By Irene and Ricky Zhang (CA DRE# 01967217 / 01972236), Keller Williams Realty Irvine · Updated November 12, 2026
No Gateway Village home is for sale yet. The City of Irvine expects models and first sales in fall 2027, so a north Irvine home listed now doesn't compete with it. After that, Gateway's for-sale homes will come to market in releases, and buyers will compare each one with resales nearby. If you plan to sell anyway, waiting for that date is a bet, not a plan.
Key Takeaways
- Gateway Village in north Irvine, California is planned for 1,138 homes on about 70 acres at Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road: 851 market-rate homes for sale and 287 affordable rental apartments, per the City of Irvine's June 23, 2026 groundbreaking release.
- The City's June 2026 FAQ expects vertical construction to start in June 2027 and models and first home sales in fall 2027. As of November 12, 2026, no Gateway home is on the market.
- The City's FAQ describes the for-sale homes as detached or paired, about 1,750 to 3,250 square feet with 2 to 4 bedrooms. No prices have been published.
- From January through October 2026, 220 detached homes and townhomes of 1,750 to 3,250 square feet with 2 to 4 bedrooms resold in nine north Irvine villages, at a median of $1,999,950 and $827 per square foot.
- Those resales closed at a median 96.6% of their original list price, and at least 31% had their list price lowered before they sold.
What is Gateway Village?
Gateway Village is a new neighborhood that Brookfield Residential is building with the City of Irvine on about 70 acres at Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road. It's part of the City's Gateway Preserve project. The City's June 23, 2026 release describes six neighborhoods, the City's 2024 acquisition and closure of the All American Asphalt plant, a roughly 700-acre preserve, and the last segment of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail. Our post on the JOST bridge and north Irvine trails covers how that trail links the villages.
When do Gateway Village homes go on sale?
The City expects models and first home sales in fall 2027. Only the first two milestones below have happened.
Milestone | Timing | Status, Nov. 12, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Council approves entitlements | Nov. 2025 | Done | |
Groundbreaking | June 23, 2026 | Done | |
Home construction starts | June 2027 | Expected | |
Models open, first sales | Fall 2027 | Expected | |
Parks and open space open | Early 2028 | Expected |
Not every source agrees on the date. LAist's June 2026 report quoted city officials saying the first models could open in summer 2027. Construction schedules can move, so treat summer to fall 2027 as the earliest window, not a promise.
Which Gateway homes will compete with north Irvine resales?
The 851 market-rate homes for sale. The 287 affordable units are rental apartments, so they don't compete with a home you're selling. The City's FAQ describes the for-sale homes as single-family detached or paired, in two- and three-story plans, about 1,750 to 3,250 square feet with 2 to 4 bedrooms. LAist reported a wider range, 1,050 to 2,600 square feet and one to five bedrooms, which may include the apartments; we use the City's for-sale range below.
The City's release says Brookfield was chosen partly for "attainable price points," but no price list exists yet. The FAQ says the private parks and recreational amenities, including Gateway Village Park and Paseo Park, will be owned and maintained by the HOA. We haven't seen HOA dues or Mello-Roos (special tax) figures for Gateway in the City's materials, and buyers will compare total monthly cost, not just price. Our Great Park post explains how special taxes show up in a new-versus-resale comparison.
If your home is a condo, or much smaller or larger than Gateway's range, a Gateway home is a less direct substitute, and your pricing comes from different comparable sales. See how to price your Irvine home to sell.
How many north Irvine resales are like Gateway's homes?
Gateway's 851 for-sale homes equal about 39 months of comparable north Irvine resales at the 2026 pace of about 22 a month. We pulled every resale in nine north Irvine villages from January 2 to October 30, 2026 that matches Gateway's planned for-sale range: detached homes and townhomes of that size and bedroom count.
