Real Estate Roundup: Silicon Valley Home Prices Soar in the Fourth Quarter

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious. HOME PRICES HIT NEW PEAKS IN TWO-THIRDS OF U.S. REAL ESTATE MARKETS More than 90 percent of U.S. housing markets saw annual price growth in the fourth quarter, with the San Jose metropolitan area leading the country for appreciation. That’s according to the National Association of Realtors’...

International Property Awards Names Pacific Union World’s Best Real Estate Brokerage

Pacific Union is pleased to announce that esteemed global organization International Property Awards has named our firm as 2017-2018 World’s Best Real Estate Agency Over 20 Offices. Based in London and now in their 25th year, the International Property Awards honor the most elite levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry. The global...

San Francisco Again Ranks as the Healthiest U.S. City in 2018

San Francisco tops a list of the nation’s healthiest cities for the second year in a row. The city ranks. No. 1 in the country for both healthy eating habits and green spaces. Fremont, San Jose, and Oakland all rank in the top 25 for health-consciousness in 2018. Access to plenty of green spaces and healthy eating habits have helped propel San Francisco to the top of a list of the he...

California, Bay Area Housing Affordability Declines on an Annual Basis

Twenty-nine percent of Golden State households could afford to buy the median-priced $550,990 single-family home in the fourth quarter, up slightly from the third quarter but down from one year earlier. About one in five households in the nine-county Bay Area could afford to purchase the median-priced $895,000 home, down on both a quarterly and annual basis. San Francisco is California̵...

Pacific Union’s January 2018 Real Estate Update

The median sales price rose on an annual basis in January in every Bay Area region in which Pacific Union operates except Napa County, while the Mid-Peninsula was the only region to see inventory conditions improve. Click on the image accompanying each of our regions below for an expanded look at local real estate activity in January. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY The median sales price in Contra Cost...

Bay Area January Home Sales Slow, Not Because of Financial Volatility but Lack of Supply

Executive Summary: January Bay Area home sales were down by 12 percent on an annual basis, following the lowest inventory levels in three years. Silicon Valley posted the largest sales decline, though decreases in all areas were driven by fewer home sales below $1 million. Sales of homes priced between $1 million and $3 million were stronger than the year before. Homes priced above $3 mill...

Video: January Bay Area Home Sales

Check out this short animation on January Bay Area housing market conditions. To read the full analysis by Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp, click here.  

Say What? A Guide to Real Estate Lingo

The process of shopping for and purchasing a home is a unique experience. In fact, while house hunting, you may hear words and phrases that you have not heard before, and they may seem vague or confusing. Below, we’ve collected a few commonly used words and phrases, along with their descriptions as they relate to the world of real estate. And remember, your real estate professional can...

Most Americans Aspire to Homeownership

About 80 percent of non-homeowners hope to eventually purchase property and think it is a crucial part of the American dream. Two-thirds of Americans say that they would have some level of difficulty saving for a down payment. More than half of non-homeowners point to an inability to afford one as the primary reason they do not own property. More than eight in 10 renters hope to become hom...