The 'Guide Me Home to San Jose' Blog

When buying a home in San Jose, it can be surprising how family-friendly this high-tech city can be. But with attractions such as the Childrens Discovery Museum of San Jose, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (located about an hour away) and Raging Waters Water Park, San Jose is fun for people of all ages. So whether you want an afternoon outing with the kids, or a sophisticated night on the town with your spouse, San Jose will never disappoint you!

Beautiful San Jose, CA, located just 50 miles south of San Francisco, is internationally recognized as the Capital of Silicon Valley. The city boasts the headquarters and major offices of more than 6,600 technology companies, such as Adobe Systems, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Lockheed Martin. It is home to three major universities—San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University—all of which make major contributions to the city’s economy. San Jose’s wealth of intellectual resources, and its focus on progress and achievement, has made the city a “global center for innovation.”

But San Jose is not all about business and microchips; the city of over 930,000 residents is also highly regarded as one of the most fun and exciting places to live in the U.S. Those who relocate to San Jose soon find that the pride and joy of the city is its vibrant downtown, a place where a community comes together to have fun and enjoy life, whether it be for the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade, Christmas in the Park, or just an ordinary Saturday. From shopping Santana Row to soaking up the culture in San Pedro Square, there are a million unique things to do in downtown San Jose. The area is bustling with delectable restaurants and a dizzying variety of lively pubs, laid-back lounges, and chic nightclubs. The energetic San Jose Downtown Theatre District—comprised of the California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, Civic Auditorium, and Montgomery Theater—promises a year-round calendar of performances that range from Shakespearean tragedies to romping Broadway musicals. And for an afternoon diversion, there are more than 30 art galleries and museums in San Jose, including the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum/Planetarium, and the San Jose Museum of Art.

Altera Real Estate was established in 1980 as single independent office, known as Valley Properties. From 1993 until October, 2008 we were affiliated with RE/MAX International and were known as RE/MAX Valley Properties. In October, 2008 we ended our franchise affiliation and returned to our roots as an independent, regional firm. Altera Real Estate is a statewide network of independently owned successful, professional real estate brokerages. We are honored by association with them. Additionally, we are an affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World www.LeadingRE.com, a global network of over 700 offices in 35 countries representing leading firms in every market. If your real estate needs are outside of Silicon Valley, we would be pleased to refer you to an affiliate in that area.

Over the years we have grown to over 80 agents in three offices, San Jose/Willow Glen, San Jose/Silver Creek, and Morgan Hill. We consistently rank in the top four real estate firms in our market area, and are home to the most productive, professional agents in Silicon Valley. We serve the communities of the greater Silicon Valley area, including San Jose, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and Sunnyvale in the mid-Santa Clara County ,Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin in the South County area, and such neighborhoods as Almaden Valley and Willow Glen.

Our firm is home to real estate associates fluent in many languages, and with expertise not only in single family homes and condos, but investment properties, leasing, and tenant representation through our local referral network.

Though of course our name has changed over time, our commitment to our clients has not; we have, in fact, continued to 'upgrade' ourselves to meet the expectations of those who choose us to handle some of life's most important transactions. Our goal is not to merely close transactions but to establish life-long business relationships one satisfied customer at a time.

We look forward to serving you.