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November Los Gatos Real Estate Market Update
2008-11-17 19:29:00
How's the Los Gatos Real Estate Market Faring? There are many ways of viewing the Los Gatos real estate market. One approach includes looking at the homes which are currently for sale, or the "active listings". Altos Research, to which I subscribe, uses this data in analyzing the state of things for the realty market in various cities, towns, and zip codes. Today we'll look at these active listings in all Los Gatos zip codes, both single family homes and condominiums, and view the data by price quartile whenever the trends seem quite divergent from one price point to the next. Los Gatos Real Estate Pricing for Single Family Homes by Zip Code First, let's look at Los Gatos houses in the 95030 area. We'll begin by viewing list prices by quartile. Except for the highest priced homes, it seems that asking prices are close to flat in this part of Los Gatos. It doesn't appear to be a market crash when these numbers are viewed. Next, let...
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What Does It Take to Sell Your Silicon Valley or Los Gatos Home in Today's
2008-11-14 23:42:00
The Silicon Valley real estate market is very much in the buyer's favor right now; in Los Gatos , San Jose, Saratoga, Campbell and elsewhere in Santa Clara County, most homes are not selling at all or only selling after a long time on the market and with several painful price reductions. Prices are falling, year over year, in most of the valley - Monte Sereno appears to be the only possible exception. That said, some homes are selling just the same. In Los Gatos, there are 248 houses and condos currently for sale. In the last month in 95032 and 95030, 21 houses and condos have closed escrow and 23 have gone sale pending in the same timeframe. So the percentage of homes selling is a little under 10%. The question to ask yourself, if you want to sell your home right now, is "what does it take to sell my Silicon Valley home in today's market?" You might also ask "how can I get the most money for my home in this market?" What will it take t...
More About: Home , Sell

Veterans Day
2008-11-11 19:59:00
On this Veterans Day I am especially remembering my Grandfather, Col. Michael Buckley, who was the first U.S. POW in World War II, as well as all our loved ones who have served to protect us. I am also thinking of our family and friends who are serving now in Afghanistan and Iraq. May God keep them and all of our troops safe.
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The Strathmore Neighborhood of Los Gatos
2008-11-08 04:03:00
Sitting close to the Los Gatos foothills and enjoying lovely views, Strathmore is a small community in east Los Gatos which enjoys beautiful tree-lined streets and a community pool. Where is the Strathmore Neighborhood of Los Gatos? Strathmore is an east Los Gatos neighborhood found within the boundaries of Union Avenue, Anne Way, Blossom Hill Road, and Meadowbrook Road, approximately. It belongs to the Union School District and the Campbell Union High School District. It is not clear if all of these streets may have been in Strathmore originally, but now they are considered the same neighborhood. There is still some open land in the neighborhood. At the end of Panorama Way, there's a large lot that appears roomy enough for perhaps three homes. New homes were build in recent years near the bend in Briarwood Way (and Cambrian View Way, which is not named on the map). They are spacious and very tastefully done and enhance the neighborh...

Closed Sales of Homes in Los Gatos: Yes, The Numbers Are Down
2008-11-04 03:13:00
How is the Los Gatos real estate market doing? 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. So what is happening with Los Gatos home sales? Inventory is rising among single family homes and condos and townhomes. Right now there are 197 single family homes for sale (it was over 200 last week) and 44 condominiums or townhomes. A year ago, it was 113 houses and 23 condos. A month ago it was 184 SFH and 45 condos, and a year ago October it was 104 SFH and 22 condos. Sales were down in October. We had a surge of sales in September, but then the meltdown o...
More About: Homes , Numbers , Closed

