Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

North County Inland still moved 1,505 homes into contract with rates above 7%

By Ken Schwartz

Real estate, North County Inland

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate hit 7.30% on September 30, 2026. Mortgage News Daily, also cited by CNBC, reached 7.58% the same week. Those are real payments. And yet the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,505 pending sales and 1,461 closed sales across North County Inland in the three months ending July 31, 2026. Buyers are still making decisions. That means pricing and preparation still matter on your end.

More homes came to market than sold, so buyers had choices. But 1,505 pending sales tells you demand did not dry up. The question is not whether buyers exist. It is whether your home is priced and presented to reach them.

How fast homes moved, ZIP by ZIP

Speed varied a lot by ZIP code. The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked median days on market for each area in the three months ending July 31, 2026. Some ZIPs moved in under three weeks. Others took more than a month.

92131 had the shortest median at 18 days, and that was 6 days shorter than the same period in 2025, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. 92069 sat at the other end at 41 days, which was 16 days longer than a year before. Same market, very different pace depending on where you are.

Where prices moved up and where they pulled back

Some ZIPs saw prices climb year over year. Others gave some back. Neither direction is unusual when rates are elevated and buyers are more selective.

92131 was up 10.7% and 92130 was up 7.8%, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Those gains held even with rates above 7%. On the other side, 92078 was down 16.5% and 92025 was down 12%. A drop in median price does not always mean individual homes lost value. It can also mean the mix of homes that sold shifted toward smaller or less expensive properties. That is worth looking at closely before you draw a conclusion about your own home.

How many homes sold above list price

Even at 7.30%, competition showed up in several ZIPs. The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked the share of homes that sold above list price in each area.

In 92129, 45.7% of homes sold above list price. In 92064, it was 43.5%. Both of those shares grew from a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is not every home, and it is not every ZIP. But it tells you that well-priced homes in the right spots still drew competition.

How quickly homes went under contract

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also tracked the share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of listing. That number tells you how sharp buyer interest was at first showing.

92128 saw the sharpest jump in this measure, up 13.5 points from a year before. 92127 was up 13.6 points and 92131 was up 12.2 points, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More homes are getting offers quickly compared with last year, even with rates where they are.

Supply stayed lean in most ZIPs

Months of supply measures how long it would take to sell every home currently listed, at the current pace of sales. Under three months generally favors sellers. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows most ZIPs here stayed well under that.

92126 sat at 1.4 months of supply, down 1.1 months from a year before. 92129 was at 1.5 months, also down 1.3 months. 92131 was the loosest at 3.1 months, up 0.9 months from 2025. All of these figures come from the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Tighter supply does not guarantee a quick sale, but it does mean fewer competing listings.

The rate picture right now

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.30% on September 30, 2026. Mortgage News Daily, also cited by CNBC, hit 7.58% that same week. Realtor.com noted rates topped 7% in September 2026. These are the rates buyers are working with right now. They raise monthly payments, and they do slow some buyers down. But 1,505 pending sales in one quarter, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator, says enough buyers are still moving forward to keep the market active.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. That is a national figure, not a North County Inland number. But it shows prices have not collapsed nationally despite elevated rates. Your ZIP code's story may look different, and the table above shows how different it can be even within this market.

One more thing worth saying: these are ZIP-code averages. One street can read very differently from the ZIP it sits in. A canyon view, a corner lot, a specific school assignment, or a home that just needs the right buyer can all shift your number away from what the ZIP shows. If you want to know where your home sits, text me your address and I can pull the specifics.