Los Gatos, California
Los Gatos real estate, neighborhoods, condos, houses, homes, market trends, history, events, lifestyle, parks, events, businesses, home, Mary Pope-Handy
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Apr. 14, 2008
 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 but it's nowhere near downtown Los Gatos (or the mountains). Instead, it's in the area where Campbell, Los Gatos, and Saratoga meet - over near Pollard and Quito Roads.
So have a look at the Merc's article, "Mother sues Los Gatos Union to get son into Fisher Middle School" and see what you think!
Apr. 5, 2008
 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 or other reasons.
Spring: What's best for sellers? Most years (but not all) that "best window" is from February through April. On a good year, it may continue into May. Some years, that "best window" for sellers is just a couple of weeks in March. Other years, it moves around and could be earlier, later, longer or shorter. Or just not happen at all. For buyers, spring brings a new influx of inventory and often decent rates. As more buyers come on the market, interest rates tend to creep up most years (a supply and demand issue).
 Summer: Somewhere around June, though, the tide begins to turn and by mid to late summer, sales have slowed considerably and sometimes prices even drop by about August. It varies from year to year. This can be a great time for buyers - lots of inventory to choose from, Interest rates may not be their cheapest, though.
Fall: Many years, there is a second rally (besides the one that happens near March) with a mini flurry of activity between Labor Day and Halloween. That can often be an excellent time to sell or to buy (more inventory than August or November/December).
There are pros and cons to each time on the market for both buyers and sellers. Depending on your home, any time can work. Traditionally, spring is viewed as best for both because there is a good supply of inventory but it doesn't linger too long. So in some ways, spring is the most balanced market. Any time of year CAN work, though. So do not tie your buying decision soley to something like the school year, the interest rates, or the holidays. Call me if you'd like to discuss your individual situation.
Feb. 24, 2008
Categorized in: LG Lifestyle
When this blog first began, I did a post as to why folks chose to live in Los Gatos (as opposed to Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, or anywhere else). I've updated it and now pose the question to you: why live in Los Gatos? I would love to get the feedback of town residents!
Please visit the post, Why Live in Los Gatos? and share your insights!
Jan. 12, 2008
.jpg) On the eastern edge of the town of Los Gatos, there sits a neighborhood of about 500 homes that most people refer to as simply "Belwood" but in fact is comprised of three different neighborhoods: Belwood of Los Gatos, the Belgatos area and the Surmont subdivision. Collectively, they enjoy close access to fabulous Belgatos Park and the use of a great neighborhood pool and cabaña.
Being partial to this region of town since my family and I reside there, I provide a small website, BelwoodOfLosGatos.com (also Belwood-Belgatos.com points to it), which includes hyper local information about that neighborhood's homes and real estate, Belgatos Park, the cabaña and also an area-specific blog to which I occassionally post. Today I blogged about the three parts of the area and homes for sale there - what is currently on the market and a hint about an upcoming listing (not mine, but one I'm aware of). Additionally, there's a link to the "home info" section, which includes sales prices of homes in Belwood, Belgatos and Surmont in recent years.
Interested in the Los Gatos real estate market? It's not "one market", but many micro-markets. What applies in one region or price point (or even school district, at times) may not be true in another. The Belwood area homes in east Los Gatos is one of those many markets. Pop by my blog and site there and get to know the neighborhood! A photo slideshow is available too.
May. 6, 2007
 If you have read much of this blog, you know that the first European settlers, Peralta and Hernandez, made their adobe home on the land which is now Vasona Lake County Park. There was no lake there at the time, of course, but the Los Gatos Creek wove through the meadow and the surroundings were scenic and lush.
 Closer to the mountains, a mill was founded - Forbes Mill - and the town grew up around it. Wooden buildings and sidewalks popped up, with homes scattered nearby. Eventually, someone got the idea to build a neighborhood of homes in Los Gatos. That insightful fellow was John Weldon Lyndon, the same gentleman who bought the Los Gatos Hotel and later moved and renamed it the Lyndon Hotel in 1878. At the same time, he had greater visions for the  neighborhood.
John Lyndon developed Broadway and put 48 lots on it and offered the first of them for sale in 1881 (6 years before the Almond Grove area was developed). Some homes may have been built there before this division took place - there are indicators that a few of the homes in the area pre-date 1881.
.jpg) Lyndon moved his hotel to the location of today's Lyndon Plaza in 1878. This is the town's very oldest subdivision. As of now there are 12 pre-1900 homes remaining. Other developments in the 1880's include the nearby Almond Grove, Fairview, and the Edelen Districts.
Mar. 27, 2007
 Winding Quito Road tacks back and forth in zig-zag fashion, an ideal "speed trap" as it tucks around oak trees and occassionally crosses over the San Tomas Aquino Creek (named after St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican Priest). The creek and the road separate Los Gatos from Saratoga, and I believe it also marks the edge of the original Mexican Land Grant that comprised La Rinconada de Los Gatos, or "The Corner of the Cats".
