The Santa Clara County real estate market for single family homes was mixed in August, with some data points strengthening and others weakening.
For condo buyers, it wasn’t mixed at all: August was again a good month for buying and a challenging month for selling.
The Santa Clara County real estate market brief points for single family homes
Here’s a quick summary based on the numbers that I pulled from the MLS directly today. These are a little different from the RE Report numbers.
Inventory of houses for sale rose both monthly and annually.
The number of home sales fell month over month and year over year, as they did in June and July, an indicator that it’s not an easy market to sell in many parts of Silicon Valley. With inventory rising and sales falling, the market is moving closer to the buyer’s favor (but it’s not a buyer’s market – not by a long stretch).
The average sale price dropped month over month, but was up year over year. (A repeat of last month.)
The median sale price declined both monthly and annually. This number is more indicative of falling home values, but we’d need additional data to confirm that. If this continues for a few months, that would confirm it. Right now it’s just a red flag to pay attention.
The sale to list price ratio rose compared to both the month before and the year before. The homes that are selling are doing well on average.
The average price per square foot rose a hair compared to July 2026, but was up more substantially from August 2025.
A quick word about our two active listings, which are both incredibly good opportunities!
Spacious home on HUGE pie-shaped lot! Great value at $1,999,000
Opportunity knocks! Situated in the Cambrian area of San Jose, this house has room for everyone with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2031 SF of living space, 10,430 SF lot with enormous backyard and room to add on or build an ADU. The house features a remodeled kitchen, remodeled bathrooms, dual pane windows, vaulted ceiling in the living room, and loads of natural light throughout the home. The yard includes a large, attractive pool, a separate hot tub, space for an RV, and a good sized lawn. So many possibilities! This is a convenient area close to schools, shopping, dining, and commute routes.Cul-de-sac lot! Please check out the photos, floor plan, and all info at the virtual tour: 1296DentwoodDr.com.
Super bright home, low maintenance! Great price in 95124 at $1,475,000
Bright, younger Cambrian single family home (1996) with 3 beds, 2.5 baths, 1644 SF of living space, 2,346 SF lot, 2 car garage, vaulted ceilings, large dual pane windows, fabulous schools (Lietz, Dartmouth, Branham) in the small Soterion community. HOA dues are just $65 per month, and the HOA manages the front yards! Ultra convenient location close to shopping, dining, schools, commute routes, and even a nearby corporate shuttle stop is just a couple of blocks away! A pedestrian gate to Massidda Court is great for strolling to neighborhood amenities such as the J & P Cosentino farmstead, a neighborhood treasure. This home provides a generously sized back patio. For those preferring a low maintenance home, this is a great fit! Check out all of the details at 4996Agape.com.
Santa Clara County real estate statistics for August 2026 from the RE Report
Here’s the Trends at a Glance table for the Santa Clara County real estate market by home type from our RE Report subscription.
Please keep in mind that these numbers ONLY reflect listings that were entered into the MLS Listings system, and they do not include Bay East, CRMLS, SFAR, or other MLS companies around the state. If it’s not listed in an MLS with a data sharing program, it will not be represented here. The data is off, so some of the stats don’t align with those that I pull from the MLS, but the trends are on target, generally.
Santa Clara County real estate market statistics for SFH
Below please find multi year real estate data charts for Santa Clara County real estate market (single family homes) were pulled by me directly from the MLS. These numbers are a little more accurate than the RE Report ones as they include all listings on the MLS, even if they were entered from a different MLS organization.
Inventory
The Santa Clara County real estate market’s inventory rose in August and is at the high end of what we usually see for this time of year. (This figure is quite a bit larger than the RE Report number of 917. The RE Report only pulls data for listings that were entered into MLS Listings. My charts include all MLS companies that do data sharing with our MLS.)
Please note: for all of the multi year images below, you can see a larger version by clicking on them, which will take you to our article on our website. Still too small? Click on it again and a popup with the largest version will be displayed.
Months of Inventory
The absorption rate or months of inventory grew, indicating cooling market conditions. In most of the U.S. this would be a raging hot seller’s market, but here it’s approaching a balanced market. Note that for other Augusts in recent years this is the largest absorption rate by a good margin. The last time it was this high was January 2023. One month does not make a trend, but this is a figure to watch.
