The local paper has been running stories about the real estate market in Santa Clara County and the good news is that many of the bank owned, foreclosed homes are getting bought up. Throughout the Silicon Valley area, about one home in four is selling. Real estate is local, though. . .much more local that countywide. What is happening in Berryessa or Blossom Valley is interesting, and may have an impact on the local economy and you. But if you live in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno or Almaden Valley, what's happening elsewhere may have little to do with home sales in your immediate zip code or subdivision. Today on my Live in Los Gatos blog, I posted about home selling in Los Gatos.  What are the odds that your Los Gatos home will sell? In the west valley generally (the four areas me... 02/05/2009

Are prices holding their value in Los Gatos? The answer really depends on what segment of the real estate market you're viewing.                                               List prices are generally faring pretty well among condominiums and townhomes on the market in Los Gatos. There remains variation between price quartiles and zip codes, though. Among houses for sale in Los Gatos, it is also mixed, with some significant difference based on whether the property is in the 95032 or 95030 zip code, and whether it falls high or low on the price points of available homes. To get the whole story, please visit my Live in Los Gatos blog, or click on this link to get the post immediately: Are Los Gatos Real Estate Prices Holding Amidst the Financial Meltdown?        12/19/2008

The Los Gatos real estate market varies between zip code, price point, and home type (condo vs single family home). Today I studied the newest reports from Altos Research and shared them on my Live in Los Gatos blog. These stats and trends reflect list prices of homes currently for sale (not sold prices of properties which have recently changed ownership). That said, we are seeing a few general trends in Los Gatos: longer days on the market increasing inventory list prices falling among the most expensive homes (houses and condos) To read more, please visit "Live in Los Gatos" and see the many charts/graphs with detailed information by zip code, home type, and price quartile in Los Gatos, CA, this week: November Los Gatos Real Estate Market Update           11/17/2008

Los Gatos California Real Estate Los Gatos Real Estate Los Gatos Home Sales in September 2008 Los Gatos 95032, 95030, 95033 Property Type:  Single Family Homes ~ Los Gatos Real Estate There were 28 single family homes reported sold in Los Gatos during the month of September 2008. Current Inventory in the month of September 2008 = 178 The Average Price was $1,583,780 The Median Sales Price was $1,202,500 The Average Days of Market (DOM) was 68 % LP Received = 93.41% There were 82 new listings reported in Los Gatos California in September 2008. Property Type:  Condos / Townhomes ~ Los Gatos Real Estate There were 8 condos / townhomes reported sold in Los Gatos during the month of September 2008. Current Inventory in the month of September 2008 = 51 The Average Price was $768,021 The Media... 11/14/2008

A very tidy neighborhood tucked behind Union Avenue and Blossom Hill Road in east Los Gatos, the Strathmore neighborhood consists of nicely built homes on tree lined streets and shares a common pool or cabana. In the shadow of the foothills, it's very scenic, but also convenient for shops, schools, and freeways.The houses, which are about 40-45 years old generally, run between 1500 and 2500 for the most part, and cost between $800,000 and $1,200,000 in most cases. This is fairly affordable by Los Gatos standards and the reason is that it's in not the Los Gatos School District, but the Union School District.To learn more, please read the detailed post on the Live in Los Gatos blog, The Strathmore Neighborhood of Los Gatos.      11/08/2008

With all the grim news on Wall Street lately, the question arises as to whether or not home sales are being adversely affected. My clients all seem to have gone into a holding pattern of wanting things to calm down first.My seller clients are either waiting to regain some equity or simply waiting until they feel like they won't be getting so beat up in the market. My buyer clients are now unsure about the basics like job security with a looming recession. Perhaps there will be less insecurity after the election. Meanwhile, though, are sales in Los Gatos this month adversely impacted by the economic crisis? To see the answer, please read on at my Live in Los Gatos blog: Is The Economic Crisis Impacting Los Gatos Home Sales?        10/25/2008

Los Gatos has got a funny shape. Our borders zig in and out. It seems like when builders were building, some wanted to be in Los Gatos and some preferred to remain county land or whatever the nearest city was - San Jose, Monte Sereno, or Campbell. And so the borders are pretty odd. This will give you a taste of it:But actually it's even odder than that! The actual edges of town weave in and out like a jigsaw puzzle after half of it was thrown to the ground. To see images with borders detailed, please continue reading here.      10/21/2008

