San Francisco Peninsula Update on the Housing Market
February 11, 2013
On the San Francisco Peninsula there are 14 active and 16 pending sales in Burlingame. Low inventory continues to be a problem everywhere. It is amazing how agents keep coming up with properties to sell to their waiting “pent up” buyers. Our Burlingame office just had 50 offers on a pair of fixer properties in San Mateo, which sold all cash substantially over asking price. There is little new inventory coming on in Hillsborough, however the high end is starting to show movement with four properties over $10 million and two over $5 million now in escrow. This is very encouraging to see high-end buyers actively in the market. Our Palo Alto manager says the inventory is even scarcer (if possible) than last year – while the demand is higher. Lack of inventory is the biggest concern for agents and clients in the Redwood City-San Carlos area. Agents are working in a wider area in order to find properties for their buyers. In San Mateo, our manager sees a slight increase in listings. Homes that are off-market coming back on the MLS in the Woodside and Portola Valley area. Sales have picked up over the past two weeks. Everyone has lots of buyers – not too many sellers yet.
Celebrity Historical Homes For Sale
January 6, 2013
Al Capone’s house in Varadero (Photo credit: Dani Figueiredo)
Al Capone’s house in Varadero (Photo credit: Dani Figueiredo)
Happy New Year Everyone!
Please enjoy our new Celebrity Homes that are Historical that are on the Market. Check out Regan, Al Capone, and Virsace…
http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/legendary-celebrity-homes-on-the-market/13783107803
Santa Clause Town
December 13, 2012
Nowadays, the Christmas season and spirit kicks in before we’ve even had a full day to recover from our Thanksgiving Day feasts. Christmas trees are bought and decorated, old holiday jingles reverberate from radios reminding us of childhood, gifts are given and unwrapped and a little more quality time is spent with loved ones. As magical and lovely as the Christmas season is, it passes as quickly as it comes and we collectively set our sights on the new year and eagerly await the warmer weather of spring.
Now this usually is the case across the board. But not always. For the most festive town in America – Santa Claus, Indiana – Christmas never ends and is celebrated every single day of the year!
This small town of nearly 2,500 was established in 1854 as “Santa Fe” but had its request to establish a post office denied because there already was a town with that name. From that serendipitous moment, they reconvened and “Santa Claus” was ultimately chosen and they’ve been working for well over 100 years to do right by their namesake and celebrate Christmas year round.
Every street has a holiday themed name*Image Courtesy of: Route Twelve
Santa Claus is more than just a town name. You can find an ode to the Christmas holiday everywhere you turn. Every street name was carefully chosen to have some sort of hint of Christmas in it. Who wouldn’t want to live on Reindeer Circle, Prancer Drive, Ornament East or Rudolph Lane? Every business in town have Christmas related names as well. You can visit Santa’s Candy Castle to satisfy your sweet tooth, have a cup of coffee and listen to music at Silent Night Cafe or even grab some dinner with the family at Frosty’s Fun Center.
Beyond the phenomenally decorated homes of Christmas Lake Village and large Santa Claus statues that outwardly show cheer; the people of this small town seem to carry within them the true spirit of Christmas 24/7.This is highlighted by a group of volunteers who call themselves “Santa’s Elves” who have replied to every single letter sent to “Santa Claus” (they get thousands of them from around the globe) since 1914!
Volunteers have answered every letter to “Santa Claus” since 1914!
San Carlos One of Top Real Estate Home Prices
December 2, 2012
How much does it cost to buy a four-bedroom, two-bath house?
This year, Los Altos/Los Altos Hills, at an average price of $1,706,688, is the most expensive market in the country when it comes to how much house your dollar will buy, according to Coldwell Banker’s annual Home Listing Report.
And San Carlos isn’t far behind, ranking 10th on the list, with an average listing price for a four-bedroom, two-bath home priced at $1,230,880 (wedged right between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Greenwich, CT). Belmont comes in at number 15, with an average home price of $1,098,777.
In fact, of the nation’s top five most expensive markets, four are on the lower Peninsula and Santa Clara County, and all are in California. Besides Los Altos, they include Saratoga ($1,582,434), Menlo Park ($1,506,909), and Palo Alto ($1,495,364). Newport Beach, in the No. 2 position ($1,658,000), was the only market outside of the Bay Area in the top five.
Coldwell Banker attributes Los Altos’ ranking to the confluence of tech and desirable locations. Google, Apple, Facebook and Stanford University are all located within 15 minutes of Los Altos, Coldwell Banker observed. And, so are the other top-five cities Saratoga, Menlo Park and Palo Alto.
And Los Altos Hills is the town that brought you the $100 million home, purchased by Russian tech investor Yuri Milner in 2011.
“The success of many of our native tech companies has shined a spotlight on Silicon Valley and our real estate market in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Rick Turley, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a written statement.
In fact, among the top 20 most expensive markets in the country, ten of them are on the Peninsula or in Santa Clara Valley. They include the additional cities (in order of price) of Los Gatos, San Carlos, Cupertino, San Francisco and Redwood City.
High demand, low inventory, desirability and population projections all figure into the prices, Turley said.
Conversely, the most affordable was in Redford, Michigan, where the average a four-bedroom, two bath house cost $60,490—or 28 times less than the same house in Los Altos.
Coldwell Banker lists both the top 20 most affordable and the most expensive in the chart below.
