Homebuilders in Orange County sold fewer brand-new homes in 2025, a reflection of the region’s cooling housing market over the past few years.
The county’s 14 largest builders reported a combined 1,785 attached and detached homes sold in 2025, down from 2,133 homes in 2024, a 16% drop compared to last year, according to the Business Journal’s latest list of homebuilders. Ten homebuilders reported a drop in annual sales.
The data shows the market has slowed down compared to the early 2020s, when the pandemic caused a buying frenzy. From 2021 to 2023, annual sales were about double, around 3,400 new units, according to the Business Journal’s prior lists.
High interest rates, limited housing supply, and a weakening economy have made buyers more cautious, homebuilders have said.
“Unfortunately, the market is priced beyond the means of many buyers,” said Richard Douglass, Southern California Division President of Trumark Homes, to the Business Journal.
“There are still transactions occurring and buyers paying premium prices for premium products and locales. Meanwhile, more people are priced out, and that poses significant challenges for home sellers.”
Trumark Homes, ranked 7th on the Business Journal’s list, stayed steady by selling 82 homes in 2025, just one less than in 2024. However, this is still a big drop from the 169 homes it sold in 2023.
Lennar Again in Top Spot
The largest builders in Orange County still dominate the market.
Lennar Corp. kept the top spot, selling 712 homes in 2025, down from 817 the year before, a 13% drop. The Miami-based builder remains one of the region’s most active by a wide margin. It has led the Business Journal’s list for at least the past three years. In 2023, it sold 1,100 homes in Orange County.
Toll Brothers Inc. came in second, selling 185 homes, which is a 30% drop from 266 in 2024. Of those, 146 were detached homes.
In third place, Seal Beach-based Olson Co. showed strong growth, selling 166 homes, up from 92 in 2024, all of which were attached housing.
A few other homebuilders also saw sales increase in 2025.
Los Angeles-based KB Home sold 159 homes in Orange County, a 200% increase from the 53 it sold the year before.
Risewell Homes, the newly named builder formerly known as New Home Co. that acquired Landsea Homes, sold 118 homes, up 73% from 68 homes sold last year in Orange County.
Several builders saw significant declines in sales.
Brookfield Residential Southern California, ranked 12th, had one of the biggest drops among major builders, selling 27 homes in 2025, down from 137 the year before, about an 80% decrease.
Atlanta-based PulteGroup Inc. sold 25 homes, a 73% drop from the 94 it sold in 2024.
City Ventures sold just three homes in Orange County in 2025, down from 23 the year before. However, company officials told the Business Journal they own 539 lots in the county and “you will see more home sales in the future.”
“We just started building and selling 40 homes in La Habra, and we are buying more land in another part of north OC,” said Craig Atkins, chairman and co-founder of City Ventures.
Home Types
Nine of the 14 homebuilders chose Irvine as their top local office.
Across Orange County, attached homes made up 888 sales in 2025, down from 1,169 the year before, while detached homes totaled 897 sales, also below last year’s 964.
This slowdown reflects several ongoing challenges for Orange County homebuilders.
Homebuilders face several challenges in the current housing climate including scarcity and cost, said Allison Rawlins, senior vice president, Land Advisors Organization.
“Challenges include scarcity of land, rising construction costs and protracted timing for builders or developers to achieve entitlements,” she said.
Growing Headcount
Despite these challenges, builders are staying active across the county and increasing their workforce.
Together, the top builders employ 1,596, up 5.5%, showing the sector’s ongoing economic importance even as sales change, according to the list.
Risewell Homes grew its Orange County workforce by 50%, from 136 to 204 employees, mainly due to the acquisition of Landsea Homes. Trumark increased its staff by nearly 20% from 94 to 112, with Douglass saying the growth supports expanding their development footprint and new home communities.
Meanwhile, TriPointe Homes cut its workforce by 20%, from 122 in 2024 to 98 in 2025. KB Homes also reduced its staff from 23 to 16.
