Roadmap with Irina - May 2026

Single-family homes in Santa Clara County remained highly active this month. The median sales price reached $2.10 million, lower than last year but still strong compared to 2024, reflecting steady demand despite some pricing adjustments. There were 837 closed sales, nearly matching last year’s pace and continuing the strong spring activity we’ve seen across the county. Homes are moving quickly, averaging just 16 days on market, and sellers are receiving 105% of list price, showing continued buyer competition. Inventory remained relatively tight at 1.7 months of supply, even as 1,426 new listings came to market, giving buyers more choices while keeping the market competitive. Overall, the single-family segment continues to favor sellers this spring.

The condo and townhome market also remained active, though conditions continue to be more balanced compared to single-family homes. The median sales price reached $1.10 million, higher than last year and in line with stronger spring demand. There were 319 closed sales, slightly below last year’s level, while homes averaged 32 days on market, noticeably slower than the single-family segment. Sellers received 102% of list price, indicating moderate competition, while inventory increased to 3.2 months of supply, giving buyers more flexibility and negotiating room. New listings rose significantly to 1,027, contributing to a more balanced and active market environment for condos and townhomes.

Overall, Santa Clara County’s real estate market remains firmly in its spring cycle. Single-family homes continue to see strong demand, fast sales, and competitive pricing, while condos and townhomes are gaining momentum but remain more balanced, offering buyers additional opportunities.

The last month happened to be full of different events and activities. Let me tell you about them.

The Cherry Blossom Festival, where I have had a booth together with Yamagami Garden Center for three years in a row, was one of the highlights. Saturday was gloomy and rainy, but we still had great attendance, lots of prizes for everyone, and many fun activities. It is always a very tiring event, and I would never be able to do it alone, so I am very grateful to my assistant Lisa, who did the majority of the prep work, and to a group of teenage girls who added lots of energy to the event and made it run smoothly.

We also had an e-waste and shredding event at my office in Los Altos. There were about 200 cars with all types of electronics and paper that people wanted to get rid of. It was a crazy three hours of work, but the most rewarding part came afterward. We had the most relaxing happy hour at a local restaurant with some of the hardest working people in our office.

I also invited a group of my friends and past clients to the planetarium at De Anza College for a relaxing journey through the stars and galaxies. It was wonderful to see people I hadn’t seen in a while and reconnect with them. The astronaut ice cream was a fun treat after the show.

But the most unexpectedly enjoyable events for me were the four musicals my daughter and I attended. It was like a musical boot camp for me, since I don’t go to the theater very often. The first two were picked by my daughter, and I had no idea where I was going or what I was about to see and hear.

“Dear Evan Hansen,” performed by CMT San Jose, featured a great story, beautiful voices, and an outstanding performance. And the cherry on top was seeing my daughter’s face on the screen as one of the participants in the story! I was very emotional and loved it from beginning to end.

“Hadestown,” the classic story of Orpheus and Eurydice based on the Broadway production, was performed at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, which is already a perfect setting for a musical. I expected a boring play, but it turned out to be spectacular! I loved everything: the beautiful voices, the jazzy music, and the costumes. People were crying around me at the end. I even allowed my daughter to skip school for this, and it was completely worth it.

The next musical we attended was “Come From Away” at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. My wonderful friend invited us (thank you, Sveta!), and again, I didn’t know the story behind it, so I went in with an open mind. It was a wonderful musical, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It turned out that this was the final performance, and the actors came out on stage afterward so the audience could ask questions. It was fascinating to learn more about the rehearsals, personal stories related to the musical, and the challenges the actors faced.

The last musical my daughter and I attended was “Chess,” also performed by CMT San Jose. This time it was my idea to go. About 30 years ago, I listened to the rock opera “Chess,” and I was curious whether this musical was based on the same story (it was!). My daughter was not excited to go (“Russians against Americans, how boring!"), but she came anyway. And we both loved it! The costumes, voices, acting, and music were outstanding. I couldn’t get over the fact that the actors were teenagers and were so good on stage. My daughter was so impressed that she wanted her friends to see the musical and bought tickets for them to the next show during intermission.

I hope you were also busy and had tons of interesting things to do last month. Hopefully, next month will be more relaxing for me, so I can catch my breath and enjoy the summer.
Have an amazing rest of May!

Always yours,
Irina