The Almaden Valley real estate market for single family homes in July was once again a seller’s market and a calmer, slight seller’s market, for condos and townhomes.
Almaden Valley Real Estate Market Conditions: Trends at a Glance
We’ll start with the residential real estate market statistics for Almaden, or San Jose 95120 from the Real Estate Report (a subscription that uses closed / sold data). The RE Report uses listings entered into MLS Listings directly, but excludes any properties listed via a shared data feed from Bay East, Metrolist, or other MLSs. It may be missing about 15 -20% of all sales for that reason, but the trends are the same or very similar.
The median sale price rose annually, but it fell monthly (the opposite of last month). The average sale price was up year over year, but down month over month. The sale to list price ratio was much stronger than a year ago, but weaker compared to June 2026. I see a general softening trend here, which we are seeing across the valley. Some of this is seasonally normal, but this is a little more than that.
Overall, it’s a strong seller’s market in Almaden, despite softening. As always, the homes that are selling well are comprehensively remodeled, in a great location, and priced low. Buyers have enough selection that they are snubbing properties with location issues, repairs needed, or lack of remodeling unless they are deeply discounted. It’s harder to sell a home that is only partially updated now than it was a year ago.
Trends At a Glance
Jul 2026
Previous Month
Year-over-Year
Median Price
$2,330,000 (-0.4%)
$2,340,000
$2,162,500 (+7.7%)
Average Price
$2,448,660 (-3.6%)
$2,540,100
$2,326,910 (+5.2%)
No. of Sales
21 (-19.2%)
26
28 (-25.0%)
Pending
20 (-9.1%)
22
20 (0.0%)
Active
27 (+17.4%)
23
26 (+3.8%)
Sale vs. List Price
101.9% (-1.2%)
103.2%
99.1% (+2.9%)
Days on Market
22 (+62.7%)
14
34 (-34.8%)
Days of Inventory
39 (+50.4%)
26
28 (+38.5%)
When I’ve pulled the stats myself, it appears that the higher priced homes in 95120 are not selling as well as homes in more affordable price points. We don’t know if it’s due to tech layoffs, the price of gas, or something else. But for home buyers in the upper price points, it’s an opportunity.
Altos Research charts for Almaden Valley real estate market, single family homes segment(more…)
Not everyone is familiar with the term “patio home” or “zero lot line” house when searching for Silicon Valley real estate. Awhile back, a listing agent of such a property called me for feedback and when I told her that my clients did not want a zero lot line home, she didn’t know what I was talking about. She had no idea that this term applied to her listing!
So I thought maybe this topic deserved a little more attention.
What does zero lot line mean?
With most houses, the structure is set into the lot or land such that the property boundaries are at least a few feet away on all sides – often 5 or 8 feet. One common exception is garages in older parts of Willow Glen, Los Gatos, downtown San Jose, etc., where often these buildings were set directly against the property line on one or two sides.
When a house is right up against the property line, directly on the line, that’s referred to as a zero lot line and is usually referred to as a patio home. To view that wall, you’d literally have to go onto your neighbor’s lot to have a look. Although this is not terribly uncommon in dense, urban areas, it’s fairly infrequent in Silicon Valley.
Why are homes designed on zero lot line properties? The main reason is to increase the density while providing more yard to the home owner. Rather than having two 8′ side yards, perhaps you’ll have one much larger 16′ yard.
Interestingly, these houses do not always sell for less with the zero lot line – at least not that I have been able to discern. (That’s counter-intuitive….)
How can you tell if it’s a zero lot line house?
It should be disclosed in the MLS as such, but often isn’t (sometimes the listing agent doesn’t even know), so you’ll have to look carefully at the neighborhood and the property to see. Here are some clues: (more…)
The scenic Almaden Meadows neighborhood is one of the larger communities within the Almaden Valley. It includes 1176 single family homes (no condos, no townhomes), a shopping plaza, and multiple large parks with Almaden Meadows Park at the southeast border and TJ Martin park running the width of the community to the north. There are plenty of places to get out and be active nearby! Drive down any of its streets and you’ll find tidy blocks with cul-de-sacs and curving drives, many of which are tree-lined. There’s a very pleasant sense of un-crowding in this engaging Almaden suburb.
