To Buyers' Dismay, Median Housing Prices In Santa Clara County Reach Seven Figures

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- The hot housing market just reached a record high. The median price for a single family home in Santa Clara County: $1 million.

So exactly what will seven figures get you these days?

Well one of those homes has four bedrooms, 1,600-square-feet, and was built nearly forty years ago.

It sold after one week for a sale price of a$1,015,000 -- $65,000 higher than the asking price.

"I'm not surprised there's just a lot of demand," said Gary Shapiro, a realtor for more than three decades.

The median price hit the record high for Santa Clara County last month. Other nearby counties also saw an increase.

Shapiro says a few reasons are driving prices up -- one of them: low inventory.

Shapiro said, "…real estate is supply and demand. When there's less supply there's more demand for each house."

Nam Ly-Sarmiento is among those who are looking to buy a home in the Bay Area.

"It's been tough. There isn't a whole lot out there," she said.

Ly-Sarmiento wants to buy a home for $1 million or less and says she's come to accept that seven figures won't even come close to buying her dream home.

"Trying to buy basically a doll house for a million dollars is kind of crazy," she said.

Shapiro said he has a sign on his desk that says 'the best time to buy was yesterday.'

Still,  he says buying a home is the right move even in Silicon Valley, if you can afford it.

Ly-Sarmiento said, "I don't think it's impossible. I think you kind of have to persevere and be patient."

Shapiro said, "In general when you can afford to buy a house, if you're going to stay living in the Bay Area, you should buy a house."

He also believes the market will level out.

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