I am watching the spread between asking prices, closed prices, and the time homes are taking to sell.
If you are shopping for a home in San Marino Unified School District, CA, I would pay closest attention to how recent closings compare with current asking prices. That is where leverage shows up, and over the previous month the typical sale closed at $3,300,000 while active homes were priced at a typical $3,490,000.
That gap gives buyers something useful to work with. In San Marino Unified School District, CA, recent offers landed around 95.6% of asking, a typical sale took 52 days, and supply stood at 2 months over the previous month. Those numbers describe a market that still favors sellers, but not one where every price should be accepted at face value.
I would treat this as a selection and discipline market. When supply is limited, you need to be ready for the right home, but the typical close below asking tells me buyers still have a reason to question price and structure. The goal is not to underbid everything. The goal is to know when the listing price reflects market reality and when it does not.
Set your must-haves before you start making emotional comparisons. Use recent closings to decide whether a listing deserves a strong offer or a more measured one. Track how long each home has been available, because time often changes leverage. Keep your financing or funds fully lined up so the right opportunity does not catch you flat-footed.
