According to data from the California Association of Realtors (CAR), pending home sales declined six percent from September 2016 to September 2017. 

Every major region in the state saw a decline year-over-year, with the San Francisco Bay Area showing the largest drop at 10.8 percent. San Francisco County itself actually saw an increase in pending home sales year-over-year at 2.8 percent. However, the other counties in the region all showed declines upward of 16.9 percent.

In Southern California, pending home sales were down 7.1 percent (still higher the statewide figure). Riverside County showed the largest drop at 13.4 percent. Los Angeles County was down eight percent while San Diego County saw an 11.5-percent drop. After six months of year-over-year gains, Orange County posted a 2.8-percent decline for September.

All of this is not surprising given the additional factors across the state. With a housing crisis, escalating prices and shrinking inventory affecting areas around Los Angeles and beyond, the likelihood of home sales increasing is not high. However, there’s some hope that State Senate Bill 35, which moves to remove hurdles to development, could help.