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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Big Bear City, CA Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

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.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q4 2023. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

Big Bear City, CA Housing Market Trends

With a population of 12,738, 5,307 total housing units (homes and apartments), and a median house value of $544,619, real estate costs in Big Bear City are among some of the highest in the nation, although house prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive California communities.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Big Bear City, accounting for 94.47% of the town's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Big Bear City include mobile homes or trailers ( 3.26%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 1.15%).

Dwellings in Big Bear City tend to be quite small (one, two, or no bedrooms) and owner occupied. In fact, 53.83% of the homes in Big Bear City have two or fewer bedrooms.

There is a lot of housing in Big Bear City built from 1970 to 1999 so parts of town may have that "Brady Bunch" look of homes popular in the '70s and early '80s, although some of these houses were built up through the early '90s as well. There is also a lot of housing in Big Bear City built between 1940-1969 ( 22.69%). A lesser amount of the housing stock also hails from between 2000 and later ( 13.42%). There's also some housing in Big Bear City built before 1939 ( 2.76%).

A decent proportion of the Big Bear City housing stock is seasonally occupied. That is, homes and condos in Big Bear City are occupied by people for a portion of the year - mainly for vacation purposes - and then locked up and left unoccupied for the remainder of the year as owners return to their primary residences. This characteristic of the Big Bear City housing market speaks to its popularity as a vacation location of choice.

Big Bear City Home Appreciation Rates

In the last 10 years, Big Bear City has experienced some of the highest home appreciation rates of any community in the nation. Big Bear City real estate appreciated 136.70% over the last ten years, which is an average annual home appreciation rate of 9.00%, putting Big Bear City in the top 10% nationally for real estate appreciation. If you are a home buyer or real estate investor, Big Bear City definitely has a track record of being one of the best long term real estate investments in America through the last ten years.

Over the last year, Big Bear City appreciation rates have trailed the rest of the nation. In the last twelve months, Big Bear City's appreciation rate has been 1.06%, which is lower than appreciation rates in most communities in America. In the latest quarter, NeighborhoodScout's data show that house appreciation rates in Big Bear City were at -0.10%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of -0.40%.

Relative to California, our data show that Big Bear City's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 50% 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 town. Individual neighborhoods within Big Bear City differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Big Bear City - 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 Big Bear City real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$544,619

Big Bear City, CA Home Prices
> $1,389,000
$1,041,001 - $1,389,000
$694,001 - $1,041,000
$555,001 - $694,000
$417,001 - $555,000
$278,001 - $417,000
$139,001 - $278,000
$69,001 - $139,000
$0 - $69,000
5.3%
5.3%
2.9%
2.9%
18.9%
18.9%
20.9%
20.9%
21.5%
21.5%
20.0%
20.0%
9.5%
9.5%
0.4%
0.4%
0.7%
0.7%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
Average

for California

Very High

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

5,307

Big Bear City Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$2,295 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
68.2%
68.2%
31.8%
31.8%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
57.1%
57.1%
42.9%
42.9%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
13.4%
13.4%
61.1%
61.1%
22.7%
22.7%
2.8%
2.8%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
94.5%
94.5%
0.7%
0.7%
1.1%
1.1%
0.5%
0.5%
3.3%
3.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
0.7%
0.7%
7.2%
7.2%
46.0%
46.0%
33.5%
33.5%
10.9%
10.9%
1.8%
1.8%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Zip Codes in Big Bear City, CA