by Clair Handy, Mary Pope-Handy | Nov 10, 2023 | Almaden Valley (SJ), Alum Rock, Alviso (SJ), Berryessa (SJ), Blossom Valley (SJ), Buena Vista, Cambrian Park (SJ), Central San Jose, Downtown San Jose, East San Jose (SJ), Evergreen (SJ), Market Info, Market Reports, Most Popular Articles, Naglee Park, Neighborhoods in Almaden, Neighborhoods in Cambrian, Neighborhoods in Willow Glen, Rose Garden area, San Jose (all areas), West San Jose, Willow Glen (SJ)
The San Jose real estate market remains in a red hot seller’s market, keeping active into early autumn with some mild seasonal cooling. Demand may have shrunk between rising rates and inflation, but inventory has plunged to extreme lows so it’s still far from balanced!
First, some quick data from my RE Report and hand-pulled from the MLS today. There appears to be a small amount of under- or over-counting between the RE Report and MLS Listings, so numbers vary slightly between the two, but the data is still good for trend tracking.
- The October 2023 sale price to list price ratio for San Jose single family homes slipped to 105.3% of asking, that’s -1.2% from last month per the RE Report and +5.6% from this time last year, after the market’s sharp decline. For the MLS stats we pulled today, however, it shows 105.2% average, down from 106.1% (-0.9%) the month prior. Either way, the average home is selling consistently over list price in San Jose with consistent overbidding, though the market is cooling off a little into early autumn.
- Home prices are up from last year by approximately 9%-10% after being behind for the first half of this year (RE Report), and month-over-month closed sales values haven’t shifted all that much.
- The time on market sped up month-over-month to a 16 day average (RE Report). It’s quick turnover averaging well below a month, indicating a clear seller’s market.
Market Data: What Numbers Make a Difference
While prices and overbids have fallen significantly since the peak, in some ways this year has been even more challenging for buyers. For most buyers, their ability to purchase has been severely impacted by higher rates on home loans. But the biggest hurdle for many buyers is the extreme lack of available homes.
Since March 2023 San Jose has had record breaking low inventory, continually marking new lows with the fewest available listings by month in over a decade, according to the MLS data pulled today in the chart below. And it doesn’t look like inventory will be picking up any time soon, either.
Why such low inventory?
While in a more typical market we might have a number of sellers looking to “move up” or downsize, most homeowners today couldn’t afford to move or don’t want to take on a higher-rate mortgage. Now it seems like a higher percentage of the listings we are seeing comes from investors, people leaving the area, and sales by family after a death – cases where there is no pressure to repurchase or where selling is the only option. That limits significantly what is available to buyers!
Although inventory remains at record-breaking lows with higher demand than availability, sale prices and overbids are not breaking records like last year’s spring peak. Many buyers are experiencing significantly more pressure from higher interest rates, fluctuating stocks, and other factors limiting purchase power and lowering confidence. That said, not every home will face the same challenges – there are loads of micro markets that influence how well any given home does, so take this city-wide data with a grain of salt.
Inventory remains severely low – the lowest October inventory in over a decade! If you’re an active home buyer, it is slim pickings!
The data below in the “trends” chart is from our Real Estate Report for the City of San Jose.
San Jose Real Estate Market Trends at a Glance (RE Report)
| Trends At a Glance |
Oct 2023 |
Previous Month |
Year-over-Year |
| Median Price |
$1,600,170 (+0.6%) |
$1,590,000 |
$1,450,000 (+10.4%) |
| Average Price |
$1,728,180 (-3.3%) |
$1,787,000 |
$1,583,700 (+9.1%) |
| No. of Sales |
281 (+39.8%) |
201 |
327 (-14.1%) |
| Pending |
230 (-16.1%) |
274 |
225 (+2.2%) |
| Active |
234 (-1.3%) |
237 |
418 (-44.0%) |
| Sale vs. List Price |
105.3% (-1.2%) |
106.7% |
99.7% (+5.6%) |
| Days on Market |
16 (-15.2%) |
19 |
27 (-40.9%) |
| Days of Inventory |
25 (-26.9%) |
34 |
38 (-34.9%) |
Available inventory is just half of what it was at this time last year, while pending sales are up, and closed sales are only marginally less (when considering the inventory available). Please keep reading below for more data and market analysis.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Nov 19, 2022 | Rose Garden area
The architecturally diverse and entirely charming Rose Garden neighborhood in San Jose is perennially attractive to home buyers. Silicon Valley residents appreciate the easy access to downtown San Jose and travel routes, but perhaps even more are drawn by the beautiful park the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. They also appreciate that this is not just another area filled with tract style homes. Many of the properties in this part of the 95126 zip code are custom or semi-custom built and enjoy a wide variety of styles. Here are a few images of houses in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose:
Charming English Tudor style house
Lovely Spanish style house in the Rose Garden area of Central San Jose
Enchanting Mediterranean style house in the Rose Garden area
A two story home with a detached garage, which is typical in the Rose garden.
