David Blockhus's (dblockhus) Blog

Promotional flyers have been used by agents in marketing homes in Los Altos and the surrounding cities for many years.  With technology getting better and more sophisticated, one would think that the number of agents who use promotional flyers targeted at real estate agents as part of their marke...

When I began selling homes in Los Altos 15 years ago, a consumer's knowledge of the Title Insurance product was relatively low.  Today, that level of knowledge isn't much better.  What I have found is that the consumer assumes that the cost of title insurance is somehow fixed and rather than inve...

This is an update to a post I wrote on February 26th, 2008 titled "Crime In Your Neighborhood? Check It Out Online!."   Crimereports.com now includes crime statistics for the cities of Los Altos and Sunnyvale. 

The Multiple Listing Service is our most efficient means to sell a home and the most reliable source of local market information.  The following information was take from our local MLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.   According to our local MLS provider (ProMLSlistings.com), there cur...

The Multiple Listing Service is our most efficient means to sell a home and the most reliable source of local real estate market information.  The following information was take from our local MLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.   According to our local MLS provider (ProMLSlistings.com...

At the Corner of Grant Road and Levin Road is a 15 acre property known lovingly as the "Pumpkin Patch."  For years it was used as a small farm that grew fresh vegetables which were sold at the on site vegetable stand.  During the fall, the site was turned into a large pumpkin patch (hence it's na...

Congratulations to the U.S. Men's Water Polo team for bringing home the Silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Great Job! Photo courtesy of USA Water Polo

Los Altos has always been a very pet friendly city.  The annual Los Altos Pet Parade draws thousands of residents and non-residents alike to watch the many animals (and their owners) that live in and around our town.  I enjoy walking our dog to downtown in order to visit my office, get a cup of c...

Back in the late 90's, I thought it was cool to be one of the few Los Altos Realtors to use software that "stitched" photos together to create "virtual tours" of my real estate listings.  Flash forward to today and I now can use Photosynth.  Photosynth creates a futuristic 3-d experience with use...

Today was the first day of school for children in the Los Altos Elementary School District.  Last night my children seem extra amped in anticipation for today's festivities.  Who will their classmate be?  Will they like their teacher?  Will there be any changes in their classrooms?  Will their mo...