San Carlos “New Listing of the Week” — 1951 Eucalyptus Avenue.

Great Neighborhood, Great Home…

Whenever a home comes on the market on Eucalyptus Avenue in San Carlos, it’s definitely newsworthy.     Although it only spans two blocks, Eucalyptus is arguably one of most well known streets in all of San Carlos, due to the spectacular Halloween and Christmas displays they host every year.   But there’s much more to Eucalyptus than just holiday glitter.

A big draw for Eucalyptus is its location.  It’s only a block or so from Burton Park, and an easy jaunt to the northern “restaurant row” of Laurel Street.  Even more important to families with school age kids, it’s an easy walk to both Brittan Acres Elementary and Central Middle Schools.  So with the exception of rainy days, you should never have to drive the kids to school from kindergarten all the way to 8th grade!

But for my money, the best part about Eucalyptus is the neighborhood itself.  It’s an extremely tight knit group of neighbors, many who have lived on the street for decades.   Consequently, everyone seems to know everyone else — and if you don’t, you certainly will after the annual block party.   Ask anyone who lives there and they’ll tell you it’s a great place to raise a family. … Continue Reading

San Carlos “New Listing of the Week” — 2630 Howard Avenue

New is Good.

With the way inventory looks right now in San Carlos, it’s becoming newsworthy when  any new listing comes on the market.   But regardless of what the market conditions happen to be, it’s always worth noting when a newly-built home becomes available in San Carlos, because brand-new construction is a relative rarity here.   Since there’s virtually no uncommitted land available on which to build new homes,  new homes usually appear where an older home once stood.   Such is the case with this nice home – or in this case, two homes.

2630 Howard Avenue.

The huge, older Spanish-style home that once stood on the 11,300 square foot lot at 2622 Howard Avenue has been transformed into two brand-new custom homes.  The first of these to come on the market is the one at 2630 Howard Avenue, which is being offered at $1,695,000 by Anna Wong of Alain Pinel Realtors.   This 4 bedroom/3 bathroom home has over 3,000 square feet of living space, and sits on a nicely landscaped 5,650 square foot lot.

Smart Design.

One of the great things about new construction is that it gives the architect and builder a clean slate to work with, instead of partial-remodels where they’re constrained by the existing structure.  As such, you’d expect a very intelligent layout with a brand new home — and this home delivers.   The upstairs bedrooms are spacious and well appointed, with the gorgeous master suite located at the rear of the home for maximum quiet and privacy.    But the real showpiece of this home is the kitchen/family room area.  Since most people now tend to entertain in their kitchen and family room area, it’s essential to many home buyers that these two rooms flow together in a “great room” configuration.   The great room in this home is one of the best that I’ve seen.

Check it out..

If you’re in the market for new construction in San Carlos, put this home on your list.  It will be open this Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 – 4:30PM.   For more details and pictures of this great home, click here –> 2630 Howard Avenue, San Carlos.

140 Park Avenue, San Carlos: A Much-Needed (and off-market) Listing in White Oaks.

If you take a look on the MLS, you’ll find that there are only 5 homes currently for sale in all of White Oaks.  That’s an insanely low number, and it has proven to be a huge source of  frustration for home buyers who’d like to call White Oaks home.    And I expect that number will drop even further next week, since I don’t expect Sherry Cottonaro’s outstanding listing at 2043 Saint Francis Way will stay on the market for very long — that one is a really nice house, and at $899,000 it’s priced incredibly well, putting it in that sweet spot of the sub-$1M segment.

