Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are moving in Irvine even with rates above 7%

By Jason & Susan Zwolak

Real estate, Irvine - Central and North

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. That is a real weight on monthly payments. And yet, demand in Irvine held up. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 429 homes sold across Irvine Central and North in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 3.9% from the same months a year before.

More listings came to market, up 5.1% year over year, yet the number of homes available actually fell 2.9%. Buyers absorbed what came in. That is why 457 sales were pending as of August 31, 2026, up 2.7% from a year before. Rates above 7% slowed some buyers, but not enough to stop the market.

What rates above 7% mean for your payment

Realtor.com reported rates topped 7% in September 2026. Redfin reported the weekly average rate at 7.32% for the four weeks ending October 25, 2026. Redfin also put the median monthly mortgage payment at $2,786 for that same period nationally. In Irvine, where prices run well above the national median, that payment pressure is even sharper. Pricing your home right matters more when buyers are doing that math every week.

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

The market did not move the same way in every ZIP. Some areas picked up speed. Others slowed. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted, ZIP by ZIP.

92606: full asking price, and more sales

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 25 homes sold in ZIP 92606 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 47.1% from a year before. The average sale came in at exactly 100% of list price. Months of supply sat at 3.8, the tightest of any ZIP in this market. Prices there rose 14.1% year over year to a median of $1,460,000.

92620: more buyers, faster sales

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 98 homes sold in ZIP 92620 in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 15.3% from a year before. Median days on market fell 11 days shorter than the same period in 2025, landing at 44 days. Pending sales rose 23.7%. Prices dipped 7.4% year over year to $1,615,000, so buyers got more activity and a little more room on price.

92604: fewer sales, but quick contracts

ZIP 92604 saw 32 homes sold, down 27.3% from a year before. That is the softest sales count in this market. Days on market stretched to 57, which is 13 days longer than a year ago. Still, 34.9% of homes that did sell went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 8.8 points year over year. The homes that were priced well moved quickly. The ones that were not, sat.

92618: the biggest ZIP, and the most supply

ZIP 92618 had 171 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026, the most of any ZIP here. But it also carried 5.8 months of supply, the highest in this market. Prices dipped 4.5% year over year to $1,475,000. Homes for sale fell 13.8%, which helped. But with 60 median days on market, sellers here needed patience and a sharp price.

92602: prices down, but more homes sold

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 65 homes sold in ZIP 92602 in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 14% from a year before. The median sale price fell 13% to $2,180,000. That is still the highest median in this market. The sale-to-list ratio improved 0.8 points to 96.9%, and the share of homes selling above list rose 6.6 points to 15.4%. More buyers came in as prices adjusted.

92614: prices fell, but homes moved faster

ZIP 92614 had 38 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026, down 13.6% from a year before. The median price fell 9.6% to $1,050,000, the lowest in this market. Days on market dropped 8 days shorter to 45. And 33.3% of listings went under contract within two weeks, up 9.3 points. Lower prices brought buyers back to the table faster.

The national picture adds context

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. Month over month, they rose 0.3% in August, seasonally adjusted. Irvine prices moved differently by ZIP, some up and some down, but the national trend shows prices still rising even with rates above 7%.