Los Gatos
Los Gatos spans valley floor and mountain, and the two halves behave like separate markets.
The Numbers
Los Gatos market snapshot
| Measure | July 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median sale price — single-family re-sale homes | $2,700,000 |
| Average days on market | 34 |
| Homes sold | 31 |
| Year over year | +0.7% |
| Median year built (ACS 2020–2024) | 1972 |
| One-unit detached share | 57.7% |
Price, days on market and sales count: MLSListings, Inc. via rereport.com, July 2026, single-family re-sale homes. Days on market is published as an average, not a median, and measures list date to contract rather than to close. Housing-stock figures where shown are US Census ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. Figures change monthly — ask me for the current month before making a decision on them.
Housing stock
Median year built 1972, 57.7% detached. Downtown and the Almond Grove area hold older housing on small lots under historic-district considerations; the hillside parcels off Highway 17 and Shannon Road bring septic systems, private roads, shared driveway agreements and fire hazard zone designation. Confirm road maintenance agreements early — they surface late and complicate closings.
Getting around
Highway 17 is the primary route over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Santa Cruz County, and Highway 9 climbs west toward Saratoga. Los Gatos Creek Trail runs the length of the town. Highway 85 meets 17 at the northern edge.
What Prop 19 means for a longtime Los Gatos owner
Los Gatos is one of the most common origin points for a move over the hill to Santa Cruz County. That move used to mean losing a low tax base; since Prop 19, an owner 55 or older can carry it across the county line. Trading down from a $2.7M hillside home to a coastal single-level property is exactly the scenario the law was written for.
If you are 55 or older you can carry your existing property-tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times. Read the Prop 19 guide, or run your net proceeds to see what a sale actually leaves you.
Selling here
Hillside sellers should resolve septic status before listing. Santa Cruz County's point-of-sale septic rules do not apply here, but Santa Clara County lenders and buyers still scrutinise on-site systems closely.
Straight about the numbers: the figures above are transcribed from the sources named, for the month named. They describe a market, not your house. Condition, location within the city, lot and timing move an individual sale far more than a median does. Nothing here is legal or tax advice — your attorney and CPA have the final word.
What’s your Los Gatos home worth?
A median tells you about the market. It doesn’t tell you about your house. Send me the address and I’ll put together a real analysis by hand — genuinely comparable sales near you, condition adjustments, and an honest range. If it’s not a good moment to sell, I’ll say so.
Thinking about selling in Los Gatos?
A What's-Next Consultation covers your realistic value, your net after taxes, your Prop 19 options and the sequence that protects them. A conversation, not a pitch.
Book a What's-Next Consultation