Photo: Chuffmire · CC BY-SA 4.0468 homes sold in Rancho Santa Margarita in the last year, at a typical $1.1M
Houses and condos split the market almost evenly. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Rancho Santa Margarita homes are listed.
Every place Rancho Santa Margarita homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Rancho Santa Margarita.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
A third of Rancho Santa Margarita’s sales are condos, at $695K less than a house
272 houses and 167 condos sold in the year to May 2026.
typical sale · 272 sold in the year to May 2026
- Per square foot
- $614CA $494
- Days to sell
- 59
- Sold over asking
- 23%
- Listings with a price cut
- 29%
typical sale · 167 sold in the year to May 2026
- Per square foot
- $658CA $561
- Days to sell
- 58
- Sold over asking
- 25%
- Listings with a price cut
- 28%
Townhouses: 40 sold, typical $911K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2022, at twice the 2016 price
468 sales in the last year, against 934 in 2021 and a low of 444 in 2023. The typical sale went from $565K in 2016 to $1.1M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales; from June 2026 each month is a 3-month rolling window, its counts divided by 3. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales. Redfin stopped publishing towns’ figures by property type after May 2026, so houses and condos are shown for the year to then.
What $1.1M buys in Rancho Santa Margarita
Check a listing against what Rancho Santa Margarita homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Rancho Santa Margarita are back to pre-pandemic levels, but a third fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Rancho Santa Margarita’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to September 2026, 468 sales.
If you’re buying in Rancho Santa Margarita
- Shop in August. It brings about 73 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (35% over asking).
- Bid near asking. Buyers paid 99.1% of the list price on average; 26% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 37% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 49 days.
Spring brings both the most homes and the most bidding wars
May has the most new listings (about 89 a month), but April is the most competitive: 47% of April sales close over asking. July and August offer nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (40%). October has the least competition (31%) but only about 53 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and calmer than California
| Rancho Santa Margarita now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | CA now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 26% | 27% | 72% | 35% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 37% | 36% | 72% | 33% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 99.1% | 99.1% | 102.7% | 99.9% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 49 | 51 | 29 | 43 |
106 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s twice the 2023 low (52), 36% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2019’s 176.
Since 2019, houses are up 76%, condos 46%
A house typically sold for $1.3M in the year to May 2026 (272 sales), a condo for $654K (167).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Rancho Santa Margarita ranks 426th of 560 busy California markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Rancho Santa Margarita is one of the state’s calmer markets.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city figures, January 2012 to September 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted; from June 2026 each month is a 3-month rolling window, its counts divided by 3). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical Rancho Santa Margarita home costs about $6,293 a month
Price: Rancho Santa Margarita’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at Rancho Santa Margarita’s 0.7% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether Rancho Santa Margarita is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in May
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 26.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $1.1M home, about $7,210 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for Rancho Santa Margarita, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in Rancho Santa MargaritaTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Work & commuteCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
No busy market nearby sells for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Rancho Santa Margarita, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Viejo | 977 | $1.2M | $649 | 32% | 42 |
| Lake Forest | 801 | $1.2M | $638 | 31% | 46 |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | 468 | $1.1M | $626 | 26% | 49 |
| Ladera Ranch | 255 | $1.4M | $633 | 29% | 46 |
| Laguna Hills | 252 | $1.3M | $662 | 33% | 41 |
| Coto de Caza | 219 | $1.9M | $635 | 13% | 61 |
| Las Flores | 45 | $1.2M | $649 | 42% | 50 |
Redfin Data Center, October 2025 to September 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Rancho Santa Margarita, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Rancho Santa Margarita. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Rancho Santa Margarita with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Rancho Santa Margarita
What do homes sell for in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?
468 homes sold in the year to September 2026 at a typical $1.1M, $626 a square foot. Houses sold for about $1.3M, condos for about $654K in the year to May 2026.
Is Rancho Santa Margarita a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 105 homes were for sale in September 2026 and 43 sold, about 2.4 months of supply. Buyers paid 99.1% of asking on average.
When is the best time to buy in Rancho Santa Margarita?
May brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in Rancho Santa Margarita?
About 0.7% of a home’s value a year. On a $1.1M home that’s near $7,210.
Where can I see homes for sale in Rancho Santa Margarita?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Rancho Santa Margarita’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Rancho Santa Margarita.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted; from June 2026 each month is a 3-month rolling window, its counts divided by 3). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).