For many years now, getting on the property ladder in La Mesa isn’t particularly easy. This is because like most of California, living costs are high here – which can put a real financial strain on the average La Mesa resident.

However, up until now, most of this is pure talk. Below, we have taken screenshots to show exactly how dire the housing situation is in La Mesa for people trying to buy here. Not only this, but the numbers are arguably even worse for those renting, where a lot of their income effectively goes into a bottomless pit.

The first image shows the amount of 1-2 bedroom houses available for sale in the entire city. There are a measly 24 which means that they’re very scarce and hard to come by. Not only this, but these cost a minimum of $550,000 plus, and unsurprisingly, this creates a supply and demand issue. Many of these houses sell within days of being listed.

Below, we have a screenshot of the La Mesa rental market. On the contrary, there are a total of 365 rentals. Most of these are offered via AirBnB while around 20% are a spare room (ADU). As we know, AirBnB is not cheap, and living in private rooms isn’t exactly fun either. So, what can we do about this?

In brief, this spells trouble. Fortunately, there is some good news though. This is that AirBnB revenues are dropping rapidly nationwide. Theoretically, this could cause the bubble to burst and free up properties in the region. Of course, this may not even happen anyway.

Nonetheless, there aren’t too many concrete solutions which means that for those trying to buy a house here are going to be in for a tough time. Until then, La Mesa faces the same issues found around California which means that unless you’re a landlord or already own your home, then sadly you’re in trouble.