The 'Guide Me Home to San Jose' Blog - Home

Does San Jose Love Its Trees Unconditionally?

2010-03-04T22:19:00Z

“I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree.” Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

San Jose has long promoted the planting of trees; it even has a tree ordinance which makes it VERY difficult to take down a tree of any size.

Tree pulling up your sidewalk? Tree blocking all sun? Tree dropping sticky (ginko), prickly (liquid amber), or inky (privet) things all over your sidewalk? Might just take a visit from an arborist, a permit, and a lecture to be able to remove that tree! The rationale: trees contribute ... Continued on the blog.

Home Buyer Tax Credit ends April 30! Do Not Procrastinate!

2010-02-01T21:21:00Z

The Federal Tax Credit is not just for first time buyers anymore! In case you missed the announcement, on Nov. 6 President Obama signed legislation which both expands and extends the Homebuyer Tax Credit. Welcome news - but do not procrastinate! Word from the innards of the federal forest is that there will be no more extensions after this!

Here are the facts, and just the facts:

The $8,000 first time buyer tax credit is extended until April 30, 2010.
The ... Continued on the blog.

San Jose Celebrates the Christmas Season

2009-12-12T00:12:00Z

This year San Jose’s Christmas in the Park celebrates its 30th year bringing holiday magic and joy to the young and young at heart. The city’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez becomes a two acre forest of Christmas trees, over 300 of which are wonderfully decorated by Scout troops, kindergartens and pre-schools, service groups, local businesses and global corporations. Santa arrived Dec. 6 with the season’s kick-off Christmas Parade. He is available f ... Continued on the blog.

Food Banks in Santa Clara County Face Record Demand

2009-11-23T20:09:00Z

We all know that hunger takes no holidays. The needs of our area’s food banks have been growing relentlessly over the past few years. In the heady days of Silicon Valley’s exponential growth, area employers and employees struggled to meet the demand, but in most cases we were, as a community, able to keep up- if only barely. This year is different. More of us are out of work or underemployed, more companies are doing layoffs, and the needy are more so.

In August 2008, unemployment in Santa Clara County hovered around 6.5%; currently Santa Clara County’s unemploy ... Continued on the blog.

It's Pumpkin Time!

2009-10-21T14:20:00Z

No sooner has the last warm breeze of summer ripened the valley’s grapevines, than shorter days and cooler nights put the focus on pumpkins, goblins, and all things “scary.”

Half Moon Bay, about an hour north of San Jose and on the coast, is perhaps the area’s best-known capitol of all things pumpkin. This year Half Moon Bay celebrated its 39th Annual Pumpkin Festival.

As in years past, pumpkin growers from all over the U.S. compete to see who will win the prize for the biggest pumpkin. This year’s winner also ... Continued on the blog.

Santa Clara County Wine District Passport Weekend

2009-09-29T22:09:00Z

The word for grapes in Spanish is uvas, so it is appropriate that one of the country roads that winds through southern Santa Clara County’s wine district, is called Uvas Road. The other main corridor is Hecker Pass Highway, or Highway 152 (only a 2 lane in this area), where it travels west from Gilroy. The Hecker Pass road bisects fertile valleys that trace their agricultural history to the early days of the Spanish settlers. In the 1920s many Italian immigrants found this area to be perfect for growing ... Continued on the blog.

A Taste of Morgan Hill - Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26th and 27th

2009-09-17T12:43:00Z

A Taste of Morgan Hill, sponsored by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27th, in the heart of Morgan Hill’s historic downtown. In addition to providing the community with a fun, family-friendly festival, the Taste of Morgan Hill supports the local Chamber of Commerce and its programs that support the businesses and residents of this Silicon Valley small town.

Just 30 minutes from downtown San Jose, yet a world apart, Morgan Hill is “the countryside of Sili ... Continued on the blog.

San Jose Named One of the Best Places to Grow Up

2009-09-03T15:51:00Z

San Jose, California’s 3rd largest city (behind Los Angeles and San Diego), ranks at or near the top of a surprising number of diverse metrics - all positive- year after year. It has long been one of America’s safest big cities, is known for its highly educated (over 35% have graduated college and/or have advanced degrees), and well-paid (median income approximately $77,000 according to 2007 Census Bureau) workforce.

