What Is Your Best Bet? – A Huntington Beach Home or a Condo?

Huntington Beach has a large inventory of both single-family homes and condominiums at any one time.  So, with lots of options available, you can make your decision based on the specific area, your own lifestyle and pricing considerations.

Availability

Currently there are 523 active single-family home listings and 325 condo listings throughout the city.  However, some areas have a larger selection of condos than others.  Taking a look at the recent sales data for the area will give you a clear picture of the homes versus condo market.  For example, in Northeast Huntington Beach since the beginning of the year, 18 homes and 5 condos have sold.  In the Northwest area, 70 homes have sold and 37 condos.  In South Huntington Beach there were 82 home sales and 70 condo sales. And in the western area there were 109 home sales and 68 condo sales.  If you are looking for condos, obviously the South and the Western areas of the city provide the most options.

Pricing

The total cost of a home or a condo has to include the sales price, of course, but also monthly costs including homeowner association dues, taxes and upkeep.  As a general rule, condos cost less than homes, but, having said that, there are many condos that cost more than some single family homes in the area.  A good way to make this comparison is to look at actual sales prices and the average cost per square foot. 

Actual Prices

The average sales price for a home in Huntington Beach was $704,638.  Home prices ranged from a high of $3,500,000 to a low of $240,000.  Condo prices, on the other hand averaged $347,917 and ranged in sales price form $1,175,000 to a low of $60,000. But let us see how these price ranges play out in different areas of the city.  For example, in the Fountain Valley or Northeast area the average price of homes sold was $456,883 and sales prices ranged from a high of $541,000 to a low of $376,000.  The average price for a condo was $230,000 and ranged in price from $284,000 to $150,000.  In the Northwest area the average sales price of a home was $722,507 and prices ranged from $3,500,000 to $335,000.  Condos in the Northeast averaged $328,011 and ranged in price from $1,000,000 to $145,000.  In the South the average home sale price was $569,567 and ranged from $1,050,000 to $240,000.  The average sales price for a condo was $304,000 and ranged in price from $1,000,000 to $60,000.   Finally, in the Western part of the city home sale prices averaged $835,690 and ranged from $1,900,000 to $328,000.  Condos sold for an average of $411,655 and ranged from $1,175,000 to $126,000.

Cost Per Square Foot

As you would expect, the cost per square foot for homes is higher than the cost per square foot for condos.  In all of Huntington Beach, the average sales price per square foot for homes was $358 and $284 for condos. 

Summary

It is possible in Huntington Beach to find high-end single-family homes and condominiums as well as affordable options. 

About the Author:
Noel Markham, MA