Cambrian Park, or more broadly, Cambrian, is a west San Jose neighborhood or district and is one of the more affordable, high-value areas in Silicon Valley. The schools are good, the crime is low, and the commute is not too bad. For people relocating to Santa Clara County, this is a place to know about since quality education and affordability are often high priorities!

What’s the compromise for the more reasonable prices of homes for sale? Well, Cambrian doesn’t have an interesting, upscale downtown area like Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, or Willow Glen.

But it does have tons of shopping & restaurants and even a Farmer’s Market. It also enjoys a top notch hospital (Good Samaritan) and plenty of parks as well as a fantastic rec center with a large park adjacent to it, the Camden Community Center, which has tons of programs (including an after school program for youth), classes, and a fabulous pool.  (My family and I lived in Cambrian in the “Cambrian Gardens” neighborhood for 10 years and loved it – our kids made great use of the community center too.)

Altogether, there are about 75,000 to 80,000 residents in Cambrian, spread throughout the three zip codes of 95124, 95118 and a little tiny bit of 95008.

If there is a “central Cambrian Park”, it would have to be near the original Cambrian Park Shopping Center, which was the first actual mall in San Jose! That area is sometimes known as Cambrian Village.  People sometimes use the three names interchangeably: Cambrian, Cambrian Park, Cambrian Village.:

Where is Cambrian Park? Map of approximate Cambrian Boundaries:

View Cambrian Area of San Jose in a larger map

Cambrian Park is a west side suburban area, part of the city of San Jose for the most part (there are a few county pockets, a bit now covered by Campbell, though), which is located adjacent to Campbell, Los Gatos, Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley and Willow Glen.

The Cambrian Park boundaries are, approximately, Foxworthy Avenue, Bascom Avenue, Carlton Avenue, Blossom Hill Road (except for a jut up in the Vista Loop area), Camden Avenue, the Guadalupe Creek (between Coleman Ave and Blossom Hill Rd.) and Almaden Expressway. There are many many zigs and zags, especially with the Los Gatos border, but I sketched out the approximate boundaries so that readers could get a rough idea of the area we call Cambrian Park – see the map above.

What are the schools in Cambrian?

Cambrian is served by 3 elementary school districts: The Union School District (in the area closest to Los Gatos), the Cambrian School District (the part to the north, closer to Campbell) and San Jose Unified School District (covering most of the 95118 section).   High Schools are served by Campbell Union High School District if the homes are in the Union or Cambrian schools area, or San Jose Unified in the rest of Cambrian. (Some school districts are elementary and middle only, with a separate high school district.  Others are “unified”, covering K – 12.)

The newest API scores for Santa Clara County’s public schools have been released as of Nov 29, 2011.  If you are unfamiliar with how API scores work, it’s on a scale of 1 to 1000.  The target number for the county is 800, so anything higher is considered good.  Getting close to or over 900 is rare and is the mark of an exceptionally excellent school.

Cambrian came out even stronger than in years past, particularly in the Union School District, where 5 out of 6 elementary schools were in the 900s and the other 1 school was at 878.

The middle schools in the Union area of Cambrian Park also scored high in 2010, with Dartmouth at 900 and Union Middle at 881. For some reason there are NO scores for 2011.

In the Cambrian School District there are 4 grammar schools, 3 of which slipped from the previous year and 1 of which went up.  Bagby was at 905 this time and the rest were in the 8s. Price Charter Middle School held steady at 864.

The high schools in this region (the Campbell Union HSD) all went up from the previous year, but only one of them, Leigh, is over 800 (Leigh has a strong 822 API).

