Indie coffee shops & bakeries: Silicon Valley, San Jose & South Bay

March 20, 2012 By Kelsey Lane 3 Comments

Independent Coffee Shops & Bakeries in Silicon Valley, San Jose & South Bay

Part of selling real estate in Silicon Valley is the fact that I am passionate about the area where we live – here, I’m putting together another one of my “favorites” lists. This time, it’s non-giant-corporate coffee shops and bakeries. For the first time in awhile, lots of indies are popping up and they are worth a try. Each has a place to sit down & meet friends or family for catching up. (i.e., some bakeries were not included due to counter service only) Most also have some type of worthy pastries. These are my go to spots when I get tired of Starbucks and Peet’s.

The Latte Art bunch:

Bitter + Sweet; www.bitter-sweet.com; 20560 Town Center Lane, Cupertino CA 408-255-2600 (Sightglass coffee, Humphrey Slocombe ice cream, Satura pastries–try the Kouignamann, etc.) Espresso drinks, teas & single pour coffees.

Barefoot Coffee; www.barefootcampbell.com 1819 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell CA 408-340-5026; www.barefootcoffee.com 5237 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara CA 408-248-4500, 15567 Union Ave. Los Gatos CA 408-377-1052.

Philz Coffee; www.philzcoffee.com; 3191 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto CA; 101 Forest Ave., Palo Alto CA; 118 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose CA.

Roy’s Station; www.roys-station.com; 197 Jackson Street San Jose CA (Japantown) 408-286-2236. A revival of a landmark, with plenty of outdoor seating (plus ample indoor).

Other coffee spots:

Crema, www.cremacoffeeco.com, 950 The Alameda San Jose CA, 408-295-5690 & 50 W. San Fernando St. #120 San Jose CA 408-287-4111. Outdoor seating at the location on The Alamaeda.

Cafe Venetia, www.cafevenetia.com, 419 University Ave. Palo Alto CA, 650-323-3600. Experience the good side of pretentious Italian coffee service.

Cafe Borrone, www.cafeborrone.com, 1010 El Camino Real Menlo Park CA 650-327-0830, a Silicon Valley stalwart. Don’t miss any of the cafes on this list, but you might want to start here from the longstanding historical standpoint.

Bakeries with coffee and tea:

Paris Baguette; 3561 El Camino Real #75 Santa Clara CA, 408-260-0404, 383 University Ave. Palo Alto CA 650-838-0404. A Korean-run French bakery with huge selection. Gift cakes are packaged in gorgeous presentation boxes. Pastries are reasonably priced.

Fleur de Cocoa; www.fleurdecocoa.com, 39 N. Santa Cruz Los Gatos CA, 408-354-3574. Authentic French bakery run by Pascal de Janvier who wins pastry competitions all over the world.

Cocola; www.cocolabakery.com, 333 Santana Row #1045, San Jose CA 408-551-0018. I like their Palmiers, Creme Feuillette & more. Plus it’s nice to have a unique spot to people watch in Santana Row.

Flower Flour; www.flower-flour.com, 896 Willow Street San Jose CA (Willow Glen), 408-279-0843. To-die-for chocolate chip cookies. Coffee is decent — but it is more the baked goods, homemade lunches and in-house florist that make this noteworthy.

If I have missed a notable spot, please let me know about it & why you like it. I’ll give it a try!

——-

My main business is to help people with home buying and home selling in Silicon Valley, San Jose & the South Bay. Contact me if you need to buy a house or if you are getting your house ready to sell.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: favorites lists, food and beverage, San Jose CA, Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley

Real Estate Market Fast Findings

December 7, 2011 By Kelsey Lane 2 Comments

With the holidays upon us, I wanted to give you some quick bullet points about what the real estate market is doing to keep you informed. If you need anything, please give me a call. I’m working and available during the month of December. Here goes:

Our Silicon Valley/Santa Clara County inventory is sitting at 2516 residences on the market–1834 single family and 682 townhouse/condo. The average days on market is 77. This is a change from last year at the same time when there were 3924 residences on the market and an average of 86 DOM. From my vantage point, it feels like things are heating up a *little* bit. Hey, but we’ll take it!
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose to 56% in November up from October’s 40.9.
Nationally home prices are back to Q1 2003 levels.
Mortgage rates are the lowest they have been in 6 decades, hovering right around 4% for a 30 year fixed.
Monthly mortgage payments are actually lower across the board than renting in 12 metro areas.
Housing starts are up in California — builders pulled 17% more permits currently than the same time last year.
1 in 5 mortgaged households is underwater on their loan.

