Cinnabar winery sign (Big Basin Way, Saratoga)

In many communities such as Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Willow Glen, Campbell and Palo Alto, there is a high premium placed on homes which are close to the downtown area.  Many real estate agents advertise these as “walk to town” but the idea is simple: it’s nearby, you can stroll, skate, ride or bike, wheel yourself and forget the car.

Downtown Saratoga, also called Saratoga Village, welcomes residents and visitors to a charming, scenic area with fabulous shops, spas, wine tasting venues, restaurants and more.  This part of the city boasts top scoring schools as well as lovely older and historic buildings and a gorgeous park alongside Saratoga Creek. Whether you spend an afternoon or a lifetime in Saratoga, this part of town will call you back again and again!

What do you need to know about buying a house, townhouse or condo in downtown Saratoga?

There are a few points which you are well served to know when purchasing residential real estate in this upscale community. We’ll touch on a few of them here: historic homes, traffic & noise, natural hazards, parking, and special issues with condos, townhouses and PUDs (planned unit developments).

First, this downtown Saratoga Village zone is historic; while not every property is deemed historic, many are and that means that there will be restrictions on remodeling and expansion of single family homes or houses. For instance, original glass in windows may need to remain if you’ve got a Victorian house dating from the 1890s, and expansions may need to be off the back of the home so that the facade keeps its initial look and feel (just examples).  This can be frustrating if you buy a luxury home that “needs work” and you are surprised later. If the house was built before 1950 or so, double check the rules! (more…)

Last week a Realtor friend, Colleen Kulikowski, was visiting from the Buffalo & Niagra Falls area of New York. Together we attended the California Association of Realtors conference in San Jose, CAR EXPO, where we attended some great sessions and at which I was a panelist one day on social media and real estate blogging.   I very much wanted her to see more than just the inside of a conference center, though, so in the evenings and days before and after we saw some sights along the coast and went wine tasting in Los Gatos, Willow Glen, Monterey and central San Jose at the fabulously convenient J Lohr Tasting Room.

As we  walked up to the door, I volunteered to pay for our tasting – just before noticing that it’s at no charge!  This is pretty rare today in Santa Clara County, Monterey County or Santa Cruz County wineries.  (When a tasting is free I always buy a bottle anyway if I enjoy the wine, and normally I do.)

Our hostess was very nice and gave us a printout of what could be tried that day and explained that we could select 6 and then she would “put them in order”.  Colleen and I prefer different types of wines so had little overlap in our selections – it was great to have so much variety.We both liked a number of wines and both made purchases (so they did ok on the free tasting by us).

The J Lohr venue is very pleasant, by the way, with some shirts, wine items and other things of interest which can be purchased. Several would make great local gifts.  It is light and bright, unlike some tasting cellars which may be windowless, and there’s plenty of room in which to move around.  The counter where we stood also offered hooks for our purses.  It would have been wonderful had there been more seating – two seats at the end of the bar were occupied by a happy couple – after a long day at the conference it would have been so appreciated to be able to sit down.  Most tasting rooms don’t have seating, though, so we didn’t expect it per se: just would have been a plus.

The location in Silicon Valley is exceedingly convenient, as it’s just under 2 miles from downtown San Jose (near the Shasta-Hanchett areas of central San Jose), just off the Alameda near Race Street. (That neighborhood is great for other shopping too – both Greenlee’s Bakery and Schurra’s Chocolates are very close by.) The staff is very welcoming, personable and knowledgeable. The wine is great. Price for tasting – free – can’t be beat!  If you enjoy trying wines, this is a great opportunity to do so without going far.  Overall, it’s two thumbs up.

J Lohr Tasting Room
1000 Lenzen Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 918-2160
Open 10am – 5pm except for a few holidays
http://www.jlohr.com

The Silicon Valley real estate market is a mixed bag and home buyers and sellers here may read the headlines and wonder why things seem so different in the news than in their own personal reality!

Here are a few quick facts and observations about the San Jose and Santa Clara County real estate market for houses, condos and townhouses:

• It is a seller’s market for both houses and condominiums in Santa Clara County (homes are selling well and very close to list price on average)
• The average and median sales price for houses & duet homes is down month over month and year over year (properties that are selling are those which are priced lower)
• For condos and townhomes, prices are up month over month (but down year over year).  The condo market here has taken a huge beating in recent years.
• The market is not equally hot everywhere!  It’s red hot in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, and areas nearby (Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View).  It is also hot where there are low priced foreclosure houses which can be bought at bargain rates.  The move-up market has been tough entry level houses in the best school areas are very sought after right now.  (The market is decidedly cooler in Los Gatos and Almaden Valley.)
• Homes that are selling best are completely remodeled and have no “issues” (such as high voltage lines, poor floorplan, proximity to something undesirable etc.) and priced aggressively  OR are distressed sales with great pricing

In the best areas, or those with the hottest markets, we are seeing some multiple offers with overbidding.  At the same time, we are finding homes that look great but languish on the market due to some issue or another or pricing that’s not as competitive as it needs to be for today’s market (or both). (more…)

In case you haven’t heard, The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 (Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 13260 et seq.) is now law.  As of July 1, 2011, California homes need to have a carbon monoxide detector installed.  This is not a “point of sale” ordinance just for people selling their homes, but instead is for all houses, condominiums, townhouses etc.  (whether occupied by owners or tenants).  For apartment buildings the deadline is later, January 1, 2013.