Almaden Valley, often just called Almaden, is a district of San Jose to the south that stretches long, but not deep into the Santa Clara Valley. Tucked into a valley, Almaden enjoys scenic foothills and quiet setting. The northern end of Almaden borders to Cambrian, Los Gatos, and Blossom Valley, with easy access to a few major roads including Almaden Expressway and Camden Avenue. For commuters, this is a big plus as it’s that much faster to get home.
Almaden Meadows is in the northern part of Almaden Valley. It makes up most of a triangle of land bordered by Meridian, Coleman, and Camden, except for the corner of the triangle where Coleman and Camden meet which is home to the Montevideo neigborhood.
Put another way, it’s east of Monteverde, south of Coleman, north of Camden and west of Meridian.
Within the community there is Almaden Oaks Plaza, a shopping center at Meridian and Redmond with the neighborhood grocery store, gas station, local coffee shop, and other shopping, dining, and services. From here, it’s a quick jaunt over to Oakridge Mall or nearby areas along Camden Avenue, Blossom Hill Road, or Almaden Expressway. There’s an abundance of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment nearby.
Neighbors enjoy plenty of free amenities nearby as well. There are two nearby public libraries with Vineland Branch to the north and Almaden Branch to the southeast, attached to the Almaden Community Center and Parma Park. Both TJ Martin Park and Almaden Meadows are large parks with popular play areas and trails. TJ Martin connects to nearby Jeffrey Fontana Park (known for it’s dog parks), and the adjacent Guadalupe Oak Grove Park with trails, rolling hills, and of course oak groves. Additionally, it’s not far from Lake Almaden to the northeast and access to miles and miles of trails through Almaden Quicksilver County Park to the south.
California Ridge sits in the southern park of Almaden Valley within the city of San Jose CA 95120. This townhome community is nestled into the foothills, within the highly prized Williams Elementary School area of attendance as well as the Bret Harte Middle, and Leland High attendance areas. Aside from nearby construction or home improvement projects, this is a quiet area of Silicon Valley, close to the scenic and enormous Almaden Quicksilver Park.
Many of these townhouse properties enjoy lovely views of Almaden Valley or open space. The streets are gently rolling and the homes younger and pleasant looking. Nearby San Jose neighborhoods are Almaden Springs Country View Estates, and Glencrest Estates.
Although sometimes mischaracterized as a condominium or condo complex on the MLS (likely because that is how CoreLogic has dubbed it), California Ridge is a Planned Development, not a condo. Owners own the lot and the home in which they live. That is not the case with condos.
As of mid 2025, the HOA dues are $510.
The community actually consists of two distinct neighborhoods. One is on or adjacent to Copper Peak (tract #7829), which is the street where these photos were taken. It’s got enough elevation to afford lovely valley views. The other area is on and adjacent to Shelby Creek (tract #7827 and tract #7828), which has a pleasant setting also, but without the same valley views as it’s lower.
What is interesting is that between these two California Ridge neighborhoods, there are a couple of streets with single family homes on large lots (tract #7986). This is unusual.
What are the townhomes at California Ridge like?
These townhomes can feel refreshingly “young” compared to many other homes in Silicon Valley, most of which were constructed decades earlier.
Built in 1987 and with wood siding, decks, and loads of windows, the homes are a great visual match for the setting and seem poised to take the most of the terrain. The interiors are a little more open than older homes, so that is an appealing element to many home buyers, also. Each townhouse includes a 2 car garage. (more…)
Almaden schools are generally very highly regarded. In fact, one of the many reasons the Almaden Valley of San Jose is so popular is the public schools.
Almaden Valley, like the rest of the county, does not have “easy” school district boundaries. Instead, it’s complicated – Almaden schools are within several different public school districts. It can be very confusing for home buyers to figure out which areas belong to which elementary, middle and high schools. Today we’ll address this broad topic, looking at both the districts and some of the individual schools, providing links to both. We’ll include links to district and school boundaries too.
As a quick example generally, there are potentially 5 high schools in 3 high school districts for Almaden Valley alone.
Disclaimers about the Almaden schools of attendance:
First, Almaden schools – especially the most popular ones – are sometimes impacted, or full. If you move into an area it is likely that you can have your students attend the neighborhood school but it is NOT GUARANTEED. For example, if your nearest or assigned school is Williams but it’s full, your child may be assigned to Simonds or some other elementary school. You will remain in the same district but may not have the nearest school. This is particularly a problem when moves happen in the middle of the school year.
