Short answer: Irvine resale homes are now closing a little under $800 a square foot, builders started their year-end discounts early, and there are more than 700 resale homes for sale in the city. Sellers who get the price right in the first ten days, show the home well, and check the buyer's financing before signing are still selling. Sellers who list high and wait for the market to come to them are the ones cutting price in November.
Key Takeaways
- In the week of September 17–23, 2026, 36 Irvine homes closed at an average of $772 a square foot, leaving out one Shady Canyon sale. The week before, 44 closed at $753.
- Condos took the bigger hit: $724 a square foot that week. Single-family homes averaged $876.
- 18 of the 46 new listings that week were builder homes. If you own in a newer village, those homes are your competition now.
- Orange County's median days on market went from 43 in April to 51 in August 2026 (FRED). Buyers have time, and they use it.
- Price off closed and pending sales in your own village and floor plan, not a citywide average, and confirm financing with the buyer's lender before you accept.
What the September numbers actually show
We pull Irvine's MLS numbers every Thursday for our weekly market video. Here's the latest full week, September 17–23, 2026:
Irvine, Sept 17–23, 2026 | Number |
|---|---|
Closed sales | 36, average $772/sq ft (excluding 1 Shady Canyon sale) |
Condo closings | 24, average $724/sq ft |
Single-family closings | 12, average $876/sq ft (excluding Shady Canyon) |
New pending sales | 25 (10 houses, 15 condos), average list price $813/sq ft excluding Shady Canyon |
New listings | 46, of which 18 were builder homes |
Resale new listings | 28, average list price $825/sq ft excluding Shady Canyon |
The week before (September 10–16), 44 homes closed at $753 a square foot, and they sold for 97.7% of their original list price on average. For most of the past year Irvine sat around $820. So we've moved down into a $750 to $800 range. Where exactly it settles will take a few more weeks to see.
Two things are pushing on this. The Fed raised rates on September 16, its first hike since 2023, to a 3.75%–4.00% target range. And supply is up: more than 700 resale homes are for sale in Irvine, plus builder inventory. At the county level, FRED shows 4,874 active listings in Orange County in August 2026 and a median of 51 days on market, up from 43 in April.
We cover each week's numbers in our weekly Irvine market update (in Chinese), and we wrote about the rate hike itself in Fed's First Hike Since 2023: Irvine Prices Below $800/Sq Ft.
Why a citywide average won't price your home
Those per-square-foot numbers tell you which way the market is moving. They don't tell you what your house is worth. A 1,100 sq ft condo in Westpark and a 3,800 sq ft house in Orchard Hills get blended into the same average, and one Shady Canyon sale can move the whole week by $26 a foot. We explain that problem in more detail in why price per square foot misleads in Irvine.
When we price a listing, we look at four things:
- Closed sales of the same floor plan or a close match in your village, ideally from the last 60 to 90 days
- Pending sales, because they show where buyers are agreeing on price right now
- Active listings you'll be up against, including any builder homes nearby
- What your house has or doesn't have compared to those: remodel, lot, view, pool, solar, Mello-Roos and HOA
Then we pay close attention to the first ten days. That's when the buyers who've been watching your village see the listing and decide. If the price is right, that's when you get your showings and your best offers. If it's high, they wait, and you end up reducing into a market that's already moved. Our post on pricing your Irvine luxury home right the first time walks through how we set a launch price.
Builders are now part of your competition
Builders usually roll out year-end incentives in late October or November. This year they started in September and put unsold inventory homes on the MLS, the same listings buyers scroll on Zillow and Redfin. Builders bought their land and built at lower costs than today's prices, so they can give more room than most owners can. In our experience, $100,000 to $200,000 off a builder home is often doable.
If you own in Great Park, Portola Springs or another newer village, a buyer touring your home may also be touring a brand-new one down the street with a builder incentive. Your price and your condition have to hold up next to that. We compared the two in Great Park new construction vs. resale in 2026.
Condos and houses aren't moving the same way
A couple of years ago Irvine condos were selling for $850 to $860 a square foot. That week they averaged $724. Single-family homes held up better at $876. If you own a condo, plan for buyers to compare you closely against other condos in the same complex, and expect a tighter pricing window. If you own a house, you have more room, but only if the house shows well.
