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South Coast Market Reports

Santa Barbara South Coast commercial real estate market reports.

Every quarter, Hayes Commercial Group publishes an in-depth read on South Coast commercial real estate, covering sales and leasing across office, retail, R&D, and industrial. Caitlin Hensel gathers each quarterly report here so you can follow what is happening across sales and leasing from Goleta to Carpinteria.

Quarterly reports published by Hayes Commercial Group, gathered here by Caitlin Hensel, Partner at Hayes Commercial Group.

Quarterly reports

The South Coast, quarter by quarter.

Q1 2026Published April 1, 2026

Q1 2026 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

One of the highest-volume sales quarters on record, 38 deals closing $391 million, lifted sharply by the $235 million Tech Park Goleta portfolio sale.

Q4 2025Published January 1, 2026

Q4 2025 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales closed 2025 unusually quiet at $44.3 million as buyers stayed selective and price-sensitive.

Q3 2025Published October 1, 2025

Q3 2025 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

South Coast sales gained steady ground in Q3 after a slow start to the year, with closings quickening through the summer and momentum building month by month.

Q2 2025Published July 2, 2025

Q2 2025 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The sales market found its footing in Q2 with 20 deals totaling $74.6 million, up sharply from a slow Q1, led by owner-users and selective investors.

Q1 2025Published April 1, 2025

Q1 2025 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales stayed sluggish in Q1 with only 11 transactions, under half the recent five-year quarterly average, extending a two-year low-volume stretch.

Q4 2024Published January 1, 2025

Q4 2024 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Limited 2024 sales volume picked up meaningfully in Q4, though activity stayed weighted toward lower-priced properties as higher interest rates kept larger buyers on the sidelines.

Q3 2024Published October 1, 2024

Q3 2024 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sellers holding on price while higher interest rates cut into buyer purchasing power.

Q2 2024Published July 1, 2024

Q2 2024 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales dollar volume ran 60 percent below the five-year average, office hit hardest, with only four deals closing above $5 million as higher rates weighed on larger purchases.

Q1 2024Published April 1, 2024

Q1 2024 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

A bite-sized sales market: dollar volume ran about half the 5-year average, the fifth straight quarter of reduced activity since the 2022 peak.

Q4 2023Published January 1, 2024

Q4 2023 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Higher interest rates drove a 43% year-over-year drop in sales transactions, with dollar volume running 49% below trend.

Q3 2023Published October 1, 2023

Q3 2023 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Higher rates sharply constricted sales over $5 million, with no office or industrial deals above that mark closing year-to-date, while land sales outpaced the five-year benchmark.

Q2 2023Published July 1, 2023

Q2 2023 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The sales transaction count ran 7.5% above the five-year average at midyear, but average investment-sale prices were roughly half the historical norm amid higher rates.

Q1 2023Published May 1, 2023

Q1 2023 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales stalled in Q1 as high interest rates and pricing friction sidelined many investors, while owner-users generated above-average activity.

Q4 2022Published January 1, 2023

Q4 2022 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales posted record volume for a second straight year, though higher rates were set to slow momentum. Apartment sales hit record dollar volume and record-low cap rates.

Q3 2022Published October 1, 2022

Q3 2022 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales decelerated in Q3 but stayed on pace for record transactions and dollar volume, as rising rates complicated underwriting and added pricing friction.

Q2 2022Published July 1, 2022

Q2 2022 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Record year-to-date sales volume continued, led by a pronounced return of investors and spanning nearly every property type and South Coast submarket.

Q1 2022Published April 1, 2022

Q1 2022 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Heavy activity produced the highest first-quarter sales volume on record, extending 2021's run, with for-sale inventory at a five-year low and off-market deals common.

Q4 2021Published January 1, 2022

Q4 2021 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

A record year for sales and a recovery year for leasing: 2021 posted record transactions and dollar value, with sales driven increasingly by owner-users.

Q3 2021Published October 1, 2021

Q3 2021 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales and leasing diverged in Q3, with sales holding a strong pace while leasing lagged, after both markets accelerated in Q2 on reopening.

Q2 2021Published July 1, 2021

Q2 2021 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Recovery from the pandemic's impact was well underway across sales and leasing, though supply stayed extended and demand uneven, with a long road ahead.

Q1 2021Published April 1, 2021

Q1 2021 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Pandemic effects still weighed on the market in Q1 with most indicators below pre-pandemic levels, though activity grew noticeably into spring.

Q4 2020Published January 1, 2021

Q4 2020 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The pandemic shaped commercial real estate through most of 2020, with emerging vaccines promising to reshape economic behavior in the year ahead.

Q3 2020Published October 1, 2020

Q3 2020 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The sales market stayed unpredictable, with year-to-date transactions down 27 percent and non-hotel dollar volume down 34 percent against the five-year average.

Q2 2020Published July 1, 2020

Q2 2020 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

South Coast commercial real estate ran in low gear against the pandemic, with transaction volume down sharply and limited data to reset pricing.

Q1 2020Published April 1, 2020

Q1 2020 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The pandemic and statewide shelter-in-place stalled the South Coast economy in Q1, gutting local business revenue and emptying most workplaces.

Q4 2019Published January 1, 2020

Q4 2019 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales soared into record territory in 2019, with non-hotel dollar volume topping $500 million and surpassing the next-highest annual total by $140 million.

Q3 2019Published October 1, 2019

Q3 2019 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Through three quarters, non-hotel sales volume ran 37 percent above the five-year average at $319 million, as investors stayed selective and owner-users stepped up.

Q2 2019Published July 1, 2019

Q2 2019 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Non-hotel sales dollar volume held on par with the five-year average at midyear, even as the number of transactions ran well below the recent norm.

Q1 2019Published April 1, 2019

Q1 2019 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

A first quarter short on transactions but long on dollar volume, with non-hotel sales of $107 million running 14 percent above the five-year average.

Q4 2018Published January 1, 2019

Q4 2018 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Owner-users stepped up in 2018, though sales did not match the prior five years as the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow set a more subdued pace.

Q3 2018Published October 1, 2018

Q3 2018 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

The sales market recovered much of its momentum after the winter's natural disasters, though year-to-date volume stayed below the five-year average.

Q2 2018Published July 1, 2018

Q2 2018 Santa Barbara South Coast Commercial Real Estate Market Report

South CoastSales and leasingOffice, retail, R&D, industrial

Sales activity slowed at midyear, with both transaction count and non-hotel dollar volume down nearly 30 percent against the prior five-year averages.

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