DeLeon Insight- September 2025 Cover Page

The DeLeon Insight – September 2025



Preserving Your Prop 13 Basis When Moving on the Peninsula

By Ken DeLeon For many long-term California homeowners, Proposition 13 is one of the most valuable financial benefits of homeownership. Passed in 1978, Proposition 13 generally limits annual increases in a property’s assessed value to no more…

Top Full-Service Brokerages in Silicon Valley in 2026

By Ken DeLeon When Silicon Valley homeowners choose a real estate brokerage, they should look beyond the agent’s name, marketing claims, or commission structure. The better question is whether the brokerage provides the full range of services…

Tax Tips: 1031 Exchanges, Installment Sales and Deferred Sales Trusts

By Ken DeLeon and Michael Repka As the sagacious Benjamin Franklin noted, “nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” While very true, death can sometimes help lessen taxes, as your heirs receive a stepped-up basis on inherited…

Why Your Neighbor’s Home Sold for More Than Expected

By Audrey Sun Many homeowners assume a record sale was luck. In Silicon Valley, it rarely is; rather, it’s preparation, strategy, and careful execution. And when done correctly, it can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in difference. It Wasn’t…

Enhancing Home Value by Updating the Garage

By the DeLeon Design Team Before and After the Garage Update In California, a garage is a highly valued feature, yet for many homeowners, it hasn’t felt the warmth of a car tire in years. Many Californians take great pride in the appearance of…

Silicon Valley Housing Market 2025 Highlights and 2026 Predictions

By Ken DeLeon, Managing Broker & Attorney The 2025 Silicon Valley housing market was exciting and volatile, shaped by countervailing forces and seasonal patterns that differed from the norm. Traditionally, spring is the busiest and most favorable…

How New MLS Rules Are Impacting Pricing and Appraisals in Silicon Valley

By Lisa Lombardi, Certified Appraiser Recent changes to Multiple Listing Service (MLS) rules, driven by industry-wide commission reforms, have not-so-quietly changed how transaction details are reported. Most notably, broker compensation and seller…

Legal Updates: New Photoshopping Rules, Stacked Development Near Transit, and Limits on Institutional Investors

By Colette R. Thomason, Esq. We have recently seen several noteworthy updates in the legal real estate arena.  The first new law discussed below has been implemented, the second will be in the summer, and the third is still evolving. 1) Effective…

Tapping into Two of Silicon Valley’s Most Powerful Buyer Pools

By Audrey Sun, Director of Listings Silicon Valley remains the epicenter of the tech world, drawing elite talent from across computer science, engineering, law, and venture capital. The buyer pool remains dominated by the best and the brightest from…

Sell Before the ARMs Race

By Francis Lopez, Director of Listings The housing inventory on the peninsula has continued its momentous decline over the past several years. This can be attributed to interest rates in two intertwined ways: (1) with interest rates above 6%, homeowners…