Mary Pope-Handy's Silicon Valley Real Estate Commentary

For many homesellers in Los Gatos (and Silicon Valley generally), and for their Realtors, the real estate market is extremely challenging right now. Buyers have been wary for many months already, but now they're concerned about a recession and job losses, not just the possibility of a real estate sales price that won't hold its value later. It is a deepening buyers market overall, but especially within the market for single family homes.

Read more at Closed Sales of Homes in Los Gatos: Yes, The Numbers Are Down (includes the absorption rates of single family homes and condos in Los Gatos in 2008).

Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor,  CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax);   408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.DelightHomes.com     (PopeHandy.com) & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com

The Oak Canyon neighborhood of the Almaden Valley district in San Jose is an upscale area with good-sized homes and lots on well kept, meandering streets near the base of the coastal foothills. It's near to Los Gatos and Cambrian Park, so is a very convenient area for commuters.

Additionally, Oak Canyon has a great nearby elementary school, Guadalupe School, which features high scores.

To learn more about this great area, please read Meet the Oak Canyon Neighborhood of Almaden Valley in San Jose on the Valley of Hearts Delight blog.

Please contact me for all your Almaden Valley or  Silicon Valley real estate needs!    

Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor,  CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax);   408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.DelightHomes.com     (PopeHandy.com)
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com

Prices are getting pushed down in virtually all parts of Silicon Valley and in San Jose particularly. Even so, the downward pressure is not uniform among all home types and price points. The San Jose real estate scene is varied by region, home type, condition, school district, and many more factors, including the number of nearby foreclosures and short sales.

The four areas studied appear to be doing better than the city as a whole. For instance, here's the graph of list prices for all of San Jose (which has about a million residents spread over many districts):





What is fairly consistent throughout San Jose, and Santa Clara County too, is that the highest priced properties are suffering much less than the lowest priced ones. The above graph makes that very apparent.

To get a better idea of how pricing is faring among condos and single family homes in Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, Willow Glen and West San Jose, please visit the Valley of Hearts Delight blog post,
Comparing Real Estate List Prices in Four San Jose Districts.

Please contact me for all your Silicon Valley real estate needs!

    
Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor,  CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax);   408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.DelightHomes.com     (PopeHandy.com)
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com

Surrey Farms is a highly sought after neighborhood in the Kennedy Road area of east Los Gatos.  A comforably sprawling enclave (gated, but the gate never closes) of low-key but spacious ranch style homes reside on large, half-acre lots. 

The area once did have horses and a large stable, but those days are now long gone. It is a charming area because it is so unpretentious.

Homes in this area have become far more affordable recently, with some now in the mid 1 millions (appx 1.5 mil).

You can read much more about Surrey Farms over at the Live in Los Gatos blog.  I invite you to see some pictures and get to know this "close to town" area better by reading Great Neighborhood: Surrey Farms in Los Gatos

Please contact me for all your Los Gatos real estate and nearby Silicon Valley real estate needs:
    

Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor,  CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax);   408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.DelightHomes.com     (PopeHandy.com)
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com

One of the most sought-after areas among first time Los Gatos homebuyers is Blossom Hill Manor, also known as Blossom Manor or simply The Manor. What's the draw? Often it's the award winning Los Gatos schools, two of which are within a mile: the newly remodeled and renovated Blossom Hill School and Fisher Middle School. Also highly valued is the proximity to grocery stores, banks, coffee shops, and much more - many so close that a car is not needed to reach them. More reasons for the enduring popularity -  a good proximity to parks & freeway access points and a quick 2 miles to downtown Los Gatos.

Most of the neighborhood consists of single family homes with prices that  range from a low of about $1.1 million to a high of about $2.2 million. A few duplexes line the outside of the neighborhood, though, on Blossom Hill Road, Camelia Terrace and Los Gatos-Almaden Road.

For more information, please view my lengthy and detailed post on the Live in Los Gatos blog. There you'll find a map of the neighborhood, photos and a slideshow, plus information on things to investigate if purchasing in the area. Meet the Blossom Manor Neighborhood of Los Gatos.

For more information on buying homes in Los Gatos, please visit the Los Gatos Homebuyer Starting kit page - nothing to download and loads of information available there.

Please contact me for all your Los Gatos and nearby Silicon Valley real estate needs!

Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor,  CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS, ACRE
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
877 397-5391 (Direct/Toll-Free/Fax);   408 204-7673 (Cell)
www.DelightHomes.com     (PopeHandy.com)
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com & www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com