Maps for the school district boundaries and school of attendance in Cambrian:

Map of the Union School District (loads slowly, please allow more time than seems reasonable):
http://www3.unionsd.org/unionsd/lib/unionsd/union_boundarymap.pdf

Map of the Cambrian School District of its boundaries (zoom in for better view), showing school of attendance maps also (they include the Farnaham charter School):
http://www.cambrian.k12.ca.us/oldSite/district_site/images/Cambrian_School_District_Map.jpg

The Cambrian elementary schools covered by the San Jose Unified School District are:
Almaden Elementary (782 API), Hacienda Science/Environmental Magnet Elementary (872) , and Reed Elementary (844).  The middle schools in Cambrian or covering Cambrian for the SJUSD are Castillero (795, slipped a little from the previous year – this school is in Almaden Valley) and John Muir (782).  The map of this district is not very helpful – cannot seem to zoom in:
http://www.sjusd.org/school/district/map_district/

The History of Cambrian, via the Cambrian Community Council

A friend & past client of mine (who purchased a home with me in Cambrian) very kindly told me about a wonderful article on the history of the Cambrian area which can be found on the Cambrian Community Council website.

Cambrian Area: It was always about the schools!

As with many parts of California, interestingly, the name itself goes back to the naming of a school (Cambria being another name for Wales).  This happened in the mid to late 1800s. The details of the founding of the Union School District and the Cambrian School District are shared there, too. It’s funny to think that more than a century later, the high quality schools in this San Jose neighborhood are still of prime importance and a main driver in home values.

Where was Cambrian originally?

The article further explains that the Cambrian area was an enormous stretch of land, and that Cambrian Park is within that general area (as is “Cambrian Village”, found at the crossroads of Union and Camden Avenues in San Jose).  The boundaries got defined differently at various points in time, and at times has included part of Los Gatos. (I read elsewhere that Cambrian was said to extend as far as Dry Creek Road at one point.) Some areas that were originally Cambrian are now part of Willow Glen or part of Campbell. Our local Realtor MLS defines the area as going roughly from about Foxworthy to the north to Blossom Hill in the south, Almaden Expressway to the east and Bascom Avenue to the west. (It touches Los Gatos, Almaden Valley, Willow Glen, and Campbell.)

If you live in this wonderful part of Silicon Valley, I encourage you to visit the CCC website and enjoy their colorful article, History of the Cambrian Area.

Cambrian Park Neighborhoods

Because I sell a fair amount in Cambrian and lived there, I am very partial to this area and have begun doing posts which are Cambrian neighborhood spotlight pieces.  I hope you will enjoy them.  More posts are to come but here are a few to get you started:

The Alta Vista Neighborhood, Where San Jose’s Cambrian Park and Los Gatos Weave Together Along The Base of the Hills

The “King Street” Neighborhood of Cambrian Park on the Los Gatos Border

Cambrian Park Neighborhoods: How to Choose Where to Live?

How’s the Cambrian Park Real Estate Market?

You can read about the Cambrian real estate market (as well as other Silicon Valley real estate markets in Santa Clara County) on my REReport, which is updated in the first week or so of each month.

The current RE Report for Cambrian Park Houses
The current RE Report for Cambrian Condominiums & Townhouses

What is my Cambrian home worth?

If you live in Cambrian now and are wondering about the market value of your home today, there are two approaches you can take.  You can request from me an online valuation (which will be approximate only as it’s “sight unseen”) at either of two places:

Price Your Home request on popehandy.com or at SiliconValleyHomeValue.com

Both of these come to me and I run the numbers personally for home owners who request them (sorry, this offer is not for home buyers).  I can usually turn the info around within a day, but sometimes it takes a couple of days if I happen to be travelling or otherwise overly busy.  If you make a request and for some reason don’t hear back from me within a couple of hours to acknowledge your request, please email or phone me!  Once in awhile, technology doesn’t come through and I don’t get an email alert when I should.

Alternatively, if you do not wish to share your contact info with me at this time, you can also simply browse the sold real estate listings in Cambrian on my Property Analysis page of the RE Report.  Just input an address (it’s not saved, I won’t see it) anywhere in Santa Clara County, and you’ll be able to view nearby sold, pending and available homes for sale close to your property.

What do houses cost in Cambrian?

If you’d like to buy a Cambrian home, you can browse the MLS listings of Cambrian Homes for Sale on this blogsite.  I have them listed by zip code on separate posts for houses, and below this section are the currently available condo and townhome properties which are on our MLS.

