The National Housing Market vs. Westchester 90045: What the June Data Shows

Realtor.com released their June 2026 Monthly Housing Trends Report on July 1 with a headline that has been reverberating across national real estate media all week: national asking prices fell 2.5% year over year in June, the steepest annual decline in the Realtor.com data set since 2017, and the eighth consecutive month of price drops.

Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale framed it in the report as "a welcome rebalancing" — sellers pricing correctly from the start and buyers responding by making offers. Pending sales rose 3.7% year over year for the seventh straight month of growth. For the first time in 26 months, homes spent no more time on market than they did a year earlier. The narrative Realtor.com is telling is that buyers are finally getting their summer, after years of waiting.

That is the national picture. It is not the Westchester picture.

The single-family data for zip code 90045 through Q2 2026 tells a fundamentally different story than the Realtor.com national report — and understanding the gap between those two data sets is the single most important context for anyone buying, selling, or holding real estate in Westchester right now. Here is a direct comparison, drawn from the Realtor.com June 2026 national report and MLS data through July 2, 2026 for zip code 90045.

The Comparison, Side by Side

National — Realtor.com June 2026 report:

• Asking prices down 2.5% year over year — the steepest decline since 2017
• Eight consecutive months of price drops
• Pending sales up 3.7% year over year for the seventh straight month
• Median home spent 53 days on market — identical to June 2025
• Active inventory reached 1,102,615, up 4.1% from May and 1.9% from a year ago
• Nationally, inventory remains 11.3% below typical 2017–2019 levels
• Price cuts increased to 18.5% of current listings

Westchester 90045 — Single-family, April through June 2026 vs. same months 2025:

• Median sale prices tracked essentially even with 2025 — within roughly $50,000 across the same months
• Q2 average sale price: $1.94 million
• Q2 median sale price: $1.77 million
• 73 closed sales in Q2 (27 in April, 24 in May, 22 in June)
• Average days on market: 27 in April, 18 in May, 52 in June
• Total Q2 sold volume: $143.9 million
• Sale-to-list ratio: 100% in April, 105% in May, 98% in June
• Months of supply held at 3 in April, May, and June — well below the 5-6 months that defines a balanced market

These two data sets describe two entirely different housing markets — and both of them are technically the United States in 2026.

Why the National Narrative Does Not Apply Here

The Realtor.com data reflects the national aggregate, which is being driven overwhelmingly by markets where inventory has surged past pre-pandemic levels. The inventory gains they document are concentrated in the Northeast (+8.5% year over year) and Midwest (+7.3%), with sharp increases in specific metros like Louisville (+28.7%), Buffalo (+27.7%), and Seattle (+20.6%). The South and West as regions are nearly flat on inventory.

Even within the West region — which is where California sits — the aggregate does not describe the Westside of Los Angeles. California inventory remains below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. LA County's Unsold Inventory Index is well below the 5-to-6 month threshold that defines a balanced market. Westchester specifically shows 3 months of supply throughout Q2, essentially identical to Q2 2025 — meaning the supply-demand dynamics that produce the national price softening are simply not present here.

The 2.5% national asking price decline being called "the steepest since 2017" by Realtor.com does not translate into Westchester pricing. The MLS data for 90045 shows Q2 median sale prices tracking within roughly $50,000 of the same months in 2025 — a year-over-year performance that is stable at worst and strengthening in specific months. Where the Realtor.com report identifies eight consecutive months of national price declines, Westchester's price stability across the same period tells the opposite story.

The reason is structural. National price softness in 2026 is being produced by markets where supply has expanded meaningfully — the Sun Belt inventory glut, in short. Westchester and the broader Westside have not participated in that inventory expansion. Zoning constraints, the mortgage lock-in effect keeping owners from selling, and the absence of meaningful new construction all continue to hold Westchester supply tight. Fixed supply against sustained demand produces price stability, even when the national narrative is pointing in a different direction.

What Did Shift in Westchester in Q2

The comparison is not that Westchester is booming while the nation cools. That would be inaccurate. What did shift in the Westchester Q2 data is worth reading carefully because it tells a specific story.

Velocity cooled between May and June. Average days on market jumped from 18 in May to 52 in June. Median days on market doubled from 11 to 33. The sale-to-list price ratio moved from 105% in May to 98% in June. Closed sales dropped from 24 in May to 22 in June (though total volume increased slightly, indicating some larger transactions clearing).

Volume expanded in early Q3. With 148 active listings and 67 pending listings as of the July 2 report generation date, the pipeline entering Q3 is healthy. New listings in June came in at 39 — the highest month of Q2, and higher than June 2025's 34.

Pricing held. Despite the June velocity slowdown, Q2 median sale prices tracked essentially even with 2025 across each of the three months. The June median specifically came in slightly below June 2025, but the difference is not statistically meaningful over such a small sample.

The Westchester story for Q2 2026 is one of a market normalizing from a strong spring — slower velocity, more inventory, longer days on market — while holding pricing steady year over year. That is a different story than the national one, and it produces a different set of implications for buyers and sellers.

What This Means for Westchester Sellers

Reading the national headlines about price declines and interpreting them as market direction for Westchester is one of the most common mistakes we see homeowners make right now. The two markets are not moving together, and pricing a Westchester property based on a national narrative that does not apply here produces bad outcomes.

The specific practical guidance for sellers coming out of the Q2 data:

Price to Westchester conditions, not spring conditions. The May-2026 window where properties closed at 105% of list and moved in 18 days is not the current environment. June's 98% sale-to-list ratio and 52-day average is closer to where the market is right now. Sellers listing in July or August need to price to that reality, not to the earlier spring premium.

