Housing numbers are useful and easy to misread. A “typical value” is not a median, a month of data is not a trend, and one ZIP code says little about a single house. This handbook explains what the San Clemente numbers actually measure, so the weekly reports on this site are easier to use.
Market Handbook
The San Clemente Market Handbook: How to Read the Numbers
What each San Clemente housing number measures, how to read a weekly market report in five minutes, the seasons in the data, and the ways numbers can mislead.
What each number measures
- Typical home value
- Zillow’s Home Value Index estimates the typical value of homes in the middle of the price range: those between the 35th and 65th percentile. It is seasonally adjusted and smoothed with a three-month moving average, so it is a “typical value,” not a median sale price and not the price of any one home.
- Price tiers
- Zillow also publishes a bottom tier (the 5th to 35th percentile) and a top tier (65th to 95th). We call them entry level and upper tier. The gap between them is a rough map of how wide the market is.
- Homes for sale
- The count of homes listed for sale. The series used here is not adjusted for the seasons, and it typically rises in summer and falls in winter.
- Price cuts
- The share of listings that have had a price cut. A rising share often means sellers started too high.
- Market temperature
- Zillow’s Market Heat Index (shown on these sites as market temperature) blends how many listings go pending within 21 days, the share with price cuts and how much attention listings get, on a scale of roughly 0 to 100. Higher means the market leans toward sellers.
- Months of supply
- Homes for sale divided by the monthly pace of sales. Under about four months is usually called a seller’s market and over six a buyer’s market.
By the numbers
The numbers this week
Both San Clemente ZIP codes, side by side.
The numbers today
Zillow data through Aug 2026.
| ZIP code | Typical value | Vs a year ago | Vs five years ago | Typical rent | Homes for sale | Price cuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92672 San Clemente | $1,747,711 | +7.5% | +49.8% | $3,391 | 99 | 26% |
| 92673 San Clemente (south) | $1,736,694 | +3.0% | +45.1% | $3,752 | 75 | 23% |
Side by side
How the two ZIP codes differ
The same measures for ZIP 92672 and ZIP 92673.
ZIP by ZIP
Zillow data, Aug 2026. Rent is the Zillow Observed Rent Index. Temperature is Zillow’s 0 to 100 market temperature (higher is hotter).
| ZIP code | Typical value | Vs a year ago | Vs five years ago | Price cuts | Homes for sale | Temperature | Typical rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92672 San Clemente | $1,747,711 | +7.5% | +49.8% | 26% | 99 | 70 | $3,391 |
| 92673 San Clemente (south) | $1,736,694 | +3.0% | +45.1% | 23% | 75 | 63 | $3,752 |
ZIP 92672 has the highest typical value here ($1,747,711) and ZIP 92673 the lowest ($1,736,694). Over the last twelve months ZIP 92672 moved the most (+7.5%) and ZIP 92673 the least (+3.0%).
ZIP 92672ZIP 92673
A five-minute routine for reading the weekly report
- Look at the gauge first. It summarizes who had the edge this week, from the metro-area data.
- Read the “what changed” list. Ask whether it is a one-week blip or the continuation of last month.
- Check the month view. The ZIP-level readings are monthly and are compared with the ZIP’s own history.
- Look at price cuts and homes for sale. They tend to move first when conditions change.
- Zoom out to the long view. Values across two decades put any single month in perspective.
The calendar
The seasons hiding in the data
How homes for sale, price cuts and market temperature have typically moved through the year in ZIP 92672.
Compared with the year’s average, month by month
Zillow monthly series for ZIP 92672, averaged over the complete calendar years 2019 to 2025. 0% means an average month.
| Month | Homes for sale | Price cuts | Market temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −17% | −24% | +11% |
| February | −20% | −32% | +7% |
| March | −11% | −22% | −0% |
| April | −2% | −17% | +3% |
| May | +8% | −4% | +2% |
| June | +14% | +1% | −1% |
| July | +18% | +11% | −4% |
| August | +17% | +19% | −3% |
| September | +11% | +24% | −5% |
| October | +5% | +30% | −10% |
| November | −6% | +18% | −5% |
| December | −17% | −4% | +5% |
Homes for sale have typically been lowest in February (−20% against the year’s average) and highest in July (+18%): more to choose from late in summer, fewer options in winter.
