Los Gatos Bank Robber Nabbed
2009-02-13 00:47:00 We've had an unusually high amount of crime relative to normal in Los Gatos in recent months. On Tuesday of this week, the Bank of America in downtown Los Gatos (on North Santa Cruz) was robbed. Happily, a suspect has been apprehended by police and she is now in custody. To read more, visit the Merc's article on this story: Woman arrested in Los Gatos bank robbery
Photo of Los Gatos Hills and Fog This Morning
2009-02-11 18:59:00 The morning the skies were perfectly clear and void of clouds over Silicon Valley with one notable exception: just over the town of Los Gatos, a patch of low fog was clinging to the hills, nestled into the smaller valleys and cascading like a waterfall through the pass. My husband, Jim Handy, snagged this photo from Communications Hill in San Jose at about 7:45am today. This was a great pic but the sky was very white, so I added some pale blue to the sky (using Picasa and the graduated tint function). Although the pic below is doctored, it gives a better "feel" for what we saw in Santa Clara County today.
How Hard is it to Sell a Los Gatos Home Now?
2009-02-05 19:24:00 If you read the San Jose Mercury, you've seen a rash of articles on the local, Santa Clara County real estate market. You probably know that although there are a lot of foreclosures in some parts of Silicon Valley, they are being bought up (or "absorbed") at a fairly decent rate. These homes are more affordable, and buyers are responding. Countywide, about one home in four is selling. It's not that easy in the high end marketplaces such as Los Gatos, Almaden Valley, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. In these four areas, only about 8 - 15% of all homes are selling. (Monte Sereno is a very small area and the actual numbers for January were worse as no homes closed escrow, so technically in January that would be 0%. However, it has improved there in February already.) My January Real Estate Report is now out and I invite you to view it and input the area and home type you seek to get the most current numbers. Here's an image from that report re...
Where are the high voltage power lines in Los Gatos?
2009-01-30 05:32:00 Tonight I spent some time on Google maps, looking at the satellite photos and tracing the high voltage power lines that run through Los Gatos. These power lines are somewhat on the north side of town, following Anne Way, Blossom Valley Drive, cutting across Los Gatos Almaden Road, following Blackwell to the Carlton Avenue park, the Live Oak Manor Playlot, and then cutting across Los Gatos Blvd toward Lark, continuing on through the Wimbleton area and nearly touching highway 85. From there, it follows the freeway and the train tracks into Saratoga. I became so engrossed in the satellite photos that I got carried away and tracked the lines up through Saratoga, the hills of Cupertino, down through Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley and Santa Teresa areas of San Jose and down to the substation of the Coyote Valley and also came back through the Santa Cruz Mountains near Montevina Road and through the Lexington area. (Since I followed it for a large area, I a...
Want A Great Bowl of Clam Chowder in Los Gatos? Visit Willow Street - It's
2009-01-26 01:39:00 On Friday I enjoyed a late lunch with a real estate colleague and friend of mine at Willow Street Pizza in downtown Los Gatos. The food is always good but this time I had a bowl of clam chowder and it was the best I've had in years. With New England Clam Chowder (the "white" one, as opposed to the red, Manhattan Clam Chowder), there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Sometimes the clams are gritty. Frequently the potatoes disintegrate and the whole soup becomes mushy and too thick. Perhaps most often, there's excessive cream or fat in the recipe and the chowder is unpleasantly oily. The bowl of chowder I was served on Friday, though, was a very pleasant surprise. The potatoes and other vegetables were not overcooked. The soup was very tasty and not overly heavy. And if I'm not mistaken, there were small, delicious dumplings cooked into the recipe too. The combination was unbeatable as the look, texture and taste were all fantastic. ...
Youth Science Institute at Vasona Park in Los Gatos Needs Your Support!