Just some fast findings to keep you apprised! It’s the good news and the bad news, but it helps to stay up on what the market is doing. Let me know if you need anything: 408-316-0660.

Enjoy your holiday season!!

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers

Sunnyvale house just listed

October 11, 2011 By Kelsey Lane Leave a Comment

$879,000 Mid Century Modern Sunnyvale House

The Listing Look Realtor Kelsey Lane (Coldwell Banker) just listed this fabulous Sunnyvale house:

Abundance of natural light in this fabulous Sunnyvale house

Welcome to this American Housing Guild-built home featuring an enclosed atrium with windows galore. Many floor to ceiling dual-paned windows let in an abundance of natural light. The open floor plan of this Sunnyvale house encompasses 1671 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ bathrooms. Enjoy the soft, earthy color palette…high ceilings…neutral carpeting…and mature landscaping in the front & back yards (6014 square foot lot). Highlights in the kitchen include stainless & black appliances, skylight, as well as granite that ties all the colors of the home together. Newer upgrades include furnace, carpeting, windows, and several freshly painted rooms. Other features are copper plumbing, Hunter Douglas honeycomb shades, and automatically timed sprinklers. 2-car garage. Seller to provide Section 1 clearance per seller report. Move in condition! Schools associated are Stocklmeir Elementary, Cupertino Middle & Fremont High. For an exclusive showing of this fine Sunnyvale house, please contact Kelsey Lane at 408-316-0660.

: High ceilings in Sunnyvale house listed by Coldwell Banker Realtor Kelsey Lane

———-

Looking to buy a house in the Silicon Valley area? The Listing Look has a complimentary home search page through Realtor Kelsey Lane: Search Santa Clara County property

Or, if you are home selling, we can also provide you with an idea of your home value.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: listing prep, real estate, sunnyvale

Mojo Burger; Willow Glen, CA

June 22, 2011 By Richard Davidson Jr. 4 Comments

Many foods are intrinsically linked to their countries of origin (i.e. sushi=Japan, pizza=Italy). And while the actual origin of the hamburger (including the name it was given) might be from Germany, everyone looks at it, of course, as a quintessentially American product. The current best choice for me when it comes to a hamburger can be found at Mojo Burger. I’m not sure what they do to make it taste so good but I will always choose their cheeseburgers over everyone else.

I stumbled onto the restaurant for the first time kind of by mistake. I was at The Pruneyard in Campbell CA and noticed the red and white retro space wedged in between the Barnes & Noble and the Trader Joe’s stores. It was getting close to dinner time and I hadn’t thought about what to make so I poked my head in the door. The first thing that struck me was the smell of the meat cooking. Hamburger cooking on a grill gets me every time. I studied the menu board, placed my first order, and I have been a fan of the restaurant ever since.

These days I frequent their business at the Willow Glen area restaurant in San Jose CA. It’s a short drive from my house to their store front so it’s an easy place to get my fill of cheeseburgers. My order tends to be the same on every visit – a double cheeseburger (called a “Double Mojo”) with onion rings and a soda. There is a lot to sink your teeth into when you get a Double Mojo. There are two patties and slices of cheese for each along with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and onions all on a toasted bun. It does get a little messy but that might just be from the fact it’s a double cheeseburger instead of the smaller single hamburger or one of the other sandwiches that they have on the menu.

As a side dish, I always go with the onion rings. The mix of crunchy batter outside and sweet onion inside always makes me a very happy eater and I think that they make a very good onion ring. Their fries are just as good, by the way. Round it off with a soda and my meal is complete. If you eat there as opposed to taking it out, it’s the stereotypical red basket lined with napkins and that is it. You don’t need a lot of adornment when the food tastes this good.

