Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

Riverside inventory is down, even with more sellers nationally

By Adam Schwarz | Exp Realty

Real estate, Primary market

Here's the thing. Redfin reported that nationally, home sellers outnumbered buyers by 62.6% in September. Realtor.com says for-sale listings are growing nearly 7% year over year across the U.S. You'd think Riverside would follow that same direction. It didn't.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 590 homes for sale across Riverside's primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That's down 19.2% from the same period a year before. New listings fell 4% over the same stretch. So while the national story is about more supply, Riverside's story is less.

That gap between the national picture and what's actually happening here matters a lot if you're pricing a home or making an offer. Tighter local inventory means less room to negotiate than the national headlines might lead you to believe.

Rates are making it harder on both sides

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026. That's a real headwind for buyers. It's also part of why sellers are hesitant: many are sitting on lower rates from a few years ago and don't want to give them up. That dynamic is keeping supply tight even as national numbers climb.

Sales are up slightly, but it's not the same everywhere

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 659 homes sold across the primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That's up 2.6% from a year before. So deals are getting done. But pending sales slipped 5.1% year over year, which is worth watching. It suggests the pipeline ahead is a little thinner.

Every neighborhood reads differently

The city-wide numbers are a starting point, not the whole story. Look at how different the ZIP codes are from each other in the three months ending August 31, 2026.

92505 had just 1.7 months of supply, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Homes for sale there dropped 49.3% year over year. That's a very different situation from 92501, where supply sits at 4.7 months and actually rose year over year. Same city, very different conditions.

92507 is the one ZIP where inventory grew, up 9.2% year over year per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Prices there dipped slightly too, down 0.6%. That's the one pocket in Riverside that looks a little more like the national story.

Sellers are still getting close to asking price

Even with rates at 7.40% and pending sales slightly down, sellers in most of Riverside are still getting very close to their list price. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the sale-to-list ratio at 99.9% in both 92501 and 92503, and 100.3% in 92505. That last one means homes there sold above list on average.

The national context is real, just not the Riverside story

Redfin counted an estimated 1,510,784 home sellers nationally in September, the most since March 2020. Buyers came in at roughly 928,892, the lowest level since 2013. That imbalance is real. But it's a national average, and Riverside isn't tracking it.

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home prices rose 1.3% nationally in September 2026. Riverside's price changes were mixed by ZIP, from down 2.6% in 92508 to up 4% in 92504. Nothing dramatic either way, but the direction depends entirely on which street you're on.