January Jobs Report

 

130,000 new jobs added — more than double what economists predicted (around 55,000).
That kind of upside surprise matters — especially for housing. Confidence drives real  estate decisions. When job growth beats expectations, more people feel secure making real-life moves — buying, selling, relocating, or finally upsizing or downsizing instead of staying stuck.Here’s the affordability tailwind I like to pair with that news: Redfin’s 2026 outlook projects wages growing faster than home prices (about 4% wage growth vs. roughly 1% home-price growth).
That’s one of the healthiest ways affordability improves — not overnight, but steadily and sustainably.
If you’d like the local breakdown for Santa Cruz County or Santa Clara County, message me your neighborhood + price range and I’ll share what I’m seeing on the ground.