Analytics built by: Location, Inc.
Raw data sources: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Methodology: NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data
With 17,192 people, 11,932 houses or apartments, and a median cost of homes of $523,758, Laguna Woods real estate prices are well above average cost compared to national prices.
Large apartment complexes or high rise apartments are the single most common housing type in Laguna Woods, accounting for 53.24% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Laguna Woods include row houses and other attached homes ( 24.25%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 14.76%), and a few single-family detached homes ( 7.63%). Cities with mostly row houses, apartments, and other high density housing types are relatively uncommon, and characteristic of compact cities that frequently have a downtown or other neighborhoods where amenities are within walking distance and a lot of street life can be seen.
Dwellings in Laguna Woods tend to be quite small (one, two, or no bedrooms) and owner occupied. In fact, 87.42% of the homes in Laguna Woods have two or fewer bedrooms.
At the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home triumphant and, with the help of the GI Bill, built homes by the millions on the edges of America's cities. These homes were predominantly capes and ranches, modest in size, but built to house a growing middle-class as the 20th century became the American century. Laguna Woods's housing was primarily built during this period, from the '40s through the '60s. A full 53.73% of the city's housing hails from this era. Other housing ages represented in Laguna Woods include homes built between 1970-1999 ( 44.50%) and housing constructed between 2000 and later ( 1.35%).
Vacant housing appears to be an issue in Laguna Woods. Fully 12.01% of the housing stock is classified as vacant. Left unchecked, vacant Laguna Woods homes and apartments can be a drag on the real estate market, holding Laguna Woods real estate prices below levels they could achieve if vacant housing was absorbed into the market and became occupied. Housing vacancy rates are a useful measure to consider, along with other things, if you are a home buyer or a real estate investor.
Appreciation rates for homes in Laguna Woods have been tracking above average for the last ten years, according to NeighborhoodScout data. The cumulative appreciation rate over the ten years has been 97.77%, which ranks in the top 40% nationwide. This equates to an annual average Laguna Woods house appreciation rate of 7.06%.
Appreciation rates are so strong in Laguna Woods that despite a nationwide downturn in the housing market, Laguna Woods real estate has continued to appreciate in value faster than most communities. Looking at just the latest twelve months, Laguna Woods appreciation rates continue to be some of the highest in America, at 8.51%, which is higher than appreciation rates in 75.80% of the cities and towns in the nation. Based on the last twelve months, short-term real estate investors have found good fortune in Laguna Woods. Laguna Woods appreciation rates in the latest quarter were at 2.09%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of 8.62%.
Relative to California, our data show that Laguna Woods's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 70% of the other cities and towns in California.
One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within Laguna Woods differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Laguna Woods - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best Laguna Woods real estate investment or home purchase decisions.
$523,758
for California
for nation
11,932
$3,862 / per month