Loma Portal Real Estate Market Update: What Buyers and Sellers Should Know Right Now

If you’ve been watching the Loma Portal real estate market, you may have noticed something interesting: some homes seem to sell almost immediately, while others sit on the market, reduce their price, disappear, and then come back as a “new” listing.

So, what’s really happening?

I took a deeper look at the recent sales data for Loma Portal, and the numbers tell a more interesting story than the basic MLS statistics might suggest.

Homes Are Selling—but Buyers Are Being More Selective

From February through August 10, 2026, there were 39 closed home sales in Loma Portal, with a median sale price of approximately $1.69 million.

At first glance, the market looks pretty fast. The median days on market for homes that sold was only 11 days, while the average was approximately 17 days.

But there's an important catch.

Those numbers only measure the listing that actually resulted in the sale. They don't necessarily tell us how long the property had really been exposed to the market.

And that's where things get interesting.

The Real Days on Market Can Be Much Longer

I cross-referenced the homes that sold with properties that had previously expired, been cancelled or been withdrawn from the market.

Four of the 39 closed sales had identifiable prior expired listings during the period I analyzed.

A good example is 2812 Poinsettia Drive.

If you looked only at the listing that ultimately sold, you would see 24 days on market. That sounds like a relatively quick sale.

But the property had previously been listed twice, accumulating approximately 222 additional days on the market before those listings expired.

Add everything together, and the home's cumulative market exposure was approximately 246 days before it eventually sold for $2,756,000.

That's a very different story than 24 days.

Another interesting example is 3540 Quimby Street. The successful listing shows just four days on market. However, the property had previously been listed for 53 days at $1,199,000 before expiring.

It returned to the market at $1,049,000 and ultimately sold for $1,035,000.

So instead of a four-day sale, the home actually had approximately 57 days of cumulative market exposure.

This is exactly why I like to look beyond the headline MLS numbers when evaluating the Loma Portal housing market.

What Is the Market Really Telling Us?

Once we account for the expired listings that were later relisted and sold, the average market time for closed properties increases from approximately 17 days to 26 days.

And there’s another number that caught my attention.

During the same period, the data included:

• 39 closed sales
• 24 expired listings
• 9 cancelled listings
• 1 withdrawn listing

That doesn't mean the Loma Portal real estate market is weak. Far from it.

What it does tell us is that simply putting a home on the market doesn't guarantee that it will sell.

Today's buyers are paying attention to value.

If You're Thinking About Selling in Loma Portal

For sellers, I think the biggest takeaway from these numbers is pretty simple:

Pricing matters.

There are still buyers actively looking for homes in Loma Portal and throughout the Point Loma real estate market. But buyers have access to more information than ever, and they tend to recognize fairly quickly when a property is priced above the market.

The first few weeks after your home hits the market can be especially important.

That's when you're getting attention from buyers who have already been searching and waiting for the right property to come along. If the price doesn't make sense compared with the competition, many of those buyers won't necessarily make a low offer—they may simply move on.

Eventually, the seller may reduce the price, let the listing expire or take the property off the market and relist it.

The MLS days-on-market counter may start over, but buyers don't necessarily forget the house.

That's why I generally believe it's better to get the positioning right from the beginning rather than spend months chasing the market.

If You're Buying a Home in Loma Portal

There's a flip side to this market if you're a buyer.

Some of the best opportunities aren't necessarily the newest listings.

If a home has been sitting on the market, experienced multiple price reductions, expired previously or recently returned as a new listing, there may be an opportunity to negotiate.

That's why when I'm helping someone buy Loma Portal or Point Loma real estate, I'm not just looking at the current asking price and days on market.

I want to know the property's entire story.

How long has it really been available? Has the seller reduced the price? Was it previously listed? Did it expire? What did the seller originally expect to get for the property?

Those details can tell us a lot about where there may—or may not—be negotiating room.

So, Is Loma Portal Still a Good Real Estate Market?

I believe the numbers continue to show a healthy market, but it's a market that requires a little more strategy than it did when virtually every property attracted immediate attention.

Loma Portal continues to be a highly desirable part of Point Loma and the San Diego real estate market, with its central location, established neighborhoods, proximity to Liberty Station, Downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay and the coast.

Buyers still want to live here.

They're just being more selective about what they're willing to pay.

For sellers, that makes pricing, preparation and presentation increasingly important. For buyers, it means there may be opportunities hiding behind the headline numbers.

And for both sides, it reinforces something I've believed for a long time: you can't understand a neighborhood real estate market by looking at one statistic.

You have to dig into the individual properties and understand what's actually happening behind the numbers.

If you're thinking about selling a home in Loma Portal or Point Loma, or you're curious about what your property might be worth in today's San Diego real estate market, I'm always happy to take a look at the numbers and give you a straightforward assessment of where your home fits into the current market.