Roadmap with Irina - June 2026

The condo and townhome market remained more balanced. The median sales price came in at $960,000, slightly lower than last year and below 2024 levels. However, sales activity improved, with 337 closed sales, surpassing last year's total. Homes spent an average of 32 days on market, reflecting a slower pace compared to single-family homes. Sellers received 101% of list price, indicating moderate competition, while inventory remained at 3.1 months of supply, giving buyers greater flexibility. New listings rose sharply to 1,057, contributing to the wider selection available in this segment.

Overall, Santa Clara County’s real estate market remains active as we move toward summer. Single-family homes continue to benefit from strong demand, low inventory, and competitive pricing, while condos and townhomes offer a more balanced market with increased inventory and greater opportunities for buyers. Understanding these differences can help buyers and sellers make informed decisions as market conditions continue to evolve.

Every time I write an article about the last month of my personal life, I go back to my photo gallery: only pictures can remind me of everything that happened. Sometimes I think about how it is possible to have so many events in one month, and I really wish to slow down and fully experience some of them. Most of the events you probably saw on social media, so I will write only about those that didn’t make it there.

One of my friends passed away in May. We were not very close, but this event was very emotional for me. She had been fighting cancer for the past ten years, and it was very aggressive, so I knew where it was heading, but still it was unexpected and hard to accept. Her family had a wonderful celebration of her life, and I hope that she can now rest in peace.

A couple of times per year, we get together with my fellow knitters and crocheters from the One Warm Scarf group. We knit and crochet scarves, hats, blankets, booties, and other things and donate them to shelters and hospitals. As usual, we got together in my office for coffee and tea and had a great time. Knitting is a necessity for me: I knit when I need to relax or, on the contrary, concentrate and think about something important. Recently I bought a huge lot of yarn and donated most of it to our group. Together we will make more warm things for people.

My daughter-in-law is a wonderful artist! Together with a small group of students, she was selected by a chief of an Indian tribe in the Santa Cruz area to participate in a project where they drew local plants used as medicine for centuries. Their drawings were displayed at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, and we went to see the exhibition. Amazing, detailed work! And besides the museum, I spent a wonderful time with my friends walking along the ocean and tasting wine at Bargetto Winery.

And I was working a lot getting a house ready for sale in Sunnyvale. My client is selling her mother’s house where she lived for 35 years, so there was a lot of work. We sorted things out to save the most valuable pieces, donated, recycled, purged, cleaned, and planted the garden. And then my crew renovated, fixed, painted, cleaned, staged, etc. I know I don’t have to do it personally, but I felt that my client needed support and physical help, so I went to the house multiple times. Now the house is on the market, and soon it will be a turned page for my client, and I am glad that I could help make this happen for her.

One more student is done with university! My lovely daughter-in-law just graduated from UC Santa Cruz! She is probably excited to be done with this chapter and scared for the next one, but this is an achievement, and we are happy for her! So, if you have any job for her in the biology field, let me know.

Ok, I am soon leaving for a short vacation to places I’ve never been. I will tell you more in my next newsletter. Have a wonderful summer!

Always yours,
Irina