It happens every year.  Parents lining up, sleeping bags in hand, wine and food being passed, a jolly good time be had by all, except this is for a coveted space in the 2008 Kindergarten class at San Mateo's Baywood School.  Registration doesn't even begin until February 1st, which is this Friday.  The line up began last night and parents are desperate to get their children into the local school with too few places for new kindergarteners. It has become such a spectacle that the local television stations come down from San Francisco to shoot the story and air it.  I do not think there is another public school in the US that has this happen.  People spend a lot of money to buy a home near Baywood School.  Baywood, Baywood Knolls, and Aragon are among the most expensive areas in San Mateo... 01/31/2008

Several years ago I was part of a community group discussing affordable housing in San Mateo County.  What was most interesting to me was how many people participating had no idea what affordable housing meant.  They made some pretty wild assumptions and generally that meant that it was ghetto housing.  As the two days concluded, it was really reassuring to see some dramatic changes in the understanding of what it was.  In short, in San Mateo County, affordable housing means something the average person can buy, a house for under $500,000! Well under. It takes a lot of income to afford to buy a $500,000 house and if you work for a city, school, hospital, fire or police department, library,or any kind of general business your income won't allow you to do it without a spouse or second, or... 12/16/2007

I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, 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 12/14/2007

I have reviewed the November MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, 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 12/14/2007

EEK, the year 2007 will end in 3 weeks!  Does anyone buy a house during this time?  Well yes, they do and if you are in the market to buy a home, it's a great time to do it.  But, if your house is for sale, don't forget to keep it looking Just Right, because your future buyer just might be out there.  And looking.  It is not unheard of an offer coming in on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or even New Year's Eve.  We don't usually see too many new listings come on the MLS the final weeks of the year but there are a few.  There are also a lot of serious buyers out there and, drum roll please, there's a boat load of money for lending.  Stop believing the mainstream press and talk to your lender.  If your FICO score is above 670, you have cash in the bank, a good job(s), get to a lender and t... 12/10/2007

You have saved and scrimped your money to get yourself from under the wasteland known as renter, where you pay month after month and gain nothing in return. You finally build up enough nerve to move ahead and bam, the credit crisis happens. Day after day you turn on the TV and are bombarded by news stories on how the entire mortgage industry is collasping and no one is being approved for a loan. Does all this sound familiar? One cannot say that there are not major problems to overcome, but the mortgage industry is much more stable than the news media is reporting. One major improvement within the real estate industry is that this shake up has forced many of the unscrupulous Realtors and loan officers back into the shadows. Unfortunately, that leaves those of us, like myself, that have m... 11/27/2007

I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, 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 11/13/2007

I have reviewed the October MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, 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 11/13/2007

The other day I was driving on El Camino Real in San Mateo.  At the corner of 20th Avenue and El Camino sits a Shell Station with perhaps the highest prices for gas in the entire city, if not the county, if not the state!  I hope you can see the sign because it says $4.15 for regular, $4.27 for mid-grade and $4.39 for supreme.I had to take a picture of the price sign because you wouldn't believe me if I told you this without proof.  We must be setting some kind of record here.  Now, this is the one and only station with prices like this around here, as least that I've found. It gives one pause.  Why are all of those cars driving from San Francisco down 101 to the Silicon Valley when they could save a bundle of money on gas and buy a house in San Mateo County?  Save money and buy a hous... 11/12/2007

San Mateo is the largest of our local cities and has four zip codes that Altos Research follows.  For the sake of simplicity I am focusing on their combined report but I'll talk about each zip a little bit as I go along.  San Mateo like the other cities I've written about this week is a Cool Buyer's Market but there are  two exceptions, 94401 and 94404, both Cold Buyer's.  This is the first time we have seen anything at the cold buyers level.The median price for the entire city is $784,444.  Almost half of the houses on the market have seen price reductions and the average days on the market is 59. As we look at each zip code in San Mateo we begin to see a different picture. 94401 has a median price of $667,994 and 54% of the homes on the market have seen price reductions.  Altos tells ... 10/26/2007

