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 also blogged about it on my Valley of Hearts Delight blog.)
The pic below is just a photo. But you can see the "live" map, and zoom in and out and see it in the whole by clicking on this link. I hope you find this map helpful!
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.
Willow Street does not have a "soup and salad" combination on the menu, but you can do what I did and order a half or side salad plus a bowl of soup and create your own combo. I ordered a Romaine Gorgonzola half salad with cranberries together with the bowl of soup and it was very filling. A side salad instead of half salad would have been plenty!
If you enjoy clam chowder, look for it at Willow Street (and other restaurants) on Fridays. Very few places will offer it on any other day of the week. (The reason for this tradition has to do with religion and demographics. Catholics, who constitute about 20% of the population here in Silicon Valley, used to be prohibited by their church from eating meat on Fridays so many "fish specials" used to be featured on that day. That religious rule was changed in the early 1960s after Vatican II, and today the "no meat on Friday" rule only applies during Lent. Even so, some continue to keep to the older, stricter standards.)
Willow Street does have good pizza, it's a kid-friendly restaurant, and the salads and soups are really quite delicious. Don't let the name "Willow Street Pizza" fool you: there's much more to the menu then just pizza. In fact, you can browse their menu online and see for yourself at http://www.willowstreet.com/LOS_GATOS/Los_Gatos.html
If you have a favorite, local place to enjoy a cup or bowl of clam chowder, please share it in the comments below!
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.
The Los Gatos real estate market varies by zip code, school district, neighborhood and price point.
The schools are a huge factor in sales prices and overall desireability, even if the buyers want to have their kids attend private schools. So let's consider that imact too. The 95030 zip code is entirely in the Los Gatos School District, but the 95032 zip code is partly "in the schools" and partly in the Campbell Union High School District. The 95033 zip code reflects the Los Gatos Mountain areas (such as Redwood Estates, Chemeketa Park, etc.), which are not actually part of the town but have a Los Gatos mailing address. The schools in the mountains are quite good and they feed into Los Gatos High School.
I. Overview: Today we'll first have a broad overview of the major real estate indicators across 95030, 95032, and 95033, then focus in on pricing by zip code in particular.
1.) Here's a snapshot of how the Los Gatos real estate market is faring by zip code and major indicators. First, let's look at the median list price of single family homes in these zip codes:
The median list price is clearly declining across all zip codes.
2.) And here's the inventory situation by zip code in Los Gatos, which as you can see hit a peak a month or two ago but has been declining recently:
3.) Finally, here is a view of the days on market in the same three parts of Los Gatos:
II. Pricing Information by zip code and quartile.
1.) The days on market are rising across all zip codes and the ratio appears fairly similar from one to the next.
2.) Next, the same data for 95032:
3.) And lastly the same information for the mountain areas of 95033:
Generally speaking
-the inventory is not as high as a few months ago and appears to be enjoying a downward trend.
-days on the market are climbing overall
-median list price has been falling - in some areas and price points, it's not terribly dire, but in others the situation is more extreme.
Overall, the market continues to deteriorate for sellers and improve for buyers. Any particular home may or may not fit neatly into the patterns shared above, so please contact me for more information on your home or your dream home!
My husband, Jim Handy, created a map on Google with the trails of east Los Gatos showing. I thought it was well done and wanted to share it here - he was glad to have others enjoy the hiking opportunities and quickly agreed to let me post it here. Enjoy! (Unfortunately, this blogsite has some trouble with embedded Google maps, so what is below is just an image and not the interactive map itself. To see the actual map on G, please click here.)
At the end of Belgatos Road is Belgatos Park, and several trails originate here. Another good starting point is the new luxury home subdivision, Shannon Acres, which is at the intersection of Hicks and Shannon Roads in Los Gatos. Or, drive up to Santa Rosa and begin there. Please note that there is NO public parking at the top of Harwood Court. If you wish to have an easy hike, get someone to drive you to the park entrance on Harwood Court and walk downhill from there.
Recently I had the pleasure of listing one of the nicest homes I've seen, with a comfortable blend of old style quality craftsmanship and contemporary amenities. It will be open this weekend, and I invite you to stop by!
Some of the basic details on this lovely home:
Home size appx 2971, Lot size appx 9000. Built 1992. Offered at $1,865,000.
4 bed, 3.5 baths. Three car garage. Air Conditioned. Corner Lot. Traditional, Victorian home on the outside, but warm, classic and contemporary on the inside!
MLS # 80901346.
Quality detailing abounds in this home. Here, you'll find clear, leaded glass windows, hardwood floors, tall & classic baseboards, elegant crown moulding, many built-ins, recessed lights, beautifully crafted mantles (3 total), and more.
The gourmet kitchen is state of the art with Thermador range, fan, oven, warming drawer and microwave oven, Kohler sinks, SubZero refrigerator, slab granite countertops, cherry cabinets and a gorgeous, oversized island, bay window, and hardwood floors. The kitchen is open to the family room and nook and offers access to the rear yard through the family room.
The master bedroom suite is breathtakingly memorable! Leaded glass windows surround the bed area and cascade colored light through the panes, which act as prisms. With a vaulted ceiling, two triple closets with organizers, a fireplace and bookshelves and media niche too, there's nothing lacking in this remarkable room!
The master bath is recently remodeled and includes a large steam shower, vanity with double sinks, many built in cabinets, a high ceiling with mouldings and a skylight or sun tunnel to bring light in all day long.
There's much more! Please visit www.16125FrancescaCourt.com for more information. See the slideshow. Visit the virtual tour. Pull up more pics!
Open house notes: I will be holding it open on Saturday Jan 31st 2009 from 1:30 to 4pm, and Sunday, Feb 1st, 1:30 - 4pm, a colleague of mine will be holding it open. Please stop by!
The real estate sales numbers are in for Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, San Jose and all of Silicon Valley for December 2008 and for the year as a whole.
Santa Clara County Real Estate Report for 2008 (annual report - you may also find on this site the annual reports for Los Gatos, the Los Gatos Mountains, Campbell, Saratoga, etc. as well as quarterly reports and monthly reports - monthly report links found at the bottom of this post).
You already know that things have been bad: money's hard to borrow, homes are hard to sell, jobs seem to be threatened.
There was some good news to be found, though.
Home sales increased in the second half of 2008, and we expect that to continue
By the end of 2008, the number of sales were up year-over-year from 2007
Prices are down - in some areas prices have "rolled back" two to three years. In other places, it's closer to four years. This is good news for buyers!
If your downpayment is strong and credit is great you can get a loan and the news for you is great: interest rates are very, very attractive now! FHA loans are reappearing! Sellers are considering carrying second loans!
Banks are finally getting it together for handling REOs and short sales. New divisions are appearing to handle the increased workload.. These sales should be smoother in 2009.
How about our local market in the west side of Silicon Valley?
The upscale communities of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, Cupertino and other foothill areas with good schools did not fare as badly as most of Santa Clara County in 2008, but they are not immune from the prevailing winds, either.
Overall, inventory is up and time on the market is up while the list price to sales price ratio is down.
Please visit my Real Estate Report at www.PopeHandy.ReReport.com for the complete, interactive report for last month, last quarter, or last year - countywide, by city, or by area of San Jose, or click on the following links to see the most recent monthly report for these areas:
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)
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. 
RSS Blog Feed
