Costa Mesa real estate:
homes for sale and a local broker.
Homes for sale in Costa Mesa run from Eastside ranch houses on wide lots to Mesa Verde homes along the golf course and new small-lot townhomes on the Westside. Median sale price for July-September 2026: $1,549,262. Median days on market: 39. Lot size and side of town move any one price.
Greg reviews every request and replies with a written valuation.
Costa Mesa sits between Newport Beach and the 405, and its prices follow two lines: the side of Newport Boulevard a house is on, and how big its lot is. Homes for sale in Costa Mesa include original ranch houses on the Eastside, golf-course streets in Mesa Verde, condos near South Coast Plaza and rows of new detached townhomes on the Westside. The city counted 111,918 residents at the 2020 census on just under 16 square miles, and almost all of it is built out, so most homes that come up are resales.
Costa Mesa · July-September 2026 · Source: Redfin Data Center
Which homes for sale in Costa Mesa are listed right now?
The current homes for sale in Costa Mesa are below, pulled from the MLS with the listing brokerage named on each, and they update as homes list and close. If one catches your eye, Greg will send the recent sales on that street and the two or three around it.
What is happening in the Costa Mesa housing market right now?
The Costa Mesa housing market is moving at a steady, unhurried pace. Costa Mesa recorded 164 sales over July-September 2026, a three-month total, and homes closed at 98.9% of their list price. Year over year, the median moved +3.8%.
Two things make the city median harder to read here than in a uniform suburb. The first is the mix: a quarter with more Westside townhomes and condos closing pulls the median down, and a quarter heavy with Eastside houses pulls it up, even if no single home changed in value. The second is the land itself. On the Eastside, a tired original house on a large lot can sell to a builder who plans to replace it, so its price reflects the dirt more than the house. That puts a floor under older homes that would otherwise trade at a discount.
Supply is the other figure to watch. Costa Mesa had 154 homes listed for sale in the period. Set beside the pace of sales, that is a market where buyers have choices but well-priced houses still move. The Orange County market report shows how the city compares with the county from one report to the next.
- Incorporated June 29, 1953 (source)
- Population 111,918 at the 2020 census (source)
- Area 15.81 square miles (source)
- Former name Harper, a stop on the Santa Ana and Newport Railway, renamed Costa Mesa on May 11, 1920 (source)
- South Coast Plaza opened March 15, 1967 on former Segerstrom family lima bean fields; more than 270 stores today (source)
- Fairview Park about 208 acres on the city's west side, its largest park, with seasonal vernal pools (source)
- OC Fair held each July at the fairgrounds on Fair Drive, with more than one million visitors a year (source)
- Freeways the 405, the 55 and the 73 all pass through the city (source)
- Schools Newport-Mesa Unified School District; Orange Coast College and Vanguard University are in the city (source)
Which neighbourhoods make up Costa Mesa?
Costa Mesa is a handful of distinct areas, and buyers usually choose among two or three of them before they choose a house.
Eastside. The streets east of Newport Boulevard, bordering Newport Beach's Newport Heights. Many lots are larger than the Orange County norm, and original single-story houses sit next to two-story rebuilds. Proximity to the Newport Beach line and the size of the lot drive prices here.
Mesa Verde. Northwest Costa Mesa around the Mesa Verde Country Club, with curving streets of mostly single-family homes. Homes backing onto the course or with a view across it trade above the interior streets.
Westside. The streets west of Newport Boulevard toward Fairview Park and the Santa Ana River, where older houses sit beside light industry, and where many newer small-lot detached homes and townhomes have been built. It is the part of the city with the most new construction.
College Park. Streets near Orange Coast College with a run of similar-era single-family homes, between Mesa Verde and the Eastside in feel and price.
North Costa Mesa. The area north of the 405 around South Coast Plaza and the arts district, with condos, apartments and a smaller number of houses. Many of the homes are condos and townhomes a few minutes from the 405 and the 55.
Halecrest and the south-central streets. Single-family tracts east of Harbor Boulevard with a mix of original and remodeled homes.
Costa Mesa has no guard-gated single-family communities of the kind found across the line in Newport Beach. Some townhome and condo projects have gated entries managed by their association.
What is it like to live in Costa Mesa?
Living in Costa Mesa means short drives to almost everything in central Orange County. The 405, the 55 and the 73 all cross the city, and John Wayne Airport sits just past its eastern edge. The beach at the Newport Beach line is a few minutes south on Newport Boulevard.
The city's motto is "City of the Arts", and it leans on two anchors for that. Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory sit near South Coast Plaza, which opened in March 1967 on land the Segerstrom family had farmed as lima bean fields. The OC Fair takes over the fairgrounds on Fair Drive every July. If you are looking at a house near the fairgrounds or the Pacific Amphitheatre next to it, visit on a fair night and a concert night to hear what summer sounds like there.
