Santa Ana ADU Market Update — July 2026: Live Comps, Income Stacking, and What's Actually Moving
Santa Ana has always had a different feel than the other ADU markets in Orange County. The lots are bigger, the income potential is higher, and the buyers tend to be more serious about cash flow. July's MLS data reflects all of that — we've got properties hitting the market with genuine three-unit income stacks, 2026-built ADUs already rented, and closed sales showing that well-priced, permitted ADU properties are still moving fast.
Here's everything active, under contract, and closed — pulled directly from MLS.
Active Listings
4721 W Oakfield Ave — $1,680,000
This is the most interesting listing in the current Santa Ana pool. Three residential units on a single lot: the main home, a 500 SF JADU (built 2025), and an 800 SF detached ADU — all currently tenanted at $8,500/month combined ($3,600 main + $2,000 JADU + $2,900 ADU), with tenants paying their own utilities. There's also a two-car garage with ADU conversion potential still on the table. At $687/SF on a 7,200 SF lot, this is income stacking at its ceiling for Santa Ana. The challenge for buyers: this is complex to finance and appraise — three-unit income properties require careful underwriting. If you're not sure how lenders count ADU rental income, that's worth understanding before you make an offer.
1246 S Baker St — $1,245,000
Strong income play near Mater Dei. The main house is a 3-bed/2-bath and the 2023-built ADU is 1,000 SF with 2 beds and 2 baths — pulling $6,650/month total. Paid-off solar is included. At $590/SF this is priced like a true investment property, not just a primary with a bonus unit. Permit year (2023) matters here — newer ADUs tend to appraise more cleanly and qualify for conventional financing more readily.
1411 W 7th St — $1,375,000 (Under Contract)
Already in escrow, but worth knowing this one moved. Two full homes on one lot — main is 3-bed/2-bath at 991 SF, and the ADU (built 2026) is 3-bed/2-bath at 990 SF — nearly identical. Combined income: $7,240/month. It sat 91 days before going under contract, which suggests buyers are taking their time running numbers, not that demand is soft. At this price point, you're paying for genuine two-household income potential.
408 S Flower St — $999,999
3-bed/2-bath main at 1,148 SF plus a 2021-built 1-bed/2-bath ADU at 574 SF, delivered fully vacant. Separate electric and gas meters. At $580/SF, this is the rare Santa Ana ADU property where a buyer gets to set market rents from day one instead of inheriting existing tenants. The separate utilities are a meaningful operational detail — easier management, no utilities disputes with tenants.
1205 S Flower St — $975,000
The entry-level ADU play in Wilshire Square. Main is 2-bed/1-bath at 901 SF, detached ADU is 1-bed at 400 SF. Walk Score 97 — this is genuinely walkable in a city where walkability is a real rental driver. At $749/SF it's priced tighter than neighboring properties, but the location and the ADU size make it an accessible starting point.
1621 S Diamond St — $1,135,000
The front house is a 5-bed and the detached ADU (800 SF, 2-bed/2-bath) was completed in 2026 and is already rented at $2,600/month. The main house is renting at $3,450/month. All-in: $6,050/month at a $455/SF basis — one of the better price-per-SF buys in the active market. The 2026 build year is a plus for financing.
2031 S Center St — $1,199,999
3-bed main plus a 416 SF attached JADU (built 2020) near South Coast Plaza. At $764/SF this is premium for the area. One detail that matters: the listing includes a rent control disclosure, which means if a tenant is in place, rent increases are capped at 3% annually under Santa Ana's local rent control ordinance. That cap has real implications for long-term income projections — if you're investing in Santa Ana, that 3% ceiling deserves a hard look. Back on market as of 6/30.
813 E Chestnut Ave — $1,024,900
4-bed/3-bath main at 1,445 SF plus a 120 SF studio ADU. The ADU is small — too small to be meaningful rental income, but it works for a multigenerational setup. Major system upgrades throughout on a 7,516 SF lot. At $709/SF, buyers are paying for the primary home, not the ADU income here.
1815 N Westwood Ave — $1,025,000
West Floral Park — billed as the lowest-priced listing in the neighborhood. Main is a 2-bed/2-bath at 1,545 SF on a 9,228 SF lot. There's also a 267 SF studio ADU — but it's unpermitted. That's the conversation buyers need to have before closing. What happens to an unpermitted ADU at appraisal — and what lenders will do with it — is different depending on the loan type, the appraiser, and whether the seller has disclosed it. The lot size is the real asset here; the ADU is a question mark.
122 N Bewley St — $1,200,000
R2-zoned lot with a 4-bed main (1,551 SF) and a brand-new 2025-built ADU (783 SF, 2-bed). Just dropped from $1,275,000. At $513/SF the price cut makes it worth another look — R2 zoning with a new-construction ADU already permitted is a combination that gives investors more flexibility than a typical R1 lot.
1825 W 2nd St — $1,100,000
Main house (832 SF) plus ADU (800 SF) — nearly equal in size. ADU rented at $2,200/month. Not many details on the listing, but at this price point you're getting close to a 50/50 house/ADU square footage split, which is the sweet spot for income-plus-living situations.
