Homes Sales in Santa Clara Country Hit 4-Year High

This past March has seen the most home sales in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties in four years. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury, sales were up 4 and 5% in the respective counties  since March last year.

However, prices remain lower in these counties. “The median price for a single-family home in Santa Clara County was $528,000, down 4 percent; the median sales price in San Mateo County was $595,000, down 15 percent from a year ago,” said the Mercury.

South Bay sales were greater than Bay Area sales as a whole, with a 1.9% increase in home sales.
Foreclosure sales made up 31.5 percent of Bay Area resale transactions. Short sales — at prices less than the value of the mortgage on a home — made up 17.6 percent of the market.

The president of Dataquick, which measured these results, said “The housing market has certainly moved well back from the abyss of two years ago… [but] The big issue continues to be mortgage financing, which is still problematic for many potential borrowers.”