2009-01-21 19:16:00 The Youth Science Institute, or YSI, is based in Los Gatos at Vasona Lake County Park, but serves all of Santa Clara County. It serves about 30,000 children each year across Silicon Valley and is highly regarded, but has been in danger of being shuttered due to a significant financial shortfall of $300,000. It's down to the wire now and just $20,000 is still needed by the end of January.If you can help, please visit the campaign's website and donate or make a pledge! How did the YSI come to be in such a dire situation? Apparently it was due to a combination of things, from fewer signups in the summer programs, not enough donors or donors unable to be as generous as in the past, fewer field trips (due to state budget issuesj etc. The YSI had fewer than 200 donors prior to the fundraising campaign. Today that number is over 1000. The public support has been fantastic but a little more help is needed: $20,000 by the end of January. Plea...
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...
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...
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...
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 Elections 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...
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!
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...
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.
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!
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...
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/histori-cal/subindex/hist-sanjose.html#-NEW%20ALMADEN
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
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.co-m. 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...
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 ...
Is Being a Few Blocks from Los Gatos Schools at the Top of Your Homebuying
2008-06-11 08:15:00 Recently I listed a great home that's in an ideal Los Gatos location - close to award-winning, highly acclaimed Los Gatos Schools: Van Meter Elementary School, Blossom Hill School, and Fisher Middle School. It's also a quick jaunt to the wonderful shops, banks, grocery stores and restaurants at the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Los Gatos Boulevard. With approximately 1800 square feet of comfortable ranch-style living on an 8700 square foot cul-de--sac lot, it's a great amount of space inside & out. The updated house features hardwood floors throughout (except in the bathrooms), a flexible floorplan that includes a good-sized step-down living room, large dining room, and extra room to boot, which can be used as a den, library, music room, play room or sitting area. There are huge windows overlooking the park-like setting. It's a wonderful retreat. This weekend we'll have our first open house events and I invite you to stop by! Details: 120 Magneson Terrace (off...
¿Quién Gana? ¿Los Osos Amorosos o Los Gatos Samurai?
2008-06-10 15:30:00 Bienvenidos, estimados fans, a una jornada más de violencia frikil gratuita. Hoy para deleite de todos vosotros os traigo un entreñable baño de sangre entre Los Osos Amorosos y Los Gatos Samurai. ¡¡Ains!!, si es que son tan monos que dan ganas de estrujarlos.Osos AmorososConocidos mundialmente y en gran parte del extranjero como The Care Bears; aparecieron a principios de la década de los 80 para conquistar el mundo a base de ternura, esponjosas nubes, barrigas brillantes y vastos ejércitos destructores. Tan grande es el número de estos osos que se dividen en 3 generaciones y a los que hay que añadir sus primos que podían ser elefantes, mapaches y hasta leones; por nombrar algunos.Cada uno de estos suaves seres tenía un nombre, el cual, por supuesto no pienso poner aquí ya que son muchos, me canso de escribir y la mazmorra no se limpia sola.Gatos SamuraiComo todo superhéroe que se precie, estos gatos tienen una vida secreta; y es que durante el día poseen una respetable pizzería, pe...
By: Quien Gana
The Real Estate Market Seems to be Improving in Los Gatos
2008-06-09 07:45:00 One of the benchmarks realty professionals use in determining the answer to the ever-present question of "how's the market?" is the absorption rate, or months (or days or weeks) of inventory. The question is this: if no new inventory were to come on the market, how long would it take for the current number of listings to be absorbed by buyers? A look at the single family home situation in the town of Los Gatos reveals an improvement over recent months. Is it possible that we're near the bottom of the market? Maybe. This graph presents broad strokes in a market comprised of many micro-markets. What is happening in Blossom Manor may not be the same thing happening in the Edelen District or what's going up in the Aztec or Maya areas, in the Sierra Azule section of town or Belwood or Bicknell Road areas. The home offered at $950,000 in the Union School District is not really "the same market" as one worth $2 million with Los Gatos schools - th...
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...
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...