Second, sometimes boundaries change between schools within the same district. This usually only happens after a lot of public debate and discussion, but it can happen. (This is also true for some designated natural hazard zones such as flood plains – those maps can and do sometimes change!)
Third, the San Jose Unified Schools in the Almaden Valley did have court-ordered busing from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s to help with desegregation. This mandatory practice ended in 1996 and the court order was lifted in 2003. You can read about the history of the San Jose Unified School District online. That said, some kids are bussed in to Almaden schools from outside of the area.
These are the three broad regions and their schools:
One of the worst marketing efforts, in my opinion, is a rider attached to a “for sale” sign stating “I’m gorgeous inside!” It’s as if to say “I know the exterior is really bad, but just wait ’til you get past the front door!”
A better approach than an apologetic rider sign is to tidy up the front of the home and yard so it gives a great first impression.
If you are a potential seller, drive through your area (zip code, subdivision etc.) and have a look at the outside of other properties for sale which are generally similar to your own for size, pricing and so on. How’s the competition doing with curb appeal? Pretend that you’re a Saratoga, Almaden or Cambrian home buyer. Take notes. What do you see? Be brutal in your assessment and then take your observations back to your own home and keep the same standards.
Curb Appeal Begins with Landscaping
First, pay attention to these landscaping elements in the yard:
The Lawn – if there is one: is it green? Weedy? Healthy? Does it have bare or dead spots? Is it level or “bumpy”? Is it fairly uniform, or are there patches of various types of grasses in other areas, making the lawn uneven in color, texture, or density? Putting in fresh sod may give you a super “bang for your buck” or return on investment. Why does this matter? A little blonding may be acceptible in summer, but if your lawn looks neglected buyers may wonder what else is neglected, too. Lumpy lawns can also risk twisted ankles when people are touring your home. If you’ve swapped the lawn for mulch or some other ground cover, the rules are the same: make it look fresh and tidy! If it’s lumpy, weedy, or patchy it should be corrected.
Bushes and Shrubs – should not impede sidewalks, walkways or views of doors and windows. Buyers will feel crowded if they sense that plants are blocking their passage or that of light! The yard, like the home, needs to feel uncluttered. As you look at the other homes’ yards, do the bushes look appealing or unruly? Are they a help or a hindrance to the home’s curb appeal? Many buyers do not like ivy or juniper, by the way, unless they are exceedingly neat and in small quantities.
Color – bright annuals with colorful flowers make a home far more inviting. Is the yard solidly green? (All lawn and bushes?) It can be spiced up with flowering plants and bushes. If room is an issue, at the very minimum sellers could add color spots by the front door. Luckily, in Silicon Valley we enjoy a sub-tropical climate and even in winter there are annuals that can pack a nice punch of color.
Stuff in the Yard – what are homeowners doing with hoses, watering cans, front porch furniture or kids’ toys? Ideally, hoses and other items not in use will be curled up or otherwise pretty much out of sight. (Worst case – laying across walkways, inviting disaster as home buyers trip!) Yard gnomes etc.: don’t. Seriously.
Next, have a look at the building itself. How well maintained and attractive is the house, townhouse or condo and garage? If the view of the structure is unappealing, Silicon Valley home buyers may never cross your threshold to see how great the interior is!
Almaden Valley in San Jose is comprised of many neighborhoods and subdivisions. One of them, close to the border with Los Gatos and Cambrian Park, is particularly popular: the Oak Canyon neighborhood.
There are many reasons for its draw among Silicon Valley home buyers: the houses were well built by Shea Homes in about 1980, so they are relatively newer by Silicon Valley standards. They’re larger homes on comfortable lots, often 8000 sf or so but some as small as 6500 sf and others larger than a quarter acre in the Oak Canyon corner of Almaden.
Most of the homes boast a 3 car garage, which is a big help with storage of stuff, if not storage of cars. The roads gently turn, which makes a more pleasing look. It’s a very “conforming” neighborhood where everyone keeps up the homes and yards. Much of Almaden is viewed by consumers as somewhat remote, but this section, near the mouth of Almaden, is not too deep into the valley and is a better commute location for most. One of the largest pulls for the area, though, is the nearby elementary school, Guadalupe School, which has an excellent reputation for quality education and ranks exceedingly well on testing.