Staging and photos decide whether buyers come at all
Almost every buyer sees your listing online before they see it in person. With hundreds of Irvine resale homes to choose from, dark photos or a cluttered living room get skipped.
In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 29% of agents said staging brought a 1% to 10% increase in the dollar value offered. Agents also said the living room is the most important room to stage for buyers (37%), then the primary bedroom (34%) and the kitchen (23%). We don't have an Irvine-only staging figure and won't make one up. What we see on our own listings is that staged homes get more showings, and more showings lead to more competitive offers.
Photos should show natural light honestly, include a floor plan for buyers relocating from out of state or overseas, and use twilight or aerial shots when you have a view, a pool or a big lot. More on this in does professional staging help sell a luxury home in Irvine.
Once offers come in, check the financing, not just the price
With rates back above 7%, more financed deals will get tested by the appraisal and by underwriting. A standard pre-approval letter usually means the lender pulled credit and looked at some income documents. A pre-underwritten (credit-approved) buyer has had income, assets and credit reviewed by an underwriter already. That lowers the risk, though appraisal, inspection and job changes can still get in the way.
On every financed offer, we call the buyer's loan officer. Ten minutes on the phone tells us the loan type, how far along the file is, and whether the lender has closed jumbo loans in Irvine before. A higher offer with shaky financing and a long contingency can net you less than a slightly lower one that closes on time. Our checklist is in confirming buyer financing on Irvine luxury homes, and if the first offer is low, read how to respond to a lowball offer. Buyers in newer villages will also ask about Mello-Roos, so have your numbers ready.
Should you wait for spring?
Last fall we told owners to get ready for January because inventory was dropping, and February turned out strong. This year we're more careful. Rates have turned up instead of down, inventory is higher, and buyer demand hasn't kept pace. We can't say January or February will be better than now. If you were planning to sell in the next six months, our read is that getting ready and listing this fall is likely to work out better than waiting. That's our judgment from current data, not a guarantee, and your situation may point a different way. We also wrote about selling now vs. waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Irvine homes selling for per square foot in fall 2026?
In the week of September 17–23, 2026, Irvine closings averaged $772 a square foot, excluding one Shady Canyon sale. Condos averaged $724 and single-family homes $876. The week before, the average was $753. These are citywide averages from our weekly MLS review, so your own home's value depends on recent sales of similar homes in your village.
Is fall 2026 a bad time to sell in Irvine?
It's a slower market, not a bad one. Homes are still closing every week (36 closed and 25 went pending in the week of September 17–23). What's changed is that buyers have more choices and more time, so pricing and presentation matter more than they did in the spring.
How do builder incentives affect resale sellers in Irvine?
18 of the 46 new listings in the week of September 17–23 were builder homes, and builders have more room to discount than most owners. If you own in a newer village like Great Park, buyers will compare your home to new construction with incentives, so your price needs to account for that.
Should I wait until spring 2027 to sell my Irvine home?
We're cautious about next spring. Rates just went up, inventory is higher than last year, and demand hasn't caught up. If you plan to sell within the next six months, we think listing this fall is likely the better call. Every situation is different, so talk it through with us before you decide.
Thinking about selling this fall? Call or text us at 949-208-5555 and we'll pull the recent sales for your village and floor plan and show you where your home would price today.
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About Irene and Ricky Zhang
Irene and Ricky Zhang are a husband-and-wife real estate team with Keller Williams Realty 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). They met at Procter & Gamble, where they spent eight years in Customer Business Development, moved to Irvine in 2014, and have been selling homes here for more than a decade, in Great Park, Woodbridge, Turtle Rock, Orchard Hills and across the city. They work in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Keller Williams Realty Irvine · (949) 208-5555
Equal Housing Opportunity. Irene Zhang CA DRE# 01967217 | Ricky Zhang CA DRE# 01972236 | Keller Williams Realty Irvine | Regulated by the California Department of Real Estate. Irvine figures are from our team's review of CRMLS closed, pending and new listing records for September 10–16 and September 17–23, 2026; Orange County figures are from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Realtor.com data); staging figures are from the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Staging; the rate decision is from the Federal Reserve's September 16, 2026 FOMC statement. This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice; confirm your specific numbers with your closing agent, tax advisor, or lender. If your property is currently listed with another real estate broker, please disregard this offer. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We cooperate with them fully.
