4 Steps to Successfully Selling Your Home in San Carlos CA -- and elsewhereThis evening there are 19 homes in San Carlos CA listed for sale in our multiple listing service that are non-distressed (non-short sale or REO) listings. Here's the tale of one house, the one at 93 Hilltop Drive, San Carlos. List price: $1,049,000 Days on market: 7 Offers received: 2 Offer negotiated and accepted: 1 Status: pending sale What makes a home like 93 Hilltop Drive sell quickly, with multiple offers, and over asking? It's usually a combination of things: Proper pricing. Buyers shy away from homes they perceive as being overpriced. Proper physical presentation. De-clutter and de-personalize; take care of maintenance items; paint; clean thoroughly. Think of getting your house ready for a gala party--mak... 02/01/2012

Single Family Homes for sale in San Carlos CA 94070 This morning there are 30 homes in San Carlos CA listed for sale in our multiple listing service. Thirteen single family homes have been listed during the month of January, with 6 of those 13 already under contract. One house, on the market for only 5 days, that is still available is 93 Hilltop Drive. Open houses were held this past weekend, with an estimated 50-60 groups through. Four or 5 people came back for second, or even third looks. A hosted broker tour will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 9:30-1:00. If 93 Hilltop Drive is the type of home that interests you, I encourage you to contact your agent now to make arrangements to visit. The interest level is high, but there's still time for you. If you don't have an agent, give me a c... 01/30/2012

It's the end of the year so time for the round-up of distressed property sales in San Carlos. So here's what happened:   Single family and condo townhomes : Total sales:  357 Short Sales: 24 REO:           18 Distressed sales as a percentage of total sales: 11.7% Compare to 2010 Total sales:   312 Short Sales:   17 REO:            10 Distressed sales as a percentage of total sales:  8.6%   My conclusion: The percentage of distressed properties in San Carlos is a higher in 2011, 11.7% as compared to 2010, 8.6%. However, at this point the percentage is still ow enough not to have a major effect on property values. If you have any questions about short sales or bank owned homes please feel free to contact me. Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty www.marcymoyer.com marcy@marcymoyer.com 650-61... 01/03/2012

December's Season of Celebrations & Sharing- Holiday Lights in San Carlos, CA As this week marches ever closer to Christmas, events around town are starting to wind down. The concerts are finished, Santa arrived via helicopter and fire truck weeks ago, and the lights have been lit on the tree in City Hall Park for some time. But, in between errands, last minute shopping and work, there's still plenty of excitement to be had. Lights!  Indoors and out. All around town. Shining white ones. Beautiful jeweled colored ones. Enjoyed by almost everyone, they are a source of wonder for little children. It's hard to drive down a San Carlos, CA street without seeing beautiful, bright displays. The San Carlos street not-to-be-missed is Eucalyptus Avenue, only a few blocks away from the center of to... 12/19/2011

December's Season of Celebrations & Sharing-San Carlos holiday happenings It's not too late to join in some holiday fun in San Carlos California. Santa arrived a few weeks back, and the City Hall Park tree has been lit for a while, but you still have these festivities to enjoy: Carlmont Choir's Winter Concert - 7:00 PM Friday and Saturday, December 16 & 17, at the Carlmont Performing Arts Center, Carlmont High School, Belmont. Ticket available at the door, a bargain at $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and high school student; $2 for children Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 17. This special event with holiday arts & crafts, a movie, visits with Santa and members of the San Carlos Fire Department. Fun photo op, and a tasty breakfast. 10 AM - Noon, Adult Community Center, 601 Ches... 12/16/2011

December's Season of Celebrations & Sharing - It's Coats for Kids Week The City of San Carlos CA and Recology San Mateo County have joined together to give us a super simple way to help our neighbors. They have partnered for the 2011 Coats for Kids program, which provides new and gently used coats for families in need. This is the week San Carlos residents can participate, and here's how: place gently used or new coats in a clear plastic bag labeled "Coats for Kids" put the bag on top of or next to the blue Recycle Cart for collection during the week on the regularly scheduled pick up day. if you miss your day, simply take the coats to City Hall, 600 Elm Street, San Carlos, 8:00-5:00, by Friday, December 16. See? I told you it's simple. 12/13/2011

