Most agents write market updates using the same third-party data everyone else pulls from Zillow or Redfin. I don’t have to rely on just one source, and neither should you. As 2026 President of the MLS and 2025,2026 Board of Director of the San Diego Association of REALTORS®, I spend a lot of time thinking about how real estate data actually gets used — and one thing that never gets talked about enough is how differently the major portals price the same market.
I pulled the current published figures for nine neighborhoods I work in constantly — Bonita, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, La Jolla, and San Diego’s urban core zip codes (92101 Downtown, 92102 Golden Hill, 92103 Hillcrest, 92104 North Park, and 92110 Bay Park/Old Town) — straight from Zillow, Redfin, and a handful of other major portals. The spread between the highest and lowest number for the exact same market is bigger than most buyers and sellers expect.
Why the Same Neighborhood Shows Five Different Prices
- Algorithm vs. actual sale. Zillow’s Zestimate and similar tools are automated valuations updated on active and off-market homes alike. Redfin and county-record-based sites report the actual closed sale price of homes that sold. Those are two different questions being answered.
- Boundary lines don’t match. “Bonita” on one portal might mean the 91902 zip code; on another it might mean a hand-drawn neighborhood polygon that excludes a few streets, or includes part of eastern Chula Vista.
- Snapshot timing. One site’s number might reflect the trailing 30 days, another the trailing 90, another a single calendar month from earlier in the year. In a market moving several percent a quarter, that lag alone explains a meaningful chunk of the gap.
- Sample size. A neighborhood with 300 sales a year produces a stable median. A luxury pocket with 15 sales a month can swing 15–20% just because two $2M+ homes closed instead of one.
- Property mix. Some medians blend condos, townhomes, and single-family homes together. Others isolate single-family only. That alone can shift a “median” by six figures in a mixed-inventory area.
The Numbers, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Here’s what each portal was showing at the time of writing. Figures are snapshots — they move constantly — but the pattern of disagreement between sources is the real lesson.
Bonita (91902)
The widest spread of the four larger markets — a small, low-turnover zip code where a handful of closed sales can swing the “median” significantly.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $1,142,698 |
| Redfin | $1,200,000 |
| Orchard | $999,000 |
| Realtytrac | $1,142,101 |
Portal spread: 20.1%
Chula Vista
The tightest spread — high sales volume and a large, consistent inventory base keep every portal closer to agreement.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $844,972 |
| Redfin | $801,000 |
| Houzeo | $797,000 |
| Realtytrac | $829,750 |
Portal spread: 6.0%
Carlsbad
A wide coastal-to-inland price range within one city name means the “citywide median” depends heavily on which sub-areas each portal weights most.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $1,481,148 |
| Redfin | $1,584,138 |
| HousingData.report | $1,373,372 |
Portal spread: 15.3%
La Jolla
Low inventory and a mix of oceanfront estates and village condos in the same zip code makes this one of the hardest markets in the county to summarize with a single number.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $2,445,152 |
| Redfin | $2,349,183 |
| Movoto | $2,695,000 |
Portal spread: 14.7%
92101 Downtown
A high-rise condo market first — the “median” here depends heavily on whether a portal is blending studios and 1-bedrooms with the handful of larger units that trade each month.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $788,556 |
| Redfin | $690,000 |
Portal spread: 14.3%
92102 Golden Hill
Fast-moving and low-inventory — some sources show homes selling quickly, which means a stale snapshot ages out of relevance fast here.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $702,436 |
| Redfin | $775,000 |
| Orchard | $675,000 |
Portal spread: 14.8%
92103 Hillcrest
A mix of historic single-family homes and newer condos gives this zip one of the wider condo-vs-house price gaps in the urban core.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $1,057,129 |
| Redfin | $1,200,000 |
Portal spread: 13.5%
92104 North Park
The tightest agreement of any neighborhood in this report — high transaction volume keeps every source close together.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $895,473 |
| Redfin | $914,793 |
Portal spread: 2.2%
92110 Bay Park
A quieter, family-oriented pocket where portal timing matters more than usual — the gap here is mostly a snapshot-date issue, not a boundary issue.
| Source | Reported Median |
|---|---|
| Zillow | $931,955 |
| Redfin | $808,000 |
Portal spread: 15.3%
The Portal Spread Index
| Neighborhood | Spread |
|---|---|
| Bonita (91902) | 20.1% |
| Carlsbad | 15.3% |
| 92110 Bay Park | 15.3% |
| 92102 Golden Hill | 14.8% |
| La Jolla | 14.7% |
| 92101 Downtown | 14.3% |
| 92103 Hillcrest | 13.5% |
| Chula Vista | 6.0% |
| 92104 North Park | 2.2% |
None of these sources is “wrong.” They’re each measuring something slightly different — and once you know what, the numbers stop being confusing and start being useful.
How to Actually Use These Numbers
- Treat every portal estimate as a starting range, not an answer. If three sources cluster tightly, that’s a reliable signal. If they’re 15–20% apart, the real number is probably in the middle — or driven by a handful of outlier sales worth investigating individually.
- Ask what “median” is measuring. Sold price and list price tell different stories. In a market where homes are selling under list, a “median list price” will always run hotter than a “median sale price.”
- Weight recency over brand. A number from six weeks ago is more useful than a more “trusted” brand’s number from six months ago, especially in a market moving a few percent a quarter.
- Pull the actual comps. None of this replaces a real comparative market analysis on your specific property or target home. Portal medians describe a neighborhood in general; they don’t price your house.
The bottom line: every portal is a reasonable approximation and every portal is, individually, incomplete. Reading the market well means comparing sources, understanding what each one is actually measuring, and knowing when it’s time to look at the real transaction data behind the estimate.
Jeff Brick is a full-time REALTOR®, Broker, and Team Leader serving San Diego County since 1999. He currently serves as 2026 President of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS), 2026 Board Director of the San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR), and Chairman of the Forms & Contracts Committee.
Thinking about buying or selling in Bonita, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, La Jolla, or anywhere in San Diego’s urban core? Let’s pull the real numbers for your specific street — not just the neighborhood average.
