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Irvine is about as planned as a city gets. The Irvine Company started developing the land in the 1960s, and the city incorporated in 1971. It's laid out as villages, each with its own parks, pools and shopping, and many with their own homeowners association. Woodbridge, Northwood, University Park, Turtle Rock, Westpark, Quail Hill, Portola Springs, Orchard Hills, the Great Park neighborhoods: the village name tells you a lot about the age of the homes and the monthly costs that come with them.
If you only read one line: Over the three months ending September 2026, the median Irvine home sold for $1,449,310, about $773 per square foot, and homes took around 61 days to sell. That figure mixes condos, townhomes and detached homes across dozens of villages, so compare within the village and home type you're actually considering.
The villages
Woodbridge, built in phases through the 1970s and 1980s, is organized around two man-made lakes, North Lake and South Lake, each crossed by a wooden footbridge. Its village association maintains the lakes, pools and parks for members. Turtle Rock and University Park are among the oldest villages, in the south near UC Irvine. Newer villages such as Portola Springs and Orchard Hills sit in the northern foothills, and newer neighborhoods have grown up around the Orange County Great Park, which was built on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.
Where people spend a weekend
The Great Park has sports fields, open lawns and its landmark orange balloon. William R. Mason Regional Park, straddling Culver Drive, has a 9-acre lake, trails and a bike path. The San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary is the peaceful one, with marsh ponds and birders at sunrise. On Sundays the city runs a certified farmers market. Add the off-street bike trails that link many of the villages, and it's an easy city to spend a weekend outside in.
HOAs and Mello-Roos
Part of what keeps Irvine so well kept is its associations, which run the pools, greenbelts and parks in many villages. Most Irvine homes come with at least one homeowners association, sometimes a master association plus a neighborhood one; some older parts of Northwood have none. Homes in villages developed in the 1980s and later may also carry a Mello-Roos special tax on the property tax bill. Dues and special taxes can change the monthly cost of two similar homes noticeably, so I put them into the payment before we compare.
Schools
Most of Irvine is served by the Irvine Unified School District. Some northern neighborhoods, including parts of Orchard Hills, are in the Tustin Unified School District. Assignment follows the exact address, so confirm it with the district for any home.
The numbers
Irvine, three months ending September 2026. Source: Redfin, based on MLS and public records.
With 556 sales in three months, Irvine's figures are steadier than most small cities', but they still blend very different villages. More in the Irvine market update.
What I'd ask before buying here
- Which village, and which HOA or HOAs? What are the total monthly dues?
- Is there a Mello-Roos tax on this parcel, how much is it, and when does it end?
- Which district and schools does the district assign to this address?
- For a condo or townhome: what do the HOA's reserves, insurance and rental rules look like?