"Nothing Else Matters When You're Hungry" So proclaims the billboard that grabbed my attention last week while driving down Highway 101 from San Francisco to Palo Alto. And the postcard in my office mailbox today. It's a refrain that's hard to ignore. The need in our seemingly wealthy communities of the Mid-peninsula and Silicon Valley is great. Did you know that 1 in 10 people in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties receive food aid from Second Harvest Food Bank? I didn't. I had no idea the need was so acute! Luckily our area also has many generous people who care and have the resources to try to alleviate the hunger. Food barrels are going in many businesses around our towns, and I'm happy to say that my office, Today Sotheby's International Realty, once again has barrels in the lobby, ... 12/02/2011

One of my favorite tasks leads to one of my least favorite! This week I've gotten to do one of my favorite real estate tasks -- put a "Sale Pending" rider in front of one of my listings. Of course, this leads directly to one of my least favorite tasks--paperwork. I've thought about handing off a file to a transaction coordinator or an assistant, but that causes more anxiety since I don't know the status of signatures, who needs what, etc. It also takes me out of the loop with my clients; and I like my clients and want to continue our direct contact. So, my solution? Find a day when I can hole up in my home office, put background music on to help settle the brain, and just dig in. For the first hour or two chaos reigns; then order settles in. That was Monday. Yesterday, I was re-energiz... 11/04/2011

"Why is it taking my San Carlos CA house so long to sell?"To a homeowner with a house on the market, it can feel like it has been on the market forever. Chances are, if you have priced the home competitively and are marketing it well (condition, ease of showing, networking within the real estate community as well as online) you're close to the average length of time. It just seems like forever when you're waiting.   It can help to see just what's really happening. This first chart shows the average days on market for all single family homes in San Carlos, CA for the last year: The second chart breaks it down by price, the $800,000-$999,000 range: This last chart is for properties listed between $1,000-$1,200,000:   10/31/2011

San Carlos is a pleasant residential town to live.  It boasts excellent public elementary school system. As proof, all San Carlos School District’s elementary and middle schools obtained high scores in the 2010 Academic Performance Index (API). API determines the academic proficiency of schools on different measures. San Carlos School District obtained a higher average score of 899 - with no school scoring below 870 - compared to Burlingame School District which scored an average of 891. Out of 1000, the average score statewide is 768.       The inventory remains low despite the increase in the number of new listings. From August to September, the number of new listings in the area progressed from 22 to 40 homes. The typical number of listings for this period is 35-40 homes. As of Sept... 10/25/2011

It's Fire Prevention Week in San Carlos California October 9 - 15, 2011 While fire prevention should never be far from our minds, we do tend to become complaisant. The San Carlos Fire Department, in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is reminding us that the best way to protect ourselves and our families from fire is to be ahead of the game, to take steps now to reduce fire danger in the home. Some tips they offer: Develop and practice an escape plan; make sure everyone knows how to respond if the smoke alarm sounds Install smoke alarms inside each bedroom, and on every level of the home. Test them monthly. Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you must leave for a moment, turn off the stove Keep everything that can burn at least ... 10/11/2011

Incentives for Saving Energy in your San Mateo County Home The City of San Carlos, California is hosting a workshop so one can hear from homeowners who have benefited from upgrading their San Mateo County homes to be more energy efficient. Working with the Energy Upgrade California program, not only can you make your home 10% - 40% more energy efficient, you can receive up to $8,000 in rebates to help offset the initial cost. And the financial benefits continue month after month with lowered utility bills. When: Wednesday, September 28th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Where: San Carlos Library Community Meeting Rooms, Second floor, 610 Elm Street, San Carlos For more information, check out:  Energy Upgrade California in San Mateo County Web Site 09/27/2011

Citywide Garage Sale in San Carlos CA Sign-up Deadline: Saturday September 24 Event date: Saturday, October 1, 2011Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PMLocation:  In yards and driveways throughout San Carlos!If you're ready to clean out the drawers, cupboards and garage and live in the City of San Carlos, CA, why not join your friends and neighbors in this annual citywide garage sale? To participate, fill out this participant's form no later than September 24. The group San Carlos Together will create a master list and post it online at the City of San Carlos' web site on 9/30. Copies will also be available at the San Carlos library. And if you don't live in San Carlos, check out all the sales and pick up things you can put to good use. Have fun. Meet some neighbors. Be part of the community. 09/22/2011

FREE Annual Shredding Event for residents of San Carlos, CA   Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011 Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Location:  Shoreway Environmental Center             333 Shoreway Road             San Carlos Limit: 5 boxes worth of materials per household   San Carlos, CA takes a proactive stand in helping the environment and helping its residents at the same time. By holding this annual event at the Shoreway Center, residents have the opportunity to also bring used motor oil, antifreeze, latex paint, florescent lighting tubes and bulbs as well as electronics. For more information, log onto this printable flyer I have my pile ready to go; perhaps I'll see you there! 09/21/2011

