The Cupertino real estate market heated up some in September.
The condo market has a ton more listings than sales, so it’s a cold market, generally.
Cupertino Real Estate market – Closed Sales and Trends at a Glance
Here are the most recent real estate statistics, via our Cupertino Real Estate Report. Please note that the RE Report data is syndicated from MLS Listings, which cannot syndicate info entered by other MLS organizations, only listings inputted into MLS Listings. The data from RE Report represents the locally entered info only, which appears to be about 90% of all sales due to the MLS rules.
(If you’re viewing the chart below on a mobile device, please swipe horizontally to see all columns.)
Home prices are up a little bit annually. The sale to list price ratio remains high, but lower than a year ago at this time. There is a decent ratio of closed sales to active listings, and even a higher ratio of pending sales to active listings, a hint that the matket for Cupertino houses is heating up.
Trends At a Glance
Sep 2026
Previous Month
Year-over-Year
Median Price
$3,210,000 (-3.3%)
$3,319,500
$3,208,210 (+0.1%)
Average Price
$3,230,140 (+0.5%)
$3,213,100
$3,190,390 (+1.2%)
No. of Sales
16 (-20.0%)
20
14 (+14.3%)
Pending
32 (+113.3%)
15
12 (+166.7%)
Active
29 (-27.5%)
40
19 (+52.6%)
Sale vs. List Price
106.8% (+3.2%)
103.4%
107.8% (-0.9%)
Days on Market
14 (-42.4%)
23
10 (+35.0%)
Days of Inventory
53 (-12.4%)
60
39 (+33.6%)
Next, the Cupertino real estate market via the Altos Research weekly charts (they use LIST prices, not sale prices). To see the FULL report from Altos, please click HERE. This week we do see a big difference between the Altos data (uses all MLS entered listings, but only uses list prices) and the RE Report data, which uses closed sales data, but only from MLS entries entered locally (not Bay East, for instance).
As of Oct 9, the percentage of houses with a price decrease is just 11%, far below the average of 30-33%, which is more typical.
“Why won’t that agent list my house?” It may come as a shock to some home sellers that they may get turned down for listing their home.
Every once in a while, Clair and I turn down seller client offers to list their home. We do want great listings, and we want to work with people who are nice, honest, serious about selling, and realistic. We aren’t the only licensees who are careful about the folks we elect to work with.
Right now, the market is cooler in price points under $2.5 million or so. Homes are taking longer to sell. Some are selling for less than expected. Some end up getting delisted.
The bottom line is that most agents won’t list a house unless they believe that they can sell it, so with too many red flags, they may pass. (A list of red flags follows.)
New agents (or brokerages, for that matter) or those struggling may be less picky. This may be confusing to home owners who find that some Realtors will agree to list the home, others won’t – so let’s discuss it a little.
Why won’t that agent list my house?
Real estate licensees aren’t just people who hold open houses on weekends. Rather, real estate agents are independent businesspeople in the business of selling real estate. Many of them work 50+ hours per week. In order to be successful, they have to evaluate the probability of success, whether with buyers or sellers, before deciding to take on those clients.
If they agree to work with buyers who never buy or sellers who never sell, they will be out of time, out of money, and if they make this judgement mistake too often, out of business entirely. About 85% of new agents drop out of the business before they hit the 5 year mark. Seasoned agents leave in droves when there’s a market downturn. Those who are surviving or thriving are very judicious about how they expend their time and resources.
Red flags
Under some circumstances, home sellers may project enough “red flags” or have unreasonable expectations such that real estate agents will turn down the chance to list their home. If you’re asking “Why won’t that agent list my house?”, check the following list and consider if any of it applies. (more…)
Multiple offer situations have returned to many segments of the Silicon Valley real estate market, particularly for houses. We are hearing about them all over due to the incredibly low inventory. (Check out the San Jose real estate market analysis for the latest, custom stats.)
What Silicon Valley home sellers need to know and do to attract multiple offer situations
If you’re a Silicon Valley home seller, what do you need to know to try to get multiple bids on your home? What should you beware of? In short, here’s what needs to happen if you want to attract throngs of home buyers on your home for sale:
The home must be turnkey, either fully remodeled or close to it – it must look like there’s nothing or very little for a buyer to do. In addition to being turnkey, it must be squeaky clean and well staged! It needs to be comfortable – not too hot, not too cold. You want buyers and their agent to linger longer.