For open space, Fairview Park on the west side covers about 208 acres of bluffs, trails and fenced vernal pools that fill only in wet winters. The Santa Ana River trail runs along the city's western edge toward the coast.
Schools here are in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Orange Coast College and Vanguard University are both inside city limits. Check the district's locator for any address you are serious about, since boundaries decide which school serves a home.
Lot size matters here
On Costa Mesa's Eastside, a large lot with an original house can sell to a builder as readily as to a family planning to remodel. Greg prices both possibilities. Get a written home value
Looking for a realtor in Costa Mesa?
Look for an agent who can price an Eastside lot, a Mesa Verde golf-course house and a Westside townhome separately, because each sells to a different buyer. Start by checking the licence on the California Department of Real Estate's public lookup. Then ask for Costa Mesa homes the agent has priced, with addresses, and the reasoning behind each number.
For an older house on a large lot, ask how the agent weighs the land against the house, and whether they would market it to builders as well as owners. For a newer townhome, ask about the association and any assessments a buyer will see. Greg Toussieng is a California real estate broker, DRE #01495415, first licensed in California in 2005. His office is in Orange County, a short drive up the 55, and he prices each Costa Mesa home from a written analysis of nearby sales.
Selling in Costa Mesa? Ask Greg for the recent sales on your side of town.
The guide to choosing a listing agent lists the questions to bring to any interview.
What should you know about selling a home in Costa Mesa?
Selling a home in Costa Mesa starts with deciding who your buyer is. A remodeled Mesa Verde house goes to an owner-occupant who will pay for finish and condition. An original Eastside house on a big lot may go to that same buyer or to a builder, and the two pay for different things. Costa Mesa homes went under contract in a median 39 days over July-September 2026.
Greg starts every listing with the comparable sales, then sets a price and a preparation plan aimed at the most likely buyer. For an older home, that may mean fixing what an inspector would flag and leaving the kitchen alone, because the buyer may plan to replace it anyway. For a newer home, it usually means staging and photography that show the layout and the yard.
Paperwork helps here too. Gather permits for past additions, garage conversions and any accessory dwelling unit, because buyers' lenders and appraisers will ask whether the square footage is permitted. Unpermitted space can still sell, but it is priced differently and should be disclosed up front.
Greg prepares a written valuation from recent sales near you. Start with the address.
Should you buy a newer townhome or an older house in Costa Mesa?
The choice between a newer townhome and an older detached house in Costa Mesa comes down to land, maintenance and monthly cost. Newer small-lot homes, mostly on the Westside, give you modern systems and little upkeep, but they share walls or sit close together and carry association dues. An older house gives you a yard and the land under it, along with the roof, plumbing and electrical of its era.
Price per square foot usually favours the townhome, and price per square foot of land always favours the house. Buyers who plan to stay a long time and want room to add on tend to choose the house. Buyers who want to move in and change nothing often choose the townhome. Greg sets both options side by side, with dues, insurance and tax included, so the comparison is on the full monthly cost.
Westside or Eastside?
Tell Greg the size of home and lot you want and he will send new listings on both sides of Newport Boulevard, with the sales around each. Buying with Greg
How does Costa Mesa compare with Newport Beach next door?
Costa Mesa usually costs less than Newport Beach for a comparable house, while sitting minutes from the same beaches and airport. The two cities share a school district and a long border, and some Eastside streets are closer to Newport Harbor than parts of Newport Beach itself. The trade is that Costa Mesa has no harbour frontage, no guard-gated hillside communities and more commercial land mixed into its neighbourhoods.
For buyers priced just below Newport Beach's harbour areas, the Eastside is the usual alternative. Buyers who want to be on the water or behind a gate will need Newport Beach or one of its sections such as Corona del Mar.
What should a buyer check before an offer in Costa Mesa?
A Costa Mesa buyer should check permits, the lot, the association if there is one, and the recent sales on that street. Permits matter because garage conversions and additions are common in older homes. The lot matters because its size and shape decide what can be added later. For townhomes, the association's budget, reserves and rules show what you will pay each month and what you can change.
Also look at what is near the house. Costa Mesa mixes homes with shopping, light industry and the fairgrounds more than most of its neighbours, and one block can feel very different from the next. Greg pulls the comparable sales for every home a buyer is serious about and walks through what sits around it, so the offer price reflects the street as well as the house.
Which cities near Costa Mesa should you compare?
Buyers who look at Costa Mesa often compare Newport Beach, Fountain Valley and Irvine. Fountain Valley, across the Santa Ana River to the west, has more uniform single-family tracts and its own school district. Irvine, to the east past the airport, offers planned villages with newer homes and associations. Santa Ana lies to the north up the 55.
