If you’ve been thinking about selling in San Pedro or Rancho Palos Verdes, you’ve probably seen a headline suggesting buyers have all but disappeared. We hear a version of it at open houses nearly every weekend. It’s a fair question given where mortgage rates have been — but there’s a real difference between a market that has slowed and one that has stopped.

The best real-time gauge of buyer demand is pending sales: homes that have gone under contract but haven’t yet closed escrow. Closed sales tell you what buyers were doing two months ago. Pendings tell you what they’re doing right now. Nationally, HousingWire data shows more single-family homes going under contract this summer than at the same point in either of the last two years — and that’s during the stretch of the calendar when activity usually cools off.

So how does that square with what we’re seeing here?

According to the July 6 Los Angeles County report from Steven Thomas at Reports on Housing, the county had 14,410 active listings, down about 2% from 14,707 a year ago, against 3,787 pending sales. That works out to an Expected Market Time of 114 days — essentially the number of days it would take to sell every home currently on the market at today’s pace. A year ago that figure was 122 days. Countywide, the median sales price sat at $942,000, flat year over year, with a sales-to-list ratio of 100%.

San Pedro is outperforming that noticeably. Our market showed 109 active listings against 40 pendings, for an expected market time of 82 days. Last year at this time it was 139 days. That is a substantial improvement, and it lines up with what we’ve been experiencing — well-prepared homes at sensible prices are still drawing multiple showings and real offers. The median list price locally was $749,000 (SFR, condos, and townhomes).

Rancho Palos Verdes tells a different story, as it often does. RPV posted 134 actives against 28 pendings — 144 days of expected market time, up from 112 a year ago, with a median list price of $2.2 million. Higher price points simply move more slowly, and that’s been consistent across the Peninsula. Elsewhere in the South Bay, Torrance came in at 64 days, Manhattan Beach at 87 (down from 118), and Redondo Beach at 91.

Rates haven’t done sellers any favors, but they haven’t collapsed the market either. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed at 6.58% on July 23, still below the 6.74% average a year ago. What we’re seeing is fewer casual Sunday browsers and more buyers with an actual reason and a timeline — a growing family, a job change, a retirement, an inherited property. Life keeps moving regardless of what the Federal Reserve does.

Here’s the truth for sellers, though. A 100% sales-to-list ratio countywide means homes priced correctly are getting their asking price. It does not mean you can name any number you like. As we’ve written before, the fastest way to leave money on the table is to list high, sit for six weeks, and then chase the market down with reductions. That first four-week window still matters enormously.

The buyers are out there in San Pedro and across our coastline. Capturing them just takes the right pricing strategy and honest local guidance. If you’d like a straight read on what your home would realistically do in today’s market, reach out anytime at info@hhcoastal.com.

Mike Harper and Peter Hazdovac are both licensed Realtors® and co-owners of HH Coastal Real Estate, an independent local brokerage. For more info, visit www.hhcoastal.com.