In 2017, there was a severe lack of housing inventory for sale in San Diego. The home building industry is still playing catch-up from the recession but it didn’t help that construction companies focused so much on new apartments and new condo complexes. The idea was that millennials would want more affordable living options and that middle-class buyers would prefer to downsize. 

However, they misjudged the market. The need, ultimately, was for houses.

Despite the lack of new homes on the market, the housing market remained resilient, thanks to the power of reselling existing homes. As mentioned by the San Diego Union-Tribune, resale home sales made a serious mark in the 2017 San Diego housing market, particularly in the North County area.

Using CoreLogic’s research on community resales (with a minimum of 20 sales per zip code), here are the top five neighborhoods in San Diego County that had buyers flocking to home resales in 2017.

Poway — 92064

Photo courtesy of Perdelsky

Though Poway saw a price increase of 9.3 percent with a median price of $711,000, it still managed to swing 596 resales in 2017. With its suburban sprawl, Poway remains a solid choice for new families to settle down in. A great place for outdoor enthusiasts, the city is expanding its trail system and has a collection of parks and lakes.

The city isn’t just expanding for the sake of it. They recently rejected plans to build condos on an old golf course.

Escondido — 92026 

Photo courtesy of Dcmcgov

With a total of 681 resales last year, coastal suburban-city Escondido was fourth overall. The city saw a price increase of 9.7 percent and had a median price of $499,000. Another community with plenty of opportunities and activities for families, Escondido boasts a downtown district that has seen a rise in restaurants, cafes, and galleries in recent years. You’ll also find fifteen parks within city limits, including San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Fallbrook — 92028

Photo courtesy of Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce

With 801 resales last year, Fallbrook comes in at number three on the list. The census-designated place saw a price increase of 8.1 percent and ended up with a median price of $538,000.

Located in northern San Diego County, Fallbrook is both known as the “Avocado Capital of the World” due to its many groves. Naturally, it’s home to The Avocado Festival, held downtown annually.

Oceanside — 92056 & 92057 

Oceanside has such a great year for resales that two different zip codes within the city scored the second-highest and highest number of resales in San Diego County last year. The county’s third-largest city saw 834 resales in the 92056 area, ending up with a median price of $520,000 that was up 9.5 percent yearly. The 92057 area topped every other community with 907 resales and a median price of $480,000, up 9.1 percent from last year. 

The beach-centric city is working hard to add housing stock to the market as well. The farm-themed planned development North River Farms in historically agricultural Morro Hills would bring 725 new housing units with it if approved.