A recent inquiry about why our team should be hired to buy or sell a home prompted us to share our response with you. Instead of simply providing our usual market report, we thought it might be helpful to explain why so many sellers (and buyers) choose us as their professional real estate agents.

One of the main reasons is our deep expertise in the local market. While information is easy to find in today’s world, our value lies in our ability to analyze and interpret that data, and more importantly, to include insights that are not publicly available. We know every sale that has occurred, including those not listed for public sale. With this intimate knowledge, we offer more than just an understanding of the home’s features – we know the nuances of each neighborhood and, often, the history of individual properties. Having lived in this area for years and having sold many homes, we are true experts here.

Considering selling? We are here to guide you and if you are buying, we would love to have a conversation with you about some new rules that were just implemented regarding the relationship between a buyer and an agent. Call us any time. 

Now, let’s take a brief look at what happened this past month. Keep in mind, the data we publish only includes publicly listed properties, but we’re always happy to provide information on other sales that may have taken place.

Portola Valley

It was a strong month. There were 16 closed escrows (compared to just 3 in August of last year) plus 11 new listings. Year-over-year, the stats are impressive: new listings up 60%, solds up 73%, median price up 4%, and homes sold much faster. 

Woodside

Sales and listings were almost identical to the same month last year. There were 6 closed escrows plus 12 new listings. Year-over-year, the stats are strong: solds are up 24%, median price is down just 4%, and homes sold much faster. 

Atherton

Sales were down in August compared to August of last year. There were just 4 closed escrows compared to 12 last August and there were 6 new listings. Year-over-year, the stats are impressive: new listings up 8%, solds up 6%, median price unchanged, and homes sold much faster. 

Menlo Park

Sales were pretty much the same as in August of last year. There were 24 closed escrows compared to 26 last August. The number of new listings though dropped in half. Year-over-year, the stats are impressive: new listings up 6%, solds up 19%, median price down just 2%, and homes sold faster. 

Palo Alto

Sales were down slightly compared to August of last year. There were 27 closed escrows compared to 32 last August. The number of new listings though increased significantly with 54 compared to 38 in August of last year. Year-over-year, the stats are impressive: new listings up 12%, solds up 13%, median price up 6%, and homes sold much faster. 

Los Altos & Los Altos Hills

Sales were up in both Los Altos and Los Altos Hills compared to August of last year. The number of new listings remained steady in Los Altos Hills and increased by 35% in Los Altos. Year-over-year, the stats are impressive: In Los Altos, sales are up 26%, prices are up 6%, and homes are selling as quickly as ever. In Los Altos Hills, sales are up a dramatic 43%, prices are up 14%, but homes are taking longer to sell than last year.