So outside of this home, there’s not much to choose from, and there certainly isn’t a listing that’s inside a month-old in all of White Oaks…until now. … Continue Reading

Two listings that will test the mettle of the San Carlos market…

There are two new listings  that just hit the market in San Carlos — and their outcome will be a true test of how big of slump we’re truly in…or if there are still buyers out there ready to pounce on the right deal for the right home.   Here are the homes — click on the pictures for all of the details:

108 Wildwood Avenue

…and,

1345 Arroyo Avenue

Both of these homes have several desirable characteristics in common:

1. Location.
2. Size and condition of home.
3. Lot size.

Let’s take a quick look at both…

108 Wildwood is a 3,000 square foot nicely remodeled home that is being offered at $1,595,000 by Erika Demma of Coldwell Banker.    Wildwood is one of those streets in White Oaks where people just don’t move from very often.  (I live closeby, and I can tell you that there’s very little turn-over on this street.)  It’s a great family-oriented neighborhood on a picturesque street.  Many of the homes on both sides of Wildwood have abnormally large lots, which is hard to come by in White Oaks and Howard Park.   This particular home sits on an 8,850 square foot lot, and it’s within walking distance of Brittan Acres.

1345 Arroyo is bit smaller at 1,400 square feet, and it’s being offered at $1,050,000 by Debbie Sharp of Alain Pinel Realtors.   Location is a key factor for this home, but for a different reason.  As the downtown area of San Carlos expands and becomes more popular, homes that are located within a short walk of Laurel are VERY desirable to a certain segment of home buyers…and 1345 Arroyo is only a couple of blocks from Harmony, Starbucks, Red Mango….etc.   This home has also been remodeled, and it is situated on an atypically large 9,120 square foot lot in Howard Park.   The traffic on Arroyo might be a negative for some, but being this close to Central Middle School is a big plus your kids attend school there.

So, why is this important?

In my opinion, these are the kinds of homes that you read about getting snapped up almost immediately in a normal, healthy San Carlos market.   The paths that both of these homes take will be a strong indication as to what kind of market we’re really in right now in San Carlos.

Stay tuned…

———————————————————————————————-

Unfinished Homes Spell “Opportunity” for San Carlos Buyers…

“The best-laid plans of mice and men/

often go awry”

–Robert Burns

This line from the Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” exemplifies how a sudden, harsh turn in the economy can derail even the smartest plans for developing new homes, or even remodeling existing homes.  I hail from the semiconductor industry, and I have seen my fair share of commercial buildings in Silicon Valley that have been built and never occupied…or worse yet, never even finished.   That’s more common in commercial real estate when there’s a sudden economic downturn;  after all, the fortunes in technology swing far faster than the buildings that will house them.  But what about residential real estate… in San Carlos?

Make no mistake;  San Carlos is not being spared the wrath of this stormy economy.  But out of every crisis springs opportunity, and if you’re handy in the home-building trades (or you have good buddies who are, and may owe you a favor) there are a couple of opportunities for you to purchase a nice home in San Carlos at a steep discount.  The catch?  All you need to do is finish the work…  Here are the details;  be sure to click on the address links to see the interior photos.  This will give you a better idea how much work will be required to finish both of these homes:

280 Oakview Dr:

280 Oakview Drive

This home was supposed to be the fourth of 5 homes to be built in the Oakview Knolls development of White Oaks.  But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then these few words that are on the MLS paint a pretty clear picture of what’s happening here:

“This almost complete new home is among a 5 home development that will not be finished by the developer. Three of the wonderful, spacious, high quality homes have been completed. What is needed: flooring, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, A/C & heating units, cabinetry, countertops, security system, & landscaping.”

The home is 2,835 square feet and is listed at $1,195,000.   Compare that to the two smaller but finished homes at 260 Oakview Drive and  290 Oakview Drive that are both listed at $1,525,000, and you can see the potential for some serious savings here.

3291 Brittan Avenue

3291 Brittan Avenue

This 2,260 square foot unfinished home is being offered at $879,000.   This equates to $389/sq foot, compared to the overall average of about $570/sq foot in all of San Carlos.   Like 280 Oakview, you get a lot of square footage for a small price with this home.

