The Hidden Housing Market Myth That Could Cost Palo Alto Buyers
Timothy Alston | Broker
Aegis Luxury Real Estate · DRE# 01328224
Published
September 28, 2020
University town, global influence
The Palo Alto housing market is not just recovering from the disruptions of recent years. According to data from First American, Fannie Mae, and the National Association of Realtors, the broader housing market is on pace to beat last year’s total home sales volume, with some forecasts projecting gains of 8% to 12% in the year ahead. If you have been waiting on the sidelines, that number is worth sitting with for a moment.
You know how it goes. You hear enough uncertainty in the news and you start to wonder if waiting is the safer play. And then another month passes, and you are still in the same spot, watching prices and asking yourself when the “right time” actually arrives. A lot of buyers and sellers in Palo Alto are living inside that exact loop right now. But here is the part most people have not stopped to think about yet: what if waiting is not the cautious move? What if it is the costly one?
What Does the Housing Market Actually Look Like Right Now?
Think back to when experts were predicting a 15 to 20 percent collapse in real estate transactions. What actually happened? Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, described it plainly: the housing market was the only major industry to show something close to immunity from the economic shocks that followed. He called it a strong V-shaped recovery, one that pushed activity past pre-pandemic levels entirely.
What does that tell you about how this market behaves under pressure? Does that change how you are thinking about your own timeline?
The Economic and Strategic Research Group at Fannie Mae upgraded its forecast for home sales, noting that existing home sales jumped to a pace not seen since 2006. Their projection: total home sales for the tracked period came in approximately 1.3% higher than the prior year. The National Association of Realtors projected existing-home sales to reach 5.4 million annually, representing a 1.1% gain compared to the year before. And their forward-looking number was even more striking: an 8 to 12 percent increase expected in the following year.
If the housing market was already outperforming expectations under difficult conditions, what do you think happens when conditions stabilize?
Have You Stopped to Think About What Waiting Is Actually Costing You?
Here is a question worth sitting with. If home sales volume is climbing, and buyer demand in markets like Palo Alto continues to absorb available inventory, what happens to your negotiating position the longer you wait? Does it get stronger, or does it quietly erode?
A lot of buyers assume that more time equals more options. But in a market where listing prices tend to hold firm and days on market stay low, more time can simply mean watching the same homes sell to someone else at a price you could have paid six months ago.
What would it mean for you if, a few years from now, you had built significant equity in a home you already loved living in? That is not a hypothetical outcome. That is what happens when someone buys into a market that continues to outperform, rather than waiting for a correction that leading economists are not projecting.
How long have you been thinking about this decision? And what is that delay actually costing you in equity, stability, and options?
The Housing Market Numbers That Are Hard to Ignore
CoreLogic President and CEO Frank Martell put it directly: the housing economy remains rock solid despite significant economic disruption. That is not promotional language. That is a measured assessment from someone whose company tracks property values, home equity, and market risk at a national scale.
Homes in Palo Alto sit within one of the most consistently competitive submarkets in Santa Clara County. Buyer demand here does not move the same way it does in more volatile regions. Pre-approval timelines, offer strategy, and the ability to move quickly on a listing matter more here than almost anywhere else in the country. Are you positioned to act when the right home comes up, or would you still need several weeks to get your financing in order?
The housing market data points in one direction. Existing sales beat last year’s numbers. New sales forecasts were upgraded, not downgraded. Forward projections call for continued growth. If you are waiting for the market to signal that it is time, it is worth asking: what would that signal actually look like to you?
Can you see how someone who acts on solid data, rather than waiting for certainty that may never fully arrive, ends up in a very different position five years from now?
What the Path Forward Could Look Like for You
Based on what buyers in the Palo Alto homes for sale market are navigating right now, the conversation usually starts in the same place: understanding what you can actually afford, what your timeline genuinely looks like, and whether the numbers work for your specific situation. Not a generic situation. Yours.
That is a very different conversation than a sales pitch. It is a straightforward look at where you are, where you want to be, and whether the current housing market creates a window that fits your life. It might. It might not. But you probably will not know until you have that conversation.
Do you feel like this could be the moment you have been waiting for? If so, the next step is simple. Reach out to Timothy Alston, licensed Broker at Aegis Luxury Real Estate, at (408) 207-4593. No pressure, no pitch. Just a clear look at what the housing market means for your situation, and how you would like to proceed from there.
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Broker · DRE# 01328224
Aegis Luxury Real Estate
Harvard Business School Online, Certified Master Negotiation
23+ Years Silicon Valley Real Estate Experience
Retired Military Veteran
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The data relating to real estate for sale on this display comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the MLSListings™ MLS system. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Aegis Luxury Real Estate are marked with the Internet Data Exchange icon and detailed information about them includes the names of the listing brokers and listing agents.
Based on information from the MLSListings MLS as of July 3, 2026. All data, including all measurements and calculations of area, is obtained from various sources and has not been, and will not be, verified by broker or MLS. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.
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Aegis Luxury Real Estate · Timothy Alston, Broker, DRE# 01328224 · 10080 N. Wolfe Rd Ste SW3-200, Cupertino CA 95014 · (408) 207-4593
Last updated: July 03, 2026 | Data reflects July 2026 MLS statistics
