YOUR GUIDE TO THE MARKET, HOMES & LOCAL LIFE | 24 — September

Guiding you home with Aloha

Opening the Right Doors, Not Just Any Door

The good news this week is that our local market is still holding pretty steady.

We are not seeing some dramatic shift one way or the other. New listings, price reductions, pendings and closings are all moving in a familiar rhythm, and heading into the fall buying window, that kind of steadiness can actually be helpful.

It gives buyers a little more room to think, and it gives sellers a clearer picture of what the market is asking from them right now.

I thought this was interesting.

Realtor.com looked at eight years of housing data and found that the week of September 27 through October 3 is the strongest national buying window for 2026.

Why?

Because buyers tend to get a little more of everything they want at the same time: more homes to choose from, less competition, more days to make a decision, and prices running below their seasonal high.

Nationally, buyers shopping that week could see nearly 32% more listings than in January, competition down about 30% from its peak, homes sitting roughly two weeks longer than during the fastest part of the year, and listing prices around 3.5% below their seasonal high.

That is about $14,000 on a median-priced home.

Now, that does not mean every home suddenly goes on sale next week.

What it does mean is that buyers may finally get a little breathing room.

More choices.

A little more time.

And maybe a better chance to talk about price, credits, repairs or terms instead of just trying to beat everyone else to the door.

And if Santa Clara County is part of your search, the timing is a little different.

For the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara market, the stronger seasonal window comes later, October 18 through October 24.

So if you are looking on both sides of the hill, you may actually have two different windows worth paying attention to.

I do not look at this as a one-week deadline.

I look at it as a reminder to get ready.

Know your payment. Know the neighborhoods you are open to. Know what matters enough for you to act.

Then when the right home shows up, you are ready to make a smart decision.

 CATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO

There is a lot of noise around rates right now, so I want to keep this part simple.

The rate you see in the headline is not always the payment you end up with.

Temporary rate buydowns, seller credits, adjustable-rate options and different loan structures can all change the monthly number.

That does not mean stretching yourself to make something work.

It means having the full conversation before deciding something is out of reach.

If buying is something you are considering this fall, this is a really good time to sit down with a lender and run the numbers again.

Even if you did it a few months ago.

Things change, programs change, and sometimes the right structure makes a bigger difference than people expect.

And there is so much happening around town this weekend.

Saturday is packed.

Taste of Soquel is happening with local food, wine, brews and live music.

Up in Boulder Creek, the Santa Cruz Mountain Harvest Festival is bringing live music, vendors and that fun mountain-town feel.

Duck Island Music Festival is happening at San Lorenzo Park, and the Capitola Beach Festival runs all weekend in the Village.

Then Sunday morning, the Santa Cruz Triathlon kicks off from the Wharf — a hometown tradition since 1983.

And if you want something quieter, Quail Hollow Ranch has a free history tour Sunday afternoon.

Honestly, this is one of those weekends that reminds me why people work so hard to stay here.

Food, music, beach, mountains, community — all in one weekend.

That is the part of real estate we can forget sometimes.

We are not just buying houses.

We are buying into a life.

The Spirit of Aloha Real Estate



Opening the Right Doors, Not Just Any Door

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Disclaimer : Market statistics are for single-family homes. Weekly medians can fluctuate depending on which properties are closed. Townhomes and condominiums are not included.

Data sources: MLS Listings Inc. and Altos Research,