Los Gatos Free Summer Music Concerts
2008-05-29 06:36:00 The town of Los Gatos enjoys a large number of wonderful free music concerts across several different venues each summer. These are fun events held around town - a great chance to unwind with family and friends and a picnic on the lawn. Mark your calendars! (This info will be updated as announcements are made.) Jazz On The Plazz - Wednesday evening series, 6:30-8:30pm in Los Gatos Town Plaza Park beginning June 25th (10 concerts) Vasona Vibrations - Saturdays, 5-7pm at Vasona Lake County Park (also free, but fee to park) beginning June 7th through the end of July (8 concerts) Music in the Park - Sundays on the Civic Center Lawn from 5-7pm - dates/schedule to be announced (10 concerts) Last summer, Los Gatans also were treated to a free concert series on the deck next to Border's Books in Old Town, Los Gatos, too. No word so far on whether that wonderful opportunity will return. For even more music and entertainment opportu...
Don't Miss Naturino Los Gatos' Custom Appreciation Sale
2008-05-18 15:10:00 Naturino Los Gatos is having a customer's appreciation sale through Monday May 19th where you can receive exclusive discounts on Spring Shoes, Sandals and Clothing. As a bonus - enjoy Free Standard Shipping on all orders including sale items that total over $300 (Domestic) and $500 (International) after discounts. There is also free US Shipping on all regular priced shoes. Save 10% on your first item, 15% off second item and 20% on additional items of equal or lower priced items purchased at the same time. Savings apply to regular priced, in-stock items and will not show during checkout. Simply mention "Customer Appreciation" in your online order notes or bring this email to the store for your Exclusive Savings.
Los Gatos Will Be Los Perros for a Day
2008-05-13 07:10:00 It had to happen. The Town of Los Gatos, meaning The Cats, has long been a haven for dogs. Stroll down Main Street, University Avenue or North Santa Cruz Avenue and you'll see water bowls left out for pooches. Or you'll discover places to tether canines near the shops. Dog lovers almost seem to have a magnetic attraction to this corner of Silicon Valley. The irony is not lost on the locals. So it's no secret: The Cats is really a town for dogs. At Halloween, we always have a dogs in costume parade. There's even talk of creating a dog park in Los Gatos. It should come as no surprise, then, that the town's mayor, Barbara Spector, has declared May 17th the Dia De Los Perros. The only question I have is this: will it be an annual event? Let's see how the first one goes. Maybe it's true, after all, that the town of Los Gatos is "going to the dogs".
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...
Mother's Day in Los Gatos
2008-05-08 06:37:00 Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11th. What can you do to celebrate in Los Gatos? A lot of folks are led to believe that Mother's Day needs to be a day of buying expensive gifts. But that may not be at all what the mother of the family really wants. So the starting point, I think, is to simply ask what she would like to do to celebrate the day. Brunch is a somewhat traditional Mother's Day event. A wonderfully elegant buffet on any Sunday can be found at the Toll House Hotel in downtown Los Gatos. There's also a special brunch at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos for Mother's Day too. Many young mothers are simply tired and could use a day of rest and relaxation. Maybe a massage? There are several places in Los Gatos which offer massages, including the Spa Los Gatos and the Preston-Wynne Spa at the Hotel Los Gatos. Other moms may want to spend their time with their families and do a little shopping on Mother's Day. It's ...
Los Gatos Bank REO Condo $289,900!!!
2008-05-05 01:19:00 yes - this one needs work - unless you like green, 1970s, textured carpeting and brown as brown can be kitchens with yellow appliances. Then again, look at the price for a 2 bedroom with a bonus room condo in a nice location off of Hwy 85 and Winchester. The bank owns this one and will move it - try finding a 2 bedroom even in Campbell or West San Jose at that price. A little love and this condo will be stunning.
How is the Los Gatos Real Estate Market Now?