Where is the Rose Garden neighborhood?
Boundaries for the community are not well defined, but generally this neighborhood is considered to be South of 880, East of Bascom, West of the Alameda from 880 to Naglee Ave, and then West of Dana Ave to Lincoln High or Forest Ave. This area has over 1,000 homes. Some might say the area included is much larger, or much closer in to the park, but these lines generally represent the safe bet for what is considered Rose Garden neighborhood.
Nearby neighborhoods include the Shasta Hanchett Park neighborhood and Burbank. The Buena Vista neighborhood is not too far to the south, also. Santa Clara sits just a little north of the Rose Garden. Downtown San Jose is about 2 miles from these. (more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Oct 11, 2017 | Central San Jose, Events, Art and Entertainment, Local History, Older & Historic Homes, Rose Garden area
Each autumn, the St. Martin of Tours School puts on a fabulous tour of lovely homes in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood. While anyone driving through this central San Jose area can appreciate the diverse and beautiful architecture, often the best features of these homes are found inside.
This year is the tour’s 22nd Anniversary! The homes tour is a large scale fundraising effort for the school. Tours are self-guided with hosts in each home ready to answer questions and share interesting historical facts and stories about the homes. On display will also be floral designs, artwork, and perhaps some treasures. The garden segment of the tour includes the Tea Garden, a spot to sit and enjoy complementary refreshments or a gourmet lunchbox (available to pre-order through October 6th with your tickets). The tour also features a boutique, where 100% of the proceeds will benefit St Martin of Tours School (credit cards accepted!) and a donation drawing.
Tour dates are Saturday, October 14th and Sunday, October 15th from 10am-4pm both days. No children under 12 are allowed on the tour. Come any time within the tour hours to begin, but note that it is recommended that visitors allot about 2 hours to view every home and the tour ends promptly at 4pm.
Tickets are available at the door, online, or through families in the school.
To read about the homes from last year’s tour, and to learn more about this year’s tour, and to purchase tickets, and more please visit the official Rose Garden Homes Tour website.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 16, 2013 | Almaden Valley (SJ), Alum Rock, Campbell, Central San Jose, Japantown, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Naglee Park, Palo Alto, Relocation, Rose Garden area, San Jose (all areas), Santa Clara, Saratoga, Silicon Valley
The beautiful Beckwith Building in downtown Los Gatos, California
I have been fortunate to have made 5 trips to Europe, one of them lasting 9 months, and will be returning again before the end of 2013 (this time to Belgium). It is so diverse, beautiful and compelling! Having experienced a little culture shock myself (when living in Florence, Italy, for one year of university), I’m very sympathetic about how hard an international move can be, and I understand that for Europeans moving to Silicon Valley, there can be an acute culture shock, particularly for those coming from more rural areas.
The bulk of Silicon Valley is located in Santa Clara County, which is at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. In this county, there are approximately 1.8 million people, almost a million of them in the city of San Jose. Some areas, or districts, of San Jose have a distinctive character and are almost like towns or small cities themselves. So in this article I’ll mention both cities and towns, but also areas or districts of San Jose, which might appeal to our European transplants. Most of my comments will reference Santa Clara County or “south bay” locations, but I will also mention others on the San Francisco Peninsula and SF Bay Area too.