I couldn't resist, but to follow up on my previous attempt to lure you to Lure Restaurant in San Mateo, CA.  Here is the reason - their new Fall menu. If I was you, I would start thinking how to come to the Bay Area on the way to or from the Expo!Dear Valued Guests,   Despite the unseasonably warm weather we've been having, the team at Lure has decided that it is high time to take advantage of the autumn harvest.  This is lucky for our diners, as Fall is Chef May Yong's favorite time of year.   Join us this season for a comforting meal such as:   Autumn Mushroom Pot Pie to start, followed by the Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Celery Root Pancakes and Raisin, Lemon and Almond Pesto, or the Fried Whitebait appetizer followed by Roast Stuffed Quail with Spaetzle and Banyuls Braised Red Cabbage ... 10/23/2007

With all the newspapers, TV News and stories on the internet in regards to what's going on in mortgage industry, sometime it might be a little scary to even think about getting a loan.  Loan programs have changed or have been entirely discontinued, everyone has heard about the sub-prime problems, in fact you may have a sub-prime loan right now as you're reading this. Mortgage companies all across the US have closed their doors. Actually, things are not as bad as they seem. There are still plenty of loan programs available to current homeowners, investors and first-time buyers. Despite what the news reports have been implying, there are actual senior loan officer's across the US, including myself,  who are reputable and are willing to take the time to talk to their clients and help them ... 10/21/2007

Westwood Knoll neighborhood of San Mateo, CA is a quiet, hilly place with homes moderately price (for the SF Peninsula) in the range of approximately $800,000 to slightly over $1,000,000. You can find real estate statistics for the neighborhood in the Trulia’s Real Estate guide for South San Mateo, Westwood Knolls is part of. The neighborhood has good public schools; it hosts the County Medical Center and have plenty of ethnic food and eating places. It is also in close proximity to the largest mall on the Peninsula, the Hillsdale Mall.  The following few pictures reflect the character of the neighborhood.  To see more pictures, click HERE. 10/12/2007

I have reviewed the September MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, 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 10/09/2007

I have reviewed the September MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, 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 10/09/2007

Some time ago in my post Is there anything special about San Mateo, CA? I listed Lure Restaurant as the best place to eat in San Mateo (for those who enoy eating treats beyond hamburgers and pizzas). I just had another opportunity to visit the last Saturday.  It was a culinary experience. The only way I can share it with you as to print their Autumn menu!  Here it is:    Also you can visit Lure's own website (unfortunately on their website they still have their Summer menu!). So, if you get to the Bay Area don't forget to stop here.  While San Francisco an the Bay Are have man great places to eat - this one is very special! 10/08/2007

3714 Hacienda St., San Mateo, CA 94403 See it in person - Negotiate on line™ It is real estate as you know it, but with open online bidding and negotiations. When a property is listed on BuySquareFeet.com, buyers, sellers and spectators can see all the bids in real time. This service is now LIVE! The first property is available for sale -- 3714 Hacienda St in San Mateo. As a buyer, you can bid what you want, when you want. You can be the first to buy your home in this area with BuySquareFeet.com. Just go to http://www.buysquarefeet.com and to start bidding! You'll see what others are bidding and what the seller considers the best bid so far. Or you can just observe how this process works as a guest. No login is needed. Bidding and Negotiations: Now Open Bidding Ends: Sunday, October 14... 10/08/2007

I have reviewed the August MLS statistics for Condominiums & Townhomes in San Mateo, 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 09/12/2007

I have reviewed the August MLS statistics for Single Family Homes in San Mateo, 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 09/12/2007

The largest city in our immediate area is San Mateo with almost 100,000 people living there.  It has a large spread of housing and the prices run from entry level in the high $500,000's to almost $3 million.  Obviously what you get for the smaller amount is far different than the larger amount and so is the neighborhood. San Mateo has four zips, three of them will be covered here. Altos Research breaks down San Mateo into zip codes as well as providing a city overview.  Let's talk about the city first, and then I'll break the data down to zip codes.  Last week there were 150 homes for sale and the average time on the market was 57 days with half of these listings coming to market within the past month.  That's an improvement from recent weeks.  Overall the city is conside... 09/02/2007