The price must be at or even under market value. That is, you must be willing to price it aggressively. Think it’s worth $1,050,000? You might list it at $999,999 to get in under a major price threshold and to be the very best, most attractive property for the money. Yes, it might be under priced. Over priced listings get either one offer at best or, more likely, none at all.
The property must be highly accessible. If it is hard to see, you probably won’t get multiple offers (and may get none at all). (Please see articles on accessibility and on open houses.)
Finally, the property must be well marketed. This includes a wide range of factors ranging from photographs, text, fliers, signs, and even the commission rate offered to the buyer’s side.
What Silicon Valley home buyers need to know and do to compete in multiple offer situations
If you’re a Silicon Valley home buyer, how do you win out in multiples without giving away all of your rights or overpaying for your house/home? (more…)
The exquisite Saratoga Oaks neighborhood is nestled between downtown Saratoga and the beautiful coastal foothills, close to the famed Hakone Gardens. With both pools and tennis courts and a location just a block or so from tony Saratoga Village (click to see slide show), it is resort living in Silicon Valley at its finest. But this is not just a place for retirees who want to downsize, though they are also drawn here – families with kids also move to Saratoga Oaks to make use of the top rated schools.
Which public schools serve this neighborhood?
Saratoga Oaks is within the very highly regarded Saratoga Union School District. Although many other school districts in Santa Clara County assign children in homes to particular schools, Saratoga does not – it is an “open” school district. If there’s space and if the home is within the district, you may be able to chose which of the excellent Saratoga schools you wish for your student to attend. The nearest public school is Saratoga Elementary on Oak Street, but you may find enrollment instead at Foothill Elementary or Argonaut. The higher level schools are Redwood Middle School and Saratoga High School. California has transitioned to new school assessment, away from the old 2010 API scores, but you can check the new Saratoga Union School District “Report Cards” here. Additionally, there are two excellent private elementary schools nearby: Sacred Heart (Catholic) and St. Andrew’s (Episcopalian).
Where is Saratoga Oaks?
The Saratoga Oaks community is within the city of Saratoga, California, and is a part of Silicon Valley and what’s locally referred to as “the south bay” area. It can be reached either via Springer Avenue, off of 4th Street in Saratoga or from Springer off of Big Basin Way (aka Hwy 9 or Congress Springs Road). This townhouse complex is literally where the town meets the hills – so it is not at all uncommon to find deer in the open spaces! Click on the map image to go to the live, interactive Google map. (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…)
During the holiday season, will you pull your home off the market? Thanksgiving is days away, and inventory is dropping and will continue to drop from now through January in Silicon Valley, and probably in most parts of the U.S. as a whole.
Things to consider before deciding to pull your home off the market
many sellers in late fall decide to withdraw unsold properties from the active real estate market (less competition!)
many homes look wonderful in their holiday finery and can be appealing to serious buyers still looking to purchase
rather than pull your home off the market, you might consider keeping it on, but marketing it differently (we’ll suggest some strategies for holiday home marketing below)
If you’ve been trying to sell your home in Silicon Valley but haven’t received an offer yet, don’t despair! With our mild winters, you really can sell real estate any time of year, especially now, when inventory is so low.
When most sellers exit the market after Halloween, we typically see a higher absorption rate as serious buyers will be buying from the available inventory. That means your odds of success are higher!
Should you pull your home off the market? We think not, but don’t keep trying to sell it the same way! (more…)
Just starting to house hunt? Today we’ll go over what to expect when viewing Silicon Valley homes for sale.
First, though, if you aren’t aware, there were real estate changes a year ago in the way the home buyers and their buyer agents work together. There now must be a written agreement between them that covers compensation. The link above will bring you to an article of ours that clarifies it.
Viewing Silicon Valley homes – some basics
There will be some nuances between private showings and viewing Silicon Valley homes during an open house, but here are some basics:
Many home sellers in the San Jose area will ask that you remove your shoes. So wearing slip ons of some kind will be a lot easier than footwear with laces, buckles, zippers etc.
