Relocation is an upheaval, but often one full of excitement and promise. People moving to Silicon Valley find themselves coming to a place unlike any other - it's is an entrepenuer's haven, a high tech magnet. With a highly educated population, low crime, fantastic weather, scenic beauty, and opportunities in every aspect of life, the move to Silicon Valley or the San Jose area is abundant with opportunity for success and happiness.

How do you choose where to live once you decide that Santa Clara County, or Silicon Valley, will be home?  There are a lot of things to consider, from the type of home you want and the commute distance you can tolerate to the availabilty of parks and trails, excellent schools, and an ambiance where you'll feel at home. And cost, too, of course.

For many, many people relocating to Silicon Valley from within the U.S. or from abroad, Los Gatos is that place that "feels like home". People from Europe have often told me that Los Gatos has a "European feel", and from my year living in Florence, Italy, I can appreciate that correlation! With the many unique shops and great restaurants and the heavy foot traffic, Los Gatos comes across as a place for living and spending time.  It's a true community.

The community aspect is extremely important in Los Gatos. Many things bring people together. Big public events are common in Los Gatos - and many of them are free!  In summers, there are not one but three free musical concert series (Vasona Vibrations, Jazz on the Plazz and Music in the Park). There's Shakespeare at Oak Meadow Park too. In September, a free movie is shown at Oak Meadow Park and the event is called "Screen on the Green". In December, there will be a well-attended tree lighting ceremony on the first Friday night of the month and a huge holiday parade the next morning. Every Sunday there's a Farmer's Market in the Los Gatos town Park Plaza (across from the post office). There are so many events, all year round, that bring people together. Some are sponsored by local churches (like the St. Mary's Country Fair in early October) or the Chamber of Commerce (Claws for a Cause in September). In November there's an inter-faith Thanksgiving service. Each year it is hosted at a different house of worship. And this is only a passing glance at the fun events that happen each year in the town of Los Gatos.

There are a thousand small things too. Volunteers make this town go! Los Gatos has two museums, and volunteers are the heart and soul of those operations. Volunteers in Policing, the many town commissions are all hosted by volunteers. (My husband is a volunteer on the Los Gatos Parks Commission.)

Schools are a big deal in Los Gatos too. The town is served by three elementary and middle school districts and they range from good to great in terms of the scoring.

Another key element that makes Los Gatos special is scenic beauty. The town of Los Gatos is nestled into the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, so there are gentle, rolling hills and some steeper hills that provide dramatic and impressive views. The terrain is lovely with oak trees and redwood trees alike, but many grassy meadows where you might find deer or wild turkey.  Some of Los Gatos is "horse country" too.  

Vineyards are popular in lots with more space and the Santa Cruz Mountains are filled with wineries. You won't have to go far to taste locally grown and bottled wine, though - we have spots right in town where that can be done! 

The Old Los Gatos or downtown area is historic and architecturally beautiful too. The Almond Grove District, the Edelen District, and the Broadway area are all turn-of-the-last century vintage and lovely old Victorian homes line the streets. Talk about charm!  In December there are horse-drawn carriage rides that meander through the downtown and historic parts of Los Gatos.

Our weather is conducive to year-round fun outdoors - the Santa Clara Valley enjoys 300 sunny days a year! Los Gatos is the gateway to the coast, too, so it's only about a thirty minute drive from downtown Los Gatos to the beach at Santa Cruz. 

Los Gatos also enjoys a bountiful supply of great parks. Vasona Lake County Park doesn't belong to the town (it's a county park) but it's over 100 acres, with a lake, right in the middle of the town of Los Gatos. Many other parks grace the town from one end to the other. Some have a fascinating history too.

Low crime, great schools, community spirit, fabulous dining and shops, ambiance, and parks are all a part of the Los Gatos experience. 

For More Information:

Visit my community profiles on my main website, PopeHandy.com:
http://www.popehandy.com/neighborhoods/index.cfm

Chicago Title has a relocation guide online, at no cost. Visit http://www.chicagotitle.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=352 and input California for the state and Santa Clara for the county and you'll get a very helpful guide to Silicon Valley.

What if you love Los Gatos but it's beyond your budget?

I can help you to find a home either in or near Los Gatos if the town is not quite in reach right now. There are many great areas adjacent to Los Gatos, such as Cambrian Park, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, Campbell, and Willow Glen - many of which are more affordable (or may offer a shorter commute). Call or email me and we'll evaluate your wants and needs together to get you as much as possible within your budget!

If you are thinking of selling your home sometime in the next year or two, how soon should you really start to address this project? A real estate agent can have listing paperwork signed by a homeowner and put the house on the market (and on the MLS) within a couple of hours. But that's not usually the best way to proceed.

It's best if you can "hit the ground running" so that the day your home goes onto the multiple listing service, everything is in place and you've arrived at that day in an unhurried way if at all possible. When your home goes "live" and "on the market, ideally the lockbox is on the house, the color flyers are ready, the disclosures are completed, the pre-sale inspections are done (and any corrections or improvements finished), the virtual tour online, etc. And perhaps most importantly, when your home is exposed to the pool of buyers, it needs to be staged - decluttered and spotless above all.

So when to begin?

(1) Decluttering, thinning out possessions:
however long it takes

Because few of us in Santa Clara County have basements, a lot of times our extra stuff ends up in the garage. It can be a magnet for not only holiday decorations, but boxes of unopened items from the last move and things that are on the "to deal with" list. Closets and cabinets can be similarly stuffed and all of these need to be fairly well thinned out for the purposes of showing and selling your house, townhouse or condo.

The weeding out process can take quite a while for some people. Take a look at your garage and then your closets and start a plan for what to do with all the items you seldom or never use. If you haven't touched something in several years, it may be time to part with it.

Each situation is different, but some sellers need months to do this difficult process of thinning out possessions in the garage and closets. For some, it's more acute and there are too many possessions everywhere (countertops, tables, desks - home offices can also attract too many items for the space).

(2) Six weeks ahead of when you'd like to be on the market, begin to interview for your real estate professional (ideally a Realtor since members of NAR adhere to a code of ethics that goes beyond what the law requires). Allow enough time to meet, check the Dept of Real Estate's website for the license status and check the agent's marketing materials, web exposure, experience etc. (You can always select your agent first, but normally that's not necessary.)

(3) About four weeks ahead of your desired to-market date is a good amount of time, an unhurried and comfortable amount of time, to sign the listing paperwork, order inspections, complete disclosures, finish staging, and get the photos and virtual tour and marketing & advertising pieces ready. This allows you enough time to address any surprises that might come up in the pre-sale inspections so that you can better control the outcome of your sale.

Some people contact me years ahead of when they actually decide to sell. I once got a call from a woman who asked me to come right over and list her house (I had never met her before but she was close friends with a past client). These are the extremes. More often, people aren't sure how their timetable will exactly pan out and they may start a dialogue with me about selling their home in Los Gatos, San Jose or Saratoga or elsewhere in Silicon Valley several months ahead of when they will actually do it. And that's fine. Most real estate professionals will be happy to speak with you well in advance of when you actually sell because they want to establish a relationship with you so that when you do sell, they are "top of mind". That's certainly how I view it: I would like to be the go-to resource for home selling in Silicon Valley (especially in Los Gatos).

Please call or email me if I can help you with your selling questions, whether for now or in the distant future.

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"
Intero Real Estate Services, Los Gatos, CA (Silicon Valley)
408 357-5760 (Direct); 408 204-7673 (Cell); 408 715-0201 (eFax)
www.PopeHandy.com www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com
email: Mary@PopeHandy.com