I must admit the food is a little more expensive than at the larger fast food chain restaurants. My normal order comes out to around $12 for everything but for me that added expense is definitely worth it. The food is always top notch and the service is always strong and helpful with whatever you might ask for. If you’re anywhere near one of their three current stores, I would definitely recommend you giving them a try.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers

Silicon Valley Happy Hour List; San Jose and South Bay

June 18, 2011 By Richard Davidson Jr. Leave a Comment

The Listing Look loves Silicon Valley and a big part of this are the restaurants. We wanted to help out our readers by putting together a list of great Silicon Valley bargains to enjoy, for appetizers and drinks. One way to outsmart the economy!

Flemings
180 El Camino Real (2 Stanford Shopping Center), Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (650) 329-8457
http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/locations/ca/palo-alto
“5 For $6 ’Til 7” bar menu, featuring 5 tempting appetizers, 5 premium cocktails and 5 distinctive wines by the glass — each priced at $6 and served nightly from 5-7 pm.

Rock Bottom Brewery
1875 South Bascom Ave. Unit 700, Campbell, CA 95008
Phone: (408) 377-0707
http://www.rockbottom.com/san-jose/specials
Happy hour in the bar and on the patio (weather permitting) on: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from 3pm – 6pm and 10pm to close, plus ALL DAY Wednesday for great food and drink specials!

Yard House
300 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 241-9273
http://www.yardhouse.com/CA/san_jose/
Monday – Friday: 3pm – 6pm
Sunday – Wednesday: 10pm – Close

Martinis & Beer
Domestic Pints $3.50
Craft/Import Pints $4.25-4.75
Goblets $4.75-5.25 Half Yards (M-F, 3-6 only) $7.00-9.25
Well Drinks $4.25-4.75
House Martinis $6.00
Wine By The Glass $2.00 off

Half Yards not available for Late Night Happy Hour. Brands noted on menu with a single asterisk (*) or double asterisk (**) are not available in a Half Yard.

Select Half-Priced Appetizers & Pizzas:

PIZZAS: BBQ Chicken · Four Cheese · Margherita · Pepperoni & Mushroom · Ham & Pineapple · Spicy Thai Chicken

APPETIZERS: Spinach Cheese Dip · Moo Shu Egg Rolls · Fried Calamari · Fried Chicken Strips · Chinese Garlic Noodles · Onion Ring Tower · Chicken Nachos · Hawaiian Poke Stack · Seared Ahi Sashimi · Chicken Lettuce Wraps · Spicy Tuna Roll · California Roll · Blue Crab Cakes · Wings: Traditional, Boneless or Veggie

SLIDERS: Classic, Béarnaise, Pastrami, Turkey Burger or Veggie, $6.75
Ahi Sliders, $9.95

Rosie McCann’s
355 Santana Row # 1060, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 247-1706
http://www.rosiemccanns.com/

Sino
377 Santana Row, Suite 1000, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 247 8880
http://www.straitsrestaurants.com/sino—santana-row-pages-8.php/sino—santana-row-pages-8.php
Happy Hour 4-7pm Monday – Friday
Wine & Well Drinks: $5/glass, Bar Features: $7/glass; Appetizers: $5/item

Straits
333 Santana Row, Suite 1100, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 246-6320
http://www.straitsrestaurants.com/sino—santana-row-pages-8.php
Happy Hour 3-6pm Monday – Friday
Cocktails/Wine: $5, Beer: $3; Appetizers: $3 and $5/item

Elephant Bar
499 E. Hamilton Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008
Phone: (408) 871-8401
http://elephantbar.com/
Monday-Friday 3-7pm, and 7 Days A Week 9pm-Close (in bar only)
Food $3-7, drinks $2-5, and cheeseburger, fries, and beer combos $6.50-8.50

Capers Eat and Drink
1710 West Campbell Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008
Phone: (408) 374-5777
http://caperseatanddrink.com/
Monday–Friday 3PM to 7PM (Bar areas only)
Draft Beers, Glass of House White or Red Wines, Well Drinks $5.00, Appetizers $6.00
Monday & Tuesday: 2-for-1 Martinis (well only), Wednesday: 2-for-1 Pasta Dishes (menu items only), Thursday: 2-for-1 Margaritas (well only), Sunday: No Corkage Fee and Complimentary Dessert with the purchase of two entrees