2008-05-02 19:53:00 It remains a buyer's market in Los Gatos, but not as deep a buyer's market as in many other parts of Silicon Valley. Below please find links to reports on the local Los Gatos housing market, broken down by zip code and housing type, current as of April 28, 2008. One of the most helpful aspects of the Altos reports is that it breaks the activity down by market quartiles, so that the activity in entry level homes, for instance, is differentiated from the luxury home market. Have a look: Los Gatos Single Family Homes in 95030 Los Gatos Single Family Homes in 95032 Los Gatos Condos and Townhomes in 95030 Los Gatos Condos and Townhomes in 95032 These are care of Altos Research, which uses list prices (rather than sales prices). In a week or so we'll have the data on solds in Los Gatos from April, care of another subscription I have, the Real Estate Report. Please check back soon to get that information.
Northern California Corvette Association at Belwood of Los Gatos
2008-04-22 17:14:00 Los Gatos, the land of pricey real estate, is also the home to pricey and classic automobiles. There are several high-end dealerships in downtown, as locals know.. Recently, though, it was owners who met in Los Gatos, not dealers. The Northern California Corvette Association gathered at the cabana of Belwood of Los Gatos last weekend, and what a pretty site it was! This event was "Legends bag stuffing" hosted by Greg and Leta Reynolds, and it will be on the group's website soon. Neal Golding, the group's historian (and the photographer of these beautiful pics), tells me that the club is always looking for new members, and invites those interested to please visit their website.
Si los gatos jugaran al ajedrez...
2008-04-16 02:00:00 Si los gatos jugaran al ajedrez... harían jugadas ilegales :D. Cuenta la leyenda que un día pusieron a un...
Some Los Gatos Mountain Kids Being Bussed to Campbell Middle School
2008-04-15 07:20:00 There are so many "boundary issues" around Los Gatos that it's mind boggling. For newcomers to the area, it's already diffucult to understand how the school district lines do not follow the town boundaries. Then there's the whole issue of "mailing address" vs being "in the town". The 95033 zip code means "Los Gatos Mountains" and also means "not part of the actual Town of Los Gatos". No voting rights. No police (sheriff instead). And so on. The Los Gatos mountain schools are highly regarded. Normally, the elementary schools feed, eventually, to Los Gatos High School. The schools are a leading guage of property values, so the question of which schools is a BIG deal physically, emotionally, and economically. The schools are a leading factor in Silicon Valley real estate values. Just now I got a Google alert that some kids in the Lakeside Elemenary area of the Los Gatos Mountains are actually being bussed to Rolling HIlls Middle School in Campbell. Rolling HIlls is a good school ...
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.
When is the Best Time to Buy or Sell a Home in Los Gatos?
2008-04-06 06:06:00 Is there a "best time" to buy or sell a home in Los Gatos, Saratoga, or San Jose? That's a question I get a lot. The answer is not so clear as many people would like. Often we have some seasonally predictable patterns. Let's look at them. Winter: inventory tends to be very low in winter (from late November until somewhere between New Year's, the Superbowl, and Valentine's Day). Each year it's slightly different, but in that "dead of winter" (as much as we have it here in The Valley of Heart's Delight) is usually the time with the lowest number of sales, the best prices for buyers, the most "absorption" for sellers, the best interest rates, but the LEAST inventory to choose from. So you may get a good price as a buyer, but may not have much to choose from. Sellers may have the best odds of selling a home during this time because there are so few homes to choose from, and some buyers are anxious to close during the calendar year for tax...
Los Gatos Real Estate Market Update
2008-04-02 01:41:00 Please have a look at my latest market update for the town of Los Gatos, broken down by zip, for this week. (Data from Altos Research, a subscription service I have. Disclaimer: they use list prices for their reports.) The following links are to pdf files for these reports. 95030 single family homes 95032 single family homes 95030 condos and townhomes (not enough sales in this category to generate a report, 5 min.) 95032 condos and townhomes
Los Gatos History:<BR>In The Beginning, There Were The Ohlone
2008-03-31 02:26:00 The Ohlone: First Inhabitants of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area What was life like for the people who lived in the Los Gatos area before the colonists arrived? For thousands of years before Europeans set foot in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley, the native people - who called themselves "Ohlone", meaning "the people" made this sub-tropical climate their home. (There were appx. 5000 of them living here when the area was colonized.) The Ohlone ranged from about Carmel to the south and up the Peninsula and across the East Bay, at the least. They were a mobile people who were hunters and gatherers. They made great use of tule reeds for clothing, housing, and bowls. The acorn (several types from several varieties of oak trees) was their staple food, made into bread, soup, and a type of hot cereal after it was leached with water. In a bad year for acorns, they could use the California Buckeye instead. Adorned with shell & rock jewelry ...