Houses for Sale in Cambrian Park, San Jose, 95118

Cambrian Park Houses for Sale in 95124

What do townhouses and condos cost in Cambrian?

Below, please browse MLS listings of Cambrian condos for sale and Cambrian townhouses for sale in 95124 and 95118:

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 12. See more 95124 zip code real estate.
(all data current as of 2/11/2012)

1. $223,500 : 3164 Kimber Ct #70, San Jose
   
   2 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 886 sq ft

   Lot size: 1,148 sq ft
   
2. $245,000 : 2332 Saidel Dr #4, San Jose
   
   2 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 798 sq ft

   Lot size: 2,580 sq ft
   
3. $270,000 : 2785 S Bascom Av #22, Campbell
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,262 sq ft

   Lot size: 740 sq ft
   
4. $614,995 : 2881 Meridian Av #103, San Jose
   
   2 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,550 sq ft
   
5. $485,995 : 2881 Meridian Av #108, San Jose
   
   2 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,320 sq ft
   

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Showing properties 1 - 2 of 2. See more 95118 zip code real estate.
(all data current as of 2/11/2012)

1. $365,000 : 1118 Dinkel Ct, San Jose
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,573 sq ft

   Lot size: 1,742 sq ft
   
2. $304,900 : 5685 Hollyleaf Ln, San Jose
   
   2 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 974 sq ft

   Lot size: 2,025 sq ft
   

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Some first time home buyers in the San Jose or Silicon Valley area get confused by the “assessed property value” of houses, condos, or townhouses: they mistakenly think that this number has some bearing on the real estate market value.  It doesn’t.  The assessed value is used only for determining the amount of property tax being paid.

Residential real estate in California is reassessed upon transfer of title, or change of ownership, in most cases (there are some exemptions). From there, the assessed value can only go up 2% per year at most (thanks to the passage of Proposition 13 in the 1970s).  When property values decline, as they have recently, owners of properties with higher than market value assessments can appeal and get a temporary rollback in valuation for the purposes of having property taxes lowered.  This is very very common (and even so, the assessed value is usually still off as it’s based loosely on the January values of that year – the values are often higher than market value for these petitioned properties).  The tax assessor’s office has a lot of latitude in determining the assessed values; it is nothing at all like an appraisal, which should use strict comparisons.

Let’s look at a few hypothetical examples, taking tract housing with the same square footage, layout etc:

1 – If a couple purchased a Cambrian Park house in 1960 to 1970 and paid $20,000 for that property, but today’s value is approximately $500,000, the property tax being paid will reflect the long term ownership and won’t be based on the current market value.  That couple might be paying $600 to $800 per year in property taxes with a corresponding “assessed value” of about $52,000.

2 – The property next door, with the same floor plan, same exact improvements, that was bought yesterday for $500,000 will have an assessed property value of $500,000 (reassessed upon change of ownership) and property taxes of about 1.25% per year, or $6,250 per year.  Same house, same everything – except length of ownership.

3 – Now let’s say that same layout, same street, same builder, same schools, same condition – sold at the or near the height of the market for 25% more or $625,000. The owners of that San Jose house might have a property tax bill reflecting the higher price paid, so about $7,812.50 per year.  These homeowners are unhappy that the values have slipped, unhappy that they are paying taxes based on equity that they don’t have, so they gather some comps and appeal the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s office to get a rollback on computed valuation and therefore lower property taxes.  After reviewing the numbers, let’s say they are granted a temporary lower value of $550,000 (it’s seldom accurate and is often high with these appeals) and taxes paid get readjusted to $6875 for that tax year.

So the same house but with different owners can have wildly different assessed valuations: $52,000 or $500,000 or $550,000.  Only one of these reflects an accurate “market value” – the one that was bought yesterday.

Even then, there are caveats, so don’t accept any “simple answers”!

The property that closed at $500,000 may have been sold As Is and the buyers may have agreed to do $50,000 worth of improvements that were needed.  In that case, if you compare the same floorplan in the same little development or subdivision, your estimation of value could be off by 10%.  It is important to find out the details of the sale, and often those are not in the public print out, but only in the real estate licensee version.

Understanding market value is not a simple or easy task most of the time. Don’t make the mistake of factoring in the assessed property value – it will only muddy the water and not provide any constructive information to you.

Sellers, if your assessed value from the county tax assessor’s office is very low, realize that some home buyers (either looking for an excuse or simply not educated) may try to use that low number as a reason for a terribly below market offer.  If you have petitioned for a lowered value, this may especially be the case – so it might be good to disclose what you’ve done upfront.  Talk to your Realtor and be prepared.

For more reading on real estate valuation:

What’s My Silicon Valley Home Worth? Estimating the Probable Buyer’s Value

Why Do Agents Suggest That Sellers Price Their Home “At The Market”?

The Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley) Real Estate Market Trends Report – published early each month

Pricing Your Silicon Valley Home Competitively

Request an online pricing evaluation of your Santa Clara County home by Mary Pope-Handy (free)

Info from SCC tax assessor’s office on Prop 13

Sometimes the list price on a Silicon Valley home for sale isn’t at all what the listing agent or the seller is expecting in terms of a sales price.

Sometimes it’s closer to a lost leader – that is, it’s really only intended to get home buyers into the door. Lots of them. The idea is to create excitement, and hopefully a feeding frenzy with multiple offers.

Other times, of course, a house or condo in the San Jose area may be an overpriced listing. In those cases, it’s more like a “fishing expedition”. More like, “let’s see if anyone bites”. There are always a percentage of these on the market. When you see homes listed for 60, 90 or more days on the valley floor, most often the culprit is an inappropriately high price – and most buyers aren’t biting at that bait.

Right now, it’s a mixed market in Santa Clara County real estate. If you find a home you like, the next question is this: what’s it worth? And finally, what’s it worth to you? Many times, the best advice is to ignore the list price, if it’s a new home, and just do your homework on what the current competition is and what’s been selling.

You may find that the home you love is priced high, on the mark, a little low, or crazy low.

While it’s helpful to know what the average ratio is between list prices and sales price, that information can never substitute for market knowledge.  The most powerful figure to understand is the absorption rate or months of inventory (or days or weeks of inventory).  Six months of inventory is considered a balanced market.  The smaller the months of inventory is, the quicker the pace of the market, and the bigger a frenzy there is over good inventory. 

The other day I did a post on the micro markets of the Willow Glen real estate market and I specifically called out the absorption rate in varioius price points and school districts within the Willow Glen area of San Jose.  I have one client couple in Willow Glen who are thinking of selling their home.  In their case, they’re in The Willows area.  Most of those homes are worth more than the “jumbo conforming” rate of about $729,000, which puts it higher than where most of the buyer activity is happening right now.  Absorption rates for that part of WG, with San Jose Schools, is about 3 1/2 months. Not bad – it’s well under the 6 month marker for it turning to a “buyer’s market”.  But homes priced between $500,000 and $600,000 which have Campbell/Cambrian schools are selling about 3 times faster! The absorption rate for that segment of WG is only about 1 month.

When deciding how to price your home to sell or the offer price to make on a home bid, it is imperative to understand the market nuances.  Your real estate agent can run you the comps, and in fact can download them to a spread sheet so you can tweak the numbers by sale type and other factors.  If prices are rising or falling, you must factor that in, too.  Homes all getting 10 offers and each price selling higher than the last? You may want to consider jumping ahead in the trajectory.  Same if you’re selling and prices in your part of the market are falling.  Prices going down 10k per month? Then put your price under that limit to get your home sold.

There are no “easy answers” on pricing.  To pinpoint what it takes to buy or sell a home in Silicon Valley today, there’s no substitute for market knowledge, which means finding out how many offers homes are getting and if possible, the sales price, and for simply doing the math.  If prices are moving against you, it will cost you dearly to misjudge the market, so it is well worth the effort to get it right – hopefully the first time.

