Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in Irvine

Updated November 2, 2026

By Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Reviewed by:

Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Kevin Kretzmer

Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822

The best time to buy a house in Irvine is September. Buyers who went under contract in September paid a median 4.6% below the original asking price, and 86% of homes sold below asking, compared with 1.5% below in March, the most expensive month. That gap is 3.1 percentage points, or about $47,124 on the $1,530,000 median home in Irvine. The trade-off is choice: July brings about 396 new listings a month, December only about 126. Here is the month-by-month data from 3,733 closings in Irvine in our MLS feed.

TurboHome Market Analysis · Irvine, CA · Contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 · Published November 2026

Key findings

Best month: September. Irvine homes that went under contract in September sold for a median 4.6% below original asking, and 86% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: March, at a median 1.5% below original asking, with 60% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Summer (4.2% below original asking) versus winter (2.3% below original asking).
New listings: July brings about 396 new listings a month; December only about 126.
Price cuts: 45.0% of homes that went under contract in September had taken a price cut first, versus 22.3% in March.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 22 days, versus 18 in spring.

Irvine home prices by month: what buyers actually paid

"Contract month" is the month the buyer's offer was accepted, not the month the sale closed. That is the date a buyer can actually time. The chart shows how the median sale in Irvine compared with the original asking price in each contract month, and the table below it has every figure.

Below original asking

Median close vs original asking, by month. Every figure is in the table below.

Irvine home prices by month: what buyers actually paid, data table
Contract month	Closings	Median close vs original asking	Sold below original asking	Price cut before sale	Median $/sq ft	Median days on market	Median sale price	Avg new listings per month
January	318	2.4% below original asking	68.2%	31.4%	$836	22	$1,552,495	285
February	320	1.9% below original asking	63.4%	21.3%	$820	16	$1,550,000	289
March	382	1.5% below original asking	60.5%	22.3%	$829	13	$1,575,000	358
April	305	2.5% below original asking	66.9%	26.6%	$817	20	$1,550,000	366
May	353	3.0% below original asking	74.8%	31.4%	$825	22	$1,599,990	347
June	331	4.3% below original asking	79.2%	43.5%	$788	29	$1,460,000	382
July	368	3.8% below original asking	81.0%	40.2%	$802	28	$1,510,000	396
August	354	4.5% below original asking	82.2%	43.2%	$788	32	$1,524,995	319
September	322	4.6% below original asking	86.3%	45.0%	$774	38	$1,432,500	286
October	170	3.2% below original asking	81.2%	38.2%	$811	29	$1,580,000	265
November	295	3.8% below original asking	78.6%	42.4%	$800	32	$1,500,000	166
December	215	2.6% below original asking	74.4%	38.1%	$790	29	$1,489,990	126

New listings swing just as hard. July averages about 396 new listings in Irvine, while December averages about 126.

Avg new listings per month

Average new listings per calendar month over two years. Hover a point for its value; every figure is in the table above.

Best season to buy a house in Irvine

Best season to buy a house in Irvine, data table
Season	Median close vs original asking	Sold below original asking	Price cut before sale	Median days on market	Avg new listings per month
Winter	2.3% below original asking	68.7%	30.3%	22	233
Spring	2.3% below original asking	67.4%	26.8%	18	357
Summer	4.2% below original asking	80.8%	42.3%	30	366
Fall	3.9% below original asking	82.0%	41.9%	33	239

Summer was the best season to buy in Irvine: the median home closed 4.2% below original asking, and 80.8% of homes sold below asking. Winter was the firmest, at 2.3% below original asking with 68.7% below asking. Listings sat a median 30 days in summer versus 22 in winter.

Winter is December to February, spring March to May, summer June to August and fall September to November.

Which neighborhoods in Irvine get cheaper in the off-season

Median close vs original asking by season in the neighborhoods with the most closings in Irvine in our feed.