Presentation matters more in the current tempo. In a market where properties move on momentum, casual preparation is often enough. In the current tempo, properties are being evaluated more carefully by buyers who have time to compare options. Professional photography, strategic staging, pre-market preparation, and a structured launch produce meaningfully better outcomes than a soft listing that drifts to market without preparation.

The pricing story is still stable year over year. For sellers who are worried about the national headlines suggesting they should hold off, the Westchester data does not support that concern. Prices are essentially flat year over year across Q2, months of supply are unchanged from 2025, and the underlying market fundamentals remain intact. A well-prepared, well-priced Westchester property continues to sell at strong outcomes.

What This Means for Westchester Buyers

The current environment does offer buyers something real that was not available during the spring: time and negotiating room.

Days on market have lengthened meaningfully. Properties that sat for 18 days on average in May are now sitting for 52. That timeline allows for genuine due diligence, thoughtful decision-making, and negotiation without the frenzied dynamics of the spring.

Sale-to-list ratios have softened at the margin. The move from 105% of list in May to 98% in June represents real negotiating room. On a $1.8 million property, the difference between 105% and 98% of list is over $125,000 in potential negotiating position.

Inventory is more accessible. 148 active listings and 67 pending listings entering July represents a meaningful selection for buyers willing to look actively. Some of those properties have been on the market longer than the seller initially expected, which translates to more flexibility in negotiation.

This is not a buyers' market in the structural sense. Months of supply remains at 3 in Westchester — well below the 5-to-6 months that would indicate a market shift in buyers' favor. The negotiating window that exists right now is a tactical opportunity within a market that structurally still favors sellers at the year-over-year level. Buyers who understand that framing move deliberately without waiting for a broader correction that the local data does not support.

The Larger Reading

Realtor.com's June report frames the national picture as "buyers finally getting their summer" — a rebalancing narrative that has real substance in the markets where it applies. That narrative does not apply to Westchester 90045.

The Westchester story for Q2 2026 is different: pricing stable year over year, volume healthy, months of supply unchanged, June velocity moderating from a strong spring but not indicating any structural shift. Buyers have a genuine negotiating window that did not exist three months ago. Sellers have every reason to expect strong outcomes when properties are priced and presented correctly. And the underlying structural drivers of Westchester value — Olympic infrastructure investment, LAX people mover connectivity, SpaceX demand spillover, the fundamental supply constraint on Westside inventory — all remain intact and continue working in the neighborhood's favor.

The most important discipline in this environment is refusing to import national narratives into local decisions. Realtor.com's data is accurate. The Westchester data is accurate. They describe two different markets, and the market that matters for your decisions is the one your property is actually in.

That is the specific conversation we have with clients every week. If you want a current, transaction-level read on what your Westchester home is worth, or on what you should be looking at as a buyer entering the market, that conversation should be based on Westchester data, not national headlines.

Sources: Realtor.com June 2026 Monthly Housing Trends Report, released July 1, 2026; Combined Los Angeles Westside MLS single-family data for zip code 90045, generated July 2, 2026. Report accuracy not guaranteed and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.

Call 310.499.2020 or reach out online. Our office is at 7296 W. Manchester Avenue in Westchester.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are home prices going down in Westchester (90045) in 2026?

The national asking price declines documented by Realtor.com's June 2026 report do not apply to Westchester. Q2 2026 median sale prices for single-family homes in 90045 tracked essentially even with the same months in 2025 — within approximately $50,000 across April, May, and June. Total Q2 sold volume was $143.9 million across 73 transactions. The year-over-year pricing story in Westchester is stable, not declining.

Q: How does the Westchester market compare to the national housing market right now?

The two markets are moving in different directions. Realtor.com's June 2026 national data shows asking prices down 2.5% year over year — the steepest decline since 2017 — with eight consecutive months of declines. Westchester 90045 shows year-over-year price stability, unchanged months of supply at 3 months, and healthy Q2 transaction volume. National price softness is being driven by markets where inventory has surged past pre-pandemic levels; Westchester has not participated in that inventory expansion.

Q: How long are homes taking to sell in Westchester in mid-2026?

Average days on market in 90045 during Q2 2026: 27 in April, 18 in May, 52 in June. Median days on market: 14, 11, and 33 across the same months. The June increase reflects normal early-summer cooling combined with the market normalizing from a strong spring, not a structural shift. Well-priced, well-presented properties continue to move within reasonable timelines.

Q: Is now a good time to buy in Westchester?

The current environment offers buyers advantages the spring did not — longer days on market, sale prices closer to list price, and 148 active listings and 67 pending as of July. That is a meaningful selection and a real negotiating window. Months of supply remains at 3, well below the 5-6 month balanced market threshold, so this is not a structural buyers' market. Buyers who understand the framing move deliberately within the tactical window rather than waiting for a broader correction that the local data does not support.

Q: Should I list my Westchester home now given the national price decline headlines?

The national headlines do not apply to Westchester's underlying market fundamentals. Q2 2026 median sale prices tracked essentially even with 2025, months of supply remained at 3 (identical to 2025), and total transaction volume was healthy at $143.9 million. What has shifted is that pricing accuracy matters more now than during the spring premium window. Sellers listing in mid-summer should price to current conditions, not to April-May conditions. Well-prepared and well-priced properties continue to produce strong outcomes.

Q: How many homes are for sale in Westchester right now?

As of the July 2, 2026 report generation, single-family inventory in 90045 stood at 148 active listings with 67 pending. Average list price for active inventory is $2.18 million with a median list price of $1.79 million. Average days on market for active listings sits at 47. That is a meaningful pool of available inventory for buyers actively searching in the neighborhood.