The San Jose Mercury News ran a piece today, alerting Los Gatos residents of dangerous coyotes seen near downtown Los Gatos recently: Los Gatos Pets Being Killed by Coyotes. Sadly, a cat and a dog were killed by these marauders. Traps have been set by vector control.
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 million, that got 26 offers!)
For an overview of the real estate market in Santa Clara County, view my online Real Estate Report. To see activity related to active sales (asking prices only), have a look at my report from Altos Research.
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.
How's the Silicon Valley real estate market doing? One way of taking the market's temperature is to check in on the number of short sale listings (most of which will become bank owned properties in time).
In many areas of Santa Clara County, the number of short sale listings is not rising much, if at all. Here's a quick peek at a few of the markets in the Santa Clara County (the San Jose, or Silicon Valley, area):
Active Listings of Short Sale Single Family Homes, Condos, Townhouses
3/26/2008
4/22/2008
5/18/2008
Los Gatos
5
9
8
Monte Sereno
1
0
0
Saratoga
0
1
1
Los Gatos Mtns
3
2
2
Cambrian Park
59
54
63
Santa Clara
56
60
63
Campbell
13
19
19
Cupertino
1
2
1
Los Altos
0
2
2
Sunnyvale
50
59
58
Blossom Valley
196
202
217
San Jose (all)
1534
1674
1777
As you can see, of the San Jose or Silicon Valley areas being tracked here, Blossom Valley and San Jose as a whole are experiencing rising numbers of short sales, while many of the West Valley communities are fairly flat or rising only slightly.
What seems to be happening is that the entry level markets are taking the biggest hit while the more expensive areas are a little more insulated from the rising numbers of short sale properties for sale in Santa Clara County. This has been the trend over the last 6 or 9 months and it appears to be remaining consistently true.
There's an old real estate adage about Location, Location, Location. Realtors tend to tell buyers to "buy the most home in the best neighborhood you can afford". Sometimes buyers heed this advice, but often they are infatuated with granite, stainless steel, and other finishing touches that may induce them to buy in a less desireable area. It's a hard temptation to resist, but the current market bears out the old wisdom that location is the MOST important thing in home buying.
If you'd like assistance with buying or selling your Silicon Valley home, please contact me now!
Warm regards,
Mary Pope-Handy
Keller Williams Realty
Serving all of Silicon Valley since 1993
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 Los Gatos Observer did a nice piece on this event, titled "Los Gatos Goes to the Dogs". Check it out!
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 numbers rather than the moving average, please have a look at my new online Real Estate Report. Below are links to specific pages within it that are most relavent to the readers of this blog:
How about general trends, using moving averages, in the real estate market for the Town of Los Gatos?
The following chart shows median and average price trends plus sales. The chart uses a 12-month moving average to eliminate any seasonal variation.
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. Here, you can see the uptick in the number of homes sold in Los Gatos.
This chart shows the current inventory of Los Gatos single family homes for sale compared to the number that have sold in the town.
The next series of charts shows the same thing as above but for condominiums and town homes in the Town of Los Gatos.
Please call or email me for specific information on your particular situation
in Los Gatos or anywhere in Silicon Valley.
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.
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 easy to relax at the Farmer's Market at the Town Plaza (at North Santa Cruz and Main) and then shop along Main Street, University Avenue, and North Santa Cruz Avenue. Take a stroll through the flower shop, Bunches, on N. Santa Cruz, while you're there. If the kids need a bite to eat, there's no shortage of possibilities downtown. The Diner of Los Gatos (on Highway 9) is always a good bet for children, but so are several other places downtown. Or if they get a little restless, a trip to Oak Meadow Park and Vasona Lake County Park can help them expend a little excess energy.
As a Realtor, I've noticed that Mother's Day is not a bad time to hold an open house. It seems that a whole lot of women in Silicon Valley enjoy looking at homes when given a chance. So husbands, I'd suggest plotting out a few homes to show her too, if that's something she'd enjoy! (It is easy enough to see what is open by doing a search at www.MLSListings.com and check the small box that says to display only the open homes.)
What if your mother or mother in law is far away? Flowers are usually good, but so are current photos of grandkids, if there are some. My husband seldom told his parents of his accomplishments, and I found that when I wrote or told them of his successes, it made them very happy. Grandparents love to hear those stories, so take a little time and write an old-fashioned letter and tell them about milestones and accomplishments, whether it's a first tooth or first step or if it's their grandchild being accepted into college. They want to hear this stuff!
As for me, I'm fairly well spoiled on a regular basis as my husband loves to cook. Last year I told the family I wanted to go to Half Moon Bay and visit a haunted restaurant for brunch and take some photos. They humored me, but wish I didn't enjoy visiting spooky places so much. This year I think I'll pass on the haunted spots and see about doing a hike or a walk in Los Gatos with cameras in hand and shoot some pics of the kids and the sights. Los Gatos is full of scenic spots, so now the only choice is where in town to go. We have a few days to figure that part out.
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)
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!
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.
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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. 
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