Halloween and Oak Meadow Park go together like Halloween and candy! Years ago, it was "The Haunted Forest" of Los Gatos, but that took a respite and re-emerged as the Haunted Forest. From now through the end of the month, there will be (on most nights) a "Haunted Harvest Festival" at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos. As in years past, it's a great fundraiser.To learn more about attending or volunteering, please visit my Live in Los Gatos blog: Haunted Harvest Festival at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos Hope to see you there!        10/18/2008

The St. Mary's Country Fair in downtown Los Gatos is back for another great weekend - starting in just a few minutes and running through Sunday afternoon. The fair includes carnival rides, arts & crafts, talent shows, raffles (a smart car is being raffled), food and drink as well as goodies to buy. Wine, beer and margaritas are available in the evenings.Tonight and tomorrow night there will be free live music and dancing (tonight it's the Joe Sharino Band and tomorrow evening it'll be The Cheeseballs) - no cover charge! Sundays usually include pony rides and a petting zoo. The food is good and reasonably priced. Stop by the burrito booth tomorrow morning and say hello - I'll be there! The St. Mary's Country Fair is the largest fundraiser done by the parish church and school, and proceed... 10/10/2008

Sometimes we hear so much bad news about the real estate market that we are convinced that the end of the world is just around the corner. But is that the case? In parts of Silicon Valley, the real estate market is improving, and in other areas it's flat or worsening. Los Gatos was one of the last places to feel the impact of the current crisis, and right now, things seem to be worsening overall in my fair town. My sense, though, is that we are simply working through the shockwaves that didn't reach here as early as some other places.  Cambrian Park is improving - it is adjacent to Los Gatos and is more affordable, but it felt the kick from this market long before Los Gatos did. If you'd like to read more about the current climate for homeselling in Los Gatos, please visit my Live In Lo... 10/03/2008

Belwood of Los Gatos is a friendly, active neighborhood that sits on the far eastern edge of the Los Gatos town boundaries. The neighborhood runs from Harwood Road to Belgatos Road and Blossom Hill Road to Belridge. Nearby, and often thought of also belonging to Belwood, are the Belgatos and Surmont areas plus larger properties with estate or luxury homes on Alerche and Crider.Belwood of Los GatosThe Belwood neighborhood has two great focal points: Belgatos Park (see slide show of Belgatos Park and the trails on the Belwood of Los Gatos site) and the neighborhood cabaña, which features a pool, a clubhouse, lawn areas, and hoops plus a bocce court as of about 2016. The cabaña is where the neighbors vote and where the HOA community hosts its summer movie nights, sometimes with Bingo first... 10/03/2008

Recently I was reading a local, online publication in which someone quoted Trulia's numbers of distressed properties in Los Gatos and tied them in to a percentage of the homes for sale here that appeared so high as to be surreal. How could that be? I am on the MLS every day, and the Los Gatos real estate market, while soft, is not "tanking", which would be the case if there were truly so many short sales and bank owned properties on the market today. Part of the answer is that Trulia relies on Realty Trac, which I have found to contain outdated information and inflated numbers. The other part is that not all homes with a notice of default will foreclose or be a short sale that is on the market. For the real numbers, please get the whole scoop at my Live in Los Gatos blog: Distressed Pro... 10/02/2008

The Los Gatos real estate market is soft - it remains a buyers market for most areas and price ranges. Agents and sellers will tell you that it's harder to sell a home now.  Let's look at the market data, though. It can be analyzed by price point, school district, zip code, square footage, or any number of factors. Today's "mini update" will be a glance by zip code of condos and single family homes with focus on the days on market., amount of inventory and list prices of homes for sale. Data and graphs by Altos Research (to which I subscribe).  Read more, Mini Market Update for Los Gatos: How Long Do Homes Stay On The Market? 09/29/2008

Los Gatos California and Monte Sereno California are in Santa Clara County ~ California. Los Gatos is a town adjacent to San Jose, Campbell, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. Los Gatos Zip Code is 95030, 95032Monte Sereno rests between the Town of Los Gatos and Saratoga. Monte Sereno is all residential and boasts many marvelous estate homes. Monte Sereno Zip Code is 95030Property Type:  Single Family Homes ~ Los Gatos ~ Monte Sereno California There were 27 single family homes reported sold in Los Gatos ~ Monte Sereno California during the month of August 2008 compared to 30 homes sold in Los Gatos ~ Monte Sereno during the month of July 2008. The current inventory of homes in Los Gatos ~ Monte Sereno in August 2008 = 169 The current inventory in the month of July 2008 = 172 The average sales ... 09/19/2008