For a state-by-state ranking, see this Coldwell Banker link.
| Rank | Most Expensive State | Avg Listing Price | Most Affordable States | Avg. Listing Price |
| 1 | Los Altos | $1,706,688 | Redford, Mich | $60,490 |
| 2 | Newport Beach, Calif. | $1,658,000 | College Park, GA | $62,080 |
| 3 | Saratoga | $1,582,434 | Detroit, Mich. | $65,155 |
| 4 | Menlo Park | $1,506,909 | Cleveland, Ohio | $70,0665 |
| 5 | Palo Alto | $1,495,464 | Poinciana, Fla. | $76,341 |
| 6 | Los Gatos | $1,444,214 | Hastings, Fla | $78,840 |
| 7 | Rye, N.Y. | $1,312,250 | Jonesboro, GA | $79,686 |
| 8 | Kailua, Hawaii | $1,238,208 | Park Forest, Ill. | $81,107 |
| 9 | Carmel-By-the-Sea | $1,232,167 | Augusta, GA | $83,966 |
| 10 | San Carlos | $1,230,880 | Johnstown, Penn. | $84,173 |
| 11 | Greenwich, Conn. | $1,200,525 | Cleveland Heights, Ohio | $84,535 |
| 12 | Cupertino | $1,151,145 | Saginaw, Mich. | $85,345 |
| 13 | San Francisco | $1,132,086 | Fort Pierce, Fla. | $89,292 |
| 14 | Weston, Mass | $1,105,692 | Country Club Hills, Ill. | $90,788 |
| 15 | Belmont | $1,098,777 | Irvington, N.J. | $92,264 |
| 16 | Boulder, Colo | $1,084,183 | Lehigh Acres, Fla | $92,819 |
| 17 | Orono, Minn. | $1,070,203 | Terrell, Texas | $96,329 |
| 18 | Mercer Island, Wash. | $1,059,411 | Warren, Mich. | $96,349 |
| 19 | Darien, Conn. | $1,056,933 | Ellenwood, Ga. | $97,850 |
| 20 | Redwood City | $1,010,394 | Maricopa, Ariz | $97,886 |
Biggest Gingerbread House
December 1, 2012
In keeping with its annual tradition, Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian opened up its life- sized cookie doorsfor guests to buy gingerbread treats and holiday décor in the lobby of the Victorian-themed hotel. |
Santa Comes to Hiller Aviation in San Carlos
December 1, 2012
- Join us for Christmas Carols by the San Carlos Community Band
- Cookies, sodas and candy canes
- Santa will be available from 10am-12pm to listen to the kids Christmas list
- No Charge for Santa’s arrival – sponsored by the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce
- Museum doors open at 9:30AM
Special Snow Globe with Your Address
November 28, 2012
Snow Globe icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a fun snow globe for this time of year. You just have to put in an address and it shows up with your house in snow. Of course, this is based in Google. I watch my house change all the time in google. All you need to do is:
ENTER YOUR ADDRESS and ZIP CODE (City & state not needed)
Then click the “Shake” button.
http://www.draftfcb.com/holiday2011/
My friend, Doug Anderson shared this with me and I thought it would be fun for everyone.
Happy Holidays!
Nancy
Happy Thanksgiving
November 21, 2012
During this time of Thanksgiving Celebrations, my thoughts turn to you with warm appreciation for your continued support, loyalty and trust!
May the day be filled with happy cheer and memories that last throughout the years!
Wishing you and yours a Healthy & Happy Thanksgiving!
Olivia Wilde Lists Home for Sale, Buys in New York
November 10, 2012
Some people move cross-country for jobs.
Others move cross-country for love.
Actress Olivia Wilde recently picked up a new place in New York, listing her home in Los Angeles for sale.
She readily admits she moved for her boyfriend, actor Jason Sudeikis. In a recent interview with USA Today, the “House” actress said she’s been spending time “decorating our new apartment. That’s a lot of what I do.”
Wilde’s Los Feliz place, pictured in the gallery, was formerly listed as a rental for $9,500 a month, but apparently the relationship is serious enough that she’s ready to dump her West Coast digs. She bought the home in March 2011 for $2.295 million, according to property listings. The home is listed for $2.495 million.
Located at 2510 Chislehurst Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90027, Wilde’s home is a classic 1929 Spanish-style villa with original architectural details such as Malibu tile, wood floors, stained glass and iron work. Measuring 3.284 square feet, the home has 4 beds, 3 baths, a library and media/screening room. The private property also includes video surveillance.
Wilde’s new place in New York is a tad smaller. The 2-bed, 2.5-bath apartment is just 1,950 square feet. Good thing Wilde is a native New Yorker and likely used to the high prices for smaller spaces in the Big Apple. According to property records, Wilde closed on the Manhattan apartment for $3.225 million. The loft has enormous windows, hardwood floors and open spaces perfect for entertaining.
Historical Home for the Future, Michael Jackson’s Home Sells….
November 5, 2012
Michael Jackson ‘s last home is off the market.
The Holmby Hills mansion where the King of Pop died tragically in June 2009 has finally sold for $18.1 million, according to the Wall Street Journal .
That figure is well below the $29 million the house’s owners, Hubert Guez, head of Ed Hardy apparel, and his wife Roxanne had originally been asking for when they put the estate on the market back in 2010.
Michael Jackson’s death house: ready for the grand tour
Mauricio Umansky, the listing agent representing both parties in the transaction (and hubby of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ‘ Kyle Richards), could not be reached for comment on the sale. Nor was the buyer’s identity disclosed.
But sources told the paper that the chateu-style property was purchased by Steven Mayer, a senior managing director of private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management.
Nestled in the posh Holmby Hills neighborhood of Beverly Hills, the 17,000-square-foot residence sports seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and 12 working fireplaces. The 1.3-acre abode also boasts a wine cellar, theater, tasting room, spa with a gym, guest house, along with a pool and gardens.
More pics of Michael Jackson’s death house
A photo of an entrance courtyard of a luxury home in Beverly Hills (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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