Millennial Homebuyer Activity Climbs to Record High

For the fifth straight year, millennials are the most active U.S. homebuyers, accounting for 36 percent of sales. More than half of millennials bought a home in a suburban community, and 85 percent opted for a single-family structure. Nearly half of millennials carry student loans, with a median debt of $27,000. Millennials remain the most active U.S. homebuyers, though tight inventory conditions, strong price growth,...

Five Bay Area Counties Surpass All-Time Home Price Highs in February

The median sales price for a single-family home in the nine-county Bay Area was $893,690 in February, an annual gain of nearly 14 percent. Home prices rose by double-digit percentage points in seven of nine Bay Area counties from February 2017. The median sales price surpassed its previous peak in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, and Sonoma counties. The Bay Area posted double-digit...

Real Estate Roundup: Prefab Homes Help to Speed Wine Country Wildfire Recovery

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious. MANY SONOMA COUNTY WILDFIRE VICTIMS REBUILDING WITH MANUFACTURED HOMES Although it may take Wine Country housing markets years to replace all the homes lost during October’s devastating wildfires, some residents are expediting the rebuilding process with prefabricated homes. The New York Times reports on the trend, having interviewed several Sonoma...

Fairs, Festivals, and More: The Best Bay Area and Lake Tahoe Spring Events

San Francisco’s Carnaval will be held in the Mission District in late May. We don’t know about you, but we always look forward to spring in the Bay Area, which officially begins next week. The whole region comes alive with a variety of festivals, fairs, and events. Below, we’ve compiled a selection of exciting events from each of our Northern California regions, including Lake Tahoe....

San Francisco Is the No. 1 U.S. Housing Market for Millionaire Buyers

Households that earn $1 million-plus per year bought more homes in the San Francisco metropolitan area than anywhere else in America in 2016, accounting for nearly 2 percent of transactions. San Rafael ranks as the third most-popular U.S. housing market for millionaires, who purchased 1.34 percent of homes in the region. Other top housing markets for $1 million-plus earners include Los Angeles, Anaheim, Salinas, San...

East Bay City Again Claims America’s Happiest Residents in 2018

Eight of the top 20 U.S. cities where residents are happiest are in California. For the second year in a row, Alameda County’s Fremont is home to the happiest people in the nation. San Jose ranks as the third most content city in America. California cities account for nearly half of the nation’s happiest 20 places to call home, with an Alameda County community taking...

Pacific Union’s February 2018 Real Estate Update

February’s median sales price rose by double-digit percentage points year over year in five of Pacific Union’s Bay Area regions, with appreciation topping 30 percent for single-family homes in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Click on the image accompanying each of our regions below for an expanded look at local real estate activity in February. For a more detailed examination of current Bay Area housing...

Video: February Bay Area Home Sales Report

Check out this short animation on Bay Area February home sales activity. To read the full analysis by Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp, click here.  

Bay Area Luxury Home Sales Doubled in February

Executive Summary: Sales of Bay Area homes priced above $3 million doubled in February, with most local regions posting large gains. Sales of homes priced higher than $1 million also continued to grow. Regionally, East Bay sales slowed, while Silicon Valley and the Wine Country saw more sales this February. The Bay Area median price jumped another 16 percent year over year, though high-end sales...