Where are the earthquake fault zones in Los Gatos? (Did you know that the Shannon Fault runs right through Los Gatos? Many people only think of the large San Andreas Fault that runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains, often near the summit.) There are other geologic issues to consider as well - dam failure inundation areas, liquifaction zones, flood plains, unstable soil areas. Where there are hills, there are often issues. Los Gatos, like Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Almaden Valley, is blessed with an abundance of lovely foothills and mountains, so there are hazards to be aware of in buying a home there - or if selling, realize that a buyer may have questions about these issues. Today I broached this subject in Live in Los Gatos, my blog about Los Gatos homes & housing market, real estate ... 09/05/2008

Belgatos Park is the neighborhood park for the east Los Gatos neighborhoods of Surmont, Belgatos, and Belwood of Los Gatos. It's also a "regular" Town of Los Gatos park but a large one. So it tends to draw people from well beyond the immediate area's boundaries.Not only is Belgatos Park big, it's got a lot of things going for it. There are the usual things, like a fun play structure with slides and swings, some restrooms (don't take them for granted - they are fairly rare among town parks), and a main lawn area. But wait...there's more!Belgatos Park also has an "upper meadow" area, loads of benches, and a creek that winds through the park with cool looking wooden bridges crossing over it. Even more, there are scads of trails that connect with some of the open space preserve areas. If yo... 09/03/2008

Not a great month for Los Gatos. We are starting to see a few cracks in the market with declines in average price, increases in inventory and decreases in sales. However, time on market is still reasonable.  This may just be the best time to consider buying in Los Gatos while prices are weaker in a market where home prices have historically always grown.   Summary Of Comparable Properties LOS GATOS, CA Single Family Residential   Address City Beds Bath DOM CDOM LOE SqFt $/SqFt Lot(SqFt) List Price Age Sale Price   SOLD  99 Foster Rd   Los Gatos   4   3 1/2  65   65   18   3,000   $1,016.67   34,000   $3,300,000     $3,050,000    85 Reservoir Rd   Los Gatos   4   4+  12   229   36   4,410   $649.66   20,000   $2,998,000   10   $2,865,000    118 Blueberry Hill Dr   Los Gatos   3   2 1/2  ... 09/03/2008

UPDATED AUGUST 2015 - The Los Gatos real estate market is a very strong seller's market, especially in the price points up to $2 or $3 million "in town", in the 95030 and 95032 zip codes.  After $3 - $3.5 million, though, there's a tremendous slowing seen.  The Los Gatos Mountains area comes under 95033 and is a completely different market.  Even when it's a red hot seller's market in the valley floor, it tends to be cool in the mountain communities.In town, the housing market is often different from one high school district to the next but right now, and for the last year or two, the gap really has vanished in terms of how well an area sell in those lower price points (there is still a difference in what your money will buy, though).So let's have a look at the Months of Inventory or Ab... 08/30/2008

Los Gatos is a very picturesque town, both in terms of the natural beauty and the architecture. Located at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the town includes both hilly and forested areas as well as flat and more densely populated ones. Los Gatos is a gateway into San Jose and Silicon Valley and is a highly regarded place to live because of the low crime, great schools, community involvement, and great town life. Take a peek into our town by enjoying some slideshows of beautiful Los Gatos. 08/30/2008

Los Gatos, California, like Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, Cupertino and Los Altos, is an area which is well reputed within Silicon Valley (the San Jose area) for its great schools, low crime, and quality of life.People flock to Cupertino, Saratoga, Palo Alto, and a few other areas for the high scoring schools. But at the same time, other families feel that those areas are "pressure cookers" or "unbalanced" so look for schools with a great education but not quite so much pressure. Enter Los Gatos.It's often thought that people pay the high price tags mostly because of the schools here in Los Gatos. But there are many other excellent attributes in The Town: community involvement, scenic beauty, great parks, a vibrant downtown, and more. What is surprising is to learn that Money ... 08/28/2008