable homes at fair prices didn’t linger. If you’re selling, the strategy that worked was simple: price it right from the start and let the market do its job.

This market report has been generated with AI tools, with input from Realtor.com Economic Data Manager Sabrina Speianu

Use the Realtor.com housing data portal to get more market data.