Autumn inventory arrives, and buyers are waiting for it

This Week

The week after Labor Day is when Orange County sellers who waited out the summer finally list. Buyers who spent August losing out have been waiting for exactly this, which is why the first fortnight of September rarely feels like a slow market even when the numbers say inventory is up.

The Market Minute

• New listings across the twelve communities we cover: up week on week, with Irvine and Mission Viejo carrying most of the increase.
• Median days on market in Irvine: tightening again after a flat August.
• Sale-to-list across coastal Orange County: holding a little above asking for well-prepared homes, below it for everything else.
• Months of inventory: still inside the range that favours sellers in most of the twelve.

Fresh on the Market

Around the County

Spotlight on Turtle Ridge: the hillside village above Bonita Canyon keeps trading faster than the Irvine average, on the strength of the trail access and the schools. It is also where most of our coming-soon conversations start.