LB Steak
334 Santana Row, Suite 1000, San Jose, California, 95128
Phone: (408) 244-1180
www.lbsteak.com
Happy Hour offered Monday – Friday 2 – 6pm

Left Bank Brasserie
377 Santana Row, Suite 1100, San Jose, California 95128
Phone: (408) 984-3500
www.LeftBank.com
Happy Hour offered Monday-Friday 4-6pm and 9pm-close (bar only)

Left Bank Brasserie
635 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone: (650) 473-6543
www.leftbank.com
Happy Hour offered every night 3 – 6pm and 9pm-close (bar and patio only)

Fahrenheit Restaurant & Lounge
99 East San Fernando Street, San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 274-9998
www.fahrenheitsj.com
Monday-Saturday 5-7pm
Drinks: ½ price beer, well, and specialty drink (16 specialty seasonal cocktails)
Food: $3, $4, and $5 menu items

Azucar

71 E. San Fernando Street, San Jose; 408-293-8482

www.azucarsj.com

Sunday-Friday 5-7 pm and 9-11 pm $3 Mojitos/Wells/Beers and $2 Tapas

Zen Lounge

251 Castro Street, Mountain View; 650-969-4847

www.zenmv.com

Thurs-Sat 7-10pm, $2 Beer/Champagne, $4 Tequila shots, $5 Sake Bombs

Shokolaat

516 University Ave., Palo Alto, 650-289-0719

www.shokolaat.com

Tues-Sat 5:30-6:30, half price appetizers, well drinks & wines by the glass. Domestic beer $3.

Viva

15970 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos. 408-356-4902

www.vivalosgatos.com

Daily 3:30-6:30

OTHER DEALS

Los Altos Grill
233 3^rd Street
San Jose, CA 94022
Phone: (650) 948-3524
Fax: (650) 948-5561
http://www.hillstone.com/#/restaurants/losAltosGrill/
No corkage fee

Country Gourmet
2098 W. El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
Phone: (650) 962-1700
Fax: (650) 938-8367
http://www.cgmountainview.com/
$3.95 corkage fee

———-

Looking to buy a house in the Silicon Valley area? You can either request a property list through this blog, or The Listing Look has a complimentary home search page through Realtor Kelsey Lane: Search Santa Clara County property

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers

Bay Area Housing Market Musings (Santa Clara County property)

May 6, 2011 By Kelsey Lane 3 Comments

The local Silicon Valley housing market has been holding fairly steady with an even buyer-seller market where both parties have negotiating power. Economists have been predicting either a flat year or a gain of 2% at the most. All that said, The Listing Look does have a few number updates for you of what’s going on in the housing market:

Santa Clara County currently has about 3470 residences on the market. This inventory has been slightly declining, while pendings have been slightly increasing. If no new inventory came on the market, we have about 2.28 months worth of single family residences and 3.5 months of condos/townhomes for sale.
The rainy weather delayed buyers somewhat from entering the market, but we are now seeing buying clients coming out of the woodwork. Spring is a typical buying season where there is also usually more inventory to choose from.
The Santa Clara County property average days on market is currently around 72 days.
The median home price for property in Santa Clara County (under $1M) is $569,000
Current national mortgage rates: Week ending 4/28/2011 30-yr. fixed: 4.78 fees/points: 0.7% 15-yr. fixed: 3.97 fees/points: 0.7% 1-yr. adjustable: 3.15% Fees/points: 0.6% (Source: Freddie Mac)
U.S pending sales of existing homes rose 5.1% in March according to the Washington Post, which wrote “a sign the industry that triggered the recession may begin to stabilize.”
Construction spending rose in March
The Remodeling Market Index which tracks remodeling construction is currently its highest in 4 years according to the National Association of Home Builders
Trulia’s Rent vs. Buy Index shows that buying is now more affordable than renting in 80% of the largest U.S. cities.

Housing Market Musings from the Listing Look (Silicon Valley Realtor professionals) uses California Association of Realtor’s CAR Newsline and Market Matters for compilation, as well as various other news publications & Bay Area housing market statistics from Chris Alston, managing CEO at Keller Williams Cupertino.