For the whole county, see Orange County homes for sale.
Own a home in Costa Mesa?
Find out what it would sell for now, from the sales on your own side of town and in your price band. Get a written home value
What does it take to buy a home in Costa Mesa?
Costa Mesa homes sold for a median $1,549,262 in July-September 2026 (Redfin Data Center), with 154 homes for sale and a median 39 days on market. Loans above $1,249,125, the 2026 Orange County conforming limit, are jumbo loans. The median price here is above that limit, so the size of your down payment decides whether a loan on a typical Costa Mesa home is conforming or jumbo.
Costa Mesa · July-September 2026 · Market: Redfin Data Center · Loan limit: FHFA 2026, via Choice Home Mortgage's Orange County loan limits
Put in your own price, down payment and rate to see a payment. Nothing here is a loan offer.
Run the numbers
Financing a home in Costa Mesa? Esther Buede at Choice Home Mortgage
Esther works with Greg on the loan side of a purchase, from conforming loans to jumbo loans on the coast. Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, has a page on buying and financing in Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa home loans with Esther Buede
Gregory James Group and Choice Home Mortgage are trade names of the same California company, Montana Real Estate Inc (CA DRE #01822046, NMLS #2629064), which Greg Toussieng owns. If we represent you in a purchase or sale and you also arrange your loan through Choice Home Mortgage, the company is paid for both services. You are not required to use Choice Home Mortgage to work with Gregory James Group, and you are free to compare loans from any other lender. When we refer you, we give you a written disclosure of this relationship and the estimated charges, and when we act as both your agent and your loan broker we confirm both roles in writing within 24 hours.
Common questions
What is the median home price in Costa Mesa?
Costa Mesa's median sale price for July-September 2026 was $1,549,262, according to Redfin Data Center. The figure blends Westside condos and townhomes with detached Eastside and Mesa Verde houses, so a single street can sit well above or below it. Recent sales of similar homes on your side of town are the better guide.
How fast do homes sell in Costa Mesa?
Costa Mesa homes went under contract in a median 39 days over July-September 2026. Detached houses on larger Eastside lots often draw builders and remodelers as well as owner buyers, which can shorten the wait. Homes that need work but are priced as if finished usually sit longest.
Is Costa Mesa a buyer's or seller's market?
Costa Mesa homes sold at 98.9% of list price over July-September 2026, and 154 homes were listed for sale in the period. A ratio just under 100 percent means most sellers gave up a little on price, so buyers had some room. Well-priced detached houses still drew competing offers.
Which school district serves Costa Mesa?
Newport-Mesa Unified School District serves Costa Mesa and also covers most of Newport Beach. Attendance boundaries inside the district decide which elementary, middle and high school serve an address, and they can change. Check the district's school locator for the exact address before you write an offer, and confirm directly with the district.
Does Costa Mesa have Mello-Roos taxes?
Most Costa Mesa homes were built decades before Mello-Roos districts became common, so the typical resale house carries only the base 1 percent property tax plus voter-approved charges. Some newer townhome projects may carry assessments or association dues. The preliminary title report and the seller's tax disclosure show every charge on a specific property.
How much is my Costa Mesa home worth?
A Costa Mesa home's value comes from recent sales of similar homes nearby, adjusted for lot size, condition, garage and how much of the house is original. Enter the address in the home-value box on this page and Greg Toussieng, a California real estate broker, sends a written comparative market analysis showing each sale he used.
Is the median Costa Mesa home price above the Orange County conforming loan limit?
Yes. The median Costa Mesa sale price was $1,549,262 for July-September 2026, from Redfin Data Center. Loans above $1,249,125, the 2026 Orange County conforming limit set by the FHFA, are jumbo loans. Because the median price is above that limit, your down payment decides whether a loan on a typical home here is conforming or jumbo.
- Costa Mesa, California: incorporation 1953, 2020 population, area, renaming from Harper, freeways, schools · checked 2026-10-28
- South Coast Plaza: opened 1967 on former Segerstrom lima bean fields · checked 2026-10-28
- Fairview Park Master Plan Update (208 acres) · checked 2026-10-28
- City of Costa Mesa: Fairview Park vernal pools · checked 2026-10-28
- OC Fair & Event Center · checked 2026-10-28
- Newport-Mesa Unified School District · checked 2026-10-28
- Redfin Data Center: Costa Mesa, rolling three months to September 2026 · checked 2026-10-28
- California State Board of Equalization: Proposition 13 and the 1% base rate · checked 2026-10-28
- California DRE licence lookup · checked 2026-10-28
- FHFA: 2026 conforming loan limits (Orange County, CA: $1,249,125) · checked 2026-10-29
Start with the address. Greg does the rest.
A written valuation from recent sales near you, prepared by a licensed broker. Or call (949) 868-8820.