Blog > End-Unit Townhomes and Top-Floor Condos in Silicon Valley: Do They Cost More? (2026)
End-Unit Townhomes and Top-Floor Condos in Silicon Valley: Do They Cost More? (2026)
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Is an end-unit townhome worth more? Do top-floor condos sell for a premium? From the listing descriptions of all 11,820 condos and townhouses sold in 31 Silicon Valley cities in the two years to October 27, 2026: 1,081 townhouses were described as end units, 1,210 condos as top-floor and 427 as ground-floor.
The short answer
- End-unit townhomes: median $1.33M, about the same per square foot as the typical townhouse in the same city; 66% sold over asking (other townhouses: 54%).
- Top-floor condos: median $790K, 1% more per square foot than the typical condo in the same city; 35% sold over asking.
- Ground-floor condos: median $665K, 1% more per square foot than the typical condo; 36% 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.
End-unit townhomes, city by city
Cities with at least 10 end-unit sales. “vs. city” compares price per square foot with the median for all townhouses in that city.
| City | Townhouse sales | End units | Share | Median price | $/sq ft vs. city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 1,364 | 322 | 24% | $1.05M | 1% more |
| Sunnyvale | 662 | 187 | 28% | $1.45M | 2% more |
| Mountain View | 418 | 154 | 37% | $1.55M | about the same |
| Santa Clara | 299 | 67 | 22% | $1.38M | 2% less |
| Milpitas | 251 | 45 | 18% | $1.2M | 1% less |
| San Mateo | 171 | 41 | 24% | $1.49M | 1% more |
| Cupertino | 134 | 36 | 27% | $1.36M | 6% more |
| Foster City | 139 | 34 | 24% | $1.42M | 3% less |
| Campbell | 129 | 32 | 25% | $1.33M | 1% more |
| Los Gatos | 173 | 28 | 16% | $1.66M | 1% less |
| Palo Alto | 90 | 23 | 26% | $1.91M | about the same |
| Menlo Park | 82 | 21 | 26% | $2.25M | 4% more |
| Los Altos | 41 | 18 | 44% | $1.78M | 3% less |
| Redwood City | 81 | 18 | 22% | $1.24M | 1% less |
| San Carlos | 47 | 15 | 32% | $1.65M | 5% less |
| Morgan Hill | 131 | 12 | 9% | $965K | 1% less |
Top-floor and ground-floor condos, city by city
Cities with at least 10 of either. Each cell shows the number of sales and, where there are at least 10, price per square foot against the typical condo in that city.
| City | Condo sales | Top floor | Ground floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 2,602 | 295 · about the same | 131 · 3% more |
| San Mateo | 760 | 147 · 1% more | 36 · 8% more |
| Santa Clara | 478 | 89 · 5% more | 36 · 2% less |
| Mountain View | 383 | 98 · about the same | 34 · 9% less |
| Sunnyvale | 381 | 69 · 7% less | 26 · 4% more |
| Palo Alto | 285 | 51 · 1% more | 15 · 8% less |
| Foster City | 228 | 49 · 4% more | 15 · 1% more |
| Daly City | 206 | 39 · 2% more | 8 |
| San Bruno | 189 | 49 · about the same | 20 · 4% more |
| Redwood City | 188 | 33 · 3% more | 16 · about the same |
| South San Francisco | 186 | 12 · 15% more | 3 |
| Milpitas | 181 | 26 · 10% more | 5 |
| San Carlos | 175 | 45 · 3% more | 12 · 9% less |
| Campbell | 154 | 35 · 7% more | 8 |
| Menlo Park | 146 | 22 · 1% more | 15 · 2% less |
| Los Altos | 145 | 30 · 23% less | 6 |
| Los Gatos | 123 | 11 · 22% less | 11 · 15% less |
| Burlingame | 108 | 37 · 6% less | 7 |
| Cupertino | 108 | 13 · 17% less | 7 |
| Millbrae | 105 | 27 · 2% less | 6 |
| Belmont | 64 | 17 · 11% more | 0 |
| Saratoga | 54 | 10 · 30% more | 5 |
What to weigh
- End units share one wall instead of two and usually get more windows and light; some sit closer to a street, a parking lot or the complex entrance. Walk the outside before you decide.
- Top floors mean no footsteps overhead and often better views, but more stairs if there’s no elevator, more summer heat, and the first floor to notice a roof problem. Ask when the roof was last replaced.
- Ground floors are the easiest to get groceries, bikes and furniture into and often come with a patio, but trade some privacy and light.
- The complex decides the rest: dues, reserves and rules are in the HOA documents; read them 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
All 20 features are ranked in condo and townhome features ranked. See also condo and townhome prices by neighborhood, the HOA Lab, and for houses, what Silicon Valley buyers pay more for.
Weighing an end unit or a top floor?
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.