Election 2008 - Voting in Los Gatos
2008-11-02 22:20:00
Where Do Los Gatos Residents Vote? This Tuesday is the general election and many in the town may be wondering where can you vote? Click on the link and you'll be able to input your address and see your assigned polling location. This year, some Los Gatos residents were informed that they are voting by mail or dropping off a completed ballot at a nearby polling place. For those of us in the east Los Gatos neighborhood of Belwood, Alerche Road and Harwood Road near Belwood, the place to drop off ballots is Noddin School, 1755 Gilda Way (at Harwood Road), San Jose 95124. I wondered why this time around we got a vote-by-mail ballot when normally we just go to the cabana on Belwood Gateway to vote. The California Election s code determines that if there are fewer than 250 registered voters in a precinct, it must be a "mail ballot" area. (It apparently can vary from one election to the next as to how a precinct will be designated in terms of ha...
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Reminder: Los Gatos Historic Home Tours This Weekend
2008-11-01 22:48:00
Quick reminder that this weekend is the home tour of historic homes in Los Gatos . For more information, see Los Gatos Historic Home Tours . Also, remember to turn your clocks back an hour tonight!
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Meet the Blossom Manor Neighborhood of Los Gatos
2008-11-01 09:00:00
Blossom Manor is a highly popular residential area in Los Gatos which is close to shops, parks and the highly acclaimed Los Gatos schools. There are many gently winding roads, a few very minor hills and some perfectly tree lined streets. It's a tidy area where homes old and new all tend to be well kept. Where is the Blossom Manor Neighborhood ? Located in east Los Gatos, Blossom Manor is bordered by Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos Boulevard, Los Gatos Almaden Road, and Longwood Drive. Below, please find an enhanced map of the area. I added the location of the shopping centers (3 grocery stores between them, many restaurants, coffee places, video rental, Noah's Bagels, drug store, banks, etc.) and I added the two nearby public schools for this neighborhood of town. (Google can add schools but adds all of them as dots - but no names.) To see the live Google map and be able to zoom in and out and pan the area generally, use this link.) The...
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Is The Cats Restaurant Readying to Reopen?
2008-10-31 00:26:00
Nearly two years ago, The historic Cats Restaurant in Los Gatos quickly and quietly closed without much warning (see article in the Los Gatos Observer). One of the area's older buildings, it was constructed as a stage coach stop in the late 1800s, possibly around 1896. Yesterday I was near the tavern, photographing Leo and Leona at the entrance to Poet's Canyon just steps away, and popped by old building to see what was going on with it. To my surprise, it appeared that The Cats is being made ready to reopen. There were several trucks and workers in view and the parking lot sported new blacktop and parking stripes. I could not find any news about a reopening, but perhaps some of the Live in Los Gatos readers might know what the story is. Your feedback is appreciated! The Cats has served many functions over the years and is an area landmark. It would be great to see it open again. The Cats Restaurant is located at 17533 San...

Is The Economic Crisis Impacting Los Gatos Home Sales?
2008-10-26 05:00:00
Several of my buyers have recently decided to hold off until things calm down with the economy. So I wondered if this was widespread or not. Tonight I checked the sales in Los Gatos (zips 95030 and 95032) for the period of 10/1 - 10/25 this year and last year. Sales are slower than last month but still ahead of last year, generally. Among single family homes in Los Gatos, there have been 15 homes that went sale pending in that time frame this year, wheras there were 8 last year. For condos and townhomes it was 4 this year and 5 last year - close enough to not be significant in my opinion. Right now, it does not look terribly bad. Sales are mostly ahead of last year at this same time. That said, we'll know more when ALL the factors are in - price points, list price to sales price ratio, days on market, etc.
More About: Home , Economic , Crisis

Halloween Events In and Near Los Gatos
2008-10-25 04:23:00
You probably know about the Haunted Harvest Festival at Oak Meadow Park (blogged about on this site recently). You may not know about the many other fun Halloween related events going on in Silicon Valley, though! Today I blogged about it on another site of mine, the Valley of Hearts Delight blog. I invite you to have a look at the list of events posted there - see if something doesn't match your free time and interests! Here's the link: Halloween Events in Silicon Valley. Happy Halloween!
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Mappng the Boundaries of the Town of Los Gatos: This is the Shape We're In!
2008-10-22 01:01:00
Another Los Gatos Map Post! This time I was trying to find a simplified map of the boundaries or borders for the town of Los Gatos online. As a local Realtor, I'm keenly aware of the way the line jumps in and out, espcially along the side with San Jose's Cambrian Park. This is also true with the border with Monte Sereno, too. No shortage of weirdness along the Campbell line either, though - one whole section has a Los Gatos mailing address but is actually Campbell (voting, police etc). (The latter refers to the triangular shaped tract of Leep homes which runs between Pollard Road, Quito Road and Hwy 85.) Little tricks like knowing that a 3 digit address on a house usually means Los Gatos but 4 digits usually means San Jose (but knowing that there are exceptions) can be a big help. This is helpful while driving down the road in a border area. But it's still hard to get a grip on what's where, so I went in search of an online map since the...
More About: Town , Shape , The Town