Most of the time, sellers will not be home. They wisely will clear out, when possible, to give you the space to look without feeling like you’re imposing on them. Sometimes, though, for any number of reasons, this may not happen, particularly if you’re viewing homes for sale via a private appointment.
If sellers are home, they will usually answer the door or, worst case, respond when the agent and buyers enter and announce themselves. Once in awhile, though, there’s a surprise seller somewhere in the house. (Maybe one time in a hundred? I have run into people who were in bed, in a shower, on a couch and simply not responding.) So be alert when viewing homes, be cautious, or it could be like that scene in “E.T.” where ET and the little girl see each other and scream their lungs out.
Pets are usually not present and loose, but again, sometimes there’s a misfire, so be on guard for dogs and cats (more likely the latter). If dogs are present and loose I usually will not show the home. I love dogs and have owned many, but they’re not all equally friendly.
Personalization: usually sellers will have decluttered and depersonalized their homes so that you and other home buyers can “see themselves” in that space. For some sellers, particularly seniors, it can be very difficult to remove those items until the moving van is in the driveway. So be prepared to see at least some homes with an inordinate amount of stuff, whether it’s family photos, collections, religious imagery or worship space, rooms not being used for their intended purpose, and so on. In these places, you’ll need to be able to see past what’s currently there as the personal items can be confusing. For instance, I have seen family rooms used as dining rooms, dining rooms used as hobby rooms, bedrooms used as prayer or exercise rooms, garages divided into several smaller rooms (with easily removable walls), etc.
Normally, homes are clean and pleasant to see. Sometimes with distressed properties, tenant occupied (unmotivated residents), homes with invalid residents, or other physical or emotional situations the home may be a wreck. Know that you will probably see a wide spectrum of care for the house and yard.
When house hunting, look for what is missing as you scan the yard, the house’s exterior, and the interior.
If you see a driveway, you may notice that it has cracks. If you see an air conditioner condenser unit, you may spot some rust and register it as older. There are many items you come across when house hunting in Silicon Valley that you may find to be in good or poor condition.
A little tougher is to notice what’s not there at all.
Look for what is missing – they may be hidden costs to you later
A good Realtor who’s got plenty of experience will help you find the “hidden costs” in what’s missing in a property. Many such items may appear in a property inspection report, but wouldn’t it be nice to learn about them while viewing the property, and not while slogging through hundreds of pages?
Backing up, then, ideally you’ll get up to speed by learning, or having your real estate agent, point out to you the un-obvious. Here are a few things to consider:
If there are 3 steps or more, there should be a handrail
A water heater in a garage is required to be on a raised platform
If a bathroom or kitchen is remodeled, there ought to be outlets which are GFCI protected every few feet (telltale sign of remodeling without permits is the lack of outlets)
A chimney stack should have a spark arrestor and a rain cap
If the kitchen has a dishwasher, it ought to include an air gap
Bedroom windows are supposed to be large and low enough for ingress and egress in case of an emergency
A roof should have gutters and downspouts (some won’t)
Most homes will provide an attic for insulation and comfort, but some won’t have this type of construction
Attic access should be accessible, but sometimes is placed in a difficult location within a closet
Pools are required to have safety features to prevent drowning, but many do not
Many homes staged to sell have had all window coverings removed, and maybe also the window screens removed. This makes the living areas sunnier and more appealing, but it also means the new owner will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get curtains, blinds, shades, or other window coverings up for needed privacy and maybe screens, also
If there’s a lawn, you’ll expect automatic sprinklers
If it is a very cold, frosty morning, the roof ought to also have frost! If that is missing, the heat from the home is escaping and warming up the roof to melt it – and insulation needs to be added or improved.
When you begin to house hunt, you will find that every home has some flaws and any home purchase will involve compromises. Do work with a real estate sales person who can and will educate you every step of the way – there are nuances at every turn. (more…)
Where do you look for the best MLS information when you’re house hunting online? Consumers have many choices, but they aren’t all equally comprehensive or updated.
Today we’ll touch on these relevant options:
Real estate agent and brokerage IDX feeds (and what is an IDX feed or syndication)?
