Orange County Real Estate, Inc.
Search every home for sale in Orange County, find out what yours is worth, and read the market data every week from the broker who writes it.
Orange County Real Estate, Inc. is a Costa Mesa brokerage working with buyers, sellers, and investors across the county. Eric Engelbert owns the company and is the broker of record, licensed since 1998 and a broker since 2003. The person who runs the firm is the person handling your transaction, from the valuation through the negotiation.
Most people who find us are looking for a home. A large share of them also have one to sell. Move-up buyers and downsizers are running two transactions at once, and the questions overlap: what is my house actually worth, what can I buy with it, and what happens if the timing does not line up. We handle both sides of that in one conversation, and when the timing genuinely does not line up, we can often arrange short-term financing so a purchase does not depend on a sale closing first. More about Eric »
Orange County Real Estate at a Glance
- Brokerage: Orange County Real Estate, Inc., based in Costa Mesa
- Broker: Eric Engelbert, licensed since 1998, broker since 2003
- Serves: All of Orange County, California
- Focus: Move-up and downsizing moves, investment property, relocation
- Known for: Lender-grade valuations that hold up in negotiation
- Free resource: Weekly Orange County Housing Report, published in full
Search the full MLS, updated continuously.
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Pricing, preparation, and what your home will really bring.
Builder inventory across the county.
What Is Your Orange County Property Worth?
Start with the instant estimate for a range. Then have us check it against the actual comparable sales, the condition of the property, and what is happening on your specific street. The two numbers are often not the same.
How We Price and Negotiate
Before he sold his first home, Eric worked in construction alongside a custom home builder, then moved into real estate lending in Newport Beach, including work with a private lender. Three careers that turned into one skill.
A lender does not ask what a property might sell for on an optimistic day. A lender asks what it is genuinely worth if the asset has to be sold. That means selecting comparable sales rather than accepting whatever the software returns, and adjusting them for condition, lot position, view, and the upgrades a market will actually pay for. It is slower than pulling an average. It is also why our pricing tends to hold up when an appraiser or the other side of a negotiation puts it under scrutiny.
That work is what makes a negotiation winnable. When we hold a number, we can show exactly why we are holding it: the specific sales that support it, the adjustments behind them, and what the other side's comparables leave out. A position backed by data holds. A position backed by hope gets chipped away, usually in the last two weeks before closing when there is the most pressure to concede. Whether you are trying to net the most on a sale or make sure a purchase is worth what you are paying, that is where the outcome is decided.
Why our pricing holds up under scrutiny:
- We select true comparable sales instead of accepting a software average.
- We adjust each comp for condition, lot position, view, and paid-for upgrades.
- We reconcile the numbers in writing, the way a lender or appraiser would.
- We can show the exact sales behind a number and what the other side's comps leave out.
A valuation a CPA could use
A Mission Viejo estate needed a defensible date-of-death value. The work came down to a property inspection, twelve comparable sales, two exact floor plan matches that anchored the analysis, and a written reconciliation the family's CPA used to establish a stepped-up cost basis. Read how it was built »
A closing saved in seven days
A buyer in her seventies found the single-level home she needed, then discovered a $300,000 shortfall in her funds. Because a private lender trusted Eric's valuation work, he was permitted to perform the appraisal and inspection himself. The loan funded in twenty-four hours and the home closed four days later. Read the full account »
The Orange County Housing Report, Every Week
Eric writes and publishes a weekly read on the Orange County market: active inventory, new listings, pending sales, closings, expected market time, and where each price range actually stands. Not a monthly recap of closed sales, which is a look in the rear-view mirror, but current supply and demand.
Expected market time is the number of months it would take to sell all current inventory at the current pace of sales, and it is the fastest read on whether a price range favors buyers or sellers.
It is free, it is published in full on this site, and there is no email form in front of it. Most agents either sell this kind of data by subscription or hold it back for lead capture.
Read this week's Orange County Housing Report »
For neighborhood-level numbers, see the market reports by city.
Moving to Orange County?
Relocating is a transition, not just a transaction. We work with out-of-area buyers who cannot be here for tours, inspections, or contractor follow-ups, and we handle that legwork on the ground. Neighborhood fit, commute reality, and school district research come first, before anyone gets on a plane.
Start Your Relocation Plan »
What Our Clients Say
Rated 5.0 out of 5 across 14 Google reviews. Read them all on Google »
Sold in 9 days
"We sold our home in Costa Mesa in just 9 days with Eric's help. My husband thought we didn't need to hire a realtor, Eric broke down the entire process for us and it just made sense to work with him."
Debra F.
Three years to the right house
"Eric listened to our likes and dislikes and narrowed down continually over about 3 years. We feel we got the house we wanted at an advantageous price. A true professional."
Gerry M. Read on Google »
Would use him again
"Eric Engelbert is a realtor that you can trust with the sale of your home. He is a true professional, easy to work with, and communicates often to know your needs and keep you aware of the market."
Kim M. Read on Google »
Orange County, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Values here shift within a few blocks, and county-wide averages hide more than they reveal. Whether it is a coastal ocean view property, a master-planned community in Irvine, a mid-century Eichler in the City of Orange, a golf course home, or a duplex or fourplex held as investment property, the analysis starts at street level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to what people ask most before they call.
Who is the broker at Orange County Real Estate, Inc.?
Eric Engelbert owns the company and is the broker of record. He has been licensed since 1998 and a broker since 2003, and he handles each transaction himself from the valuation through the negotiation.
What areas does Orange County Real Estate, Inc. serve?
The brokerage is based in Costa Mesa and works throughout Orange County, California, including Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Dana Point, and the surrounding cities.
How do you decide what my home is worth?
We start with an instant online estimate for a range, then verify it against true comparable sales, the condition of the property, and current activity on your street. Each comparable is adjusted for condition, lot position, view, and upgrades, the way a lender or appraiser would.
Is the Orange County Housing Report really free?
Yes. It is written by Eric each week and published in full on this site, with no email form and no subscription required.
Can you help me buy and sell at the same time?
Yes. Many of our clients are move-up buyers or downsizers running two transactions at once, and when the timing does not line up we can often arrange short-term financing so a purchase does not depend on a sale closing first.
Do you work with buyers relocating from out of the area?
Yes. We handle tours, inspections, and contractor follow-ups on the ground for out-of-area buyers, and we start with neighborhood fit, commute reality, and school district research before anyone gets on a plane.
Have a question about your property or the market?
No pressure and no pitch. If you are a year away from doing anything, that is a fine time to start the conversation.
Call or Text 949-430-7500
Prefer to schedule? Book a 15 minute call
Orange County Real Estate, Inc. | Eric Engelbert, Broker | California DRE 01241208 and 01527370
