 It had to happen. The Town of Los Gatos, meaning The Cats, has long been a haven for dogs. Stroll down Main Street, University Avenue or North Santa Cruz Avenue and you'll see water bowls left out for pooches. Or you'll discover places to tether canines near the shops. Dog lovers almost seem to have a magnetic attraction to this corner of Silicon Valley. The irony is not lost on the locals.
So it's no secret: The Cats is really a town for dogs. At Halloween, we always have a dogs in costume parade. There's even talk of creating a dog park in Los Gatos.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the town's mayor, Barbara Spector, has declared May 17th the Dia De Los Perros. The only question I have is this: will it be an annual event? Let's see how the first one goes. Maybe it's true, after all, that the town of Los Gatos is "going to the dogs".
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
Los Gatos Home Sales Trends
How's the real estate market in the Town of Los Gatos? The Los Gatos housing market varies from one price point and neighborhood to the next, from one type of housing to the next, and even between the town's two zip codes, 95030 and 95032. Here we'll take a view of the overall movement in the market; please understand that it may or may not apply to your Los Gatos home so please call or email me for specific information relating to your property.
Overall, Los Gatos continues to be a buyer's market, though not as deep as in other places in Santa Clara County. Inventory is rising in both single family homes and in condos/townhomes, which is a typical trend for this time of year.
The market has improved somewhat over a month ago in terms of median and average sales price (the graphs below use a 12 month moving average, but the actual numbers do show an uptick). To view the report for Los Gatos using the actual numbers rather than the moving average, please have a look at my new online Real Estate Report. Below are links to specific pages within it that are most relavent to the readers of this blog:
(1) Single Family homes in Los Gatos
(2) Condos and Townhomes in Los Gatos
(3) The Monte Sereno Real Estate Market (SFH, not enough condos for April report)
(4) Single Family Homes in Saratoga
(5) Condos and Townhomes in Saratoga
(6) Single Family Homes in Almaden Valley
(7) Condominiums and Townhouses in Almaden Valley
How about general trends, using moving averages, in the real estate market for the Town of Los Gatos?
The following chart shows median and average price trends plus sales. The chart uses a 12-month moving average to eliminate any seasonal variation.
The next chart is the same as above but uses a 3-month moving average. This smoothes out month-to-month variations yet shows seasonal variations. Here, you can see the uptick in the number of homes sold in Los Gatos.
This chart shows the current inventory of Los Gatos single family homes for sale compared to the number that have sold in the town.
The next series of charts shows the same thing as above but for condominiums and town homes in the Town of Los Gatos.
Please call or email me for specific information on your particular situation
in Los Gatos or anywhere in Silicon Valley.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
|
Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11th. What can you do to celebrate in Los Gatos?
.jpg) A lot of folks are led to believe that Mother's Day needs to be a day of buying expensive gifts. But that may not be at all what the mother of the family really wants. So the starting point, I think, is to simply ask what she would like to do to celebrate the day.
Brunch is a somewhat traditional Mother's Day event. A wonderfully elegant buffet on any Sunday can be found at the Toll House Hotel in downtown Los Gatos. There's also a special brunch at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos for Mother's Day too.
Many young mothers are simply tired and could use a day of rest and relaxation. Maybe a massage? There are several places in Los Gatos which offer massages, including the Spa Los Gatos and the Preston-Wynne Spa at the Hotel Los Gatos.
Other moms may want to spend their time with their families and do a little shopping on Mother's Day. It's easy to relax at the Farmer's Market at the Town Plaza (at North Santa Cruz and Main) and then shop along Main Street, University Avenue, and North Santa Cruz Avenue. Take a stroll through the flower shop, Bunches, on N. Santa Cruz, while you're there. If the kids need a bite to eat, there's no shortage of possibilities downtown. The Diner of Los Gatos (on Highway 9) is always a good bet for children, but so are several other places downtown. Or if they get a little restless, a trip to Oak Meadow Park and Vasona Lake County Park can help them expend a little excess energy.
As a Realtor, I've noticed that Mother's Day is not a bad time to hold an open house. It seems that a whole lot of women in Silicon Valley enjoy looking at homes when given a chance. So husbands, I'd suggest plotting out a few homes to show her too, if that's something she'd enjoy! (It is easy enough to see what is open by doing a search at www.MLSListings.com and check the small box that says to display only the open homes.)
