Eaton Elementary, Lawson Middle, Cupertino High listings have been in low supply, so the listings that have been put on the market have all sold quickly.   The exact numbers are: Actives (3 listings with average days on market = 23) Pendings (6 listings with average days on market = 11) Solds in past 90 days (7 listings with average days on market = 10)   The pendings and solds in the past 90 days show that a normal listing in the Eaton Elementary, Lawson Middle, Cupertino High neighborhoods sells after just 10 or 11 days on the market.   The actives are 3 listings that each have some property that makes them harder to sell.   6397 Myrtlewood Drive 20237 Bollinger Road is on a busy street. 10201 Nile Drive is a top floor condo unit. The 6 pending listings are equally spread out in the E... 05/11/2012

Zillow home values lag the real market.   When prices are dropping, Zillow Zestimates don't drop soon enough. When prices are rising Zillow Zestimate don't rise soon enough.   Right now prices are rising in the good school districts of Silicon Valley, so Zillow Zestimates are too low.  A Zestimate is just a prediction of the market value.  However, the true market value is what a willing buyer willingly paid to a willing seller for the house.    For 10791 Brookwell Drive, Zillow shows a Zestimate of $875,000.  However, on the open market, this house sold for $938,000.  The actual sales price, and thus market value, was 7% above Zillow.  Zillow is behind.  Zillow underestimates the actual market value by 7% in this Castlewood neighborhood right now.   Assuming Zillow's formula is offset ... 05/11/2012

Case Study Cupertino Castlewood Neighborhood up 20% over mid 2005 prices Many people say that during a real estate downturn, houses in good school districts keep their values better.  Rather than simply trust this logic, I performed a Case Study.    People say that sometimes statistics are manipulated by cherry-picking statistics that show their intended viewpoint.  For instance, data might show housing prices in Sunnyvale increasing by 35%, but maybe that upward shift in prices is simply because more homes are being sold in the more expensive southern part of Sunnyvale rather than the less expensive northern part of Sunnyvale.   To avoid the scenario above, I had to concentrate on one specific neighborhood.  I chose the Cupertino Castlewood Neighborhood.  This is the quiet neighborhood... 05/11/2012