What you’ll need…

As I mentioned above, you’ll need access to folks in a variety of trades to finish these homes.   If you can do the work yourself, all the better.   It’s also important to know that getting a first mortgage on an unfinished home is more difficult, especially now that credit is extremely tight and banks are already nervous about lending money in this environment.

But if you’re looking for a great deal in San Carlos while still having the ability to put your personal touch on the finish work, be sure to check both of these out.

———————————————————————

San Carlos “New Listing of the Week” — 3464 Brittan Avenue…

3464 Brittan Avenue

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the price of starter homes in San Carlos has dropped back to levels that we thought were gone forever.    But what about homes at the other end of the spectrum?   What’s happening with some of the larger, move-up homes?  Well, if you have followed the “San Carlos Week in Review” series lately, you’ve likely noticed that most larger homes sold in San Carlos have taken pretty sizable price cuts to get into contract.   Welcome to today’s reality in San Carlos.

This trend isn’t going unnoticed by those savvy home sellers who know they need to price their home “ahead of the curve” to avoid having their home languish on the market for months.  This week’s “New Listing of the Week” at 3464 Brittan Avenue is an excellent example of the right way to price a home in this challenging market.  It’s being offered at $1,450,000 by Tim Gilmartin of the Gilmartin Group.

This home is situated on a 10,535 square foot lot at the very western end of Brittan Avenue.   Since this last block of Brittan is on the west side of Crestview and ends in cul-de-sac, many people never drive this stretch and consequently aren’t aware of the great homes up here.    And this one is right at the end of the cul-de-sac, giving it ideal privacy and incredible views of the Coastal Range.

With 4-bedroom, 3-bathrooms, and  3,420 square feet of living space, there’s plenty of room to raise a family in this home.  The master suite is huge, and the bedrooms are all generously sized, and the kitchen and living areas are perfect for entertaining.   And the home is only 18 years young, having been built in 1991.

The real eye-catcher here is the price.  The $1,450,000 list price equates to about $424/square foot.   Considering that the average in San Carlos right now is almost $600/sq foot, this home is priced very aggressively.   If you’re looking for a incredible deal on a great family home, put this at the top of your list.

But get out to see it soon — because even in this economy, I don’t think this one will last long.

—————————————

San Carlos New Listing of the Week: 574 Vista Avenue…

574 Vista Avenue, San Carlos

Every so often you’ll encounter a home or neighborhood that’s so different from what you normally associate as San Carlos, that you have to remind yourself that you’re still in San Carlos.   The hills and views on Hillcrest, Vista, and Devonshire sometimes feel more like Emerald Hills than San Carlos.  But that geographic diversity is yet another thing that makes San Carlos great.

This week’s “New Listing of the Week” is a really nice home that’s located in one of those neighborhoods.   574 Vista Avenue is a newly remodeled, 4 bedroom 3.5 bath home that’s situated on a very usable 8,400 square foot lot.  This home is currently offered at $1,749,000 by Gregory Garcia of Atlas Realty.

The new version of this home is definitely high-end.  They did a great job making the kitchen area the focal point of the main level, and it’s a really nice kitchen, too.

Dark hardwood floors grace most of the main level, and the high ceilings and crown molding give the home a nice elegant feel.  They did a nice job with this remodel.   Another nice feature?  Although the trees and the views make you feel like you’re miles away, you’re actually very close to the red-hot north section of Laurel Street.  So you get the best of both worlds.

In this economy, homes listed for $1.5M and above really need to “deliver the goods.”   If this is the price range you’re looking in, be sure to check this one out.   There are lots of “goods” to be had here…

928 Walnut Street — Open Saturday 1-5.

I will be holding open this home at 928 Walnut St. on Saturday afternoon (10/25) from 1:00-5:00PM.  This is an incredible home that has been completely remodeled throughout.  If you happen to be treating yourself to a Harmony Yogurt tomorrow afternoon, stop on by and say hello!  It’s only half a block from Harmony.  Great house, great location.   Here are more details on this stellar home:

928 Walnut St:

Hope to see you there!