Step Back in Time with Historic Topographical Map of Los Gatos
2008-10-18 03:37:00
While trying to find an old map of Los Gatos online, I stumbled upon some interesting and historic topographical maps of San Jose, Los Gatos, Gilroy, Santa Clara, and other areas nearby care of the USGS. I will place a tiny segment of one here so that you can get the idea and visit the site yourself: My husband, Jim, loves maps and he tells me that each one of those "dots" visible on the map represents a house. Amazing! Another surprise, to me anyway, is that Kennedy Road looks like it used to be called Rinconada. Other, nearby parts of the map reveal that Camden Avenue was where the rail line used to run to the mines in Almaden and Guadalupe. Cool stuff - hope you enjoy it! http://bard.wr.usgs.gov/historical/subind ex/hist-sanjose.html#NEW%20ALMADEN
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Los Gatos Residents: Mark Your Calendars for November 17th
2008-10-16 05:57:00
Invites you to celebrate Democracy in Action A reception to honor the selection of the Los Gatos Mayor and Vice Mayor Immediately following an abbreviated 7 PM Council Meeting Monday, November 17, 2008 Town Hall Council Chambers 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos , CA
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Haunted Harvest Festival at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos
2008-10-15 03:59:00
Starting October 16th, Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos will be transformed into a fantabulous Haunted Harvest Festival . Take a self-guided tour along the Goblin's Glen. The 102 year old Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad will be riding and the hand-painted carosoul will be cruising. Trick or treating is available for the young ones.Tickets are $2 - $8, depending on how much you do. Open from sunset to 10pm on these dates: October 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29 ,30, 31 For more information, please see www.experienceshadowhills.com or call 408-395-7433. if you'd like to volunteer, please contact skeletoncoast@hauntedmansion.com. Oak Meadow Park is located at 200 Blossom Hill Road (at University Avenue), Los Gatos, CA 95032. This is a fundraiser which supports several very good local causes: according to the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, these fun Halloween events "Benefit The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, The Los Gatos Police Foundatio...

Did You Feel the Little Earthquake on Saturday Night?
2008-10-14 02:25:00
I didn't either. Apparently it was a micro-quake at 10:18pm, centered near Lexington Resevoir, a mini 2.2. Probably felt like a truck rumbling by. Here's the info on it: http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc 51209354.htm May they all be so minor!
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Is the Financial Crisis on Wall Street Causing Fewer Home Sales in Los Gato
2008-10-12 17:48:00
I have never followed the stock market so much as I have in the last two weeks. [My primary concern is my kids' 529 college savings plan, where the money is all in an index fund (that's how CA has it set up).]And I wondered if Los Gatos home buyers have their downpayments in stocks and may also be holding back, so I took a look at very recent sales data to see if there are any new trends. From my initial study of the pending sales in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno in the 95030 and 95032 zip codes, it does not appear that a slowdown in buying is happening over & above what we were already experiencing prior to the roller coaster ride on Wall Street . sales initiated Houses Condos 10/1/2008 - 10/11/2008 7 3 10/1/2007 - 10/11/2007 7 ...
More About: Wall Street , Sales , Financial , Home