Price cuts have typically peaked in October (+30%) and been rarest in February (−32%): sellers who priced high in spring have often adjusted by early fall.
Market temperature (Zillow’s 0 to 100 measure of how competitive the market is) has typically run hottest in January (+11%) and coolest in October (−10%).
Homes for salePrice cutsMarket temperature
These are past averages of Zillow’s smoothed monthly figures, not a forecast. Rate swings and local events make every year different (2020 and 2022 were unlike most), and the pattern in one ZIP code says little about a single home. Use it as a rough guide to when there tends to be more choice and when there tends to be more competition.
Rents
Rents: the other half of the picture
What renting costs in San Clemente, and how it compares with owning.
What renting costs here
Zillow Observed Rent Index, ZIP 92672, Aug 2026 (single-family homes, condos and apartments).
| Month | Typical rent |
|---|---|
| Aug 2016 | $1,826 |
| Aug 2018 | $2,024 |
| Aug 2020 | $2,205 |
| Aug 2022 | $2,931 |
| Aug 2024 | $3,082 |
| Aug 2025 | $3,191 |
| Aug 2026 | $3,391 |
The typical rent in ZIP 92672 is $3,391 a month, +6.3% over the last twelve months and +36.8% over five years, compared with $2,941 for the metro area as a whole.
Set beside the typical home value of $1,747,711, a year of that rent is 2.3% of the price (a gross figure, before any expenses). Owning that typical home, with 20% down at 7.03 percent, costs an estimated $11,369 a month including tax and insurance: about $7,978 more than the typical rent.
ZIP 92672Los Angeles metro
Six ways housing numbers mislead
- One month is not a trend. Smoothing helps, but a single reading can be noise.
- A typical value is not your home’s value. Lot, view, condition and street move a price far more than a ZIP average does.
- ZIP averages blend very different homes. A beach cottage and a hillside house can sit in the same ZIP.
- Weekly figures are for the metro. Weekly sales data is not published by ZIP, so the weekly gauge uses the wider Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim area, which includes Orange County.
- Data is revised. Providers restate recent months as more sales are recorded.
- Percent changes hide dollars. A 3% move on a $1.7 million home is about $51,000; a lender or an appraiser cares about the dollars.
The blog goes deeper on two classics: median versus average price and why days on market can mislead.
Common questions
Why is the weekly gauge for the whole metro area?
Because weekly sales data is not published for individual ZIP codes. The gauge uses the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area (which includes Orange County) and the ZIP-level dial is monthly.
Where does the data come from?
Home values, inventory, price cuts and market temperature come from Zillow Research; the long-run history comes from the Federal Housing Finance Agency; mortgage rates come from Freddie Mac.
Can I download the data?
Yes, each ZIP report has a CSV download. Please credit the sources.
Can these numbers tell me what my house is worth?
No. They describe the market around it. For an estimate on a specific address, ask Rudy for a personal report.
Keep exploring
- Weekly market reports — The gauge, week-over-week and month-over-month.
- Neighborhood data — Beach, hillside, condo and planned-community numbers.
- Blog — How to read a report, median versus average and more.
- Home tools — Payment and closing-cost calculators.
Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Rodrigo Ballon with CrossCountry Mortgage, at 858-735-0255. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
Sources
- Zillow Research: ZHVI user guide
- Zillow Research: Market Heat Index methodology
- Zillow Research: housing data
General information for orientation, not legal, tax, financial or appraisal advice. Details change; confirm anything that matters with the official source, your lender and your agent.