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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Santa Maria, CA Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q4 2023. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

Santa Maria, CA Housing Market Trends

With 110,125 people, 28,738 houses or apartments, and a median cost of homes of $569,126, real estate costs in Santa Maria are among some of the highest in the nation, although house prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive California communities.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Santa Maria, accounting for 59.83% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Santa Maria include large apartment complexes or high rise apartments ( 21.36%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 7.73%), and a few row houses and other attached homes ( 6.31%).

The most prevalent building size and type in Santa Maria are three and four bedroom dwellings, chiefly found in single-family detached homes. The city has a mixture of owners and renters, with 50.53% owning and 49.47% renting.

There is a lot of housing in Santa Maria built from 1970 to 1999 so parts of town may have that "Brady Bunch" look of homes popular in the '70s and early '80s, although some of these houses were built up through the early '90s as well. There is also a lot of housing in Santa Maria built between 1940-1969 ( 26.59%). A lesser amount of the housing stock also hails from between 2000 and later ( 24.03%). There's also some housing in Santa Maria built before 1939 ( 3.30%).

Santa Maria Home Appreciation Rates

In the last 10 years, Santa Maria has experienced some of the highest home appreciation rates of any community in the nation. Santa Maria real estate appreciated 140.84% over the last ten years, which is an average annual home appreciation rate of 9.19%, putting Santa Maria in the top 10% nationally for real estate appreciation. If you are a home buyer or real estate investor, Santa Maria definitely has a track record of being one of the best long term real estate investments in America through the last ten years.

Appreciation rates are so strong in Santa Maria that despite a nationwide downturn in the housing market, Santa Maria real estate has continued to appreciate in value faster than most communities. Looking at just the latest twelve months, Santa Maria appreciation rates continue to be some of the highest in America, at 7.98%, which is higher than appreciation rates in 86.58% of the cities and towns in the nation. Based on the last twelve months, short-term real estate investors have found good fortune in Santa Maria. Santa Maria appreciation rates in the latest quarter were at 1.32%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of 5.40%.

Relative to California, our data show that Santa Maria's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 90% of the other cities and towns in California.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within Santa Maria differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Santa Maria - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best Santa Maria real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$569,126

Santa Maria, CA Home Prices
> $1,386,000
$1,039,001 - $1,386,000
$693,001 - $1,039,000
$554,001 - $693,000
$416,001 - $554,000
$277,001 - $416,000
$138,001 - $277,000
$69,001 - $138,000
$0 - $69,000
1.5%
1.5%
1.8%
1.8%
21.4%
21.4%
31.6%
31.6%
27.9%
27.9%
6.4%
6.4%
3.4%
3.4%
3.0%
3.0%
3.1%
3.1%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
Average

for California

Very High

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

28,738

Santa Maria Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$3,530 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
50.5%
50.5%
49.5%
49.5%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
3.8%
3.8%
96.2%
96.2%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
24.0%
24.0%
46.1%
46.1%
26.6%
26.6%
3.3%
3.3%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
59.8%
59.8%
6.3%
6.3%
7.7%
7.7%
21.4%
21.4%
4.8%
4.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
4.3%
4.3%
10.3%
10.3%
25.3%
25.3%
42.1%
42.1%
15.7%
15.7%
2.3%
2.3%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes