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…)

The St Martin of Tours School’s annual tour of beautiful homes in San Jose’s Rose Garden district is happening this weekend.  It’s a fabulous opportunity to see gracious homes, attractively decorated and remodeled, and to support the school.

If you’re new to Silicon Valley and are unfamiliar with the area, the school (and Church) are close to O’Connor Hospital (which is close to Valley Fair Mall).  The Rose Garden District is close by, surrounding the San Jose municipal park bearing the name of Municipal Rose Garden. It’s considered part of “central San Jose” and has the zip code 95126. This area, along with nearby Shasta-Hanchett, has some gorgeous older homes. Many of the streets are wide and tree lined. This neighborhood is convenient to both major nearby freeways (280 and 880) so is a great commute location. It’s an area with enduring popularity.

View Larger Map

For all the details, please see their Rose Garden Homes Tour website.

Recently our neice, Christine, began her college career at Santa Clara University.  We have told her about and shown her a few landmarks in the San Jose & Silicon Valley areas.  She knows about Greenlee’s amazing cinnamon bread, fun & upscale Santana Row, the great little Italian restaurant near campus called Mio Vicino, and much more.

Equally accessible on her new bicycle is a great little place that makes hand made chocolates: Schurra’s in San Jose – right on the Alameda, perhaps 2 miles from SCU (address: 840 The Alameda, close to Race Street, in San Jose). I have promised to put together a map with local highlights and that will definitely make the grade!

Schurra’s has been a part of central San Jose for nearly 100 years – it was founded in 1912 and managed to survive the Great Depression and now appears to be thriving through our Great Recession.

Step into Schurra’s and breathe deeply.  The smell of the rich chocolates is almost intoxicating!  There’s a huge variety so there should be no trouble finding something for everyone in your party!  There are chews, truffles, creams and nuts. Dark chocolate and milk chocolate.  Dried fruits. Gift boxes galore.  Holiday specials.  You name it, they seem to have it.

There’s even a little cooler full of ice cream, too.

So hop on your bike, walk or drive your car and visit this very cool old icon of San Jose.  It’s goodness that harkens to a bygone era when this valley was known for it’s produce and not its high tech, when it was called The Valley of Heart’s Delight.  Take a nibble…or two….  Enjoy a taste of living history! (While you’re in the neighborhood you ought to go to Greenlee’s too and get some of that cinnamon bread for later! It’s practically across the street and is another historic business in Santa Clara County.)

Schurra’s
840 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 289-1562

Other yummy businesses nearby: Greenlee’s Bakery (you gotta try their cinnamon bread!)

The Almaden Winery neighborhood, just off Blossom Hill Road in San Jose, has a rich and interesting past, dating back to the mid 1850s when the site was first planted with grape vines.  It was the first winery in Almaden Valley and one of the oldest in the state of California.  (It survived the prohibition period by getting licensed to make sacramental wine and by bottling grape juice.)

In this post I’ll share some photos of the neighborhood with you, explain about the three different builders/developers and show you where to find each one.

With a bit more than 300 houses, the Almaden Winery area is quite popular, with its homes selling quickly.   The community centers around a lovely park, and additionally there’s a newer library adjacent to it – the Vineland Branch of the San Jose public library system.
(more…)

Los Gatos is a charming town snuggled into the base of the coastal range between San Jose/Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz, which is on the other side of ˜the hill as locals call it. Its an upscale community with great schools, shopping, restaurants, and community involvement. Diversity abounds in things to do, from sailing, rollerblading and picnicking at Vasona Lake County Park to wine tasting at the Testarossa Vineyards to strolling down the main streets in search of dining or shopping. Every season offers something in this smallish community of 30,000 or so.

The hills help to define Los Gatos. Facing the coastal range and the pass that leads to Santa Cruz, you see El Sombroso rising on the left and El Sereno on the right. Other well known peaks are Loma Prieta (the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake) and Mt.Umunhum, which rises over Almaden Valley (Ununhum was the Ohlone word for Hummingbird). Closer in, Blossom Hill is a small hill in front of El Sombroso over which you drive on Blossom Hill Road. Behind it is the Kennedy-Shannon Road area, which is delightfully remote feeling while really being close in. Near downtown, St. Josephs Hill overlooks Main Street and is the home to the old Jesuit Novitiate, Sacred Heart, as well as Testarossa Vineyards tasting room (formerly the Novitiate Winery).

A sub-tropical climate makes it easy to enjoy events year-round. While palm trees are not native to northern California, they do thrive here! Our annual rainfall is only about 20 a year. If we get cold temperatures, its because the wind happens to be blowing south from Alaska. On those rare cold snaps, it might even snow – to everyones delight since it only happens about once in every decade, and at most will stick to the ground for an hour or two! Los Gatos does have its micro-climates. The pass through which highway 17 runs to Santa Cruz is a low spot that allows the cooler coastal weather to come through can make downtown a little colder, windier and wetter than parts of town to the south of Blossom Hill or toward the Saratoga limit. In summer this can make downtown more comfortable and in winter it can make the outlying areas more so.

(more…)

What makes Almaden so highly desireable a place in which to live? Real estate prices are among the highest in San Jose (and Silicon Valley). For much of Santa Clara County, its a little remote; the commute might be a little too far for some, or so its thought. But that may be a misconception.

Where is Almaden Valley?

Almaden sits nestled between the Santa Teresa foothills and the Santa Cruz Mountains in a southwest corner of Santa Clara County. It touches the Los Gatos and Cambrian Park borders on one side, Blossom Valley on another and stretches toward Morgan Hill at the base of the valley. The major roads winding through Almaden are Camden Avenue, Almaden Expressway, and Coleman Avenue. The local landmark, viewable from much of Almaden Valley, is the famous Mount Umunhum, perched at a high point of the coastal foothills. (Someday, it is hoped that will be a park accessible to all – like Mount Tam to the north.)

Why Choose Almaden Valley?

Great living: Almaden boasts low crime, great schools, and strong community involvement. With nice public facilities such as a rec center and library, and some neighborhood communities with cabanas and busy swim teams, its family oriented and kid friendly.

Scenic open spaces: Almaden has lots of open spaces with golf courses, parks, and trails. The southernmost part of Almaden and some of the hilly areas are still beautiful horse country too.

(more…)