In Santa Clara County last month, the typical home sold in 13 days. The average home took 32.
Neither number is wrong. The distance between them is the most useful thing in the July data.
The national story all year has been that inventory is up and buyers have leverage again. Locally, agents keep saying the good listings still go in a weekend. Sellers hear both and can't tell which one describes their house.
They both do — just not to the same house.
Start with the Measure That Hasn't Moved
Months of supply answers one question: at the current pace of sales, how long would it take to sell everything currently listed? Under about three months is conventionally a seller's market; above about six is a buyer's market. Here is July 2026, measured four ways.
Months of supply, July 2026
Lower means tighter supply and more seller leverage.
California's index fell from 3.7 months to 3.4 over the year and the Bay Area's from 2.7 to 2.3. Santa Clara County's did not move: 1.9 months in July 2025, 1.9 months in July 2026. The county's median time on market held at 13 days, also unchanged.
On those measures, nothing has loosened here at all.
Now the Measure That Has
Our own brokerage's July report tells a different half of the story. Across all Santa Clara County property types, new listings were up 14.8% year over year, and the average days on market ran 32, against 26 last July — a 23% increase. That gap has widened every month since spring.
Average days on market, Santa Clara County
All property types. Each month is running longer than the same month last year.
A median of 13 days and an average of 32 describe the same market. They only disagree if you assume homes are selling at roughly the same speed — and they are not.
When the average runs far above the median, it means a long tail: most homes still sell quickly, and a growing minority sit long enough to drag the average up on their own. That is not a market cooling evenly. That is a market separating into two.
You Can See the Split in the Property Type
Same county, same month, two very different experiences:
Property type | Median sale price | Avg. days on market | Closed sales | Avg. $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-family homes | $1.9M | 27 | 704 | $1,184 |
Condos & townhomes | $904K | 42 | 287 | $719 |
Fifteen days apart, in the same market, in the same month. A condo seller and a single-family seller in the same ZIP code are not operating in the same conditions, and pricing them off one countywide number does both a disservice.
The same divergence shows up between cities. Redfin's figures for the three months ending June 2026: Cupertino at a $3,198,260 median, up 8.4% year over year, 15 days on market, closing at 105.2% of list. Saratoga at $4,172,729, essentially flat, 13 days, closing at 101.6%. Sunnyvale at $1,824,007, 13 days, closing at 105.9%.
Note the order. Saratoga is the most expensive of the three and the least bid up. Sunnyvale is the least expensive and the most. Price point and competitive pressure are separate measurements, and treating them as one is how a seller lands on the wrong number.
Why You'll See Two Different Medians for This County
This trips people up, so it is worth stating plainly. For July 2026 you will find Santa Clara County's median sale price reported as $1,955,000 and also as $1.6M. Both are correct.
The California Association of Realtors reports existing single-family detached homes only — that is the $1,955,000, up 2.9% year over year. The KW Bay Area Estates report covers all property types together, single-family plus condos and townhomes — that is the $1.6M, down 0.7%.
When a headline says local prices are falling, check which basket it is measuring. A shift in the mix of what sold — more condos, fewer houses — moves an all-types median without a single home losing value.
What This Means for Your Move
If you are buying in Santa Clara County:
- The leverage is in the tail, not the market. The average listing takes 32 days because some take far longer; those are where terms are negotiable. The 13-day median home is not.
- Anything fresh and well-presented tends to close above asking. In Cupertino and Sunnyvale the average home closed roughly 5% over list, which is worth building into the range you shop in rather than discovering at offer.
- Condos and townhomes are the softer half of this market — 42 average days against 27 for houses. If that is your price point, you have more room than the county headline suggests.
- Full pre-approval before you tour is what lets you write on a short timeline — thirteen days is the median, not the floor. Your lender sets what that takes; I'm happy to point you toward ones who move quickly.
If you are selling in Santa Clara County:
- Price to the first two weeks. The median outcome is decided in 13 days; a reduction on day 35 costs more than pricing correctly on day one.
- Falling sales volume is not falling prices. Closed sales were down 2.8% year over year while total dollar volume rose 1.2%.
- New listings are up 14.8%. More competition arriving means preparation and presentation are doing more work than they were a year ago, not less.
- Use your city's and your property type's numbers, not the county's. A Saratoga house and a Sunnyvale condo are two different markets wearing the same county name.
Bottom Line
Santa Clara County has not tipped to buyers — supply is still 1.9 months and the median home still sells in under two weeks. But the market is no longer uniform. Well-priced, well-prepared homes are moving as fast as they ever did, while everything else is sitting longer than it did a year ago, and the average is being pulled along with it.
Which of those two markets your home is in depends on price, property type, city and preparation. If you're weighing a move in Cupertino, Saratoga, Sunnyvale or anywhere in Santa Clara County, let's look at where yours actually sits.
