Homebuying dips 3% in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano

Homebuying in inland South County — including Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and San Juan Capistrano — fell 3 percent in May vs. a year earlier

May is traditionally a strong sales months for Orange County, as the prime spring selling season hits full stride. We decided to see how neighborhood housing markets fared.

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CoreLogic found these 14 trends in 8 ZIP codes covered by the Orange County Register’s Saddleback News weekly, …

1. Purchases: Home sales in this period totaled 594 vs. 615 a year ago, a decline of 3.4 percent.

2. Who’s up: Prices increased in 8 of the 8 ZIPs as sales rose in 3 ZIPs.

3. Countywide: $738,500 median selling price, up 6.3 percent. Orange County sales totaled 3,519 residences, existing and new, vs. 3,666 a year ago, a decline of 4.0 percent. Prices rose in 57 out of 83 Orange County ZIPs and sales were up in 33 out of 83 ZIPs.

Here is how prices and sales moved at the community level …

4. Mission Viejo 92691: $708,500 median, up 5.0 percent. Price rank? 45th of 83. Sales of 55 vs. 77 a year ago, a decline of 28.6 percent.

5. Mission Viejo 92692: $779,000 median, up 17.0 percent. Price rank? No. 33 of 83. Sales of 78 vs. 86 a year ago, a decline of 9.3 percent.

6. Lake Forest 92630: $685,000 median, up 0.7 percent. Price rank? No. 50 of 83. Sales of 104 vs. 117 a year ago, a decline of 11.1 percent.

7. Foothill Ranch 92610: $800,000 median, up 48.1 percent. Price rank? No. 28 of 83. Sales of 31 vs. 17 a year ago, a gain of 82.4 percent.

8. Rancho Santa Margarita 92688: $637,000 median, up 6.6 percent. Price rank? No. 60 of 83. Sales of 69 vs. 84 a year ago, a decline of 17.9 percent.

9. Trabuco/Coto 92679: $1,015,250 median, up 15.4 percent. Price rank? No. 13 of 83. Sales of 68 vs. 81 a year ago, a decline of 16 percent.

10. Ladera Ranch/Rancho Mission Viejo 92694: $779,000 median, up 10.1 percent. Price rank? No. 33 of 83. Sales of 133 vs. 98 a year ago, a gain of 35.7 percent.

11. San Juan Capistrano 92675: $1,050,000 median, up 33.2 percent. Price rank? No. 10 of 83. Sales of 56 vs. 55 a year ago, a gain of 1.8 percent.

Plus, three more countywide trends found in May vs. a year earlier …

12. Single-family-home resales: 2,169 Orange County sales vs. 2,335 a year ago, a decline of 7.1 percent in the period. Median: $800,000 — a rise of 5.7 percent in the period.

13. Condo resales: 933 sales vs. 965 a year ago, a decline of 3.3 percent in 12 months. Median: $502,000 — a rise of 1.9 percent in a year.

14. New homes: Builders sold 417 residences vs. 365 a year ago, a gain of 14.2 percent in a year. Median: $978,750 — a rise of 17.2 percent in a year.

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