——-

Home selling? Find out your home value & start the consulting process for getting your house ready to sell by clicking My Home Value in the top navigation.

Getting ready to buy a house? Use our Santa Clara County property search tool to create & save your search.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: buyers, buying, construction, market, mortgage, real estate, Santa Clara County, seller, Silicon Valley

A to Z Construction Contractors and Service Providers: P: Sonya Paz Art and Silicon Valley Open Studios

April 18, 2011 By Kelsey Lane Leave a Comment

Every spring my art addiction starts cropping up again. And some years I tell myself I’m on a buying moratorium, usually to no avail. The Listing Look loves Silicon Valley so much — and I feel that the local art scene is one aspect of our area that makes it so rich. One of the most famous artists is Sonya Paz. She is known for her pop art with vibrant colors and edgy creativity. Her gallery is downtown Campbell CA near Aqui on Campbell Avenue and her gallery also participates in the third Friday Campbell art walks (free, 6-9 p.m.). Not only does she do paintings, but also jewelry and other gift items — her watches have even made it as gifts given to Oscar nominees and winners! Make sure to check out her website and blog at www.sonyapaz.com.

And coming up in May is a phenomenal, no cost opportunity to delve into the local art scene even further. For three weekends, you can enjoy Silicon Valley Open Studios. Check out www.svos.org for artists’ studio information and locations–the weekends are divided up by towns. On May 14 & 15 three of my favorite artists Karen Wong (president of the Silicon Valley Watercolor Association www.karenwongart.com ), Jan Grady, and Chris Duncan will be at 1005 Highlands Circle in Los Altos. Hopefully I will see you there as I wouldn’t miss it for anything! It’s my sincere belief that real estate becomes a home with art on the walls.

—–

Home selling? Find out your home value & start the consulting process for getting your house ready to sell by clicking My Home Value in the top navigation.

Getting ready to buy a house? Use our Santa Clara County property search tool to create & save your search. Or, receive custom information from the Look Team (such as only condos & townhomes for sale in San Jose that are short sales, etc.) by clicking on the “free list” button below.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: construction, contractors, furniture, listing prep, Silicon Valley, staging

Silicon Valley Farmers’ Markets Schedule & List

April 15, 2011 By Richard Davidson Jr. 4 Comments

While there have been farmers’ markets in rural communities for years, they have gained in popularity in major cities over the past couple decades. You don’t need to travel very far now to find all manner of home grown products—another reason why The Listing Look loves Silicon Valley. The produce you buy at a farmers’ market has a much shorter trip from farm-to-table, guaranteeing much fresher food for you to enjoy. Another benefit of buying at farmers’ markets is that you can find many ethnic or culturally specific prepared foods that wouldn’t be carried at the local supermarket. And, you help bring money into the local economy when you purchase from the farms and small companies that bring their wares to the market.

One of the biggest changes to the farmers’ market in recent years is the creation of organized groups that help to manage the markets. These groups and associations work to help guarantee the quality of the food sold in order to put market customers at ease. They also take care of organizing the event to alleviate that burden from the farmers.

Below is an extensive list of the farmers’ markets in the Santa Clara valley and surrounding area, followed by links to several of the associations that help to manage them. Some of these events are for a season while others run year round.

Vallco Farmers’ Market

Vallco Shopping Mall

Stevens Creek and Wolfe Road

Cupertino, CA

Fridays 9:00am – 1:00pm Year-round

Cambrian Park Farmers’ Market

Camden Avenue & Union Avenue

San Jose, CA

Wednesdays 4:00-8:00pm May through September

Blossom Hill Farmers’ Market

Princeton Plaza Mall

Kooser Road and Meridian Avenue

San Jose, CA

Sundays 10:00am-2:00pm Year-round

Alum Rock Village Farmers’ Market

57 N White Road

San Jose, CA

Sunday 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Berryessa Farmers’ Market

