Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

More listings are meeting more buyers across Irvine and Tustin Core

By Your Realtor James Deokar

Real estate, Primary buy box - Irvine / Tustin Core — PRIMARY

Here is the number that changes what you should do next. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,064 homes for sale across Irvine and Tustin Core in the three months ending August 31, 2026. At the same time, 805 homes were under contract. That gap between supply and demand is tighter than it looks from the outside, and it plays out very differently street by street.

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that active listings topped 1.16 million homes in September 2026. That broader wave of supply is real. But in Irvine and Tustin Core, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows homes for sale actually edged down 0.9% from a year ago. More choice nationally does not always mean more choice on your street.

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026. That is a real cost that buyers are working around. Even so, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 770 closed sales here in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 8.8% from the same period in 2025. Deals are still getting done.

How each ZIP code read differently

The market is not one story. ZIP 92705, which covers east Santa Ana and the Tustin border, had the fastest pace. ZIP 92618 had the most homes for sale of any single ZIP in this group. And ZIP 92603, covering Turtle Rock and the hills above UC Irvine, posted the sharpest price gain. Those three ZIP codes alone tell three different stories.

Where prices moved up

ZIP 92603, covering Turtle Rock and nearby hillside neighborhoods, saw the median sale price rise to $2,750,000, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is up 27.9% from the same three months in 2025. The Real Estate Data Aggregator also counted 51 homes sold there, up 50% year over year, and 58 pending sales, up 65.7%. More sellers came to market, and more buyers followed.

ZIP 92606 showed a similar pattern on a smaller scale. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $1,460,000, up 14.1% from a year ago. The sale-to-list ratio there hit exactly 100%, meaning sellers, on average, got every dollar they asked for. That is the strongest sale-to-list ratio of any ZIP in this group for the period.

ZIP 92705 added a price gain of 5.1%, reaching a median of $1,760,000, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. It also had the shortest median time on market of any ZIP in this group: 36 days.

Where prices pulled back

Not every ZIP moved up. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows ZIP 92602, which includes parts of Northwood and Orchard Hills, saw its median sale price dip 13% to $2,180,000. That is a notable shift, though sales volume there actually rose 14% year over year. Fewer buyers paid the highest prices, but more homes changed hands overall.

ZIP 92612, covering the Irvine Business Complex area, saw its median fall 11.4% to $1,100,000. Yet the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 80 homes sold there, up 33.3% from the same period in 2025. A lower median alongside higher volume often means smaller or different home types are finding buyers, not that the market is soft across the board.

Speed: which ZIP codes moved fastest

Speed varied widely. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows ZIP 92705 had a median of just 36 days on market, 4 days faster than the same period last year. ZIP 92780, covering central Tustin, was close behind at 40 days, down 3 days from a year ago. On the other end, ZIP 92618, which includes parts of the Great Park Neighborhoods, sat at 60 days, though that is actually 10 days faster than the same period in 2025.

Homes going under contract within two weeks

Some ZIP codes had a notable share of homes going under contract within two weeks of listing. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows ZIP 92705 led the group at 40.3%, up 12.2 points from a year ago. ZIP 92780 was right behind at 39.7%, up 9.6 points. Those are meaningful jumps. For sellers in those areas, a well-priced home can still move quickly. For buyers, it means preparation matters.

Supply: how many months of homes are sitting

Months of supply is a simple measure. It tells you how long the current inventory would last if no new homes came to market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows ZIP 92780 at just 2.2 months of supply, the tightest of any ZIP in this group. ZIP 92618 was the loosest at 5.8 months. That range matters. A seller in ZIP 92780 is working in a very different environment than one in ZIP 92618.

The national backdrop

Freddie Mac reported a 15-year fixed rate of 6.71% as of October 15, 2026. The 30-year rate sat at 7.40%. Realtor.com noted that rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025, and that nationally 20.8% of listings carried a price cut in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. That national picture adds context. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows this local market absorbed those headwinds: 770 homes sold here in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 8.8% from a year ago.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. The pace here in Irvine and Tustin Core varied far more than that national average suggests. Some ZIP codes beat it by a wide margin. Others dipped. The address is what determines the outcome.

The data above covers eleven ZIP codes. Your block, your street, and your home's specific condition and price point can read very differently from the ZIP code average. That is where the real picture lives.