Large portal MLS information (Realtor.com, Zillow, Redfin, and many others)
The MLS information from MLS Listings
Quick answer, for those who don’t want to read this whole article: the very best, most accurate and most often updated site for consumers wanting MLS information is via an automatic email, set up by your agent, from the public branch of our agent-supported Multiple Listing Service or MLS, which is MLSListings.com. For the full data, you must get your agent to share it with you – it won’t all be there if you just go to that website. I’ll explain below.
Syndication, Members Only listings, IDX, VOW, data sharing between MLS organizations
Syndication refers to the listings’ info being sent out to third parties for display on other sites. With syndication, as the listing agent updates the status to pending, sold, canceled, etc., the feed is supposed to automatically update. Sometimes there’s a lag or a glitch, though, so the info may not be as reliable (or up to date) for that reason.
Members Only listings in MLS Listings are not syndicated. They might be “Members Only: Do Not Show” (think of it like a Coming Soon) or they could be “Members Only: Show” (for whatever reason, the seller wants limited exposure – could be temporary, as the Days On Market do not accrue) (more…)
Real estate changes abound right now! Much of the industry in the U.S. has had to pivot on a number of practices regarding how buyer agents are compensated, how home buyers and the public work with real estate professionals, how home sellers compensate real estate licensees, and much, much more.
Why did everything change?
These real estate changes are a result of a settlement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and will affect Realtors and their clients nation wide.
In a nutshell, the real estate changes primarily involve how buyer’s agent commissions are paid so that it’s no longer negotiated between the sellers and their listing agent, and is no longer bound to multiple listing service (MLS) rules. The DOJ determined that the old way was “anti competitive”. They want it to be more competitive. As of August 2024, the responsibility to pay the buyer’s representative is now negotiated between the buyers and their agent, and the buy-side commission has become another who-pays-what term in the purchase contract.
Highlights of the real estate changes
The fallout from the settlement has translated into new practices and new paperwork for Realtors across the USA. Last month we had a deluge of new and edited forms, so we and many of our real estate colleagues have been attending an inordinate amount of training sessions lately to prepare for the new systems which went into effect on Aug 17 (there were many updates leading up to that date as well) with the California Association of Realtors, our local MLS, and the upcoming changes in legislature (new laws on this topic are anticipated Jan 1, 2025).
Sellers are no longer obligated by the MLS to offer or pay a buyer agent fee. This has been optional with our local MLS for a while, though in other areas they apparently had required minimum compensation. Today, practically any language referring to compensation, whether or not the seller is willing to cover that cost, cannot be published on the MLS at all.
Sellers can, if they choose, still pay the buyer’s agent’s fee, but they must agree to it in the purchase contract and pay the buyer’s agent directly and not indirectly through the listing agreement as a split of the listing agent’s commission (the old way). The commission is not negotiated in the purchase contract, but who pays the commission is a negotiation in the purchase agreement.
The willingness to pay the buyer agent’s fee cannot be advertised on the MLS or anywhere linked directly to the MLS, but it could be on a rider sign, on a flier, in the disclosure package IF the disclosure link is not on the MLS, and so on.
Buyers will need to sign a buyer representation agreement and form a contract with a real estate agent before seeing homes, getting guidance from the agent(s), recieve disclosure forms, etc. Some companies and associations of Realtors may have or create their own forms for this purpose. Like a listing agreement does with a seller, the buyer representation agreement establishes the agency relationship, the amount that the buyer agent will be compensated, and the length of time of the agreement (3 months max with the CAR forms). Again, the responsibility to pay the buyer’s agent is on the buyers, but that may get transferred to the seller as a negotiable term of the purchase agreement. Importantly, the buyer’s agent may not be paid more or less than the amount in their buyer contract no matter what amount the seller is willing to pay in the purchase agreement.
Open house visitors will be asked to sign “non agency” forms. The host will ask guest and potential buyers to sign a brief disclosure that the agent present during the open house is not their agent and is acting on behalf of the seller. The reason for this is to make sure that everyone’s clear that the open house host, usually the listing agent, represents the seller and the seller alone, and to avoid implied agency.
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.
The real estate search
Use this link to browse properties which are for sale, under contract (pending) or sold. Want to view only homes which are available now?
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.
Sitemap
SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com
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”
The Cupertino real estate market heated up some in September.
“Why won’t that agent list my house?” It may come as a shock to some home sellers that they may get turned down for listing their home.
Where do you look for the best MLS information when you’re 
