Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

More listings are giving Irvine buyers a little more time

By Michelle Wilson

Real estate, Irvine, CA

Here is the one number that changes what sellers should do right now. In ZIP 92602, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 104 homes for sale in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 18.2% from the same months of 2025. More supply means your price and your prep have to do more work than they did a year ago.

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings had price cuts in September, the highest share since October 2022. That is the backdrop Irvine sellers are working against. It is not a local panic, but it is a real signal.

How each ZIP code looked in the three months ending August 31, 2026

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted homes across eight Irvine ZIP codes for the three months ending August 31, 2026. The numbers below show what sold, what it cost, and how long it took.

Where buyers moved fastest

Not every ZIP code slowed down. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that in ZIP 92604, 34.9% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share was up 8.8 points from a year before. ZIP 92614 was close behind, at 33.3%, up 9.3 points.

The slowest ZIP for quick contracts was 92618, where the Real Estate Data Aggregator put that share at 16.7%. That ZIP also had the most homes for sale: 326. More choices for buyers can mean more time before they commit.

Where prices dipped and where they climbed

Some prices fell from a year ago. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed ZIP 92602 down 13% to a median of $2,180,000. ZIP 92612 was down 11.4% to $1,100,000. ZIP 92614 dropped 9.6% to $1,050,000.

Other parts of Irvine moved the other way. ZIP 92603 rose 27.9% to a median of $2,750,000, with 51 homes sold, up 50% from a year before. ZIP 92606 gained 14.1% to $1,460,000. Those are real differences, and they sit just a few streets apart.

What the wider picture adds

CNBC reported the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 7.49% in the week ending October 7, 2026. That same week, CNBC noted that purchase applications fell 15% from a year before. Higher rates make buyers more careful, and that shows up in how long homes sit.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Month over month, they were up 0.3% in July, seasonally adjusted. Irvine's own numbers are more mixed than that national figure suggests.

What this means if you own a home here

More listings mean buyers have more to compare. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed new listings in ZIP 92620 up 21.7% and in ZIP 92602 up 19%. Sellers who price carefully and present well still sold: in ZIP 92606, the average sale price was 100% of list price.

Homes that sold above list price are fewer in most ZIPs. In ZIP 92604, that share fell 13 points to 18.8%. In ZIP 92614 it fell 9.2 points to 15.8%. That does not mean no one is paying over asking. It means it is less common than it was.

These are the three months ending August 31, 2026. The market can shift from one block to the next. A ZIP code number tells part of the story, but your street may tell a different one. If you want to know what the numbers say about your specific address, send me a message.