A three-month read on price, pace, and product differences—built from 150 closed condo and stock cooperative sales in Orange County’s 55+ community, with practical implications for buyers and sellers.
Condos82 closed sales · all Laguna Woods · Q3 2026
The quarter at a glance
Premium condos moved fastest
82 condos at a $565K median and $454 per square foot — closing at 99.5% of list in a 29-day median.
The price ladder ran upside down.
82 condo sales at a $565K median — but the expensive end moved fastest. The $800K-plus tier cleared in a 10-day median at 100.0% of list, while the under-$450K band needed 72 days at 97.9%. Three-bedroom condos carried a $954K median and moved in 12 days. September’s $645K median was the quarter’s high, up from $505K in July. A documented 46% took a list-price reduction before closing; once final negotiation is included, 61% closed below their original asking price.
39%sold at or above original list price.
61%sold below original list price.
51%closed within 30 days; 33% needed more than 60 days.
Market explorer
Change the peer set before reading the number
Every control below updates the metrics and both charts. Small samples should guide questions, not settle pricing.
Price distribution
Closed sales by band
Time-to-market mix
Closed sales by DOM bucket
Month by month
September priced highest as the pace held
September’s $645K median topped the quarter; market time held near 30 days all quarter.
July 2026
$505K
Sales28
Median $/sf$439
Median DOM32
Sale / list97.8%
August 2026
$572K
Sales28
Median $/sf$436
Median DOM28
Sale / list100.0%
September 2026
$645K
Sales26
Median $/sf$520
Median DOM31
Sale / list100.0%
Median sold price
September set the high — up $140K from July.
Median price per square foot
Per-foot value climbed with September’s price.
Median days on market
Steady near 30 days all quarter.
Median sale-to-list ratio
Par in August and September — 100.0%.
+27.7%median price, July to September
+18.7%median $/sf, July to September
−2 daysmedian market time, July to September
Price ladder
The top tier was the fastest
Twenty of 82 sales closed above $800K — at a 10-day median and full asking.
Under $450K
Sales26
Median $/sf$328
Median DOM72
Median 97.9% of list. The deepest band — and the slowest at 72 days and 97.9%.
$450K–$550K
Sales13
Median $/sf$438
Median DOM44
Median 97.4% of list. The softest ratio at 97.4% — negotiation room lived here.
$550K–$650K
Sales13
Median $/sf$494
Median DOM20
Median 99.3% of list. The median band — par was within reach at 99.3%.
$650K–$800K
Sales10
Median $/sf$605
Median DOM24
Median 99.8% of list. Firm pricing at 99.8% and a 24-day median.
$800K+
Sales20
Median $/sf$774
Median DOM10
Median 100.0% of list. The fastest band at 10 days — premium condos didn’t wait.
Bedroom-count breakdown
Three bedrooms carried the premium — and the pace
No subarea splits exist for Laguna Woods — so bedroom count is the useful cut. Three-bedroom condos ran well above two-bedrooms on price and pace.
Median price per square foot by bedroom count
Bigger condos, higher per-foot cost — Laguna Woods prices three-bedrooms at a premium. Small samples: read as direction.
1-bed
Sales5
Median price$325K
Median $/sf$370
Median DOM37
Sale / list100.0%
The entry tier — smallest sample, read as direction.
Range: $250K–$462K · 2 of 5 closed within 30 DOM
2-bed
Sales55
Median price$520K
Median $/sf$447
Median DOM36
Sale / list99.0%
The market’s core — two in three condo sales.
Range: $0.08M–$1.40M · 26 of 55 closed within 30 DOM
3-bed
Sales22
Median price$954K
Median $/sf$685
Median DOM12
Sale / list100.0%
The premium tier — highest $/sf and the fastest at 12 days.
Range: $0.40M–$2.00M · 14 of 22 closed within 30 DOM
Decision lens
Turn the statistics into leverage
Market averages are context. A decision should be based on the smallest credible set of genuinely comparable homes.
For buyers
The $800K+ tier rewards decisiveness.20 sales at a 10-day median and par — premium condos didn’t wait.
Three bedrooms are the sweet spot.$954K median at 12 days — the best combination of space and pace.
The under-$450K band is the negotiation zone.72 days on market and 97.9% — patience paid here.
September showed the direction.$645K median, up from $505K in July — prices climbed all quarter.
For sellers
Price to the 99.6% line.Near-full asking was the median outcome — accurate launches get rewarded.
Premium condos: move fast.The $800K+ tier cleared in 10 days — price it right and the market responds.
Entry-tier sellers: budget two months.A 72-day median under $450K — presentation and patience.
Avoid the reduction.46% of sellers cut their price before closing — pricing right initially beats chasing down.
68 stock cooperative sales at a $394K median and $398 per square foot — closing at 98.1% of list in a 25-day median.
Closed sales
68
stock cooperative shares
Median price
$394K
reported closed price
Median $ / sf
$398
unadjusted median
Median DOM
25
clean DaysOnMarket
Sale / list
98.1%
median vs. final list
At / above list
34%
23 of 68 sales
Shares, not deeds — and a $171K discount for it.
In a stock cooperative you buy shares in the corporation that owns the building — not deeded real estate — plus the right to occupy your unit, with monthly carrying charges. The market prices that difference: co-ops closed at a $394K median, about $171K below condos, at $398 per square foot. Two-bedrooms dominate with 57 of 68 sales at a $415K median. September’s pace slowed to 47 days even as the median held at $396K. A documented 46% took a list-price reduction; 74% closed below their original asking price.
