Welcome back to another edition of real estate updates. I’m your neighborhood specialist, Ben Fisher, and today I’ll dive into what exactly we’re seeing in this market and what we forecast ahead.
If you caught my last article, you may recall we were headed into Super Bowl weekend, historically the end of the “Holiday” season and the beginning of what we tend to see as an upward swing in our real estate market. Statistically, year-over-year sales are down 15% year-to-date from 2025, which is factored in by a few variables.
First, the state of the economy and its inherent uncertainty is a big question mark, keeping many luxury and 90803 buyers on the sidelines. They aren’t out of the market, they’re just watching closely and are more selective about where they spend their money. Leading to my next point, this is where inventory tends to stack, and home sales seem stagnant, although they’re not. Buyers are paying much closer attention to home details, lot orientations, finishes, style, etc., which now factors into their decisions far more than in past years.
This year, I put a few of our listings into escrow within the first week, while other homes took many months to find the right buyer. Even when preparation, marketing, and block-by-block local knowledge are identical, each buyer still pays attention to specific details for every specific home. I’ve even recently experienced scenarios where clients loved a home but disliked the block it was on, even if it was still their ideal neighborhood. With all of this said, in a market like this, it’s imperative to plan your expectations accordingly and hire someone experienced enough to navigate this multitude of possible scenarios.
For buyers, it’s case-by-case. Don’t be surprised if waiting for the perfect home results in competition amongst other buyers who are thinking the same thing. Expectations must be set, and who you work with matters.
Ben Fisher is a Long Beach native who currently resides in Naples with his wife Kristen, their fur baby Watts, and their newborn son Lou. If you don’t see him in the office or on social media, there’s a good chance you’ll run into him on the golf course sneaking in a few rare moments of personal time whenever he can.
