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Riverside County: fewest September escrows since 2017 as new listings pick up
Pending listings fell to 2,469 in September — the fewest for that month since 2017 — while new listings rose to 2,910 and about 35 homes sat in escrow for every 100 active listings.
Riverside County had 2,469 pending listings in September 2026, according to Realtor.com housing data published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED series PENLISCOU6065). Pending listings are homes with an accepted offer that are in escrow. That is the lowest September count since 2017, when there were 2,368, and about 9% below the 2,724 pending listings in September 2025. It is also down from 2,660 in August and from this year's high of 3,168 in May.
At the same time, sellers put more homes on the market. New listings rose to 2,910 in September (FRED NEWLISCOU6065), up from 2,656 in August and about 3% above the 2,824 new listings a year earlier. Total active inventory came to 7,065 homes (FRED ACTLISCOU6065), up slightly from 7,023 in August and about the same as the 7,109 active listings in September 2025.
Put those together and the balance has shifted toward buyers. There were roughly 35 homes in escrow for every 100 active listings this September, compared with about 38 per 100 a year earlier and about 41 per 100 in May.
Asking prices are holding steady to slightly lower. The median listing price was $629,000 in September (FRED MEDLISPRI6065), down from $630,937 in August and about 1.6% below the $639,448 median in September 2025. Measured per square foot, the median asking price was $329 (FRED MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE6065), down from $334 a year earlier and matching August 2023 as the lowest level since that summer.
Price cuts actually eased a little. 2,112 Riverside County listings had a price reduction in September (FRED PRIREDCOU6065), down from 2,228 in August and the lowest count since January. That is about 30% of active listings, close to the roughly 31% share in September 2025.
Homes are taking longer to sell than in the spring. The median listing spent 62 days on the market in September (FRED MEDDAYONMAR6065), the same as August and up from 54 days in March, though a little faster than the 65 days recorded in September 2025.
What this means day to day: from Riverside, Corona, Eastvale, and Jurupa Valley to Moreno Valley, Menifee, Temecula, Murrieta, and the Coachella Valley, buyers this fall have more choice and less competition than they did in the spring. With more homes listed and fewer going into escrow, there is room to ask for seller credits toward closing costs or a rate buydown, especially on homes that have been on the market for several weeks. For sellers, the steady median price is good news, but a typical listing now takes about two months to sell, so pricing close to recent comparable sales from the first day matters. Both sides should compare the full monthly cost, including the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and any HOA dues or Mello-Roos assessments that are common in newer Riverside County communities, rather than the list price alone.
At Choice of America, we help buyers and sellers across Riverside County read these numbers city by city and neighborhood by neighborhood. Visit our Riverside County page for local guidance, or call or text us to talk through your plans. Visit https://choiceofamerica.com/.
Dr. Hamid Rowshan, DRE #02004794, company DRE #02240008. Choice of America, serving Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. Call or text 833-THIS-BROKER, (833) 842-7465.
Sources: Realtor.com via FRED, Pending Listing Count, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PENLISCOU6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, New Listing Count, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NEWLISCOU6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, Active Listing Count, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ACTLISCOU6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, Median Listing Price, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEDLISPRI6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, Median Listing Price per Square Feet, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, Price Reduced Count, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PRIREDCOU6065 · Realtor.com via FRED, Median Days on Market, Riverside County, CA: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEDDAYONMAR6065