26%sold at or above original list price.
74%sold below original list price.
51%closed within 30 days; 34% needed more than 60 days.
Co-op month by month
August dipped; September slowed
August’s $372K median was the quarter’s low; September’s market time stretched to 47 days.
July 2026
$404K
Sales22
Median $/sf$403
Median DOM22
Sale / list98.1%
August 2026
$372K
Sales24
Median $/sf$368
Median DOM20
Sale / list98.0%
September 2026
$396K
Sales22
Median $/sf$412
Median DOM47
Sale / list98.3%
Median sold price
August was the low at $372K.
Median price per square foot
Per-foot value troughed with August’s price.
Median days on market
September took more than twice August’s pace.
Median sale-to-list ratio
Steady near 98% — sellers held the line on ratio.
−1.9%median price, July to September
+2.3%median $/sf, July to September
+25 daysmedian market time, July to September
Co-op price ladder
No band dominated — but the top moved fastest
Sales spread across all five bands; the $550K-plus tier cleared in 9 days.
Under $300K
Sales16
Median $/sf$284
Median DOM57
Median 97.1% of list. The deepest band — and the slowest at 57 days.
$300K–$375K
Sales15
Median $/sf$335
Median DOM21
Median 97.6% of list. The quickest core band at 21 days.
$375K–$450K
Sales14
Median $/sf$419
Median DOM70
Median 98.9% of list. The slowest band at 70 days — patience required.
$450K–$550K
Sales13
Median $/sf$466
Median DOM21
Median 98.1% of list. Firm enough at 98.1% and a 21-day median.
$550K+
Sales10
Median $/sf$489
Median DOM9
Median 98.5% of list. The fastest band at 9 days — premium co-ops moved instantly.
Two products, one market
Two ways to own in Leisure World
Condos trade as deeded real estate; cooperatives trade as shares — and the market prices the difference at about $171K on median.
Unadjusted medians; differences in age, size, HOA, condition and product type are not controlled.
Co-op decision lens
Price the product, not just the ZIP code
Co-op value depends heavily on the immediate competing set: floor plan, carrying charges, building assessments, condition, and view.
For co-op buyers
Two-bedrooms are the market.57 of 68 sales at a $415K median — the deepest comp pool.
Understand the co-op structure first.Shares plus monthly carrying charges — underwrite the monthly, not just the price.
September’s 47-day pace is your leverage.The slowest month — sellers negotiated.
The $550K+ tier moves fast.A 9-day median — premium co-ops didn’t wait.
For co-op sellers
Price to the 98.1% line.Near-full asking was the median outcome — accurate launches get rewarded.
Two-bedrooms are your comp.57 sales deep — price against the $415K median, not the $700K top.
Budget a month-plus.A 25-day median DOM — and September stretched to 47.
Avoid the reduction.46% of sellers cut before closing — pricing right initially beats chasing down.
Property-type comparison
Co-ops cost less per door and per foot — with a softer ratio
These medians describe different ownership structures. The comparison is useful for budget and pace—not as a substitute for like-for-like valuation.
Condos
Closed sales82
Median price$565K
Median $ / sf$454
Median DOM30 days
Sale / list99.5%
Stock cooperatives
Closed sales68
Median price$394K
Median $ / sf$398
Median DOM25 days
Sale / list98.1%
−$171Klower median purchase price
−$56lower median price per square foot
−4 daysshorter median market time
−1.4 ptlower median sale-to-list ratio
Methodology
Read both samples correctly
Universe: 82 condo and 68 stock cooperative records marked sold in Laguna Woods, with close/status-change dates from July 1 through September 30, 2026. One additional condo record closing at $18,100 was excluded as a non-market outlier.
What a stock cooperative is: instead of deeded real estate, the buyer purchases shares in the cooperative corporation that owns the building, plus a proprietary lease (occupancy agreement) for the unit. Owners pay monthly carrying charges covering the co-op’s underlying obligations, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. Co-ops typically require board approval and offer fewer financing options than condos — part of why they trade at a discount.
Laguna Woods is an age-restricted 55+ community (Leisure World); there are no single-family home sales in this market.
“Closed price” uses ClosePrice. Days on market uses the clean DaysOnMarket field—not cumulative DOM.
Sale-to-list ratio is ClosePrice ÷ ListPrice. A documented list-price reduction means ListPrice < OriginalListPrice (46% of condos, 46% of co-ops). Separately, 61% of condos and 74% of co-ops closed below original ask after including final negotiation.
Median is favored over average because a small number of high-end closings (maximum $2.00M) can skew the average.
This is a closed-sales snapshot, not a forecast or appraisal. It does not include active inventory or pending contracts, and it does not adjust for concessions, HOA or carrying charges, lot, condition or financing terms.
Price-band calculations use closed price, clean DaysOnMarket and final list price from the supplied row-level export. All records fall in the “LW - Laguna Woods” MLS area, so bedroom count — not subarea — is the useful cut.
A property-specific CMA should narrow by true competitive set before making a pricing or offer decision.
Sources: LagunaWoods-Condo.csv (82 condo records analyzed; 1 non-market outlier excluded) and LagunaWoods-Stock_Cooperative.csv (68 stock cooperative records), supplied for analysis on October 19, 2026. Calculations recomputed from 150 row-level closings.