Where is the Oak Canyon neighborhood in Almaden Valley, San Jose?
Oak Canyon is found near the intersection of Camden Avenue and Coleman Road in San Jose but is bordered by Coleman on one side and the Guadalue Creek on the other sides. (The far side of the Guadalupe Creek at this point is Cambrian Park.) Just the other side of Coleman Road is the Montevideo neighborhood, and next to that is the Almaden Meadows neighborhood.
Map data: Google, boundaries by Mary Pope-Handy.
And to provide some bearings, here’s a map of the Almaden Valley district of San Jose generally:
Located close to the Guadalupe Creek and the foothills of the coastal mountain range, the Montevideo neighborhood enjoys tree lined streets and scenic green views of the hills. Houses and yards are nicely kept. It is fairly convenient for commuting as it’s not too deeply into the San Jose area of Almaden Valley. About 500 residents call this beautiful neighborhood home.
In addition to the pleasant vistas, the Montevideo home owners and residents enjoy the cabaña, which includes a community pool, clubhouse, recreation grounds (shuffleboard, volleyball court and more), a fun swim team for kids. There are very few cabañas in the west valley, so this is a big draw.
Adjacent to it is the very highly regarded Guadalupe Elementary School.
Where is the Montevideo neighborhood located?
The Montevideo neighborhood is situated close to the intersection of Camden Avenue and Coleman Road (not quite to Redmond Avenue) in southwest San Jose (Almaden area, zip code 95120). The development was built in two phases – the map below shows in a darker green the “Montevideo 2” area. The lighter area was the original Montevideo tract.
Map of the Montevideo neighborhood in San Jose’s Almaden Valley – click on the image to go to the live map on Google. Map data: Google, boundaries and overlay by Mary Pope-Handy.
Jeffrey Fontana Park is an Almaden gem, set into a residential area but also adjacent to loads of other parkland. In the not too far distance is a view of the coastal hills with Mount Umunhum on top. Jim, Clair, and I spent some time there last weekend and I thought some of our readers may enjoy seeing some photos and learning about this park (and perhaps be inspired to visit it, too).
Where is Jeffrey Fontana Park?
The 10 acre park begins at Meridian Avenue in San Jose at Oakglen Way. The other side of Meridian is TJ Martin Park. and just north of it is the humongous Guadalupe Oak Grove Park (previously shared about this park). In the map below, this is the park with the green park icon in the middle. You could spend many hours checking out these three connected parks !
Map data: Google, neighborhood boundaries and overlay by Mary Pope-Handy
Helping nice folks to buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley
Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor ABR, CIPS, CRS, SRES
Christie's International Real Estate Sereno, Los Gatos, CA 95030 408 204-7673 Mary@PopeHandy.com License# 01153805
Clair Handy, Realtor
GREEN
Christie's International Real Estate Sereno 214 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd Los Gatos, CA 95030 ClairHandy@sereno.com License# 02153633
Mary & Clair sell homes throughout Silicon Valley: Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and Santa Cruz County. with a special focus on: San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park.
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Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor ABR, AHWD, CIPS, CRS, SRES Christie's International Real Estate Sereno DRE License #01153805 408-204-7673 mary@popehandy.com “Helping nice folks to buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley since 1993”
Clair Handy, Realtor, GREEN Christie's International Real Estate Sereno DRE License #02153633 408-721-6160 clairhandy@sereno.com “Helping nice folks to buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley”
This is the Valley of Heart's Delight blog , covering Silicon Valley real estate - Santa Clara County, San Jose, Los Gatos, Cupertino, and nearby communities in the South Bay Area and lower Peninsula. Find info on neighborhoods, disclosure issues, buyer and seller tips, and housing market conditions in the west valley and most of the county.Please also see my other websites and real estate market statistics site, which are listed in the sidebar, above.
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Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor ABR, CIPS, CRS, SRES Sereno DRE License #01153805 408-204-7673 mary@popehandy.com
“Helping nice folks to buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley since 1993”
1296 Dentwood Drive, San Jose 95118 
The Almaden Valley real estate market for single family homes in July was once again a seller’s market and a calmer, slight seller’s market, for condos and townhomes.
