Home Buyers Taking More Time with Home-Buying Process
In contrast to peak years when they were at record lows, inventory levels over the past several months have been in the range of the long-run average. With many homes available on the market at more affordable prices in the past year, home buyers have been devoting more and more…
What Makes A Green Kitchen?
Here are some local resources for green building materials: Flooring:Â Earth and Company, 249 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 650-261-3500 Cabinets:Â Golden Gate Kitchens, 272 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell, CA 408-370-2388 Countertops:Â Design 101, 1821 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, CA 408-873-1100 Tile:Â Tile Fantastic, 22910 S. Bascom Ave, San Jose,…
Saratoga Real Estate Market Update
Saratoga real estate continued to have strong sales activity in August 2009 and during the first half of September. There have been 17 new sales since the end of August. At mid-month September, Saratoga has 39 pending sales and the detached inventory available for sale had dropped to 128 homes. Unfortunately…
Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Outlook
Despite the negative impact on homeowners’ equity, the decline in home prices, combined with historically low mortgage rates, have dramatically improved affordability, creating opportunities for home buyers. In fact, housing affordability was cited by buyers in one fashion or another as a market condition that motivated them to purchase a…
Saratoga, CA Real Estate Market Update
Inventory of homes for sale in Saratoga is still dropping (now at 146 detached homes and 14 attached) even as new properties are added to the market. We are continuing to see good sales activity in the high, medium and moderate price ranges. There are some new price reductions and most…
Saratoga Real Estate Market Trends
The real estate market in Saratoga, CA is transitioning from a “buyers market” back to a “sellers market” as we are once again seeing multiple offers, depending on how a property is priced.  We were involved in the sale of a $2.7 million property on Saratoga Heights Dr. last week that had six bidders and…
Now is the Time to Buy a Home
An article in today’s Mercury News quotes Alain Pinel Los Gatos Manager as saying “It looks as though the valley’s housing market has reached the bottom.  I would say we have been there for about two months. It’s going to be a slow recovery, but we are definitely getting stabilized,” …
Larry Knapp – The State of the Local Real Estate Market
The following is an excerpt from Alain Pinel Realtors COO Larry Knapp regarding the state of the local real estate market in the second quarter of 2009: “All indications are that the market at the lower-end has not only bottomed out – but is on the rebound. Almost everywhere around…
Multiple Offers in Saratoga, CA
Priced at $1.25 million with Saratoga schools, the 1,902+/-sf home (above) in the Golden Triangle was sold today with multiple offers. The upper end of the market is still soft, but the middle market is showing an increase in pending sales and a decrease in inventory. Here is a graph…
Saratoga Real Estate Market Update
There are currently 156 active single family listings and 16 attached listings in Saratoga, CA. This is down slightly from last month as there are currently 39 homes with pending sales. Click>here for more detail. Only three of those pending sales are REO (16600 Bohlman Rd.; 13441 Quito Rd.; and…
Finding Good Deals in Pockets of Housing Recovery
Jim Carlton wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal on Jun 20, 2009 that squares exactly with what I am seeing in the field, working with first time buyers.  There are definte “pockets of recovery” in Silicon Valley. “Homes are selling briskly again in the lower end of the market [under $600,000]…
Don’t be Fooled by Foreclosure Headlines
Recent news headlines have caused confusion by the media have improperly characterizing the new California Foreclosure Prevention Act as a “90-day moratorium†and incorrectly stating that the lender must modify delinquent loans before it begins foreclosure. In reality, the foreclosure process for certain owner-occupied residential first trust deeds has been…
Saratoga Sales Up
Home sales in Saratoga turned up in May, 2009 on a gradual increase from a January low. May closings were primarily under $2 million. Only three homes (Lomita, Oriole Rd. and Matilija Dr. were above that number and $2.7 million was the highest price. Click>here for more detail. Call Rick…
Los Altos Market Update
Los Altos consists of four sub-market areas: North Los Altos (211); Country Club (212); Highlands (213); and South of El Monte (214). Values of homes that are currently on the market range from $1.1 million to $6.5 million. There are very few distressed properties for sale because of the price…
