Speed has improved, but that does not excuse dreamy pricing or a shrug around risk.
Thinking about listing and wondering if this is your moment to come out swinging or sit tight? My answer is simple list with discipline, not delusion. In Los Altos Hills, CA, a typical sale took 51 days over the previous 30 days, which is faster than 80 days a year earlier, so the market is giving serious listings a better shot than it did before.
That quicker pace matters, but I would not confuse improvement with a blank check. Last month, 5 homes sold compared with 3 a year earlier, while the typical sale price was $5,300,000, down 1.8% from the prior year. That combination tells me buyers are still showing up in Los Altos Hills, CA, yet they are not rewarding overpricing just because the gate is fancy.
The pressure point for a seller is value perception. Typical pricing by size was $1,270 last month, down 9.3% from a year earlier, and pricing by size has been described as flat since early 2023. Add the very real wildfire exposure, with 87% of properties at risk recently, and I see a market where presentation and pricing have to work harder than ego usually wants them to.
I would price from the evidence, not from dinner-party mythology. Bring insurance details forward early and remove easy objections before they become deal killers. Make the home's condition and lot utility obvious fast, because buyers will compare every Los Altos Hills, CA option against a market that is moving again, just not blindly.
