Blog > Condo and Townhome Features Ranked: What Silicon Valley Buyers Pay More For (2026)
Condo and Townhome Features Ranked: What Silicon Valley Buyers Pay More For (2026)
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Which condo and townhome features do Silicon Valley buyers pay more for? We read the listing descriptions of all 11,820 condos and townhouses sold in 31 Silicon Valley cities in the two years to October 27, 2026 (7,417 condos, 4,403 townhouses) and compared each sale’s price per square foot with the typical condo or townhouse in the same city. Here are 20 features, ranked.
The short answer
- Biggest premiums: single-level (+12%), detached, no shared walls (+11%) and new construction (+6%).
- Within 1% of the typical unit: 12 of the 20, including top floor, end unit, corner or end unit, in-unit laundry, remodeled, gym or fitness room and pool (usually the community’s). No feature went with a discount of more than 1%.
- Typical sale: condos median $750K ($707 per sq ft), townhouses median $1.29M ($838 per sq ft); 42% of all sold over asking.
Next steps
- Search homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- HOA Lab: what the monthly dues add to the cost, live from the MLS.
- Talk to a Property Nerd about what you’re weighing.
Every feature, ranked
Price per square foot against the median for the same type in the same city, highest first. Features with at least 50 sales.
| # | Feature | Counted for | $/sq ft vs. its city | Sales | Median price | Sold over asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single-level | Townhomes | +12% | 218 | $1.25M | 62% |
| 2 | Detached, no shared walls | Both | +11% | 75 | $1.23M | 59% |
| 3 | New construction | Both | +6% | 493 | $1.38M | 36% |
| 4 | Solar | Both | +4% | 275 | $1.3M | 47% |
| 5 | EV charging | Both | +3% | 971 | $1.23M | 44% |
| 6 | Pet-friendly | Both | +3% | 200 | $753K | 49% |
| 7 | Two-car garage | Both | +2% | 3,194 | $1.25M | 53% |
| 8 | Air conditioning | Both | +2% | 2,666 | $990K | 47% |
| 9 | Ground floor | Condos | +1% | 427 | $665K | 36% |
| 10 | Attached or private garage | Both | +1% | 1,867 | $1.13M | 51% |
| 11 | Top floor | Condos | +1% | 1,210 | $790K | 35% |
| 12 | End unit | Townhomes | ±0% | 1,081 | $1.33M | 66% |
| 13 | Corner or end unit | Condos | ±0% | 1,331 | $779K | 34% |
| 14 | In-unit laundry | Both | ±0% | 3,240 | $829K | 43% |
| 15 | View | Both | ±0% | 805 | $930K | 39% |
| 16 | Remodeled | Both | ±0% | 1,191 | $880K | 44% |
| 17 | Gym or fitness room | Both | ±0% | 2,474 | $764K | 33% |
| 18 | Elevator in the building | Condos | −1% | 659 | $820K | 35% |
| 19 | Main-floor bedroom | Townhomes | −1% | 496 | $1.41M | 59% |
| 20 | Pool (usually the community’s) | Both | −1% | 4,920 | $810K | 39% |
In-unit laundry
27% of sales (3,240); most in San Jose (1,137), San Mateo (270), Sunnyvale (257), Mountain View (224) and Santa Clara (212).
An attached or private garage
16% of sales (1,867); most in San Jose (693), Sunnyvale (225), Mountain View (134), Santa Clara (89) and San Mateo (78).
Air conditioning
23% of sales (2,666); most in San Jose (1,125), Sunnyvale (274), Santa Clara (192), Mountain View (188) and Milpitas (124).
Reading it right
- Associated with, not caused by. A garage or in-unit laundry often comes with a newer or larger building; the city-and-type comparison takes location and condo-vs.-townhouse out, not the rest.
- Price per square foot favors smaller homes, which is part of why some features show a discount.
- The complex matters most. Dues, reserves, rules and the building’s condition move prices more than any one feature. Read the HOA documents before you write an offer.
How we counted
Closed sales of condominiums and townhouses (MLS property types “condo” and “townhouse”) between October 28, 2024 and October 27, 2026 in 31 cities of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, reported to the MLS and read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with repeat records from different feeds removed (address with unit number, plus sale date). A home counts when its listing description says so, so the true number is higher than shown. “vs. its city” compares each sale’s price per square foot with the median for the same type (condo or townhouse) in its own city (city and type groups with at least 20 sales). Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
Go deeper
See end-unit townhomes and top-floor condos and new-construction townhomes and condos from the same sales. See also condo and townhome prices by neighborhood, the HOA Lab, and for houses, what Silicon Valley buyers pay more for.
Choosing between two condos or townhomes?
A Property Nerd will pull the recent sales closest to the home you’re weighing, in the same complex where there are any, and show you what buyers paid. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.