Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

More listings are showing up, but closings have eased across Central and North OC

By Your Realtor James Deokar

Real estate, BUY BOX 3 — Central / North OC Volume

Here is the one number that changes what you should do right now. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 951 new listings across Central and North OC in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 2% from the same period a year ago. At the same time, only 713 homes sold, down 6.4%. More supply coming in, fewer deals closing. That gap is the whole story.

For buyers, that gap is a small but real shift. You have more to look at than you did a year ago. For sellers, it means your listing is competing harder. Not every home that hits the market is selling, and pricing and preparation matter more because of it.

The area-wide picture

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales nationally rose 1.5% in September 2026, reaching 3.99 million units, with inventory climbing to 1.60 million homes. That national uptick in supply echoes what the Real Estate Data Aggregator is showing locally: more homes available, but buyers moving a little more carefully.

What each ZIP code is doing

The area-wide numbers are useful, but they smooth over some sharp differences. A few ZIPs are moving fast. Others are sitting longer. Here is how each one looked in the three months ending August 31, 2026, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator.

Where homes sold quickly and over asking

A few ZIPs stood out for speed and buyer competition. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that in 92703, the average sale came in at 103% of list price, and 66.7% of homes sold above asking. Median days on market there was 32. In 92806, the median was just 29 days, and more than half of homes sold above list. In 92831, the same story: 29 days, half of homes above asking, and pending sales up 39.6% from a year ago.

Where the market slowed a little

Not every ZIP moved at the same pace. In 92707, median days on market reached 56, up 8 days from a year ago, and the share of homes that sold above list fell 8.8 points to 34.1%, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. In 92805, pending sales dropped 34.7% year over year, and only 25% of homes went under contract within two weeks. In 92835, the median sale price dipped 7.2% to $1,230,000, even as days on market shortened. Prices can move in different directions in the same market.

Homes going under contract fast

One useful signal is the share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of listing. In 92706 and 92807, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted exactly 50% of homes doing that. In 92831, it was 43.3%. In 92833, 42.4%. That tells you well-priced homes in those areas are still drawing quick decisions from buyers.

A wider lens: what is happening nationally

The National Association of Realtors reported that U.S. existing-home inventory reached 1.60 million homes in September 2026. That is more supply than buyers have had in some time. Nationally, pending home sales were down 8.5% year over year in September, according to CNBC. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 0.3% from the prior month in July, seasonally adjusted. Locally, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows prices still moving up in most of these ZIPs, even as the pace of closings has eased.

One more thing worth knowing. CNBC reported that 3.1 million adjustable-rate mortgages are currently outstanding nationally, the largest volume in 5.5 years. About 150,000 homeowners with ARMs are facing their first rate adjustment this year. If you or someone you know is in that group, it is worth talking to a licensed mortgage professional about what that means for your monthly payment. That is not a decision to make without current numbers in hand.

One thing I want to be clear about: the area-wide numbers and even the ZIP-level numbers are averages. One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. A corner with newer homes, a quieter block, a different school boundary, a different price point, all of those things shift the picture. The numbers above give you the right frame. Your specific home fills it in.