The Fun Continues at the St. Mary's Country Fair in Los Gatos!
2008-10-12 01:04:00
The St. Mary's Country Fair in downtown Los Gatos is off to a fantastic start! Last night the place was hopping to the tunes of the Joe Sharino Band. Tonight it's the Cheeseballs. Come on back! Today started off a little cool and slow but picked up by 11 or 11:30 or so. The wind died down and it got to be very comfortable, and folks from all over town were there. The burrito booth ended up being over-staffed, so I was reassigned to work the skee ball booth from 10am to 1pm today. It was a great spot with a clear view of the stage and I saw loads of people I knew there, including Steve Rice, who's running for town council. What's really neat about working a game booth, though, is being able to interact with kids. One young family came through and their daughter was just too adorable to not photograph (with their permission). I played with the image because unfortunately the toddler's face was shadowed and the groovy sunglasses she's ...
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Reminder: The St. Mary's Country Fair Begins Tonight at 5pm!
2008-10-11 00:01:00
Tonight begins another fun weekend in downtown Los Gatos at the annual St. Mary's Country Fair . (Located on Bean at Tait but also reachable via Lyndon Court off Main Street.) Starting at 5pm today, there will be rides, food booths, arts & crafts and much more. Free music and dancing both tonight and tomorrow night - no cover charge! There's something for everyone. Need more info? Please see my other post about the fair. If you happen to be there on Saturday, stop by and say hello! I'll be working the burrito booth from 10am - 1pm. Hope to see you there!
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Golf Cart Stolen from Los Gatos United Soccer League at Fisher Middle Schoo
2008-06-03 16:31:00
The good folks at the Los Gatos United Soccer League are asking for the help of the townsfolk to help them find their older golf cart, which is used by president of the league, Ed San Juan, for picking up trash cans after soccer games at Fisher. Families and friends of the many players who've enjoyed the field at Fisher (including my family) have appreciated having the cans brought out to the field and the 1991 Yamaha was a good way to transport them on and off the field for the game times. Last seen Thursday evening, the golf cart was discovered missing on Saturday morning in an area littered with about 20 used, empty beer cans. Police were called to the scene and state that bolt cutters were used to get the golf cart loose. Description of cart: "It's a weathered white 1991 Yamaha gas golf cart (nothing fancy), it has a top with a front windshield, and a black flat-bed used for picking up garbage." To contact the LGUSL about the cart, you may email them via the contacts page of...
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Are Home Prices Going Up or Down in Los Gatos?
2008-05-29 17:51:00
What is happening with the residential real estate market in Los Gatos ? Are prices flat, rising or declining? Just as there is no one "Silicon Valley Real Estate Market", there's no single "Los Gatos real estate market" either. It varies from one area to the next, one school district to the next, one price point to the next. It can be neighborhood by neighborhood or even street by street. This week I received a request for an online market valuation of a home purchased in 2006. It appears to have declined in value about 10% since that time (price point is the $2 mil to $2.5 mil range - but it is in an area where not every home on the street is worth that much). Other homes, in other areas, though seem to be rising in vallue, if slightly. The sweet spot of the market seems to be lower priced homes with Los Gatos Schools - that is, homes between $1 million and $2 million. (I heard recently of a townhome in Cupertino or Saratoga, listed under $1 mil...
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The Real Estate Market Trends in Los Gatos
2008-05-09 15:43:00
Los Gatos Home Sales Trends How's the real estate market in the Town of Los Gatos? The Los Gatos housing market varies from one price point and neighborhood to the next, from one type of housing to the next, and even between the town's two zip codes, 95030 and 95032. Here we'll take a view of the overall movement in the market; please understand that it may or may not apply to your Los Gatos home so please call or email me for specific information relating to your property. Overall, Los Gatos continues to be a buyer's market, though not as deep as in other places in Santa Clara County. Inventory is rising in both single family homes and in condos/townhomes, which is a typical trend for this time of year. The market has improved somewhat over a month ago in terms of median and average sales price (the graphs below use a 12 month moving average, but the actual numbers do show an uptick). To view the report for Los Gatos using the actual numb...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Real Estate Market , Market

Photos from Arbor Day at Daves Avenue School
2008-04-26 16:10:00
Los Gatos is "Tree City USA" for 29 years in a row! A celebration at Daves Avenue School yesterday included talks by local officials and by students and, of course, the planting of some new trees. (Photos courtesy of Jim Handy.) Shovels ready for work. The site was prepared ahead of time A tractor does the heavy lifting with two young trees to be planted at Daves Avenue School. Three trees were planted in all. An assembly of students gathered to hear talks by officials and classmates. Los Gatos Mayor Barbara Spector addressed the crowd. Adults did the first round of planting ...

