CALIFORNIA ALMANAC / Real Estate : Home Prices Eroding in State
Marin County retains bragging rights for having the most expensive real estate in California. Average price tag for a home in the Bay Area enclave during first quarter 1993: Nearly $425,000. Elsewhere across the state, prices continue to drop, especially in Southern California. Former hot spots such as Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties saw significant drops in the number of homes sold. There are a few bright spots for growth in a few of the smaller counties in Northern California and some of the farming belts, such as San Joaquin and Merced counties in the central region of the state. Figures are for first quarter, 1993. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AVERAGE PRICE NUMBER SOLD County 1992 1993 % chg. 1992 1993 % chg. Imperial 97,254 99,777 +2.6% 259 196 -24.3% Los Angeles 245,453 232,116 -5.4 15,591 14,659 -6.0 Orange 252,500 240,663 -4.7 6,317 5,577 -11.7 Riverside 155,105 146,507 -5.5 4,569 3,994 -12.6 San Bernardino 138,757 134,355 -3.2 4,948 4,236 -14.4 San Diego 210,193 199,983 -4.9 5,757 5,224 -9.3 San Luis Obispo 192,235 178,900 -6.9 746 664 -11.0 Santa Barbara 229,494 237,221 +3.4 644 671 +4.2 Ventura 237,066 228,254 -3.7 1,587 1,612 +1.6
BAY AREA
AVERAGE PRICE NUMBER SOLD County 1992 1993 % chg. 1992 1993 % chg. Alameda 229,555 216,843 -5.5% 3,370 2,965 -12.0% Contra Costa 226,724 226,983 +0.1 3,309 2,714 -18.0 Marin 417,073 424,653 +1.8 624 557 -10.7 San Francisco 321,621 323,969 +0.7 1,160 1,107 -4.6 San Mateo 327,191 319,777 -2.3 1,505 1,438 -4.5 Santa Clara 278,856 266,742 -4.3 3,578 3,365 -6.0
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
AVERAGE PRICE NUMBER SOLD County 1992 1993 % chg. 1992 1993 % chg. Butte 119,587 105,575 -11.7% 626 513 -18.1% Del Norte 106,525 108,192 +1.6 61 66 +8.2 El Dorado 167,516 164,578 -1.8 595 490 -17.6 Humboldt 103,702 102,572 -1.1 404 343 -15.1 Lassen 97,484 101,870 +4.5 64 52 -18.8 Mendocino 139,704 136,714 -2.1 259 187 -27.8 Monterey 219,128 236,300 +7.8 743 644 -13.3 Napa 226,093 220,976 -2.3 363 301 -17.1 Nevada 160,581 147,590 -8.1 346 339 -2.0 Placer 190,977 178,210 -6.7 894 806 -9.8 Plumas 109,795 115,386 +5.1 72 73 +1.4 Sacramento 149,962 146,683 -2.2 3,514 2,825 -19.6 Santa Cruz 244,535 251,003 +2.6 563 553 -1.8 Shasta 114,262 114,580 +0.3 591 542 -8.3 Siskiyou 101,819 100,474 -1.3 102 88 -13.7 Solano 169,429 164,961 -2.6 1,183 1,118 -5.5 Sonoma 204,942 208,330 +1.7 1,371 1,316 -4.0 Sutter 130,304 127,640 -2.0 167 230 +37.7 Tehama 97,770 95,335 -2.5 157 141 -10.2 Trinity 90,722 82,383 -9.2 37 29 -21.6 Tuolumne 119,686 129,638 +8.3 195 138 -29.2 Yolo 167,776 151,830 -9.5 351 298 -15.1 Yuba 102,430 97,667 -4.7 152 118 -22.4
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
AVERAGE PRICE NUMBER SOLD County 1992 1993 % chg. 1992 1993 % chg. San Joaquin 143,256 138,111 -3.6% 1,282 1,404 +9.5% Stanislaus 128,696 120,902 -6.1 1,270 1,152 -9.3 Fresno 113,964 112,825 - 1.0 2,008 1,815 -9.6 Merced 119,237 111,912 -6.1 451 522 +15.7 Kings 97,921 103,912 + 6.1 265 235 -11.3 Madera 119,814 103,798 -13.4 347 302 -13.0 Kern 101,661 101,102 -0.5 1,999 1,773 -11.3 Tulare 99,026 97,203 -1.8 1,005 948 -5.7
Source: TRW REDI Property Data; Researched by DALLAS M. JACKSON / Los Angeles Times