Gardening challenges in San Mateo County, California   A couple of the wonderful benefits of living and working in San Mateo County, as well as the Silicon Valley, is our weather and proximity to open space preserves. The weather ("weather best by government test" is the slogan for Redwood City, the county seat) allows for a great array of plants to thrive here.  However, due to the proximity of the open space that we love and cherish, not all plants that grow here are suitable for every garden, including the one at 20 Sequoia Court in San Carlos. We often share our neighborhoods with hungry deer, who take great delight in the smorgasbord of roses, pansies and other common plants. Fortunately many of the plants best suited to this Mediterranean climate  tend to be deer resistant. A quic... 09/20/2011

Changing Lifestyles - from suburban to urbanI've enjoyed living in San Carlos, California for 40 years, a friendly suburban town located mid way between San Francisco and San Jose. It ds a great place to raise a family, babies who like stroller rides along the quiet streets, the children who can walk to great neighborhood schools, the youths who play AYSO soccer (so popular here). We have fabulous neighbors and friends, enjoy the vibrant downtown restaurants and shops and the great classes offered by the city's rec center. Forty years is a long time, and the children are grown--it is time to spread our wings and enjoy a different lifestyle. Change is good -- when one has the opportunity to choose the change. Three weeks ago we made the switch from a spacious single-family home on a doub... 09/06/2011

What's the market like in San Carlos CA? San Carlos California is a suburban town on the peninsula, located mid-way between San Francisco and San Jose. The 2000 census gives it a population of 27,718. For more demographic information, check AreaConnect On 9.1.2011, here's what is going on in the single-family home market: Active listings: 46, ranging in price from $499,450 to $2,950,000 Pending sales: 39, ranging in price from $524,995 to $1,599,000 Closed escrows since 7.1.11: 21, sales prices between $539,500 and $1,395,000 One of the homes that closed escrow in the last couple of weeks is 80 Hilltop Drive, this 2-bedroom, 1-bath home that had been lovingly remodeled and enjoyed by the sellers. The openness and calm feeling of the house attracted a well-qualified buyer who loves the h... 09/01/2011

We culled everything from the San Mateo County Multiple Listing Service for San Carlos home sales in the past six months with a limiting parameter of a minimum price of $998,000 as we wanted to stay away from sales with stimulated financing.  As is apparent from the spreadsheet there are quite a few homes which have sold in the last six months for over the asking price (44%) for on average $54,000 more than seller’s asking price with a high of $187,000 and a low of $2,000 and a median selling point of $46,000 over what the seller was asking. Not surprisingly these homes were only on the market an average of 6.4 days with the seller receiving 104% of their asking price. Homes which were apparently priced at what they were probably worth fared less impressively with the seller receiving t... 07/17/2011

Through “rain and sleet and dark of night”… well, at least rain, realtors are out looking for properties for their clients. This week, despite an unseasonable downpour, San Francisco Peninsula realtor Wende Schoof shares her property picks on the San Mateo County Association of Realtors broker tour. Here is a glimpse of a few of the ten homes on this week’s featured tour Homes in Atherton, Menlo Park, Redwood City and San Carlos, CA, are featured as you can see in this map Atherton 273 Catalpa Drive 50 Fairfax Avenue Menlo Park 315 Concord Drive 31 Sneckner Court Redwood City 2974 Hastings Drive 3811 Autumn Drive 2682 Eaton Avenue San Carlos 95 Hilltop Drive 3 Plymouth Avenue 2223 Carmelita Drive View Wende's Tour By The Bay 6/28/11 in a larger map Now let's join Wende on the video tou... 07/03/2011

  Hello my name is Val Vandervort, a San Carlos listing agent, who focuses on making sure her clients don’t give away any of their money and negotiates on her clients’ behalf to get them the highest possible price.  Is there anything more important than the highest possible price when it comes to selling what is probably your biggest asset?   My focus as an agent has always been on consumer education because unfortunately, I’m amazed quiet often by the lack of attention on the marketing of properties by other San Carlos listing agents.  By not doing some of the things that I do when I list a San Carlos property, these other agents are missing the opportunity for their listing to present itself at its best and possibly miss out on the opportunity to be shown to a potential buyer.  And re... 06/12/2011