Luxury Homes and Estates for Sale in the Almaden Valley Area of San Jose

Almaden Valley, which primarily consists of the 95120 zip code area of San Jose, is well known for its scenic beauty, great schools and low crime.

For people working in downtown San Jose, it is also fairly convenient – it’s almost a straight shot up either Almaden Expressway or Highway 87 to get into the downtown area, often just a 20 to 30 minute commute.

Within Silicon Valley, Almaden is regarded as a high-end neighborhood and very desirable. In this post we’ll discuss the geography of the valley, the advantages and disadvantages of being in Almaden, the public schools in 95120, the market conditions for the luxury homes there and finally you’ll be able to browse a list of luxury & estate homes for sale in the Amaden area of Silicon Valley.

The geography of the valley:

There are no shortage of hillside homes in this enclave of southwest San Jose. To the west lies the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the nearby peak of Mt. Umunhum looking over the valley. To the east sits the much lower and grassier Santa Teresa Foothills. The oldest part of Almaden, ironically called New Almaden, is at the bottom of the v-shaped valley. Continue further through the Cinnabar Hills and drive long enough and you’ll find yourself in Morgan Hill!

Advantages and Disadvantages:

One of the big advantages of purchasing a luxury home in San Jose’s Almaden Valley is that ordinarily you can get a little more “house for the money” then if you were purchasing similar real estate in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno or Saratoga (let alone Palo Alto or Los Altos). Often, too, the homes are a little younger (though not always). In the southernmost tip, there’s quite a bit of equestrian property, too. San Jose is a wonderful city for children, and one of the main drivers for people and families moving there is the quality of life for kids. That makes San Jose real estate prized everywhere, but especially in this southwestern enclave.

One of the potential disadvantages is that like any small valley, it can heat up in summer and traffic can sometimes be a little more tangled. Luckily, though, luxury homes are virtually always air conditioned and there are many alternate routes, so these are not insurmountable issues.

Schools in Almaden

The public school situation needs a little bit of explaining as it tends to confuse most newcomers. (Please find the 2010 API scores for Santa Clara County here.)

In the 95120 zip code, there are three different school districts at play, and the schools run from good to great:

most of Almaden belongs to the San Jose Unified School District (which includes both elementary, middle and high schools)
some of Almaden, though, belongs to the Union School District (elementary and middle schools) and the Campbell Union High School District (Montevideo, Oak Canyon & nearby neighborhoods)
and a tiny sliver, including just a few streets close to Hicks Road, actually belong to the Los Gatos School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District

Within San Jose Unified, all the local elementary and middle schools are very good. At the high school level, though, there’s a big difference between the API scores at Pioneer (823 in 2010) versus those at Leland High School (890). So often, home buyers of high end housing will prefer a more southern location in Almaden to secure places at Leland.

How’s the market for high end homes in San Jose’s Almaden Valley 95120? San Jose Real Estate & The Almaden Market

(Read the state of San Jose real estate in Almaden in ALL price ranges via my REReport Almaden stats and market trends.)

Dynamic reports – next we’ll use Altos Research charts to look at the top 50% of homes for sale (the more expensive half) next. These charts are dynamic so will always be current.