Irvine’s school district is good. Chinese’s purchase of million-dollar homes has doubled in 5 years_1
In recent years, the real estate market in Irvine, California, has experienced significant growth, especially among Chinese buyers. Many homes purchased by Chinese families five years ago have now doubled in value, a trend that has even surprised local real estate agents.
Paul Young, a seasoned realtor who has lived in Irvine for 30 years, has witnessed the city’s property market evolve. In a recent interview, Paul shared an example of a newly built three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in the Portola Springs area. A young Chinese couple bought the house at the beginning of 2020 for $1.6 million, and today, similar properties are selling for around $3 million. “Of course, the current price reflects the cost of upgrades to the house and yard,” Paul remarked, expressing his astonishment. “This is the first time I’ve seen a new home purchased by clients that has appreciated so dramatically in just five years.”
Reflecting on his own home-buying journey, Paul has exchanged five properties over the years in Irvine. His first purchase was in 1996—a two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse measuring 1,000 square feet, which cost around $100,000. Today, that property is valued at over $700,000. Currently, Paul resides in a four-bedroom, four-bathroom single-family home he bought in 2013 for $1 million, which has since appreciated to $2.9 million, almost tripling in value over the past decade.
The city’s excellent school districts and abundance of new homes have attracted an increasing number of Chinese residents. “From what I know, there’s been a significant influx of Chinese buyers in Irvine since 2016,” Paul noted. Many earlier immigrants moved from areas like Arcadia, San Marino, and the San Gabriel Valley to Irvine. He pointed out that between 2016 and 2020, the trend was particularly pronounced, with some Chinese investors purchasing homes while traveling to the U.S. for vacations; others bought homes in Irvine after giving birth in the country.
Paul candidly acknowledged that this large influx of Chinese buyers has had a substantial impact on the rising property values in Irvine. He highlighted that the average price of a single-family home in 2016 was about $1 million, which has now surged to around $2.5 million. Paul recently helped a client sell a property near the city’s Great Park, where the seller was Indian and the buyers a Chinese family. The location was ideal for the family, as it was close to Parasol Park and they have two children.