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Los Altos, CA Real Estate News

By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
In the news of late there have been prominant news stories featuring Curtis Dean Anderson, who recently died in a Bakersfield hospital and Michael Dodele, who was recently killed in Lakeport, CA by a neighbor.   What do these two men have in common?  Besides their current health status, they both are registered sex offenders and presumably on California's Megan's Law website.  I indicate "presumably" on the Megan's Law website.  Like most Realtors, I have been advised not to enter into the sex offender portion of the California's Megan's Law website.  Should I access the sex offender locator part of the site, I could be held legally liable in a real estate transaction for the information contained on the website, whether the information is complete or even correct. Megan's Law is named ...
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By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
A few days ago I read an interesting article written by Teresa Boardman of the St. Paul Real Estate Blog about customer service.  Working in a occupation where service is so important, I thought I would pass along my recent experience at a retailer known world wide for its high level of customer service, Nordstroms.Yesterday morning my wife, daughter, and I went to the Nordstrom's after Christmas sale to get me a pair of pants.  I've lost a few pounds since a recent health setback forced me to come to grips with my expanding waistline. We walked into the men's department and went looking for a pair of pants.  I searched and found a few pairs that I liked and went to try them on.  Walking past the register and a group of sales associates in deep discussion, I found the fitting rooms and ...
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By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
family and I decided to go to downtown Los Altos for a nice relaxing dinner.   My daughter wanted to eat at her favorite Japanese restaurant, Akane.  My son wanted a sandwich at LeBoulanger.  My wife didn't have a preference and I had a craving for Mexican food.  We decided that we would go to Casa Lupe Mexican restaurant on Main Street.  Oops our bad!  When we got downtown, it was nearly empty.  Sure, it was a Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m., but we still thought there would be some shoppers and people strolling about.   Unfortunately, there was little of either.  The bad news was that Casa Lupe was closed, as were most of the downtown eateries.  The good news was that there was plenty of parking. Hungry and a little frustrated, we headed to Estrellita, a restaurant that was a field tr...
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By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
We have all heard the real estate horror stories about mold and water intrusion.  Stories describing people forced out of their homes because the amount of mold in the home made it unsafe for habitation.  Stories written about those who have allergies and the devastating health effects that black mold has had on them.  Stories written about the massive judgments awarded in lawsuits to the victims of mold exposure.  As a Realtor, I have attended numerous legal seminars on the subject.  I have learned how to protect my clients and myself from mold related lawsuits.  Disclose, disclose, disclose the presence of mold, but don't call it mold.   The Statewide Buyer and Seller Advisory states:"Buyer and Seller are advised that the presence of certain kinds of mold, fungi, mildew and other orga...
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
I recently was skimming the LA times web site and found an interesting headline: A New Selling Tactic: The Pre-listing Inspection.  My head did the old spin-a-roo.  A new selling tactic?  Maybe for Los Angeles, but definitely not around here.  If my memory serves me right, I recall several Realtors (including myself) using seller's inspections dating back to the late 1990's and it becoming common place since 2003.  The two major benefits to the seller are:  Saves the seller time and money Provides the seller with an extra level of risk protection Repairs done prior to putting the home on the market enable the home to show at its best resulting in a quicker sale at a higher price.  In addition, cost effective materials can be used when doing the repairs.  For example, a client of mine re...
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By David Blockhus, Los Altos Realtor and Silicon Valley Real Estate Pro
(Coldwell Banker - Downtown Los Altos Office)
Awhile back I wrote about an investor friend of mine who was having problems at one of his properties.  Well, the fun continues...The same unit (we'll call it unit 13) where the shooting took place finally was rented to a nice couple with three small children.  One evening the mother was preparing the dinner and needed a large pot to make beans.  She reached up into the cabinet to pull down a large stew pot, only to find that it seamed unusually heavy.  When she got it down to eye level, the head of a large 2 1/2 foot snake popped out.  As one might imagine, she dropped the pot and screamed like no one has ever heard before.  The husband came rushing in to find his wife on a dining room chair and the pot and the snake on the kitchen floor.  I think instinct took over and the husband kil...
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For a while I was telling everyone there were four cities (in my selling jurisdiction) that were immune to the short sale and foreclosure markets due to high demand, mostly driven by excellent schools.  These cities were:  Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, and Mountain View.  Mountain View's demand was driven by jobs more than schools.    I have amended that comment to be three cities now.  Mountain View has been hit in the lower end with short sales and foreclosures of which I have been informed by Sellers themselves.  Being that Mountain View is one of the primary cities in which I sell homes, I have looked a little further into these types of sales.  Here's my most concise explanation of homes being sold in today's market.    A home is sold for several reasons: 1)  A traditional sale ...
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the September MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the September MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the August MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the August MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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Local Market Knowledge....    Let's cut to the chase!  In the last 30 days, this is what has happened with closed sales in our local cities:  Information on the properties that have CLOSED ESCROW in the last month, regardless of their list date, the numbers are as follows:   Homes        Los Altos                 23 closed sales  14 over asking price Homes        Menlo Park            42 closed sales  20 over asking price Homes        Mountain View    26 closed sales  24 over asking price Condos       Mountain View    29 closed sales  17 over asking price Homes        Palo Alto                35 closed sales  28 over asking price Homes        Portola Valley         5 closed sales     1 over asking price Homes        Sunnyvale             64 closed sales   41 over asking price Condos    ...
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the July MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By John Pinto
(Realty World - John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc.)
I have reviewed the July MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in Los Altos, California. Please listen to my podcast to learn about the key trends and indicators in this area. If you have any questions about the market, feel free to give me a call at 408-829-4141 or e-mail JohnPinto@jvpinto.com Thank you, John V. Pinto
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By Arpad Racz, 408-252-0976 - www.aracz.com - Cupertino and Bay A
(Altas Realty)
Los Altos is a unique area in the Bay Area that offers a rural feel, while offering the benefits of city life.The location is great, due to it's moderate weather, surrounding foothills that offer great hiking and recreation, and the schools are some of the best. There are some areas where you feel you are in the countryside, with sparse lighting and siedwalks, but this is what many are looking for as a place to enjoy and raise their families. The location makes it perfect for most Silicon Valley commutes, while still giving a more rural feel with the great outdoors nearby.Shopping is easily done in nearby stores and downtown Los Altos, or one can go to Stanford Shopping center nearby or visit the abundant fine dining in the area. If you have any questions about Los Altos, please feel fr...
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By Paul Caloca
(The Papas Group (DRE #01766524))
Surfing through the umpteen zillion channels of the local calbe system one very late evening, I came across the same infomercial about a guy selling a "course" on how to buy real estate at property tax sales. Photos of homes with prices under $500 were shown on the screen. "It's legal in 50 states" was constantly repeated by the "guest" while being interviewed by two "reporters". That got me thinking: what is the likelyhood that could happen in my market where land values are at least $1M per acre and usually much more? In California, in order for a tax sale to even be held, there is ample time and notice for the tax defaulted property to be redeemed by the owner ...a notice of impending defaut must be published by the tax collectorthen a FIVE YEAR redemtion period is available to allow...
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