Lovely Lavender Draped Home in Los Gatos
2008-04-14 16:52:00
Yesterday I saw this beautiful lavender vine adorning an old home near St. Mary's Church in downtown Los Gatos (Almond Grove District area). The photo was taken with my Treo, so the quality is not great, but you get the feeling: perfect blue skies, vibrant colors, classic old Craftsman style home. A perfect spring day in Los Gatos.
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Permit for Los Gatos Skatepark Revoked: Now What?
2008-03-19 15:12:00
Proponents for the Skatepark in Los Gatos laid out a plan to build, fund and maintain one on Miles Avenue in downtown Los Gatos, but when it went before the voting public in Measure D, was not passed. In fact, Measure D, "the skatepark initiative", was defeated by a 2 to 1 margin. But does that mean that Los Gatans don't want a skatepark at all? Or did they just not want the particulars in Measure D? This is an important question because there's money being held by the town for the skatepark. If the town considers the skatepark a closed issue, I believe it could use those monies for other things, but I hope not. There's a lot of residual upset swirling around the skatepark vote, and I would maintain that although Measure D was defeated, the Los Gatos voters remain open to making a skatepark part of the town's services.
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Time Change Reminder: Move Clocks Ahead Tonight
2008-03-08 16:19:00
A quick reminder: this is the night to move your clocks forward one hour. Daylight savings time is coming to an end!
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Want to Sell Your Silicon Valley Home?
Biggest Homeseller Mistakes to Av
2008-02-09 16:01:00
<h2>What are the odds that a home in Silicon Valley <BR>will sell right now?</h2> Most of the homes for sale in Los Gatos, San Jose, or anywhere in Silicon Valley are not going to sell this month. In Los Gatos, there's about a 20% chance than any given home will sell. In San Jose generally, it's a lot worse than that - it's about a 13% chance that a home will sell. Here's a quick look at the numbers for these two areas of Santa Clara County: Los Gatos Single Family Home s (95030, 95032 zip codes) Active Listings (For Sale) = 118 Pending Sales (Under Contract) = 23 Closed in Last Month = 18 Months of inventory = 6.5 San Jose Single Family Homes (all areas) Active Listings (For Sale) = 2921 Pending Sales (Under Contract) = 405 Closed in Last Month = 196 Months of inventory = 14.9 The months of inventory, or absorption rate, is a simple calculation of the number of active listings divided by the number of closed sal...
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Where to Vote in Los Gatos Today?
2008-02-05 16:07:00
Please vote today - it is both the Presidential Primary and also the chance to resolve the extremely controversial Los Gatos skatepark issue by voting on that initiative - Measure D. The voter guides we received didn't have the voting location printed, but you can find out where to vote by visiting the Smart Vote r site, using this link for Santa Clara County: http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/scl/ Remember to bring your photo ID. See you at the polls! (PS: Jim and I just returned from voting and as of about 9:15 or 9:30 am, the weather was ideal and the lines were very short at our polling place in east Los Gatos .)
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The Los Gatos Real Estate Market:
It Isn't So Bad
2008-01-22 00:38:00
Tired of hearing the doom and gloom regarding the real esate market? Most of that negative press is national news, not local news. Truly, it doesn't impact home values in Los Gatos if prices are falling in parts of Florida, Vegas, or even in Sacramento. The local market - our town plus neighboring communities here in Silicon Valley - is the crucial one. Things are just not that bad for home sales in Los Gatos overall. That said, "the market" consists of several sub-markets. It's one thing if you are trying to sell a very expensive home with an unpopular architectural style. It's another if you're marketing a modest or at least non-extravagent home in a good location with great schools. Still another if you have a view property...or a lot that could be split. And no matter what, overpriced just won't work. A view of the big picture in the Los Gatos real estate market reveals that 2006 was a lot tougher on sellers (and folks watching th...
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Cleaning Up After the California Storms:
Trees, Leaves, Fences and Damag
2008-01-05 19:06:00
Silicon Valley is not alone in being pounded by a fierce Alaskan storm this weekend. The Friday rains - which we desperately need - came in a short period of time, together with strong winds which apparently gusted close to 100mph in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's a mess out there, and it's not over yet. The roads are filled with fallen leaves and branches. In the Almond Grove District of downtown Los Gatos, a bough actually blocked off an entire street and damaged a car. This is not an uncommon story from one end of the state to the other. Fences are down all over. Emergency personnel are working overtime to handle the accidents and weather related problems. In Southern California , they face mudslides after the fires a few months ago - homes are truly at risk there. Not surprisingly, power was lost to over a million P, G & E customers in northern California alone. Additionally, cable and internet services are out for many of us too. At o...
More About: Cleaning , Trees , Leaves