How's the Los Gatos Real Estate Market Faring?

There are many ways of viewing the Los Gatos real estate market. One approach includes looking at the homes which are currently for sale, or the "active listings". Altos Research, to which I subscribe, uses this data in analyzing the state of things for the realty market in various cities, towns, and zip codes. Today we'll look at these active listings in all Los Gatos zip codes, both single family homes and condominiums, and view the data by price quartile whenever the trends seem quite divergent from one price point to the next.

Los Gatos Real Estate Pricing for Single Family Homes by Zip Code

First, let's look at Los Gatos houses in the 95030 area. We'll begin by viewing list prices by quartile.

Except for the highest priced homes, it seems that asking prices are close to flat in this part of Los Gatos. It doesn't appear to be a market crash when these numbers are viewed.

Next, let's see how prices are looking in 95032 among single family homes in Los Gatos:

Again, it's fairly close to flat pricing now (after clear declines earlier this year) except in the most expensive homes, which really constitute the luxury or estate market, which looks to be having steeper declines. The luxury market in both 95032 and 95030 appears to be hurting the most.

And finally, the same type of data but for the Los Gatos Mountains (zip code 95033 - this is a broad area which is not actually in the Town of Los Gatos but instead is county area).

Interestingly, the luxury homes in the mountains seem to be holding their own better than those "in town". It appears that all price points in the mountains are doing approximately the same in this realm.

Los Gatos Real Estate Pricing for Condos and Townhomes by Zip Code

The Silicon Valley condominium and townhouse market is often a little different than the market for single family homes, and this is true in Los Gatos as well as in much of San Jose.  Below, please note the more chaotic path that pricing has taken in the Los Gatos condo market this year:

And oddly, much different in 95032:

Although these two Los Gatos zip codes are quite different from each other, both have been seeing some rises from a low spot earlier this year. The 95030 prices are higher than they were at the beginning of the year in all quartiles. The 95032 prices are higher for the most expensive condos but lower for the bottom two quartiles. I believe that this is because of school districts - the lowest priced condos (except for The Commons, a senior condominium complex) are most all in the Campbell Union High School District rather than in the Los Gatos - Saratoga High School District.  (All of 95030 is in the Los Gatos schools area, and perhaps half of 95032 is in the same district and half is in CUHSD instead.)

Inventory of Los Gatos Homes for Sale

Inventory of Los Gatos homes has been rising in most segments of the market. (There are no townhouses or condominiums in the 95033 zip code.)

The lowest priced condos in the 95030 part of Los Gatos seem to be getting absorbed decently - inventory has barely risen there at all this year.

Days on Market for Los Gatos Homes for Sale - All Zip Codes

Los Gatos Houses in 95030:

Los Gatos Houses in 95032 are seeing declines in the average days on market:

And for condos and townhomes in Los Gatos, 95030, it looks bizarre, with lots of volatility and large ups and downs (not unlike the stock market of late):

Lastly, Los Gatos days on market for condos in 95032:

So what can we say of the general trends in Los Gatos homes for sale? For most Los Gatos homes:

• inventory is rising
• days on market are rising
• the condo market was faring worse earlier this year, but is improving now
• the single family home market has been sliding this year, but overall, it has not been steep

How does this compare to nearby areas? The "median market action index" combines the key factors to come up with a market pulse (higher is in the sellers favor, and lower is in the buyers favor).  If we look at just single family homes in the two Los Gatos areas  plus Saratoga (95070) and the Almaden Valley area of San Jose (95120), it looks like "we're all in the same boat":

The two Los Gatos zip codes are now in the same place. San Jose is doing a little better and Saratoga better still.  But the general trends for almost all nearby Silicon Valley real estate markets is a deepening buyers market.

Please call or email me if you'd like to discuss your particular situation.

The condo market in Los Gatos is improving after a few rough months. It remains a buyer's market, but not so deep a one as we saw in late spring and over the summer.

Although days on the market for Los Gatos condos and townhomes are considerably longer than they were a month or a year ago (78 days in Sept vs 32 in Aug and 33 a year ago), and the list price to sales price ratio is slipping (96.4% in Sept vs 98.7% in Aug and 99.2% in Sept 2007), there are some signs of improvement.  The number of homes on the market is the same, 44, as last month, but the number of closed sales has risen from 6 in August to 8 in September.

Surprisingly, the sales prices are up too (both average and median), both for month over month and year over year. Here are those numbers (care of The Real Estate Report, a subscription I have):

And finally, one of the most helpful ways of understanding the market is the absorption rate, which may be calculated as days, weeks, or months of inventory. It's a reflection of how long it would take to sell off the current inventory if no new homes came on the market and homes continued to sell at the present rate. Below, please find the months of inventory for condos and townhomes in Los Gatos. NB that there is recent improvement in the numbers:

Next, here's a view of the condo and single family home market of Los Gatos side-by-side:

 If you'd like more information on how the Los Gatos townhome and Los Gatos condo market are faring, please visit my Real Estate Report for an interactive online report for all of the Silicon Valley real estate market.
 

Please call me if you'd like a private consultation about your real estate questions, plans, and hopes.


 

The Los Gatos real estate market is soft - it remains a buyers market for most areas and price ranges. Agents and sellers will tell you that it's harder to sell a home now.  Let's look at the market data, though. It can be analyzed by price point, school district, zip code, square footage, or any number of factors. Today's "mini update" will be a glance by zip code of condos and single family homes with focus on the days on market., amount of inventory and list prices of homes for sale. Data and graphs by Altos Research (to which I subscribe). 

This first chart indicates the average days on market for Los Gatos in the 95030 zip code. The blank line represents the condo and townhouse listings and the orange line the single family homes. (This chart should automatically update itself thanks to a little html.) Both segments appear to be following a fairly similar trend here of lengthening days on the market after an easier spell from spring until about July. Houses here have been for sale at an average of 110 days, and townhouses and condos around 92 or so.

 Now, the same data but for the 95032 zip code of Los Gatos. These two seem to be behaving quite differently from one another - the condo market is undergoing a worsening, or lengthening, of the DOM while the single family home market in Los Gatos appears to be flattening out. Houses here have been listed, on average, for 95 days, and condos even longer - just shy of 110.

In the Los Gatos Mountains, with the 95033 zip code, the market is tougher. (There are no condo listings to report.). The days on market have been climbing fairly steadily and the DOM is at around 155 - so the average home in the mountains has been on the market for 5 months!

 Another key way to get a pulse on the Los Gatos real estate market is to check the inventory levels. Here we see the current inventory of listed single family homes in Los Gatos by zip code.

Next, inventory among condos and townhomes in Los Gatos (none in the mountains to report). Interestingly, available condos have declined noticeably in the 95030 area (closest to downtown Los Gatos) and appear to be starting to decline in the 95032 area. That may help bring balance back to the condo market here, which has been quite soft recently.

And lastly, a quick view of list prices in Los Gatos. This next chart represents single family homes.

Here is the same information, but for the condominium and townhouse market in Los Gatos:

These charts represent the overview of the Los Gatos real estate market. There can be a great deal of variation from one area or house to the next. The perfect, completely and recently remodeled house that is priced low may get a flurry of offers and sell way over list price. Most homes, though, don't fit that description. Most of the real estate for sale has "some updating" but needs more. In certain areas, though, buyers will overlook condition if the price is good and the home seems clean and at least well maintained.

For information on what your home may be worth, or how much home you can buy, please contact me today!