Which neighborhoods in Irvine get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Great Park Neighborhoods	619	$1,499,990	2.2% below original asking	5.8% below original asking	4.2% below original asking	2.5% below original asking
Portola Springs	344	$1,760,000	2.7% below original asking	6.0% below original asking	5.2% below original asking	3.5% below original asking
Woodbridge	320	$1,200,000	at original asking	1.7% below original asking	2.6% below original asking	1.3% below original asking
Irvine Business Complex	290	$980,000	3.4% below original asking	4.7% below original asking	4.1% below original asking	2.7% below original asking
Northwood	265	$1,593,000	3.3% below original asking	3.8% below original asking	3.0% below original asking	1.7% below original asking
Orchard Hills	211	$2,760,000	3.4% below original asking	6.9% below original asking	4.8% below original asking	2.9% below original asking

Orchard Hills was the softest of Irvine's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 6.9% below original asking in summer. Great Park Neighborhoods moved the most with the seasons, from 2.2% below original asking in spring to 5.8% below original asking in summer. Neighborhood figures rest on fewer closings than the citywide numbers, so read them as direction rather than a price quote.

Why the season matters in Irvine

Irvine is a buyer-friendly market in every month, but late summer is the sweet spot: September contracts closed 4.6% below the original asking price and 86% of homes sold under it, versus 1.5% below in March. The Great Park Neighborhoods, Portola Springs and Orchard Hills, where new construction competes with resales, show the deepest summer discounts at 5% to 7% off asking. Winter is actually Irvine's firmest season, so buyers here should target August through November.

Is winter a good time to buy a house in Irvine?

Not on price. Winter (December to February) was Irvine's firmest season: contracts closed a median 2.3% below original asking, versus 4.2% below original asking in summer, and 68.7% of winter sales went below the original asking price. December closed a median 2.6% below original asking, with 74.4% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 233 new listings a month versus 357 in spring, and December only about 126. The typical winter listing in Irvine sits 22 days versus 18 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In Irvine, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 3.1 percentage points on price, about $47,124 on the $1,530,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,530,000 home with 20% down by roughly the same order of magnitude. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026.

Watch both. You can't control where rates go, but you can control when you shop and how hard you negotiate, and a flat-fee buyer's agent works the price side in any month.

How to time a purchase in Irvine

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In Irvine that is summer, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 25 days on market in Irvine. Sellers who have waited longer than the typical listing are the most open to an offer below asking.
In bidding-season months, shop the soft segments. In winter and March, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of Irvine, such as Orchard Hills, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In September, 45.0% of homes that sold had already taken a price cut, so sellers know where the market is.
Keep searching through the holidays. December brings the fewest new listings, about 126, and sellers in Irvine who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Irvine from our MLS feed, with contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 and closed by October 31, 2026, and removed outlier ratios. "Median close vs original asking" is the median of close price divided by the original list price, so it includes price cuts made before the sale. Across all 3,733 closings, that ratio was 0.9687 (3.1% below original asking), 74.4% of homes sold below original asking, 35.0% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,530,000 at $808 per square foot after 25 days on market.

New listings are the two-year average per calendar month. Figures are medians unless stated. Published November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest month to buy a house in Irvine?

September. Irvine homes that went under contract in September sold for a median 4.6% below original asking, and 86% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 38 days.

What is the worst month to buy a house in Irvine?

March is the most expensive month. Irvine homes that went under contract in March sold for a median 1.5% below original asking, only 60% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 13 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in Irvine?

Not on price. Winter contracts closed a median 2.3% below original asking, 68.7% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 22 days. The catch is choice: about 233 new listings a month, versus 357 in spring.

How much can I save by timing my purchase in Irvine?

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 3.1 percentage points, about $47,124 on the $1,530,000 median home in Irvine. That is a median across 3,733 closings, not a guarantee: the home, the neighborhood and your offer still matter more than the calendar.

When do the most homes come on the market in Irvine?

July brings the most new listings, about 396 a month. December brings the fewest, about 126.

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