Benchmark normal against the 2017 to 2019 pre-pandemic average, the last extended run of roughly balanced conditions. Working from that benchmark and rough memory rather than exact figures, a normal Orange County active-inventory count sits somewhere around 7,000 homes, and Huntington Beach somewhere around 400 to 500. Treat those as approximate reference points, not precise current numbers. The useful exercise is to pull today's active listing count for the same area and compare it to that pre-pandemic average yourself. - Well below the 2017 to 2019 norm: sellers still have the upper hand, so expect competition. - Back toward or above the norm: conditions are shifting toward buyers. Inventory measured against its own local baseline tells you more about who has leverage than any single month's headline number.