Below are numbers provided by Redfin for Irvine’s May housing market. (Note: The June number will be available in a few days.) The numbers are broken down so that the statistics for condos and houses can be seen.

At our last look at these numbers, a lot more homes in all categories sold in April than was true earlier this year, and more homes were on the market in April than was true earlier this year. The May numbers show the number of homes on the market is continuing to rise; however, the number of homes sold has slowed down.

Also note that Altos Research states that the Market Action Index (MAI) for Irvine’s single-family housing market was 37.08 on June 27, 2014. According to Altos, above 30 indicates a sellers’ market, below 30 indicates a buyers’ market.

Following is Irvine’s 2014 housing market data as provided by Redfin.

“Together, toilets and clothes washers account for approximately 45% of the water used inside your home.”

Last week I wrote about rebates for outdoor water-saving devices. Since about 70% of California water use goes to home landscaping, saving water in this area can greatly cut down on residential water use and, therefore, cut down on energy use and homeowner costs. This week’s post is about rebates for two standard, high-water using items in all homes—clothes washers and toilets. These rebates will also help homeowners save water, energy, and money.

High-efficiency clothes washers use about 55% less water than standard washer. Less water use also means that less energy will be used. And tests show that high-efficiency clothes washers last longer, and most are more energy-efficient. This means a lower energy bill as well as a lower water bill. Rebates for high-efficiency clothes washers start at $85.

Here are some tips that will help you save even more water, energy, and money when using your clothes washer:

Run full loads, if at all possible.

If small loads are necessary, match the water level to the load size.

Replace leaking or cracked valves and hoses immediately.

Use preventative maintenance to avoid a breakdowns or a costly flooding.

For more information, see the SoCal Water Smart High-Efficiency Clothes Washers webpage.

High-efficiency toilets (HETs) use about 20% less water than standard toilets. Rebates start at $50. For a list of qualifying models, see the qualifying products webpage. For a list of qualifying four liter models, go to the High-Efficiency Toilets webpage, then click on the four liter model link to download the file. For the answers to some frequently asked questions, see the FAQ page. And for additional information, see SoCal Water Smart High-Efficiency Toilets webpage.

Since up to 70% of California's residential water supply is used for home landscaping, installation of outdoor water-saving devices can help homeowner save water and money. Here are some IRWD rebates that will help homeowners reduce outdoor water use.

Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers (WBICs) automatically adjust the irrigation schedules and the amount of water used per irrigation to match weather conditions and plants types. Using WBICs c can save the homeowner over 13,500 gallons of water per year.

Rotating Spray Nozzles apply water to yards in a slow, uniform way. This prevents over-watering and uses 20% less water than conventional spray heads. Rebates start at $4 per nozzle. A minimum purchase of 15 nozzles is required.

Turf Removal Rebate Program allows homeowner to receive $2 per square foot of turf removed. To qualify, at least 250 feet of turf must be remove. There is no maximum. Note: If you can’t participate in turf removal (for example, your HOA will not allow it), this article provides some tips: “5 Tips for a Water-Wise Lawn”.

Rain Barrels collect rainwater from gutters and downspouts. The rainwater can then be used to water plants and lawns. Rainwater is preferred by plants because the water is free of chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. The microbes in the soil, which are a key to healthy plants, benefit from irrigation water that is chemical-free. Rebates start at $75 per rain barrel.

Soil Moisture Sensors measure the water content in the root zone of the soil. The sensor must be connected to an irrigation system controller that can receive signals from the sensor. With this connection in place, the irrigation system will skip a scheduled watering cycle if the soil water content is more than the user-defined amount. Rebates are $380 (<1 acre) or $25 (>1 acre).

Note: In Brad Lancaster's book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2, you can find some projects that, if implemented, will reduce water use on your property. It is available for check out through the Orange County Library system.

Here is a look at some Irvine housing stats by neighborhood—January 2014 and April 2014:

Below are numbers provided by Redfin for Irvine’s April housing market. The numbers are broken down so that the statistics for condos and houses can be seen. Note that a lot more homes in all categories sold in April than was true earlier this year. Also, more homes were on the market than was true earlier this year.

Also note that Altos Research states that the Market Action Index (MAI) for Irvine’s single-family housing market was 38.88 on May 30, 2014.

Following is Irvine’s 2014 housing market data as provided by Redfin.