These detectors look a lot like smoke detectors and can be run on either batteries or plugged into the wall, depending on which model you purchase.  Experts suggest that you place the detector in the sleeping area of the home and on every floor of it (including basement, if your dwelling has one).

To learn more, I suggest doing research online, and be sure to include the Consumer Reports information on carbon monoxide detectors too.  The Cal Fire news release regarding the requirement can be viewed online also.

If you arrived into Silicon Valley via Highway 101, driving south from San Francisco, you might believe that the Santa Clara Valley, the San Jose area and Silicon Valley as a whole has got to seem to be the ugliest place on earth. Although heavily traveled, that is not the “scenic route”.

So, too, if you are looking for a place to live and are groping to find a place that is reasonably priced, fairly safe and not a terrible commute distance. You might not even have “is nice looking” on your wish list. You might not think it’s possible if all you ever see are the ugly concrete tilt-up buildings in north San Jose, Santa Clara, Alviso, or anywhere along the 237 corridor.  That area is an architectural wasteland.

Let me assure you: there are a lot of beautiful places in Silicon Valley where you can rent or buy a home. But how do you find them? It helps a lot to have a local give you a few pointers.  I’ll give you some tips today on finding a scenic place to live.

Hills – An easy way to find a scenic location to make your home is to settle near the hills, especially those in the west valley (the Santa Cruz Mountains or the Coastal Range) as they are green year-round. Communities at the base of the west valley foothills include, in Santa Clara County, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, and the Almaden Valley area of San Jose. All of these areas are adjacent to the hills or mountains and offer far better than average schools (many of them qualify as great – compare costs between these areas). (more…)

My Sereno Group real estate colleague and friend Lorraine Combs has some extremely gorgeous land listed for sale in Morgan Hill.  Many of us have the dream about building a home somewhere in Silicon Valley and getting more space – and this south county acreage is so scenic that I really wanted to showcase it here.  It’s a nice piece of the California heritage with views of the hills, trees and water all in one place. What a great place to enjoy horses or a vineyard!

So, take a few minutes, enjoy the photos and details, and see if these riverside lots might be just the thing for you or someone you know!

Two Riverfront Morgan Hill Lots For Sale: Some General Information

These two properties were recently subdivided, so share the same address, which is 12575 Watsonville Road, Morgan Hill.  The area is close to town and also near to the wine growing region.

One of these parcels is just shy of 3 acres and the other is 3.45 acres.  They are contiguous so two lots can be purchased together if you are looking for an even larger piece of land to call your own.

Both properties front the beautiful Uvas River, which runs year round.  And both are equestrian properties, zoned for horses.

Seller financing is possible for your real estate purchase – this is an enormous plus, especially given the current lending climate!

A well is shared between the two addresses. One lot has a P, G & E pole and the other has an electric easement.

One of the parcels has an existing structure and a new house can be built on that site, which includes views of the Uvas River.  The other does not currently have a building on it but does enjoy frontage on the river (and plenty of level land upon which to build).

Please note: do not go to these listings without an appointment!  It is imperative to call and make an appointment first to view this prime land (contact info will be listed at the end of this article).

Now let’s go over each parcel individually. (more…)

For retirees or senior home owners in Almaden who’ve been in their houses a very long time, the prospect of selling that beloved San Jose home can be quite daunting.  The longer you’ve been there, the more memories you’ve created and most of the time the harder it is to decide to sell and then do all the work needed to maximize that decision.

In today’s post we’ll go over the decision to sell the home (or not), the timing elements for selling and getting help in doing so.

Deciding it’s time to sell your Almaden Valley home

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is not the physical work involved with preparing a home for the real estate market or moving, but instead is the difficult decision of whether or not to move (and if so, when to do it).

As people age, there are a lot of losses.  There may be retirement that wasn’t chosen, but forced.  Loved ones pass away.  Vision diminishes.  It may become necessary to limit driving, or worse, give it up altogether. It is not hard for those over 65, 70  or 80 years of age to feel like it’s one unhappy challenge after the next. There’s a lot of change but it’s not all positive.

The prospect of also changing one’s residence can seem like one of the biggest, toughest and most unwelcome of all.     (more…)