How is the residential real estate market doing in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose, CA?  We’ll have a look at the 95124 zip code area and the 95118 zip code area of San Jose, which together comprise at least 95% of the Cambrian Park real estate area of Silicon Valley. (A small sliver belongs to the predominently Campbell area of 95008.) The following charts, from Altos Research, represent list prices (not sold prices).

Although the condos in 95124 (green line) have not fared too badly in the last year, the vast majority of Cambrian Park real estate seems to be hurting. The median list price on these homes has been slipping fairly steadily over the last year – often at least 10% of value. This is the broad overview. Next we will view things on more of a micro level.

Next, we’ll view Cambrian in smaller segments, broken down by both zip code and quartile. First, let’s take a look at the 95124 zip code, starting with the single family home real estate market:

Interestingly, most of the houses in Cambrian had a similar downward trend (the lowest price points exhibiting the strongest tendency that way), but the highest price houses seem to be at about the same level as they were a year ago, if not priced a tad higher.  This chart suggests that the lowest priced homes have been hardest hit by the current economic crisis.

And next, condos in the same part of San Jose:

Among 95124 condos, the highest and lowest priced homes had the roughest time, whereas the two middle quartiles are almost on par with where they were a year ago.

And for the smaller part of Cambrian Park, the 95118 area, the same criteria:

The 95118 zip code of San Jose, which is about 1/3 of the Cambrian Park district, mostly has the San Jose Unified School District, which is not considered quite as desireable as Cambrian and Union Schools. In this area, prices have slipped dramatically among single family homes.

And condominiums and townhomes in 95118:

It is interesting to see that among the condominium and townhouse market for the 951118 part of San Jose, the patterns among the four quartiles are extremely simiar overall for the major dip in the market. The highest priced condos, though, appear more impervious to the market pressures, and the lowest priced homes have taken the worst hit.

Overall, Cambrian is a good mirror for the rest of the San Jose real estate market and even the Silicon Valley real estate market. Here, as in the rest of Santa Clara County, the higher priced homes have not been so badly hit on pricing. Schools appear to be a huge impact on whether a property will better retain its value or not.

This is all very broad information. For more specific info relating to your particular needs, please call or email me today!

How is the real estate market doing in the Almaden Valley area of San Jose? We can look at a few key indicators (median list price, average days on market, and inventory levels) to get a pulse on the current market in the San Jose, 95120, area. Graphs below are from Altos Research; I am a subscriber so may present these to you here. Data used is list pricing. (To see the most recent reports using closed Almaden sales numbers from November, please view my Almaden Valley Real Estate Report, which is from another provider and is another of my subscriptions to get the best data possible for my clients and readers.)

From the solds last month and in prior months, we know that overall, the Almaden real estate market has been deepening in the buyer’s favor. Prices have been slipping, days on the market are lengthening, and list price to sale price ratios have wavered a bit.

Median List Price for Almaden Valley Homes

The graph above reflects the list prices of real estate in Almaden Valley, which is an upscale district on the southestern side of the city of San Jose. Interestingly, while the list prices of single family homes is declining, the list prices of condos and townhomes has performed almost the opposite in the last twelve months and now appears to be level.

Among houses, is it any different from one price point to another?

 
The main difference in pricing by Almaden quartile appears to be one of degree. The highest priced homes appear to be coming down the most, and more affordable or entry-level houses in Almaden are slipping very slightly by comparison.

For Almaden condominiums and townhomes, prices appear to be far more chaotic, with much more volatility in the highest price Almaden townhomes and condos:

Average Days on Market for Almaden Valley Homes 

First we’ll have an overview of the houses and condos in the San Jose, 95120 zip code (Almaden Valley) and their average days on Market.

The condos and single family homes for sale in Almaden have followed mostly similar patterns over the last twelve months and now are both rising. This indicates that it is more difficult to sell a home. Single family homes remain on the market for an average of about 110 days, close to four months. Most of these are not selling, but are either taken off the market, or put back on with a new price and new MLS number.