1922 Meriday Ln — $999,999
3-bed/2-bath at 1,469 SF on a 6,324 SF lot in North Santa Ana. Currently single-family — no ADU built — but the listing notes ADU/JADU potential (buyer to verify). At $680/SF, a buyer would need to model whether the ADU construction cost pencils out post-purchase. This is a land-play with income upside, not a turnkey cash-flow property.
North Tustin/East Santa Ana Premium Tier
Four listings in the 92705 zip code (North Tustin-adjacent, Santa Ana Hills area) round out the upper tier:
18861 Fairhaven Ave — $1,850,000 | 4-bed main + 980 SF ADU on a 14,110 SF lot | Reduced from $2.1M | $660/SF
13081 Prospect Ave — $2,590,000 | 3-bed main + 250 SF small ADU on a 22,921 SF half-acre | Pool | $1,233/SF
12344 Circula Panorama Dr — $2,698,000 | 5-bed + attached ADU (700 SF) | 3-level, panoramic views | $499/SF
2240 Foothill Blvd — $3,495,000 | Custom Spanish estate with casita ADU (400 SF) | Lemon Heights | $999/SF
These properties serve a different buyer profile — wealth-preservation, estate living with generational income — and aren't directly comparable to the core Santa Ana ADU market below $1.5M.
Under Contract
2521 W Stanford Ave — $780,000
2-bed/1-bath main at 748 SF with a garage that has ADU plans included. Took 91 days to go under contract — longest of any property in this batch — which reflects the buyer hesitancy at the entry level when there's no ADU income yet. This is a value-add play for a buyer who can execute the ADU build.
Closed Sales
614 N Shelton St — $857,000 (Listed at $849,000)
This one sold $8,000 over asking price with a conventional loan in 5 DOM (listed February, closed May 4, 2026). The reason it moved fast and over ask: a new, fully permitted 2024-built ADU (750 SF, 2-bed/1-bath) with solar already installed. This is what a well-documented, permitted ADU does for a sale — it eliminates underwriting risk and lets a conventional buyer compete confidently. How a home with an ADU gets valued when you sell is the question sellers should answer before they list.
1055 W Pine St — $779,000 (Listed at $785,000)
3-bed/2-bath with a 250 SF ADU-style space — but the ADU is unpermitted. Closed at $779K (slight discount) to a cash buyer in 14 DOM (closed June 18, 2026). Cash buyers can waive appraisal contingencies and take on unpermitted space without triggering lender scrutiny. The discount versus Shelton is telling: the unpermitted ADU didn't kill the deal, but it did narrow the buyer pool and cost the seller money. What sellers with unpermitted ADUs in Santa Ana can do before listing makes a real difference in final price.
What the Numbers Are Telling Us
Santa Ana is running two parallel markets right now.
The first is the income-stack market — properties like 4721 W Oakfield ($8,500/month) and 1246 S Baker ($6,650/month) where the ADU isn't an amenity, it's a business. These properties attract investors who are underwriting debt service coverage, not just vibes. If you're looking at these as investment buys, DSCR loans purpose-built for ADU properties are often the right vehicle — they qualify off the rental income, not your personal income.
The second is the permitted-vs-unpermitted split — and the Shelton vs. Pine comp makes it as clear as any data point you'll find. One sold over ask in 5 days with a conventional buyer. The other sold at a slight discount in 14 days to all-cash. Same neighborhood. Same price band. The difference is permit status.
The 91-day under-contract timeline on both 1411 W 7th and 2521 W Stanford suggests buyers are taking longer to move at the higher price points and on value-add plays where the ADU income isn't yet baked in. That's rational — but it also means sellers at those price points need to price correctly from day one rather than expecting quick multiple-offer situations.
The rent control disclosure on 2031 S Center (and any other occupied Santa Ana ADU property) is worth flagging specifically. Under Santa Ana's local ADU development standards, properties built before 2005 with existing tenants may fall under the city's rent stabilization protections. The California HCD's ADU guidance governs state-level ADU rules, but Santa Ana's rent control layer sits on top of that and affects income projections in ways that state law doesn't preempt.
How Santa Ana Compares to Nearby Markets
Santa Ana's price-per-SF range (~$455–$764/SF for permitted ADU properties) is in line with what we've seen in Costa Mesa's June 2026 ADU market and Anaheim's June 2026 numbers, but Santa Ana's lot sizes and income ceilings are generally higher. The 4721 W Oakfield three-unit configuration isn't something that typically surfaces in Costa Mesa or Anaheim's active inventory.
The North Tustin tier ($1.85M–$3.495M) is its own world and doesn't meaningfully inform pricing decisions for the core Santa Ana ADU buyer.
Thinking About Buying or Selling a Santa Ana ADU Property?
If you're a seller, the comps above are the starting point — but the story your property tells (permit status, income documentation, condition of the ADU relative to the main house) shapes your actual outcome more than any single comparable. See what your Santa Ana ADU property is worth or grab the free ADU seller kit to understand the process before you list.
If you're a buyer trying to figure out whether an income property in Santa Ana pencils out, our buyer strategy session for ADU properties is the right first step. We work through the income math, the financing options, and the permit questions before you make an offer — not after.
More Santa Ana ADU resources and market context here.
Data sourced from MLS actives, under-contract, and closed properties in Santa Ana, CA as of July 2026. All figures are as reported; buyer should independently verify permit status, income, and square footage.