April is Green! It's "Keep Los Gatos Beautiful" Month
2008-03-30 05:56:00 Did you know that April is the month for "Keep Los Gatos Beautiful"? There's a lot of emphasis on the town being "green" too. Events include: Children's Earth Day Celebration April 3 Composting info at Los Gatos Farmer's Market April 6 Info on recycling at Farmer's Market April 13 Refresh a Planter Box Day April 19 Los Gatos Parks Commission Volunteers - new park trail maps at Farmer's Market April 20 55+ Plant Swap April 23 Tree City USA and Arbor Day Celebration April 25 Los Gatos Trail Cleanup April 26 For detailed information on these events and MORE, click here.
What does it cost to buy a lot or land in Los Gatos?
2008-03-27 12:34:00 Have you ever wondered what it might cost to buy a parcel of land, maybe a view lot, and build your own home? Any idea what it costs to purchase raw land in the Town of Los Gatos? Are you curious? Right now, there are 25 parcels for sale in Los Gatos. I've assembled the list for you to view on another site of mine. If you're curious, have a look. You may not be surprised at the most expensive prices, but you may be surprised at the least expensive ones!
Are there many short sale listings<br>in the Los Gatos, Monte Sereno,
2008-03-26 23:21:00 In some parts of Santa Clara County, a high percentage of homes on the market in the lower price ranges especially are offered as "short sale" listings. For example, recently I've been assisting buyers of single family homes in the $500,000 price range in parts of San Jose (such as Evergreen, Blossom Valley, Santa Teresa and South San Jose). The vast majority of those listings, perhaps 95% or more, are "short sales". But that's not happening in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno or Saratoga. Short sales pull values down, so if you live in this lovely foothill area, be glad that the real estate market here is healthier! Here are the numbers of local short sale listings as of today, March 26, 2008: Los Gatos - 5 total, 2 single family houses and 3 condos or townhomes which are listed as being short sales as of today (95032 and 95030 areas) Monte Sereno - 1 single family house listed as a short sale. Saratoga - 0 single family houses, 0 condos o...
Mini Market Update:<BR>The Los Gatos Real Estate Market
2008-03-26 00:58:00 We won't have the March stats (or first quarter statistics) for the Los Gatos residential real estate market for another week or two, but I wanted to provide a snapshot of the realty market to keep you updated. As of this morning, there were 149 single family homes available (as "status 1") for sale in the Town of Los Gatos (zip codes 95030 and 95032). There were also 28 pending sales of single family homes (so an 18.7% ratio). As before, approximately one home in five is selling right now. Breaking it down by price point (but all areas), in the under two million dollar range, there were 86 homes available and 20 pending sale - so a 23% ratio. Homes are selling better in the more moderate price ranges. Looking lower at the up to and under $1.3 million, there were 41 for sale and 8 pending (19.5%). Looking at just the $1 to $2 million range, there are 25 for sale and 5 pending (20%) in the Campbell Union High School District, and 41 for sale and 13 pending in the Los Gatos-Sarato...
Want to Buy a Home in Los Gatos?<BR>Some Tips to Get Your Home Purcha
2008-03-22 04:16:00 We read about the real estate market being a buyers market, and some folks think that means that houses, condos and townhomes will always sell for much less than the asking price. That just isn't the case. There's a whole lot of "it depends" going on. Take each property on its own merits, do some homework and strategize how to get the best deal when buying a home. Some sellers, for example, deliberately underprice their homes to attract multiple offers. This, of course, pushes the price up and the sellers are often very pleased with the results. (It is usually far more effective than "testing the market" with a high price.) So if it's underpriced, don't assume it'll sell for less. How should you evaluate Los Gatos real estate when you're thinking of writing an offer? I go through this with my clients all the time, so let me give you a few tips here. First, make sure you understand the current market conditions for the area and ...
