The "Fixer-Upper" Discount: What 90803 Sellers are Accepting Right Now
If you’ve been following my Instagram ( @coolhousesoflongbeach ), you know I’m a sucker for a property with good bones and a story to tell. But in the last six months, the story of the 90803 real estate market has shifted. For years, "deferred maintenance" was a phrase that barely moved the needle on price—buyers were so desperate they’d pay a premium just for the zip code. As of February 2026 , that has changed. The market has split into two outcomes: Premium Fortresses and Correction Zones. The 90803 Snapshot (Last 6 Months) While the citywide average sale-to-list ratio in Long Beach sits at a healthy 99.9% , 90803 is telling a more nuanced tale. The Median Sale Price: ~$1,425,000 (Up 14% YoY). The Sale-to-List Ratio: ~98.0%. On paper, a 2% discount doesn't sound like much. But when we look at homes with deferred maintenance —the ones that need a new roof, have original 1950s plumbing, or "architectural mysteries"—the d...
