learnlive from the mls$3M and upboyenga team at compass
The Luxury Market Report
Homes at $3 million and up in 21 cities across Silicon Valley, the Peninsula and San Francisco, read live from the MLS: what’s for sale, what sold in the last 180 days, how fast it’s moving, and what each city charges in transfer tax at the top.
- homes for sale…$3M and up
- sold, last 180 days…at the same level
- months of supply…at the recent pace of sales
- median sale-to-list…of those sales
the read
The luxury market in Palo Alto, $3M and up
Pick a city and a price tier. The read compares what’s for sale now with what sold in the last 180 days at the same level.
Reading the market…
Of the luxury homes for sale now.
Living area as reported to the MLS.
How long they’ve been for sale.
Share asking less than before.
Sales in the last 180 days.
Of those sales.
Share of those sales.
The highest price at this level.
We’ll pull the sales behind these numbers for your home or your search.
the ladder
The luxury ladder in Palo Alto
Each price tier compares homes for sale now (striped, left) with homes sold in the last 180 days (black, right). A long striped bar beside a short black one means buyers have time and choice. When the black bar is as long or longer, homes at that price are selling about as fast as they list.
Tiers use list price for homes for sale and sale price for homes sold. Months of supply = homes for sale now ÷ the monthly pace of sales over the last 180 days. Our rule of thumb: under 3 months with sales at or above asking favors sellers; 6 months or more, sales under 97% of list, or price cuts on more than a third of listings favor buyers.
This city has more luxury sales than the page reads at once, so the figures use the most recent sales and the weeks they cover.
the leaderboard
Luxury leaderboard: 21 cities at $3M and up
Every city we track at the top of the market, side by side, for the tier and home type you picked. Tap a column to sort, or a city to open its report above.
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Sale-to-list compares each sale with its final list price. Sold $ per sq ft uses the living area reported to the MLS. Small cities can have only a few sales in 180 days, so check the counts before comparing medians.
for sale now
Luxury homes for sale in Palo Alto
Luxury homes for sale at your tier, live from the MLS. Open a home for photos and the full description.
Listings are for sale and reported to the MLS through our IDX feeds. Each listing is provided by the brokerage named on it. Information is shown as reported and not guaranteed; prices and status can change at any time.
transfer tax
Transfer tax on a $5M sale, city by city
Every sale in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties pays a county transfer tax, a few cities add their own, and San Francisco has its own brackets. Some rates step up at higher prices. Here is the total at your price in each city, at today’s rates.
| city | transfer tax | share of price | what it includes |
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Rates are the county, city and San Francisco schedules used in our transfer tax calculator. Two transfer-tax measures are on San Francisco’s November 3, 2026 ballot, so its rates could change. Hillsborough’s town tax comes from title-company tables and wasn’t confirmed in the town code. Who pays is set by local custom and the purchase contract; the calculator shows the usual split. Escrow confirms the final figures.
the nerd check
Buying or selling at the top
If you’re buying
- Line up jumbo financing firstIn 2026, a one-unit loan over $1,249,125 in Santa Clara, San Mateo or San Francisco County is above FHFA’s conforming limit, so it’s a jumbo loan. Jumbo lenders set their own rules for down payment, cash reserves and appraisals, so get preapproved before you tour.
- Read months of supply and sale-to-list togetherA city can have plenty of luxury listings and still see the best homes sell over asking. Check both numbers for your tier, then ask us about the specific street.
- Get insurance quotes earlyHomes in hillside and wooded areas can cost more to insure, and some carriers limit new policies. Get quotes before you remove contingencies; the Insurance Lab explains the options.
- Plan for the property tax resetUnder Prop 13 the assessed value resets to the purchase price, so the yearly bill starts at about 1% of the price plus local bonds and assessments, and a supplemental bill follows the sale. The property tax calculator estimates both.
If you’re selling
- Price off the few sales that matterAt the top there may be only a handful of true comparable sales in 180 days. We pull each one, adjust for lot, view and condition, and show you a range, not a single number.
- Watch the price-cut share in your tierWhen a third or more of the listings at your level have cut their price, buyers are negotiating. We would rather price right at launch than chase the market down.
- Know your transfer taxIn some cities the rate steps up at higher prices: San Francisco’s jumps to 5.5% of the whole price at $10 million, Mountain View’s to 1.5% over $6 million, and the City of San Mateo’s to 1.5% at $10 million. Run your number above.
- Consider a private startCompass Private Exclusives are shared with buyers through agents in Compass’s network before any public listing, which lets you hear from buyers before the home is public. Ask us whether it fits your sale.
These numbers cover homes listed and sold through the MLS. Some luxury homes sell privately and never appear here, and at this level a single sale can move a median. We pair the live numbers with the comparable sales and private listings we track for your street.
questions
Questions we hear
What counts as luxury on this page?
Homes at $3 million and up: list price for homes for sale, sale price for homes sold. Switch to $5 million or $10 million and up to see the higher tiers. Houses, condos and townhomes count; land and other property types don’t.
Why 180 days of sales?
There are fewer sales at the top, so a longer window gives steadier numbers. Months of supply uses the monthly pace of sales over that window.
What is months of supply?
Homes for sale now divided by the number that sold per month over the last 180 days. It estimates how long today’s listings would take to sell at the recent pace if nothing new came on the market. Lower numbers usually favor sellers and higher numbers favor buyers.
Are private and off-market sales included?
No. The report reads homes listed and sold through the MLS, so homes sold without an MLS listing aren’t included. Compass Private Exclusives are shared with buyers through agents in Compass’s network; ask us what’s available.
How often does it update?
Each time the page loads, from the MLS through our IDX feeds. Your browser keeps a copy for 15 minutes so switching cities and tiers is quick.
more to learn
Keep going
- Leverage LabWho has the upper hand at any price, city by city.
- Offer LabHow far over or under asking homes are selling.
- City Match-UpTwo cities side by side, from prices to transfer tax.
- Feature FinderSearch homes for sale by feature, such as a pool or a view.
- Real Estate CalculatorsTransfer tax, property tax, payments and seller net.
- Insurance LabPolicies, deductibles, wildfire steps and the FAIR Plan.
- Compass Private ExclusivesHow homes are shared privately before a public listing.
Based on homes for sale and sales of $3 million and up reported to the MLS through our IDX feeds, read live each time the page loads. Shown as reported and not guaranteed; repeat records are removed. Sales cover the last 180 days; homes sold without an MLS listing aren’t included.
talk to a property nerd
Buying or selling at the top of the market?
Luxury pricing comes down to a handful of sales. We’ll pull the ones that matter for your home or your search, and show you what’s being shared privately through Compass. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