Village | Sales | Median price | $/sq ft | Median DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All nine villages | 220 | $1,999,950 | $827 | 19 |
Northwood | 55 | $1,790,000 | $792 | 12 |
Portola Springs | 34 | $2,125,000 | $770 | 46 |
Great Park | 33 | $1,495,000 | $667 | 16 |
27 | $2,700,000 | $1,040 | 24 | |
Northpark | 22 | $2,000,000 | $831 | 29.5 |
Eastwood | 15 | $2,390,000 | $925 | 9 |
Woodbury | 13 | $1,938,000 | $789 | 13 |
Stonegate | 11 | $2,480,000 | $923 | 39 |
Cypress Village | 10 | $2,115,000 | $818 | 22 |
DOM is days on market. Small villages have small samples, so a single sale can move a median, and medians compare different houses.
The homes won't all come at once. Nobody has published a release schedule, so the real question is how many Gateway homes are for sale in any given month, and at what net price after incentives.
The villages already differ a lot. In Portola Springs, matching homes sold at a median 92.5% of their original list price, and at least 56% had a price cut before selling. In Northwood the median was 97.5%, with at least 25% cut. Gateway hasn't sold anything yet, so it isn't the reason; the gap reflects differences in the homes and how they were priced. In a village where most sellers cut their price, starting at market value matters even more. Great Park builders already sell new homes today, and the Great Park post shows how resales there have held up against them.
Selling a home in north Irvine before Gateway Village opens
If you already plan to sell, our advice as of November 2026 is to list now rather than wait. That's our read of today's market, not a forecast about Gateway, and we update it in our monthly Irvine market report. Waiting for Gateway's models means waiting until at least summer to fall 2027, then selling with a new-home option open nearby.
Here's the same segment from January to October of each year. Sale/list is the median sale price as a share of the original list price.
Jan–Oct | Sales | $/sq ft | Median DOM | Sale/list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 208 | $744 | 12 | 100.0% |
2024 | 248 | $910 | 9.5 | 100.1% |
2025 | 207 | $884 | 25 | 96.6% |
2026 | 220 | $827 | 19 | 96.6% |
Waiting cuts both ways. The segment's median price per square foot was 22% higher in January–October 2024 than in the same months of 2023, and 9% lower in 2026 than in 2024. These are different homes each year, and the mix changes. Waiting until 2027 is a bet, and the one thing you know now is that no Gateway home is on the market today.
Within 2026, the trend has been softer. The median sale/list ratio went from 97.6% for January–March closings to 95.5% for July–September, and October's sales came in at 93.5%. One month is a small sample, but it's the direction we're watching with our sellers.
If you list in winter 2026–27
Price at market value from the first day, not high to leave room to negotiate. In this market we go over the numbers with our sellers every week, and near year-end we usually suggest a price adjustment if there's no offer after about two weeks, because in our experience December brings fewer buyers and dragging into January only slows things down. That's a reason to price right now, not a reason to wait. When to reduce the price on your Irvine home shows how that has played out.
Want to see where your home sits among these resales by size, age and price? Get My Home Value or call us at (949) 208-5555.
Which north Irvine homes face the most direct competition?
Newer homes in Gateway's size range. Of the matching 2026 resales, 42 were built in 2021 or later. Many buyers who tour a three-year-old house will also tour a brand-new one, especially if the builder is offering incentives. Older homes compete on different things, like a mature street, a bigger lot or a finished neighborhood.
Price is the other half, and it's still unknown. The 2026 matching resales spread across a wide range:
Sale price | Sales, Jan–Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
$1.5M or less | 36 |
Over $1.5M to $2M | 77 |
Over $2M to $2.5M | 61 |
Over $2.5M to $3M | 36 |
Over $3M | 10 |
When Brookfield publishes prices, the overlap with your price band will matter more than the overlap with your square footage.
If you sell after the models open
Price against what buyers can see. That's how we price Great Park resales against builders today: we start from the builders' current prices and incentives, and a resale usually ends up about where the new homes are after incentives. The difference has to come from what a builder can't offer, like a quick move-in. A finished street with no construction next door is a selling point for homes away from the site; homes right next to it will have construction nearby while Gateway builds out; vertical construction is expected to start in June 2027, and the City hasn't published an end date.