What if your mother or mother in law is far away? Flowers are usually good, but so are current photos of grandkids, if there are some. My husband seldom told his parents of his accomplishments, and I found that when I wrote or told them of his successes, it made them very happy. Grandparents love to hear those stories, so take a little time and write an old-fashioned letter and tell them about milestones and accomplishments, whether it's a first tooth or first step or if it's their grandchild being accepted into college. They want to hear this stuff!
As for me, I'm fairly well spoiled on a regular basis as my husband loves to cook. Last year I told the family I wanted to go to Half Moon Bay and visit a haunted restaurant for brunch and take some photos. They humored me, but wish I didn't enjoy visiting spooky places so much. This year I think I'll pass on the haunted spots and see about doing a hike or a walk in Los Gatos with cameras in hand and shoot some pics of the kids and the sights. Los Gatos is full of scenic spots, so now the only choice is where in town to go. We have a few days to figure that part out.
Happy Mother's Day!
|
|
Comments (1) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
|
It remains a buyer's market in Los Gatos, but not as deep a buyer's market as in many other parts of Silicon Valley.
Below please find links to reports on the local Los Gatos housing market, broken down by zip code and housing type, current as of April 28, 2008. One of the most helpful aspects of the Altos reports is that it breaks the activity down by market quartiles, so that the activity in entry level homes, for instance, is differentiated from the luxury home market. Have a look:
Los Gatos Single Family Homes in 95030
Los Gatos Single Family Homes in 95032
Los Gatos Condos and Townhomes in 95030
Los Gatos Condos and Townhomes in 95032
These are care of Altos Research, which uses list prices (rather than sales prices). In a week or so we'll have the data on solds in Los Gatos from April, care of another subscription I have, the Real Estate Report. Please check back soon to get that information.
|
|
Comments (2) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
|
Los Gatos is "Tree City USA" for 29 years in a row! A celebration at Daves Avenue School yesterday included talks by local officials and by students and, of course, the planting of some new trees. (Photos courtesy of Jim Handy.)
Shovels ready for work.
.jpg)
The site was prepared ahead of time
A tractor does the heavy lifting with two young trees to be planted at Daves Avenue School.
Three trees were planted in all.
An assembly of students gathered to hear talks by officials and classmates.
Los Gatos Mayor Barbara Spector addressed the crowd.
Adults did the first round of planting
And most importantly, the students helped to plant too.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
How's the real estate market in Silicon Valley? One way of knowing is to keep a pulse on the number of short sale listings.
Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, and Los Altos all continue to feature very few short sale listings, and these markets remain stronger. They are still "buyer's markets", as is all of Siicon Valley, but prices are rising even as the number of sales is low.
In Silicon Valley's entry level real estate market, though, such as Blossom Valley, east San Jose, south county and south San Jose, is another story. There, it is a deep buyer's market. Prices are dropping. Blossom Valley's home values have been plummeting in recent months.
Where there are a lot of short sales, values decline. Where there aren't many short sales, prices appear to be holding or rising.
But the good news is this for all of Santa Clara County: overall, it does not appear that there is a sharp increase in the number of short sales for now. Have a look at this week's snapshot of Silicon Valley short sales and see. It is fairly flat overall. Perhaps the worst of it is behind us?
| Active Listings of Short Sale Single Family Homes, Condos, Townhouses |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
3/26/08 |
4/8/08 |
4/15/08 |
4/22/08 |
|
|
| Los Gatos |
5 |
8 |
9 |
9 |
|
|
| Monte Sereno |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| Saratoga |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
| Los Gatos Mtns |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
| Cambrian Park |
59 |
73 |
53 |
54 |
|
|
| Santa Clara |
56 |
68 |
59 |
60 |
|
|
| Campbell |
13 |
23 |
28 |
19 |
|
|
| Cupertino |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
| Los Altos |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
| Sunnyvale |
50 |
69 |
54 |
59 |
|
|
| Blossom Valley |
196 |
251 |
200 |
202 |
|
|
| San Jose (all) |
1534 |
1882 |
1667 |
1674 |
|
|
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
|
 Los Gatos, the land of pricey real estate, is also the home to pricey and classic automobiles. There are several high-end dealerships in downtown, as locals know..
Recently, though, it was owners who met in Los Gatos, not dealers. The Northern California Corvette Association gathered at the cabana of Belwood of Los Gatos last weekend, and what a pretty site it was!
This event was “Legends bag stuffing” hosted by Greg and Leta Reynolds, and it will be on the group's website soon.
Neal Golding, the group's historian (and the photographer of these beautiful pics), tells me that the club is always looking for new members, and invites those interested to please visit their website.
|
|
Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link :: Email This Entry
|
|
Live in Los Gatos:
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
|
RSS Blog Feed