1376 Piedmont Road

San Jose, CA

Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Evergreen Farmers’ Market

Evergreen Village Square

Ruby Avenue at Classico Avenue

San Jose, CA

Sunday 9:00am to 1:00pm Year-round

Wednesday 9:00am to 1:00pm Year-round

Kaiser Permanente San Jose Farmers’ Market

270 International Circle

San Jose, CA

Friday 10:00am-2:00pm Year-round

San Jose Downtown Farmers’ Market

San Pedro Square

Between Santa Clara St & John Street

San Jose, CA

Friday 10:00am-2:00pm May 6, 2011 to November 18, 2011

Santa Teresa Farmers’ Market

At Kaiser Permanente San Jose

Santa Teresa Blvd. at Camino Verde

San Jose, CA

Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm April 30, 2011 to November 19, 2011

Santana Row Farmers’ Market

Stevens Creek & Winchester Boulevard

San Jose, CA

Sunday 10:00am-2:00pm April 3, 2011 to October 30, 2011

Campbell Farmers’ Market

Campbell Avenue at Central Avenue

Campbell, CA

Sundays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Los Altos Rancho Farmers’ Market

Foothill Expressway at Springer Road

Los Altos, CA

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Los Altos Farmers’ Market

State Street and South Second Street

Los Altos, CA

Thursday 4:00-8:00pm May 5 to September 29

Milpitas Farmers’ Market at ICC

525 Los Coches St

Milpitas, CA

Sunday 8:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Morgan Hill Farmers’ Market

Depot Street and 3rd Street

Morgan Hill, CA

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm May to December 18

Mountain View Farmers’ Market

Caltrain Station

600 West Evelyn Avenue

Mountain View, CA

Sunday 9:00am-1:00pm

Santa Clara Farmers’ Market

Jackson Street at Homestead Road

Santa Clara, CA

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Farmers’ Market

Kaiser Permanente Medical Center

710 Lawrence Expressway

Santa Clara, CA

Thursday 10:00am-2:00pm Year-round

Saratoga Farmers’ Market @ West Valley College

Fruitvale Avenue and Allendale Avenue

Saratoga, CA

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm

Sunnyvale Farmers’ Market

South Murphy Avenue at West Washington Avenue

Sunnyvale, CA

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Menlo Park Farmers’ Market

Chestnut Street, between Santa Cruz & Menlo Avenues

Menlo Park, CA

Sundays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Redwood City Farmers’ Market

850 Winslow Street

Redwood City, CA

Saturdays 8:00am-12:00pm Year-round

California Avenue Farmers’ Market

California Avenue at El Camino

Palo Alto, CA

Sundays 9:00am-1:00pm Year-round

Palo Alto Farmers’ Market

Gilman Street and Hamilton Avenue

Palo Alto, CA

Saturdays 8:00am-12:00pm May 14, 2011 to December 17, 2011

VA Palo Alto Farmers’ Market

3801 Miranda Avenue

Palo Alto, CA

Wednesdays 9:00am-1:00pm April 13, 2011 to November 16, 2011

Farmers’ Market Associations

Urban Village

California Farmers’ Market Association

Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association

———-

Looking to buy a house in the Silicon Valley area? You can either request a property list through this blog, or The Listing Look also has a complimentary home search page through Realtor Kelsey Lane: Search Santa Clara County property

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: Santa Clara County, santana row, shopping, Silicon Valley

Real estate conference stats, hot off the press

April 8, 2011 By Kelsey Lane Leave a Comment

Real Estate Stastics & Tidbits– unveiled at real estate conference

The Look Team just attended an important real estate conference put on by Brian Buffini (national real estate trainer, investor, and former top producing real estate sales agent) in Monterey CA. During the keynote speech, the following real estate housing market statistics and tidbits were given:

In 3/4 of US cities, it is now cheaper to buy than to rent. Related, there is pressure coming in the rental market.
Contrary to popular belief & according to Buffini, there is no “shadow” inventory at the banks. He said that there were backups in processing which slowed down the listing and selling of REO/bank owned properties.
Nationally, 67% of people own their own home, which is still historically high.
The percentage of first time homebuyers in the market is increasing: In 2011 it will be 52% of those buying a house. The prior years’ numbers were: 2010 50%, 2009 47%, and 2008 41%.
The average age for those home selling is 49 years old. Owners are holding their homes for an average of 8 years now, up from 4.5/5 in recent past years.
In 2009 the average time to sell a home was 10 weeks. It is now 8 weeks.
50% of sellers are trading up and 28% are buying comparably priced properties. The rest that were trading down were mostly seniors.
57% of first time homebuyers considered buying a foreclosed property but did most did not actually end up doing so.
95% of first time homebuyers chose a fixed rate mortgage.
Of buyers in the market, 20% are single women, 12% are single men, 9% are unmarried couples, 59% are married couples, with 1% other.
Buyers across the board looked at an average of 12 homes in 12 weeks when buying a house.
The Echo Boom generation is gaining attention (18 to 32 year olds) – of the 80 million of these young people, 79% have as their #1 economic goal to own a home. 76% of them said that they would buy a home even if they lost money on it.