Architecture, Urban Centers and Charm
It is an unfortunate negative in Silicon Valley that much of our housing consists of ranch style tract homes, and truthfully, they are not exactly a work of art. New or newer homes tend to be on very tiny parcels of land (or “lots”) and for many people may simply feel too congested or crowded. But there are beautiful residential neighborhoods – you just need to know where to look! In many ways, the areas with higher charm can make our global home buyers feel more comfortable than if they were faced with only track, ranch neighborhoods.
Do you value unique, older architecture with Victorian, Craftsman, Tudor or other home styles? Then check out these areas:
- Within San Jose: the Japantown, Vendome, and Naglee Park areas of downtown San Jose. Also in central San Jose are the Rosegarden, Shasta Hanchett and Burbank neighborhoods which all boast some lovely older homes. Or, if you love classic Spanish Revival style homes with views, consider the old Alum Rock area of San Jose near the country club (golf course). The Willow Glen area of SJ (zip code 95120) is full of lovely old established neighborhoods with historic homes and tree lined streets. If your job takes you to downtown San Jose, all of these areas will be fairly close.
Please read the rest of this article on the Move2SiliconValley.com website:
http://www.move2siliconvalley.com/which-silicon-valley-areas-are-the-most-european-feeling/
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jul 20, 2013 | Almaden Valley (SJ), Alum Rock, Alviso (SJ), Berryessa (SJ), Blossom Valley (SJ), Buying Tips, Cambrian Park (SJ), Cupertino, Evergreen (SJ), Foothill Areas, Local History, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Los Gatos Mountains, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Palo Alto, Relocation, Renter tips, Rose Garden area, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz, Santa Teresa (SJ), Saratoga, Senior Living, Willow Glen (SJ)
If you arrived into Silicon Valley via Highway 101, driving south from San Francisco, you might believe that the Santa Clara Valley, the San Jose area and Silicon Valley as a whole has got to seem to be the ugliest place on earth. Although heavily traveled, that is not the “scenic route”.
So, too, if you are looking for a place to live and are groping to find a place that is reasonably priced, fairly safe and not a terrible commute distance. You might not even have “is nice looking” on your wish list. You might not think it’s possible if all you ever see are the ugly concrete tilt-up buildings in north San Jose, Santa Clara, Alviso, or anywhere along the 237 corridor. That area is an architectural wasteland.
Let me assure you: there are a lot of beautiful places in Silicon Valley where you can rent or buy a home. But how do you find them? It helps a lot to have a local give you a few pointers. I’ll give you some tips today on finding a scenic place to live.
Hills – An easy way to find a scenic location to make your home is to settle near the hills, especially those in the west valley (the Santa Cruz Mountains or the Coastal Range) as they are green year-round. Communities at the base of the west valley foothills include, in Santa Clara County, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, and the Almaden Valley area of San Jose. All of these areas are adjacent to the hills or mountains and offer far better than average schools (many of them qualify as great – compare costs between these areas). (more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Oct 16, 2010 | Central San Jose, Events, Art and Entertainment, Older & Historic Homes, Rose Garden area
The St Martin of Tours School’s annual tour of beautiful homes in San Jose’s Rose Garden district is happening this weekend. It’s a fabulous opportunity to see gracious homes, attractively decorated and remodeled, and to support the school.
If you’re new to Silicon Valley and are unfamiliar with the area, the school (and Church) are close to O’Connor Hospital (which is close to Valley Fair Mall). The Rose Garden District is close by, surrounding the San Jose municipal park bearing the name of Municipal Rose Garden. It’s considered part of “central San Jose” and has the zip code 95126. This area, along with nearby Shasta-Hanchett, has some gorgeous older homes. Many of the streets are wide and tree lined. This neighborhood is convenient to both major nearby freeways (280 and 880) so is a great commute location. It’s an area with enduring popularity.
View Larger Map
For all the details, please see their Rose Garden Homes Tour website.
The San Jose real estate market remains in a red hot seller’s market, keeping active into early autumn with some mild seasonal cooling. Demand may have shrunk between rising rates and inflation, but inventory has plunged to extreme lows so it’s still far from balanced!
