Prices are not moving the same way across Irvine - Central and North
I keep seeing national price stories cross my feed, and I get why people read them. But they do not tell you much about your street. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Meanwhile, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted six ZIP codes in Irvine - Central and North for the three months ending August 31, 2026. One was up 14.1%. Another was down 13%. That is a 27-point spread inside one market. The national number lands somewhere in the middle and misses both stories.
What the national picture is missing
CNBC reported on October 14, 2026 that Fannie Mae forecast the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.4% for the fourth quarter of 2026, and 7.5% for all of 2027. Rates that high slow buyers down everywhere. But they do not slow every ZIP code the same way. Some parts of Irvine kept selling faster this year than last. Others slowed. Rates are part of the story, not the whole story.
CNBC also reported that pending home sales were down 8.5% year over year in September, according to Zillow. You can feel that nationally. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted pending sales across Irvine - Central and North up 2.7% over the same period last year. This market is not moving in lockstep with the country.
Median sale price by ZIP, three months ending August 31, 2026
Year-over-year price change by ZIP
That chart is the whole point of this post. Five of six ZIPs saw prices dip. One went the other way, and by a lot. Knowing which ZIP you are in changes everything about how you think about your next move.
ZIP 92606: the one that went up
The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 25 homes sold in 92606 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 47.1% from a year before. The median sale price rose 14.1% to $1,460,000. Sellers there averaged exactly 100% of list price. That means, on average, homes sold for exactly what they were asking. About 36% sold above list. Supply was the tightest of any ZIP here, at 3.8 months.
ZIP 92602: the one that dropped the most
ZIP 92602 had the highest median sale price of any ZIP here, at $2,180,000. But it also had the steepest price drop, down 13% from a year before. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 65 homes sold there, up 14% year over year. More homes sold, but at lower prices. Inventory rose 18.2%. Buyers had more to choose from and used that. Sellers averaged 96.9% of list price.
The other four ZIPs, side by side
| 92604 | 92620 | 92614 | 92618 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,380,000 | $1,615,000 | $1,050,000 | $1,475,000 |
| Price change vs. last year | -1.4% | -7.4% | -9.6% | -4.5% |
| Homes sold | 32 | 98 | 38 | 171 |
| Median days on market | 57 | 44 | 45 | 60 |
| Sale to list | 98.8% | 97.7% | 98.5% | 97.6% |
| Months of supply | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.8 |
A few things stand out in that group. ZIP 92620 sold homes faster than the others, at a median of 44 days. It also saw the biggest jump in activity, with pending sales up 23.7% year over year and new listings up 21.7%. More supply came on and more buyers showed up. ZIP 92604 was slower at 57 days, 13 days longer than a year before. ZIP 92618 had the most homes for sale of any ZIP in this market, at 326.
How quickly are homes going under contract?
That quick-contract number is worth watching. In 92604, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 34.9% of homes going under contract within two weeks. That is up 8.8 points from a year before, even as prices dipped slightly. Buyers there are moving fast on the right homes. Not every home, but the well-priced ones.
The whole market in one view
Across all six ZIPs, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 429 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 3.9% from a year before. Pending sales were up 2.7%. Homes for sale were down 2.9%. The combined picture looks steady. But as the ZIP-by-ZIP numbers show, steady does not mean the same everywhere.
Rates are not helping buyers right now
CNBC reported on October 14, 2026 that Fannie Mae forecast a 7.4% average 30-year fixed rate for the fourth quarter of 2026. That is not a small number. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported on September 29, 2026 that U.S. prices rose just 0.3% from the prior month in July, seasonally adjusted. Price growth nationally has slowed. Here in Irvine, the results depend heavily on which street you are on.
- The Federal Housing Finance Agency put the national year-over-year price gain at 2.6%.
- Inside Irvine - Central and North, the Real Estate Data Aggregator found the same period ranging from up 14.1% in 92606 to down 13% in 92602. Five of six ZIPs saw prices ease.
- One ZIP saw prices and sales both climb.
- The broad number hides what is actually happening street by street.
One more thing worth saying plainly: one street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. A block with newer builds, a different school boundary or a quieter location can move faster or slower than the ZIP average suggests. The numbers above are a starting point, not the final word on your home.
Your next step
(949) 942-8711Text me your address and I will send back where your Irvine home sits in that price-change range, against what homes near you actually sold for. Takes a day, costs nothing.
Text me- Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for ZIPs 92604, 92620, 92614, 92606, 92602 and 92618, the three months ending August 31, 2026, compared with the same months of 2025. Real Estate Data Aggregator last updated them on Oct 7, 2026.
- CNBC: Fannie Mae sharply raises mortgage rate forecast for 2027, Oct 14, 2026
- Federal Housing Finance Agency: FHFA House Price Index® Up 0.3 Percent in July; Up 2.6 Percent from Last Year | FHFA, Sep 29, 2026
- Redfin: Home Sellers Now Outnumber Buyers By 63%, the Biggest Gap Since the Post-Recession Housing Crash, Oct 14, 2026
- Redfin: Housing Market Update: Asking Prices Fall For the First Time Since March, Oct 15, 2026
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Monthly Housing Trends: Price Cuts Hit 4-Year Highs as Mortgage Rates Top 7%, Sep 30, 2026