To the left is a photo I took a few weeks back from the far edge of Los Gatos - up on Harwood Road (where you aren't allowed to park your car so this shot was taken from the window of my automobile). That's downtown San Jose in the distance. Behind me are the Santa Cruz Mountains, aka the Coastal Range. Across from me, beyond downtown San Jose, you see the eastern foothills. Beyond them, at some distance, is the Central Valley. This valley was once known as "The Valley of the Heart's Delight". Los Gatos lies at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains and is a town you'd need to pass through to get to Santa Cruz and the beach. It s a vibrant part of life in SIlicon Valley, though it has only a little industry (Netflix being the biggest company here). Most homes don't have a great view like this - my home is at the bottom of this hill, in the flatlands. From one bedroom, we have a view of the hill. And that's pretty too.
So how's the market in this very scenic corner of the valley? Well, it depends on your price point. For Los Gatos, the most affordable (i.e., really middle class) housing is going fast. Inventory is low. In fact, in January there were 100 homes for sale (not a lot) and as of this moment, there are just 89. We have 36 homes "pending". Most of these are not at the high end of the spectrum. Prices in our fair town (not a city, but a town - just to be clear) range from a low of $799,000 to over $15 million for single family homes. By and large, the homes under $1.5 million are flying off the market. But there just aren't that many buyers for homes over $10 million.
In my own neighborhood, Belwood of Los Gatos, there are about 500 homes and last year about 10 of them sold. This is an exceptionally low-turnover neighborhood. Prices in 2006 averaged about $1,230,000 for a home with about 2400 square feet. Right now there's exactly one home for sale, it's not far from the average size but it's listed at $1,380,000. Will it sell for that much? I have no idea. If it does sell close to that price, we will know that prices are rising again. I cannot wait to see this home myself - naturally I want my home to appreciate in value (that is, until I think about my kids hopefully being in the housing market themselves in 10 years...then I hope it just climbs very, very slowly). You can check out the housing situation in Belwood by visiting my site, www.BelwoodOfLosGatos.com and clicking on the "Homes Info" button, or navigate there directly by using this link: http://www.belwoodoflosgatos.com/more/index.cfm?Fuseaction=more_11917
Historical information for recent years is on the following page, which you can reach at the top of the Homes Info page.
So how's the market? If you are the owner of a high end home and you need to sell, you will say it's awful. If you own a nicely updated, well priced middle class home, you would say it's a market that is great for sellers and a little rough on buyers. If your home is not in great shape or is not priced in the bottom third of its competition, you might be convinced it's a terribly strong buyer's market. Truth is, it is close to balanced for most homes. It can be a win-win market, but everyone has to be realistic and be prepared to do a little work. But that would be true for most worthwhile things in life: they tend to need a dose of realism and some effort.
While the East Coast is buried in snow, we have had a week with more than a little rain - but we needed it so no one dared to complain! Today, however, the sun was out and I wanted to capture a little of Los Gatos on film ... er, make that on my digital camera. So here are a few shots from around town.
To the left is a sign that recently made its way to the Main Street Bridge (which, by the way, was once known as The Hanging Bridge - you guessed it, that's where lynchings and "justice" were carried out). This sign for The King's Highway surprised me because The El Camino Real (The King's Highway) is known in this valley as either El Camino Real, The Alameda, or Market Street. It winds through San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and on up the Peninsula.
So how or why is the sign here? Well, the Main Street Bridge crosses over Highway 17, which makes its way over to Santa Cruz - and the Mission in Santa Cruz. So I am presuming that because 17 links the missions (Santa Clara and Santa Cruz) that it constitutes part of the historic route and thus won the right to display this cool Mission Trail bell and sign. Below, please find a more telling view of the bell - with the Penthouse Apartments and the famous Cats on the wall to prove the location (no, it's not photoshopped- honest!) And next to them are some other shots of Los Gatos today. Not bad for winter, is it??
So you can see, there's no snow, no rain, no frost (OK you can't see it, but take my word for it). The weather has been in the mid-60s the last few days and when I take our pooch, Bella, out for a walk it seems I find half the neighborhood doing the same thing. This is winter in Los Gatos - where we have 300 sunny days a year and we seldom get a hard frost. We are just 30 minutes from the beach, but protected from the fog by "The Hill" (seen in the middle photo above, behind the famous Beckwith Building). We're an hour from San Francisco, 90 minutes from Monterey and Carmel, and 20 or so minutes to San Jose - the safest large city in the US. This area has a very highly educated population, low crime, great schools, wonderful shops and restuarants - and, possibly the supreme highlight - fabulous weather.
Come visit Los Gatos! Enjoy wine tasting, museums, shops, fine dining, and all the outdoors activities. Or just enjoy the Town Plaza Park and watch the world go by, like the people in the photo below. Los Gatos: always a great place to be, but perhaps especially remarkable in winter!
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, E-PRO
Luxor Real Estate Group
Mailing Address for Mary: PO Box 440 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0440
877 397-5391 (office/toll-free)
was once known as The Hanging Bridge - you guessed it, that's where lynchings and "justice" were carried out). This sign for The King's Highway surprised me because The El Camino Real (The King's Highway) is known in this valley as either El Camino Real, The Alameda, or Market Street. It winds through San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and on up the Peninsula. 
So you can see, there's no snow, no rain, no frost (OK you can't see it, but take my word for it). The weather has been in the mid-60s the last few days and when I take our pooch, Bella, out for a walk it seems I find half the neighborhood doing the same thing. This is winter in Los Gatos - where we have 300 sunny days a year and we
seldom get a hard frost. We are just 30 minutes from the beach, but protected from the fog by "The Hill" (seen in the middle photo above, behind the famous Beckwith Building). We're an hour from San Francisco, 90 minutes from Monterey and Carmel, and 20 or so minutes to San Jose - the safest large city in the US. This area has a very highly educated population, low crime, great schools, wonderful shops and restuarants - and, possibly the supreme highlight - fabulous weather. 
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