What the Los Altos price trend shows
Zillow's typical home value for Los Altos was $4,591,005 in September 2026. That is 8.4% above a year earlier (about $4,234,000), 28.4% above five years earlier (about $3,577,000) and 95.0% above ten years earlier (about $2,355,000). September 2026 was the highest value Zillow has recorded for the city: Los Altos fell from its May 2022 high of about $4,278,000 to about $3,665,000 in May 2023, then climbed past it. Mountain View's typical value, by contrast, was still below its May 2022 peak of $1,990,658 in September 2026, and Sunnyvale's was below its January 2025 peak.
Redfin's sales-based figures point the same way. Over the three months to September 2026, Los Altos homes sold for a median of $4,617,801, or $1,969.93 per square foot, up 6.5% per square foot on the year. Seventy-six homes sold, 4.8% fewer than a year earlier.
Los Altos rents rose faster than values
Zillow's observed rent for Los Altos was $6,886 a month in September 2026, up 18.2% in a year and 38.4% in five years. That is well above Palo Alto at $4,558 and Mountain View at $4,535. Rentals are scarce: the Census counts about 1,988 renter households in the city, against 8,852 owners.
Sale speed, price cuts and inventory in Los Altos
How fast Los Altos homes sell
The median Los Altos home went under contract in 9 days in the three months to September 2026, per Redfin, and 74.6% went under contract within two weeks. Homes sold at an average of 106.3% of list price, and 60% sold above list. Those figures reflect a common local practice of pricing below the expected sale price and taking offers on a set date.
Price cuts in the San Jose metro
Zillow does not publish price-cut figures for Los Altos alone. Across the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro, 22.5% of listings had a price cut in September 2026, and the typical home sold at 102.1% of list in August 2026. If a Los Altos home is still for sale after two weeks, ask the listing agent whether the price has changed, and watch for re-listed homes.
Los Altos inventory and supply
Redfin counted 39 Los Altos homes for sale at the end of the period, 19.3% more than a year earlier, while new listings fell 12.8% to 89. Months of supply stood at 1.6. Fewer sellers listed, but the homes that did list stayed on the market a little longer than a year earlier. Countywide, Redfin's median for all Santa Clara County homes was $1,568,490 in September 2026 (a monthly figure that may be revised), down 4.7% on the year.
Los Altos home prices by ZIP code
The two main Los Altos ZIPs moved differently. ZIP 94022 covers downtown, north Los Altos and part of Los Altos Hills. ZIP 94024 covers most of the rest of the city, to the south. The table shows Redfin's median sale price for the three months to September of each year.
| Three months to September | 94022 median | 94024 median |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $3,575,000 | $4,200,000 |
| 2024 | $4,297,500 | $4,600,000 |
| 2025 | $5,100,000 | $4,050,000 |
| 2026 | $5,124,494 | $4,863,571 |
In 2026, 94024 was the faster market: a median 8 days on market and 106.8% sale to list, against 19 days and 101.6% in 94022. Zillow's typical value, which smooths out the mix of homes sold, was $5,059,470 in 94022 and $4,604,457 in 94024 in September 2026. See our Los Altos ZIP code guide and the 94022 and 94024 data pages.
Houses, condos and the top end in Los Altos
Los Altos single-family houses
Detached houses make up 82% of Los Altos homes. In ZIP 94022, Redfin's median single-family sale was $5,718,558 over the three months to September 2026, up 4.5%, and in 94024 it was $4,878,769, up 20.1%.
Los Altos condos and townhouses
Condos are a separate, slower market. In 94022, 12 condos sold at a median of $1,549,954, taking a median 70 days and selling at 98.0% of list, with 3.1 months of supply. Our Los Altos condos guide covers the buildings.
Older houses, remodels and rebuilds in Los Altos
The Census puts the median Los Altos home's build year at 1964, and the city has few vacant lots, so new houses here are mostly rebuilds on existing lots. That splits the market in two: finished or newly built homes, which set the top prices, and original houses, which are often priced on the value of the lot and the cost of rebuilding. Redfin's median sale price per square foot was $1,903.49 for 94022 houses and $1,940.12 for 94024 houses in the three months to September 2026, but a dated house on a large lot can sell well above that per square foot because the buyer is paying for the land. Ask your agent to separate the two kinds of sale when you compare prices.
Los Altos against nearby cities
Redfin's median for the same three months was $3,608,282 in Palo Alto (up 0.9%), $2,848,643 in Cupertino (down 6.9%) and $1,836,625 in Mountain View (up 9.7%). Los Altos had the highest median and the shortest days on market of the group.
Is now a good time to buy a home in Los Altos?
It depends on your timeline and financing more than the market. Prices are at a record and rose faster than most of the county in the last year, so buyers are not getting a discount. Rates are high: at Freddie Mac's 7.24% (week of October 29, 2026), principal and interest on a home at the Redfin median with 20% down is about $25,176 a month. On the other hand, inventory was up 19.3% on the year, and homes that sit past two weeks are where buyers find room to negotiate. If you plan to stay ten years or more, a market with rising values over the last decade has rewarded long holds, but there is no guarantee that continues. Our California home buying guide covers the process.
Is now a good time to sell a home in Los Altos?
For many owners, yes. Values are at a record, the median home sells in 9 days, and supply is 1.6 months. Sellers face two risks. First, a home priced above recent sales tends to sit, and Redfin shows days on market in 94022 rising to 19. Second, if you are buying again locally you pay the same high prices. Owners 55 and older can carry a Prop 13 base to a replacement home under Prop 19; see our Prop 19 guide and capital gains guide.
Los Altos housing market outlook
We do not publish our own price forecast. The figures that will shape the next few months are mortgage rates, which were 7.24% in late October 2026; inventory, which was up 19.3% on a year earlier in Los Altos; and new listings, which were down 12.8%. Rising inventory with falling new listings means homes are taking slightly longer to sell, not that more owners are selling. Watch the monthly Redfin and Zillow updates for Los Altos and ask an agent for the sale-to-list ratio on the most recent closings. Our California housing market guide covers the statewide picture.