Roadmap with Irina - March 2024

Hi Iren, 

Since Super Bowl Sunday, the real estate market in Santa Clara County has turned into an active spring market. Every property now receives multiple offers and sells for over the listing price. I've heard of a fixer-upper in Cambrian that was sold with 83 offers (!) for an unbelievable price for the neighborhood. I'm not sure if I'm happy for the winning buyers; they need to spend money on renovations, and it will take some time for the market to catch up with the sale price, but it definitely set a new threshold for the next listings in the area.

Let’s take a look at the statistics below. The real estate market in Santa Clara County has bounced back almost to the level of February 2022. The median sale price went up by 5.8% for single-family homes, and the number of sold homes increased by 25% since January of this year. The median price for condos and townhouses didn’t change much, but the condo market has become very active with 60% more condos sold since January. As of today, there are a total of 1,231 homes for sale on the market, including 326 homes that agents have announced are coming soon, and I am sure there are more coming.

There is a huge buzz in the real estate world about the recent legal case against the National Association of Realtors. There are lots of details, but the main thing is that buyers and sellers want more clarity about agent compensation and who pays the commission. Sellers might choose to offer commission to buyer agents, and they might not, so in this case, buyers will need to pay their agents. If you think for a moment, buyers always paid their agents, but the commission was baked into the sale price. Now they might pay less for the house and compensate their agent separately. There will be changes in the process of working with buyers, but in my opinion, it is all for the good. Time will show how it changes the industry. Ping me if you want to know the details.

We are just a few days away from the end of Q1 of this year, and as you can see, it’s a very active real estate market now. Let’s see what unfolds in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

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.

Every woman who grew up in the Soviet Union knows how to sew. I started sewing in school during our housekeeping classes, and as far as I can remember, my first project was a kitchen apron. It was a simple item, but I was fascinated by the idea of transforming a piece of fabric into something useful. While I didn't aspire to become a fashion designer, learning to sew proved to be an invaluable skill. My sister, on the contrary, pursued sewing professionally. She became a skilled tailor, crafting many beautiful garments, including her own wedding dress, and continues to impress her clients with her craftsmanship.

During high school, I made my own clothes, from simple skirts to jackets and coats. The 80s and 90s were challenging times, and having the ability to create clothing was incredibly practical. My garments were not professionally done, but I made them myself and I was super proud of that. In university, I befriended someone with a similar hobby, and we often sewed and knitted together when time allowed. For our graduation, we designed our own outfits, setting ourselves apart from our peers. When I started working, I didn’t have time for sewing, and actually, I didn’t need to make clothes since I could buy it, so I didn’t touch my sewing machine for a long time.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I couldn’t find decent clothes for my changing body, so I went back to sewing.  I made cool pants, dresses and blouses and looked and felt great at work. Then we moved to the USA where you can find any clothes for every budget, but I still asked my husband for a sewing machine and got it for my birthday. I didn’t make clothes, but I made curtains, decorative pillows, upholstery for outdoor furniture, and things for our kids.

One of my most ambitious projects in recent years was creating costumes for a Russian dance performance. Our elementary school held an International Festival, and a few moms and our children decided to represent Russia. Given the expense of purchasing costumes for everyone, we opted to make them ourselves. Over two months, I crafted dresses and blouses for four girls and two moms. Although exhausting, the end result was impressive, and our performance was a hit. You can view our performance and costumes HERE.

After that costume madness, I didn’t sew for a long time, and then I made a few face masks at the beginning of the pandemic and gave away most of them. And last month I had a chance to refresh my sewing skills. My youngest daughter is in drama class in Monta Vista school, and they needed some help with their costumes for the new play that they are working on. So, I pulled out my sewing machine and helped them with pants, a dress, and bonnets, and now I can say that I had my part in the play too. 

Sewing is not my strongest talent, but this is a skill that can be very handy sometimes.  

Always yours, 
Irina