San Jose’s Cambrian, or Cambrian Park, area is a very hot seller’s market.  Multiple offers are not uncommon, especially in the Union School District, where schools are trending upward.  My Cambrian Park Real Estate Report has just been published with the updated numbers from the closed sales in April. Please click on the link to see much more information there.

Prices are up nicely year over year! Inventory is crazy low – just 35 homes for sale in April compared to 57 in March and 84 in April 2011. Days on market is far lower too. All around, it is a deepening seller’s market.

Even stronger is the Cambrian condo market, which is skyrocketing!!!  Please see the Cambrian Condominium & Townhouse Real Estate Report for all of the numbers, but I’ll include a quick summary below.

Here again, notice the ratio of active to pending homes, the sale vs list price (over 100%), and most of all, the tremendous rise in both the average and median sales price.  Few homes closed escrow in February, so it is possible that these numbers are a little exaggerated.  We will know more in a month – if it’s a trend or if this is a fluke.

Now let’s work with Altos Research’s graphs and get a feel for the Cambrian realty market in “real time”.  These use list prices, whereas my REReport uses sold data.

First, the statistics by quartile for houses in San Jose 95118:

Next, the stats and trends by price quartile for houses in San Jose 95124: (more…)

How’s the Los Gatos real estate market? Generally speaking, it is a seller’s market overall in the 95030 and 95032 zip code areas (in town).  That said, remember that it can vary a lot between price points and school districts, let alone neighborhood, sale type (regular vs distressed).  Real estate is always local!

Today we’ll look at the LG market both with a view to the sold data we have as well as the current listings activity.  We’ll view the “in town” areas and also the mountain areas. First addressed will be the market as seen by the “sold data” – houses, then condominiums & townhouse.  (Long post but loads of info!)

Los Gatos & Los Gatos Mountain Housing Market Trends

I. Sold listings data for Los Gatos houses

Houses in Los Gatos & Los Gatos Mountains – housing trends using sold data

(1)  In town

First, housing trends “in town”, utilizing my Real Estate Report, which comes out monthly (and includes all of Santa Clara County):

Below is the summary of market trends in Los Gatos for the most current month, January 2011 (using sold data):

(2) Los Gatos Mountains

The Los Gatos Mountain communities (zip code 95033) usually have a slower market (harder to sell homes, even in “hot” years -compare 2007 for in town and in the mountains). December was improved, though, interestingly.
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How is the residential real estate market doing in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose, CA?  We’ll have a look at the 95124 zip code area and the 95118 zip code area of San Jose, which together comprise at least 95% of the Cambrian Park real estate area of Silicon Valley. (A small sliver belongs to the predominently Campbell area of 95008.) The following charts, from Altos Research, represent list prices (not sold prices).

Although the condos in 95124 (green line) have not fared too badly in the last year, the vast majority of Cambrian Park real estate seems to be hurting. The median list price on these homes has been slipping fairly steadily over the last year – often at least 10% of value. This is the broad overview. Next we will view things on more of a micro level.

Next, we’ll view Cambrian in smaller segments, broken down by both zip code and quartile. First, let’s take a look at the 95124 zip code, starting with the single family home real estate market:
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Are you interested in, or thinking of, buying a home in Los Gatos? If so, there’s a Los Gatos homebuyer “start kit” page full of information targeted directly at the needs of Los Gatos homebuyers. Whether you want to browse houses, condos, or neighborhoods, you’ll find tools to help you begin your homebuying journey there. It is a launch pad for loads of information, including:

• Los Gatos homes for sale – view by map
• Los Gatos homes for sale – broken down by price point
• Los Gatos real estate market reports
• Los Gatos home sales prices by map
• Information on Los Gatos neighborhoods, subdivisions and areas
• Information on Los Gatos schools
• Photos of Los Gatos
• Information on Los Gatos history, architecture, parks, and more

Please stop by and bookmark this site. It’s a very helpful “starting point” for buying a home in Los Gatos.

How’s the real estate market in Santa Clara, California? In a nutshell, it’s doing much better than the majority of Santa Clara County or Silicon Valley. Let’s look at the absorption rate first, which is the rate at which the current inventory would sell off if no new homes were to come on the market and properties would continue selling at the current rate. The National Association of Realtors says that 6 months or less of inventory is a sellers market whereas more than 6 months reflects a buyers lunch.

As you can see on the absorption rate chart above, the condo market has had its ups and downs, faring better than the single family market five months of the nine so far this year, but faring far, far worse on the others.

Next let’s track the data for Santa Clara’s houses, and afterwards, condos and townhomes.

Real Estate Statistics for Single Family Homes in Santa Clara, CA

Things seem to be improving. It will be good to keep an eye on this market to see if this month was just a blip or if the market is truly on its way back up.

Real Estate Statistics for Condominiums and Townhouses in Santa Clara, CA

Prices seem to be on their way up and inventory is up from last month but down from last year, and days on the market are down too. The Santa Clara condo market appears to be improving so this is definitely something to watch. Buyers, this may be a great time to buy a condo in Santa Clara!

 Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor, CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: “Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley”
Keller Williams, Cupertino, CA (Silicon Valley)
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax); 408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.PopeHandy.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com

The months of inventory, or absorption rate, in Saratoga reveals that the market is not too unhealthy in this upscale community. While much of the valley is struggling with long months of inventory, the condo and townhome market and single family home market in Saratoga are both under 6 months. The National Association of Realtors says that less than 6 months of inventory constitutes a sellers market, and more than 6 months a buyers market.

That said, the condo market is inching upwards, and so is the single family home market. Will the impact of the morgage meltdown be felt in this corner of Silicon Valley?

Next, please view some of the key data on Saratoga CA single family homes (these charts from the Real Estate Report, a subscription I have):

And the same information for the condo and townhouse market in Saratoga:

The market is close to balanced in Saratoga, so it’s a very decent time to either buy or sell there now. If you’d like information on buying or selling a home in Saratoga, please contact me!

Do you like to keep a pulse on the Silicon Valley real estate market? If the west valley communities interest you especially, please sign up to automatically receive (at no cost) a report by zip code for the communities of Los Gatos/Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Campbell, and parts of San Jose close to them: Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, and Willow Glen.

Simply sign up and the reports will be on their way automatically. You can opt out at any time, of course.

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