Next let’s have a look at each class of property by quartile to see if it’s varied or similar.

Single Family Homes

The four quartiles or ranges of prices in Almaden are all fairly similar in how they’ve been behaving except for the lowest price point among single family homes, which appears to have had a nearly steady incread of days on the market over the last year while higher priced points all had a dip (or a rally) over either the spring or summer).  Now, though, homes in the lowest two quartiles have levelled off, while it continues to worsen in the two upper price ranges. Hardest to sell are the highest priced houses in Almaden.

Condos and Townhomes in Almaden

While the list prices for Almaden townhouses and condos showed different patterns, the average days on the market for condos by quartile is simply a wild ride. Twelve months ago, the DOM for most price quartiles was close to 60 except for entry level condos, which were half as many days. In successive months, though, each price point behaved very independently of the others.

The two top quartiles are now selling faster then a year ago, but the entry level condos of the first two quartiles are now staying on the market far longer (and they are the bulk of the condo market).  Why? The condo market in Silicon Valley as a whole has been taking a beating while consumers choose foreclosure houses rather than condos.  Perhaps those living in upscale condos are not there because they can’t afford a house, but prefer the lifestyle that condo or townhouse living provides. Unfortunately, we don’t have that data to offer a definitive explanation.

Almaden Valley Inventory of Homes for Sale

Inventory is another key indicator on market performance.

The graph for inventory is less worrisome then days on the market. Inventory levels are close to flat among townhouses and condominums in Almaden Valley, while the numbers are clearly declining among houses there.

Again, let’s see if it’s the same in all price ranges or if there’s fluctuation. First, among Almaden houses for sale:

I redid this chart a few times to make sure there was not an error. It is oddly uniform across all price points.

And for townhomes and condos in Almaden:

Even within the otherwise somewhat disparate Almaden condo market, the inventory patterns are similar.

Overall, it remains a buyer’s market in Almaden Valley, and this is true for condos and houses and it is true in all price ranges.  Prices run from flat to falling, inventory is dropping (which may just be a seasonal fluctuation), days on market are lengthening.

Sellers need to make their home as perfect as possible. Buyers have never been pickier and the vast majority of buyers today do not want to buy a home and fix at all. Homes that need updating or remodeling either won’t sell or will sell for far less than you might expect. The greatest demand is for turnkey (read: perfect) homes with no issues (read: no busy roads, no high voltage power lines, nothing objectionable nearby).

Buyers, if you are one of the rare few who will buy and fix, the market is at your feet in many cases. Your main challenge will be in selling your current home, if you are a move-up buyer, or in securing financing if you do not have a large downpayment. The best bargains will come to those willing to buy and fix and to those with large cash downpayments where financing becomes much easier.

All of this market information is general. Your home may be unique due to things like views, construction, proximity to schools or golf courses, or any other number of factors. Please contact me for specific information relating to your home or one that you would like to purchase.

How is the Almaden Valley Real Estate Market doing?

It’s the end of September now, and normally we see a little rally in the market after Labor Day. Let’s see how this September is stacking up in Almaden Valley. Below, please find charts using current list prices courtesy of Altos Research (to which I subscribe).

The Median List price for the Almaden Valley district of San Jose (zip code 95120) has been declining overall. Does this mean that homes are declining in value? Or does it mean that less expensive homes are being offered for sale? Information from sold data indicates that by and large, homes are holding their value in Almaden right now. The declines in asking prices may indicate that sellers simply want prices to be rising more than they actually are, rather than the idea that values are falling.

This first chart indicates how both homes and condominiums or townhouses are faring in terms of median list prices in Almaden. Interestingly, the condo market had a steeply rising list price this last spring, while the single family home market did a milder version of the same a couple of months later. What sellers want for their homes is not matching up to what they are getting.