It's a beautiful drive, it really is. But the temptation is to drive just a little too fast on this scenic route from the hills to the suburbs or vice versa.  There have been too many accidents and so the good folks in charge of the shared road decided to use surprise to help in slowing down the traffic. The yellow diamond-shaped speed advisory signs admonish the driver coming into a turn that the recommended speed is 19 mph, or 23, or 22. Visitors from out of state give a mixed reaction of delight and disgust, as if a sense of humor on government property could only take place on The Left Coast.
But it seems to work.
.jpg) There are lots of hidden treasures along Quito Road. I will protect the current homeowners by not giving the address, but there's an original log cabin from I believe the early 1800's sitting close to one of the many bends in the road. I saw it myself when that property was for sale a few years ago. One room in all, the redwood logs stretched about 10 feet in one direction, and perhaps 8 in another, with just a door and a window or two for ingress and egress. Situated near the water, it was probably an idylic spot - if you like camping. The last time I drove past, it looked like the log exterior had been covered by clapboard. I hope my eyes were just fooling me. Isn't it a landmark?
And you'll find some orchards, the remanents of The Valley of Heart's Delight days, too. The prune was first introduced here exactly 150 years ago (in the winter of 1856-1857 by a Frenchman who grafted some French prune branches onto some native wild plums). It's living history. Deer and horses can be seen from time to time too. Even in Silicon Valley, the High Tech Mecca, we love to see the animals, the trees, and the open spaces.
Yes, there are lots of expensive houses that most of us cannot afford there too (an average value of perhaps $2,000,000), but even so, they are a joy to visit on a warm spring or summer weekend when the Open House signs appear like the mustard flowers in March. One home is an original adobe...another a contemporary of some .jpg) sort, and another a ranch.
No matter what your pleasure, a trip down Quito Road is a perfect weekend outing.
Just watch your speed.
Blog entry by Mary Pope-Handy,
Los Gatos & Silicon Valley (San Jose area) Residential Real Estate Specialist and
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, ASP, CNHS, RECS, E-Pro,
Intero Real Estate Services, 518 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030
www.PopeHandy.com
Do not use without permission, please.
Nov. 20, 2006
Parts of Town
My husband, Jim Handy, likes to joke that just like there’s an “East Palo Alto”, there’s also an “East Los Gatos” – and that is where we live. It’s not a jurisdictional boundary, just a descriptive one with no real function except to give a sense of place.
What is east Los Gatos? What is west Los Gatos?
Highway 17 pretty much splits the town east-west and is the unofficial boundary for each side of town, though I have known others to think of Los Gatos Boulevard as the line. Another freeway, Highway 85 (The West Valley Freeway) is the approximate northern boundary of town, though the exact boundary zigs and zags enthusiastically.
There are many distinct neighborhoods in Los Gatos beyond the general “east Los Gatos” or “downtown” areas, and in future blogs I’ll discuss each one, but here are a few of the areas: Fairview Plaza, The Almond Grove, Blossom Hill Manor (Blossom Manor), The Edelyn District, St. Joseph’s Hill, Belgatos and Belwood of Los Gatos, Surrey Farms, The Alta Vista area and more.
And there are several school districts in Los Gatos too. This really confounds people who move to the Santa Clara Valley from other places. “What do you mean I can buy a home in Los Gatos and not have Los Gatos Schools?” The reason is simple: the school district boundaries predate the current boundaries of many of our cities and towns. So what used to be “out in the country”, a county pocket, now belongs to Los Gatos, or Saratoga, or any other municipality. Union Middle School, for example, is on the boundary of (east) Los Gatos and San Jose (the Cambrian district). So it serves kids who live in San Jose, Los Gatos, and also the county pockets in that area.
Of course, Los Gatos is not a young town and so it also has officially designated historical districts and places.
And then there are the mountain communities. Just up “the hill” off highway 17 there are many neighborhood hamlets that have a Los Gatos mailing address but are actually county lands and not part of the town per se. Redwood Estates, Chemeketa Park, Aldercroft Heights and others are not really “in town” officially or juriddictionally, but they share the mailing address and are, in effect, a social part of the town if not a voting component.
If you’d like to get to know Los Gatos better, the best way is to start downtown and take a walking (or slow driving) tour. The Chamber of Commerce has a fine little introductory tour available on their website here:
http://www.losgatosweb.com/lgwalkingtour.html
Enjoy!
Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor, CRS, ABR, e-PRO, SRES, ASP, RECS, CNHS
Helping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes Since 1993
Co-Author: "Get The Best Deal When Selling Your Home In Silicon Valley"
www.PopeHandy.com www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com
www.BelwoodOfLosGatos.com
emailto: Mary@PopeHandy.com
Blog: www.LiveInLosGatos.com (http://LiveInLosGatos.RealTownBlogs.com)
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