Roadmap with Irina - July 2025

In July of this year, the median sale price for single-family homes in Santa Clara County didn’t change much, but the number of homes sold was 9% lower than last year. Condo prices went up 6%, but 8% fewer condos were sold compared to last year. There are also 3.8% more houses and 9.6% more condos and townhouses available for sale now than in July of last year. Less market activity is typical for July due to vacations and the school break. In July, 1,414 new properties were listed, and 1,015 homes were sold, resulting in 1.7 months of inventory for single-family homes and 3 months for condos and townhouses. As of today, there are 1,976 homes for sale in Santa Clara County, which indicates a continued increase in available homes.

Everyone is really hoping to see a drop in interest rates. Recently, I heard that when rates drop to 6%, there will be 550,000 more potential buyers in the country. It was just a real estate prediction, but it is based on statistics and demographics. So, when it happens, be ready for more buyer competition and higher sale prices again. If you're thinking of buying and are waiting for interest rates to drop further, don’t wait too long, you might end up paying more for a house even with lower rates. Check with your loan officer, get financially prepared, and look for the right opportunity.

If you are thinking about buying or selling, let’s connect, talk about your options, run some numbers, and see if this is the right time for you. Call me, I am always here for you.

This means that when a water heater or furnace breaks after these dates, it must be replaced with an electric version. For many homes, especially older ones, this will require major electrical upgrades since most are not set up to handle large electric appliances.
The potential costs can be significant:

You probably saw on social media photos and everyday posts about my trip with the kids last month. We spent 16 days between London, Dublin, and Edinburgh, and it was truly a wonderful experience! I had been to London before, so it was great to come back, and find differences between now and 10 years ago, and even see the same people in the same place, like the guide at Kensington Palace. Dublin and Edinburgh were new to me, and I was very fascinated by the history, people, architecture, and traditions there. The countryside in Ireland and Scotland was so green, relaxing, and inviting that we really want to go back again.

Traveling is always great, and it’s important to take kids with you. First of all, you spend time together, building memories and going through new experiences. I will not remember in a year how much I spent on this trip, but I will definitely remember all we did together, what we saw and tried, and how I felt on the trip. Second, traveling is a learning experience. You learn about the history of all the places you visit, develop new skills to navigate in a new environment (language, currency, apps, etc), and discover how to adapt to different surroundings. And the most important thing is that it opens kids’ minds to new cultures, lifestyles, values, etc. They need to see other places to appreciate all they have and what their parents do for them, so hopefully they can do the same for their kids when the time comes.

What I realized during this trip is that I need to be in good shape and good health to travel. I  never thought much about it before, I guess I was younger, but now it’s time to pay more attention to my health. I had a knee problem right before the vacation and could barely walk, but it was fixed right in time, so I was fine on the trip. I want to enjoy traveling fully, be able to walk and stay active all day long, think clearly, handle longer flights, etc. So, when we came back, I went back to my pilates classes to get back in shape. And since my next vacation is right around the corner, I am pushing myself harder to be ready for it.
I hope your summer went well and you enjoyed your vacation or staycation and made new discoveries about yourself. I would love to hear your travel stories and catch up with you, so call me when you have spare time. I will be happy to hear from you.
 
Always your,
Irina