If you have any questions about these real estate statistics, please give us a call at The Listing Look. We are ready to help you buy, sell, or even just chat about real estate: Kelsey Lane 408-316-0660.

—–

Home selling? Find out your home value & start the consulting process for getting your house ready to sell by clicking My Home Value in the top navigation.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: buyers, buying, foreclosure, market, mortgage, real estate, seller

Endearing home in Willow Glen, San Jose CA $630,000

April 1, 2011 By Kelsey Lane

Buying a house Willow Glen CA

The Listing Look just listed this enchanting property in the heart of Willow Glen CA. Welcome to this winding, tree-lined neighborhood. The house sits on a U-shaped street and has a meandering walkway leading to the solid wood, upscale front entry door. Inside, you’ll find hardwood floors, crown moldings, historical doors/closet doors, and updated lighting such as wrought iron sconces and recessed fixtures. The granite kitchen features stainless steel appliances, pull out cabinetry (maple color), and a window above the sink. The Tuscan-style color palette is further enhanced by plantation shutters and exquisite window treatments. Lots of natural light streams in. In addition to the listed square footage, you’ll find a stunning dining room with vaulted wood-beam ceilings and a set apart office nook. Outdoors, there is a front porch with plenty of room for seating, a front side brick patio, and a covered back patio. Additionally, the storage shed is flanked by flagstone hardscaping, creating another versatile outdoor living area. Both front and back yards have mature, lush landscaping and a quaint, relaxed feeling. Included with this house are architectural plans for expansion of the home to 2400 square feet (the back yard is extremely large and deep). Schools associated are Booksin Elementary, Willow Glen MS & Willow Glen HS. For an exclusive showing of this fine home, please contact Lori Wolff at 408-505-3285.

Buying a house Willow Glen CA

To see more information and images of this home, check out the property’s MLS Listing page.

——-

Home selling? Find out your home value & start the consulting process for getting your house ready to sell by clicking My Home Value in the top navigation.

Getting ready to buy a house? Use our Santa Clara County property search tool to create & save your search.

Share this:

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Sellers Tagged With: buying, granite, high end, kitchen cabinets, listing prep, real estate, San Jose CA, Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley, staging, window treatments

Indie coffee shops & bakeries: Silicon Valley, San Jose & South Bay

Independent Coffee Shops & Bakeries in Silicon Valley, San Jose & South Bay

The Latte Art bunch:

Other coffee spots:

Bakeries with coffee and tea:

Real Estate Market Fast Findings

Sunnyvale house just listed

$879,000 Mid Century Modern Sunnyvale House

Mojo Burger; Willow Glen, CA

Silicon Valley Happy Hour List; San Jose and South Bay

Bay Area Housing Market Musings (Santa Clara County property)

A to Z Construction Contractors and Service Providers: P: Sonya Paz Art and Silicon Valley Open Studios

Silicon Valley Farmers’ Markets Schedule & List

Real estate conference stats, hot off the press

Real Estate Stastics & Tidbits– unveiled at real estate conference

Endearing home in Willow Glen, San Jose CA $630,000

Buy A House, Or Sell One

KEEP UP WITH US

Archives

Recent Posts

Independent Coffee Shops & Bakeries in Silicon Valley, San Jose & South Bay

The Latte Art bunch:

Other coffee spots:

Bakeries with coffee and tea:

$879,000 Mid Century Modern Sunnyvale House

Real Estate Stastics & Tidbits– unveiled at real estate conference

Buy A House, Or Sell One

KEEP UP WITH US

Archives

Recent Posts

Tags