Author: Margaret Barton

Published 9 November, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

While at an open house recently, I had a prospective buyer ask me about the difference in traffic patterns and how commutes affect housing prices.  We talked about traffic, how much time folk spend in their cars driving to/from work, more affordable housing, and how Bay area house prices reflect location i.e., good schools and a shorter commute.  In answering her questions, I got to thinking about commutes; I totally understand how impossible 101, 280, 87, and 85 are during certain hours but wasn't too sure about the greater picture, so I did some research and found the most congested...

Published 9 November, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

As a member of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR), I read the Press Releases they put out on a variety of subjects related to housing; a recent release ties in to what I wrote about last week, namely traffic and housing!  The President and CEO of SILVAR commented on data showing traffic has increased 84% in the last 10 years and jobs have grown 29% from 2010-2016, yet new housing has only increased 4%.  This lack of housing, let alone affordable housing, may very well put the Bay area at a disadvantage as companies look for new...

Published 14 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

OMG, take a look at these numbers, talk about appreciation! Yes, these are our homes and they're also our biggest financial investment. It's no surprise, yet still interesting, to see that the cities with the highest value are Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Saratoga for single family houses and Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Menlo Park for townhomes and condos.  Looking at this data, we can see that as house prices have soared, buyers have turned to townhomes and condos as alternatives with the result that those properties are now extremely high too! The numbers for San Jose don't really do...

Published 14 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

Bloomberg recently published an article that looked at how much it would cost to buy enough space for a king-sized mattress, namely 42 square feet. It came as no surprise to me the top seven most expensive neighborhoods in the U.S. to buy space needed for such a sized mattress, are all in Palo Alto. A friend passed this article on to me and I liked how imagining such a tangible object lent a certain perspective! You can read the whole article here. The article also went on to point out that 15 of the 20 most expensive neighborhoods in the...

Published 2 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

My take: We’re in mid-April now and the real estate market is humming along! Take a look at the data below and you’ll get a bird’s eye view of what’s happening in the five cities I’m tracking, makes for a quick and easy comparison. Which cities have the most choice when it comes to buying? That’ll be Palo Alto (44 active listings) and Sunnyvale (41 active listings). Which city has the least choice when it comes to buying? That’ll be Mountain View that has a serious inventory shortage as far as houses are concerned! Which cities have the most cash...

Published 2 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

My Take:  Due to popular demand, I’ve included another city in my tracking — six is a charm!  I’m adding Redwood City to my list of cities tracked. This week I decided to take a look at the average price per sq.ft. for houses that have sold and closed over the last six months. I had expected Palo Alto to be at the top of the list but was still surprised at how much more expensive it is! Sunnyvale and Redwood City seem pretty close and there’s very little difference between Mountain View and Menlo Park. Los Altos trails Palo...

Published 2 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

City (Number of Sales)Redwood City (276)Sunnyvale (201)Mountain View (136)Menlo Park (62)Palo Alto (53)Los Altos (10) My Take: OK, so you’ve purchased a home, now what’s next?  Let’s think what you can do with any extra funds you might want to invest! Real estate investors have a tough time in the Bay area—it’s hard to break even, let alone make a profit!  After the real estate crash (or whatever you want to call it), all the low hanging fruit has been picked. It’s not really practical to purchase single family homes as an investment—the ROI locally just isn’t there.  What do folk...

Published 2 October, 2018 in Bay Area Realtor Blog

My Take: You’ve decided to sell your home and there’s the conversation to be had with your real estate agent around pricing. Here are some things to think about as a seller, so you and your agent are on the same page. Yes, it’s important to price your property according to what’s listed—after all, once you list your home the competition is all around you.  However, as important is to take a look at the pending sales and see what’s happening there. Looking at pending sales will show you what price range buyers are actually spending their money in and it will also...