Santa Barbara County, CA: Foreclosures, Tax Liens & Distressed Properties

Santa Barbara County, CA, California: 25 ZIP codes scored, Santa Barbara County, CA averaging 26/100 (low, Santa Barbara, CA), from 24 to 32. Santa Barbara County, CA is in its peak phase (Santa Barbara, CA confidence 23/100): Santa Barbara, CA home prices up 2.1% (Santa Barbara, CA) over twelve months. Santa Barbara County, CA lender headwind: 55/100.

Highest-scoring Santa Barbara County, CA ZIPs: 93252 (32/100), 93013 (27/100), 93067 (26/100), 93101 (26/100), 93103 (26/100), 93105 (26/100). Also scored in Santa Barbara County, CA: 93106, 93108, 93109, 93110, 93111, 93117, 93254, 93427, 93429, 93434.

Across Santa Barbara County, CA's scored ZIPs: median home value $1,063,605, household income $98,926, 10.2% vacancy, 11.0% poverty, 55% owner-occupied, median age 42.4.

Santa Barbara County, CA insurance distress 66/100 (#725 in the US); FEMA hazard 50/100 for Santa Barbara, CA; 3 federal disaster declarations in Santa Barbara County, CA since 2023; 29 Santa Barbara, CA NFIP flood claims, $1.5M paid.

20 banks with 87 branches lend in Santa Barbara County, CA; Santa Barbara, CA weighted bank stress 68/100, highest 87/100 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Santa Barbara County, CA unemployment 4.6% (Santa Barbara, CA -0.6 pts, six months); 1,360 new housing units permitted in Santa Barbara County, CA over twelve months, Santa Barbara, CA up 160% from 524; Santa Barbara, CA home prices +10.6% a year (Santa Barbara, CA) over three years.

160,592 housing units in Santa Barbara County, CA; 70,206 Santa Barbara, CA renter households; 54% of Santa Barbara, CA renters spend 30%+ of income on rent, 28% (Santa Barbara, CA) half or more.

Santa Barbara County, CA ranks #2,953 nationally on the opportunity index (Santa Barbara, CA, among all ranked counties); Santa Barbara, CA scores 23.5/100 and Santa Barbara, CA sits #50 inside California. Santa Barbara, CA is in the weak opportunity phase; Santa Barbara, CA's primary driver is bank institutional, Santa Barbara, CA second driver vacancy; Santa Barbara, CA moved down 97 places. 5 short-sale listings across Santa Barbara, CA; 86 days on market observed in Santa Barbara, CA; 6.2% vacancy over 25 Santa Barbara, CA ZIPs.

0.2% of Santa Barbara County, CA mortgages were ninety-plus days late in December 2025; Santa Barbara, CA's thirty-to-eighty-nine-day share was 0.9% (CFPB county sample). Santa Barbara, CA's ninety-day rate is down 0.1 points on twelve months earlier; the Santa Barbara, CA peak since 2008 was 5.2% in February 2010; California overall reads 0.5%.

Santa Barbara County, CA has 11 watched banks; 11 Santa Barbara, CA banks sit in an elevated band. Santa Barbara, CA footprints: Montecito Bank&Trust (12 branches, stress 81) in Santa Barbara, CA; Mechanics Bank (12 branches, stress 59) in Santa Barbara, CA; American Riviera Bank (4 branches, stress 67) in Santa Barbara, CA.

HUD lists 15 assisted multifamily properties in Santa Barbara County, CA with 900 units; 268 Santa Barbara, CA units are assisted, 2 Santa Barbara, CA properties under project-based Section 8.

10,984 of the 160,592 housing units in Santa Barbara, CA sit vacant. Santa Barbara County, CA permitted 869 multifamily units in twelve months; Santa Barbara, CA's one-to-four unit structures added 491 units in Santa Barbara County, CA.