Los Gatos community gathers around German pole vaulter to help him excel
2008-03-20 03:49:00 By Marianne Lucchesi HamiltonFor Bay Area News GroupIn the past couple of years, Nico Weiler has done a lot of flying. He's hopped several planes between his homeland of Germany and California, and has visited New York, Idaho and various other states. But mostly he's flown on his own power - as a world-champion pole-vaulter and member of the Los Gatos High School track and field team.Weiler is a senior, and in his second year as a student at LGHS. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother Sasha, who also came from Germany to spend a year as a member of the Wildcats' pole-vaulting squad. How the Weiler brothers ended up in Los Gatos is a story in itself.In 2003, LGHS track coach Brandon Vance was attending the National Pole-Vault Summit (Vance is also a former Wildcat, in 1994 posting the team's prior best mark of 16 feet, 4 inches, then vaulting 17 feet as a Fresno State student). At the summit, Vance heard his name being called over the public address system. "I went to...
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.
Crime in Los Gatos:<BR>Murder on Overlook Drive Stuns and Saddens The
2008-03-15 18:47:00 The Los Gatos Observer was the first to break the news that yesterday, just before noon, a man was killed at a townhome complex (Rancho de Los Gatos) on Overlook Drive, which is walking distance to downtown Los Gatos. Within a few hours, other news sources picked up on the story and we learned that the victim was a former bar tender and bar owner, the much beloved Mark Achilli. Apparently a man dressed all in black had been hanging around this normally sleepy neighborhood for a few hours. He shot Mr. Achilli at close range with a number of bullets. Experts believe this is not a random shooting. Right now, there are more questions than answers. Police are seeking any information. Please call (408) 354-8600 if you can help with this case. The suspect is still at large. Mark Achilli is a former owner of Mountain Charley's Saloon and 180 Degree Restaurant and Lounge, and prior to that was a bartender at Carrie Nation's - all three in Los Gatos. ...
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Los Gatos
2008-03-14 23:30:00 St. Patrick's Day is being celebrated in Los Gatos over a period of days, so everyone will have an ample opportunity to wear the green and enjoy the fun! Below please find a list of fun places to visit to partake: Sunday, March 16th: C.B. Hannegan's, located at 208 Bachman Avenue in downtown Los Gatos (close to N. Santa Cruz Avenue and the Bank of America). Hannegan's always overflows with patrons for this feast, so they are celebrating a day early to be able to use the B of A parking lot. Visit their website for information on their St. Patrick's Day celebration The Los Gatos Brewing Company, found at 130-G N. Santa Cruz Avenue (near Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Los Gatos) is offering a special menu both 3/16 and 3/17. You can always count on them to celebrate all the holidays! Monday, March 17th: The Boulevard Tavern, located at 15043 Los Gatos Boulevard (near Lark Avenue, between Lark and Highway 85), honors the patron saint of Ir...
Los Gatos Home Sales Trends
2008-03-14 23:12:00 Los Gatos Home Sales Trends The following chart shows median and average price trends plus sales in the Los Gatos real estate market of single family homes (this is for the zip codes 95030 and 95032, not the mountain areas of 95033). The chart uses a 12-month moving average to eliminate any seasonal variation. Note that overall, prices of sold homes continue to rise, even as the number of sales has been declining. The next chart is the same as above but uses a 3-month moving average. This smoothes out month-to-month variations yet shows seasonal variations. What is unusual here is that the number of sales is not rebounding as much as is seasonally normal. This chart shows the current inventory of homes for sale compared to the number that have sold. The larger the gap between inventory and sales, the harder it is to sell, of course. So it is a little amazing that prices are rising at all. The next series of charts shows the same... |
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