... Continued on the blog.

29th Annual Italian Family Festa in downtown Willow Glen August 29th and 30th, 2009

2009-08-20T18:05:00Z

It is said that on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish. Well, during the Italian Family Festa in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, everyone is more than just a bit Italian! Sponsored by the Willow Glen Business Association and the Italian American Heritage Foundation, last year’s event drew about 25,000 people to our neighborhood’s “Main Street” - Lincoln Avenue.

Lincoln Avenue, between Minnesota and Willow, is the heart of the Willow Glen business district and for ht ... Continued on the blog.

Gilroy Garlic Festival - Celebrating 31 years!

2009-08-04T16:51:00Z

Nearly every community in the lush Santa Clara Valley can trace its heritage - literally roots - back to the days when we were called “The Valley of Hearts Delight.” Sunnyvale was known for its cherries, and has a park with cherry trees in the middle of town to remind us of that; San Jose was home to prunes, apricots, and other fruit trees, and has acres of tract homes with legacy fruit trees in their yards! Gilroy, in the mostly flat, warmer, south end of the valley area (Gilroy is about 30 miles south of San Jose), while having its share of other crops, has become known worldwide as the self-described g ... Continued on the blog.

Morgan Hill, CA Fourth of July

2009-07-10T16:13:00Z

Schoolchildren staunchly sing “It’s a Grand Old Flag, a high-flying flag, and forever in peace may she wave!” all year round. Public buildings everywhere fly the stars and stripes; flags adorn countless homes, libraries, fire stations and capitols around the country, but somehow, around the 4th of July red, white, and blue are everywhere; for a few days at least, the country unites around its flag, its values, its hometowns.

Morgan Hill, one of Silicon Valley’s most charming small towns, does the 4th of July in a big way. Named after an early land-owner, who was actually named Hiram Morgan Hill, present-day ... Continued on the blog.

Summer in the City

2009-06-23T18:18:00Z

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James

This Spring saw the population of the city of San Jose reach the one million mark, becoming the first West Coast city north of Los Angeles to do so. That said, Why do so many San Jose residents still refer to San Francisco as ‘the City”? ! The heart of Silicon Valley is now the 10th largest city in country, the wealthiest city with a median household income of $76,963, and amon ... Continued on the blog.

Now is a Good Time to Buy!

2009-05-26T15:59:00Z

Why should I buy a home/property now? I get this question often as potential buyers are squeamish with the less than positive economic news and forecast. It should be clear to you now that this real estate market is one of the most “abnormal” market trends we will be facing in our lifetimes! Normal solutions are not impacting this condition. And yet, it is equally obvious that while individually we cannot affect the market, we can still affect the quality of our own lives, our homes and our environments. As they say, “Life goes on!” Pent up demand is starting to become active - we need to tak ... Continued on the blog.

San Jose Real Estate Market Red Hot!

2009-05-21T14:38:00Z

I have been noticing a huge increase in activity for the past two months, particularly in the affordable price range, say below $600,000, and multiple offers are the norm, not the exception! I believe that we may actually see that the prices may finally go up when the May 2009 sales price statistics come out the first week of June, 2009. I had one buyer client that competed against 18 other offers (and won!) and most, if not all of my sales for the past two months have had multiple offers. I’ve noticed it is particularly competitive in Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Evergreen, and the Berryessa neighborhoods. Sales activity ... Continued on the blog.

Helping Buyers at the San Jose Home Buyer's Fair

2009-05-19T15:29:00Z

This past Saturday, May 16, 2009, our Altera office occupied a booth at the 7th Annual HomeOwnership Fair at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds sponsored by the Santa Clara County Assoc. of REALTORS®, and many buyers and vendors were in attendance. My assistant Kristan and I, along with several other members of our three offices, participated in this all day affair and shared our professional experiences in the real estate market. I was happy to see that buyers were seriously looking to ... Continued on the blog.