Next, let’s have a look at the percent of homes that have had price reductions in this part of San Jose. A steep increase in the number of condos needing reductions in price are seen in the timeframe following that rise noted above. This would seem to indicate that condo sellers were more optimistic when putting their homes on the market, but found out over the next couple of months that these asking prices were not realistic. The number of properties getting price decreases among single family homes were a bit later, just like the rising list prices were later, in Almaden. Right now, though, the percentage of sellers decreasing their list prices are about the same for both types of housing – appx 52%. So approximately half the homes currently on the market in Almaden have had at least one price reduction.

If homes are listed too high and must take price reductions, then most likely they are on the market a longer time prior to selling too. The next chart addresses the average days on market for the 95120 zip code area of San Jose. For both condominums and single family homes, it appears that the longest days on market were in spring of this year – the peak being in March for houses and April for condos. The single family home market is worsening now, though, and has been rising since mid-summer. The townhouse and condo market, though, is still on a downward trend. In reality, though, the actual statistics for time on the market are probably worse as some agents will change the MLS number when a steep price change happens.

Finally, a look at the inventory (amount of homes for sale) in Almaden Valley’s houses and condos. Not surprisingly, the inventory has risen dramatically among single family residences over the last year, but now it’s decreasing somewhat. (This is not surprising because the days on market had been rising and so is the percentage of homes getting price decreases within this type of housing). The condo market, though, is faring better now, with inventory rising only gradually.

For Almaden Valley home sellers, the market is not as bad as it has been in recent months, but it is important to price your home realistically and have it well marketed in order to sell. For Silicon Valley home buyers wanting to be in an upscale area with good schools, now is a good time to go shopping in Almaden. It is important to realize that homes are not selling for bargain basement prices in Almaden Valley, unlike in other parts of Santa Clara County, but prices are on the soft side. Motivated sellers may list their home aggressively so don’t assume that every house will sell under list price! Do your homework when buying and you’ll be able to maximize the current market potential.

Almaden Valley, a district of San Jose with the zip code 95120,  is noted for good schools, low crime, and  beautiful vistas.  It enjoys an historic old downtown & museum where the mercury mining took place, a fabulous golf course and abundant open space with room for hiking, horses and more.

The commute is not bad to downtown San Jose and has gotten better since highway 87 was built (in addition to Almaden Expressway).  Like the Rose Garden, Naglee Park, and Silver Creek, Almaden is one of the more expensive spots on the San Jose real estate landscape.

Home types vary from modest condominiums to fabulous estate homes. A luxury property in this part of Silicon Valley is often newer and may include more land than similarly priced houses or estates in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno or Saratoga. Home buyers looking in the west valley often want to see high end real estate in Almaden Valley as well as other upscale communities nearby.
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Browse Luxury Homes for Sale in San Jose’s Almaden Valley Neighborhood

Below please view Almaden Valley real estate listings of houses, duet homes and other residential property for sale over $2 million dollars as found on our local MLS.

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 5. See more 95120 zip code real estate.
(all data current as of 2/11/2012)

1. $2,950,000 : 20315 Mckean Rd, San Jose
   
   6 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 5,000 sq ft

   Lot size: 2.50 ac
   
2. $2,650,000 : 18680 Vista De Almaden Ct, San Jose
   
   5 beds, 5 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 6,000 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.59 ac
   
3. $2,549,000 : 7184 Glenview Dr, San Jose
   
   5 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 6,251 sq ft

   Lot size: 20,473 sq ft
   
4. $2,188,000 : 18590 Almaden Rd, San Jose
   
   4 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 3,471 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.32 ac
   
5. $2,100,000 : 6082 Almaden Rd, San Jose
   
   3 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,800 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.92 ac
   

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Thank you for reading this Silicon Valley real estate blog.  Please remember that information found on the web is not the same thing as knowledge. For guidance with buying or selling homes in Silicon Valley, San Jose, Los Gatos and nearby areas, please contact an experienced, ethical, full time Realtor.  If you are searching for a good Silicon Valley Realtor to assist you, please contact me. I’m happy to chat with you by phone or in person for a no-cost, no-obligation initial consultation.