The rest of our process stays the same. We walk the home room by room with you before listing and sort what to fix, refresh or leave. Every listing gets professional photos, its own video (a Chinese version on our Chinese-language channel and an English one on our YouTube channel @IreneandRickyZhang), a 3D tour and floor plan, and drone footage where allowed. Our YouTube, Google and Homes.com ads run until the home is in contract, at our expense. We hold as many open houses as we can, hosted by our team's agents in rotation, and we call buyers' lenders to verify pre-approvals. From January to October 2026, our team was the listing agent on 34 closed sales in these nine villages, across all property types.
Thinking about selling in 2027 instead? Get My Home Value now, so you have a baseline before Gateway's prices come out.
What should north Irvine owners watch before fall 2027?
- The date models open. That's when buyers can compare new and resale side by side.
- The first homes released. Their size and bedroom count tell you who your direct competition is.
- Prices, incentives, HOA dues and special taxes. Compare the net cost against nearby resale sales, not asking prices.
- How fast releases sell. Fast sales point to strong demand; slow sales usually bring more incentives.
- Days on market for homes like yours. If they climb after models open, that's your real signal.
FAQ
When do Gateway Village homes go on sale?
The City of Irvine's June 2026 FAQ expects models and first home sales in fall 2027, after vertical construction starts in June 2027. LAist quoted city officials saying models could open in summer 2027. As of November 12, 2026, no Gateway homes are for sale.
How many Gateway Village homes will be for sale?
851, according to the City of Irvine's June 23, 2026 release. The rest of the 1,138 planned homes, about 25%, are affordable rental apartments. The City's FAQ describes the for-sale homes as detached or paired two- and three-story homes.
Where is Gateway Village?
At Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road in north Irvine, California (Orange County), on about 70 acres next to the planned Gateway Preserve. Brookfield Residential is the builder, working with the City of Irvine.
Will Gateway Village lower home values in north Irvine?
Nobody can say yet. Prices, incentives and the release schedule haven't been published, and those decide how much buyers shift to new homes. In January–October 2026, comparable north Irvine resales closed at a median $827 per square foot, before any Gateway home was on the market.
Should I sell my north Irvine home before Gateway Village opens?
If you're planning to sell, our advice as of November 2026 is to list now rather than wait for any particular date, because no Gateway home competes with you today. In comparable north Irvine resales, the median price per square foot was 22% higher in January–October 2024 than in 2023 and 9% lower in 2026 than in 2024, so waiting can go either way. To see where your home stands, Get My Home Value or call (949) 208-5555.
About Irene and Ricky Zhang
Irene and Ricky Zhang are a husband-and-wife team with Keller Williams Realty Irvine, specializing in home sales throughout Irvine. Since 2015 they've closed more than $600 million in sales and helped over 400 families, drawing on sales and marketing backgrounds at Procter & Gamble. Ricky leads listing strategy and marketing, Irene oversees home preparation, negotiation and client care, and a full-time support team works with them. They speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese and are raising their family in Irvine. RealTrends Verified ranks Irene and Ricky Zhang the #1 small team in Irvine by both sales volume and transaction sides (2026 City Rankings, based on 2025 production).
About the data
- Source: Irene and Ricky Zhang's database of CRMLS closed sales in Irvine, new construction excluded.
- Matching resales: single-family residences and townhomes in Gateway's planned size and bedroom range in Northwood, Portola Springs, Great Park, Orchard Hills, Northpark, Eastwood, Woodbury, Stonegate and Cypress Village, closed January 2 to October 30, 2026; earlier years use January–October closings.
- Price per square foot is the MLS price-per-square-foot field.
- Days on market and original list price cover the last listing period only. A home taken off the market and relisted shows fewer days and a reset original price, so the share with price cuts is a minimum.
- Gateway Village facts: the City of Irvine's June 2026 FAQ, its June 23, 2026 release, its Gateway Preserve page, and LAist, June 25, 2026.
If your home is currently listed with another broker, please disregard this; it is not a solicitation.
中文版：尔湾 Gateway Village 新房开卖前，北尔湾的房子要不要先卖？
Equal Housing Opportunity. Irene Zhang CA DRE# 01967217; Ricky Zhang CA DRE# 01972236. Keller Williams Realty Irvine, 4010 Barranca Pkwy, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92604. This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
