How’s the Saratoga California real estate market?

Today we’ll look at the monthly sales numbers for Saratoga, CA 95070 and also view live charts reflecting homes listed for sale on the MLS. Both houses and condos/townhomes will be considered as will varying price quartiles via the live charts.

Monthly Real Estate Update for Saratoga – prices of houses rising:

As with much of the “west valley”, the Saratoga, CA real estate market is a seller’s market, but it does not appear quite so overheated as neighboring – and far more affordable – Cupertino right now. Unlike many other areas, though, inventory is a little looser and is up month over month (which is seasonally expected) and year over year (not a seasonal issue, of course). 

Here are the real estate sales statistics for closed sales in March 2012 among houses in the 95070 zip code (click on link to read the full Saratoga Real Estate Report for houses):

And February

The median sales price, which is the number indicating that half of the homes sold for more and half less than this number, has risen almost 8% from a year ago.  This implies that more expensive homes are selling – and possibly that home values are rising too. The average is also up about the same amount year over year.

Next, please find the basic statistics for closed sales in February 2012 among townhouses & condominiums in the 95070 zip code (see the Saratoga Real Estate Report for condos & townhomes):

And February

Our daughter is taking some classes at West Valley College this summer and I’ve had the chance to revisit* the campus a number of times recently.  I took this photo of the Santa Cruz Mountains or the Coastal Range over Saratoga while on the WVC campus the other day – and thought it was pretty enough to share.  Hope you enjoy it!

*When I was a senior at Saratoga High School (a very long time ago – I graduated in 1977), I took a class at West Valley College in psychology. What I remember most was the segment on early childhood education and one particular line about the importance of paying enough attention to kids: “a child would rather be kicked than ignored”.  It had a profound influence on the way we raised our two kids – for the better!

Bargain hunting home buyers have a lot to be grateful for: interest rates are low and house prices are low in Silicon Valley generally and Campbell too.  Oftentimes these are distressed properties which are either short sale listings or bank owned homes. So there will be issues with purchasing these houses, but even so, they are usually sold at a significant discount for the trouble. It’s a great time to buy Campbell real estate!

Least costly houses, townhouses and condominiums in Campbell, CA

Below please find the most affordable homes in all categories of housing & residential real estate!  These are properties currently listed as available on our local MLS.

Lower Cost Campbell Houses for Sale

Specifically looking to buy a house in Campbell? Here are homes which are most affordably priced:

Showing properties 1 - 1 of 1. See more city of Campbell real estate.
(all data current as of 5/24/2012)

1. $425,000 : 1270 Hoffman Ln, Campbell
   
   4 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,462 sq ft

   Lot size: 15,252 sqft
   

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Yesterday I was on the real estate agent & broker’s tour, viewing homes for sale in Saratoga and Los Gatos, when I noticed a pedestrian path that fed into the cul-de-sac at Carnelian Glen Court in Saratoga.  Although I lived in Saratoga for many years (graduating from Saratoga High School), I didn’t remember this trail so went online to see if I could find a map.  Google maps was no help, but thankfully, the well organized city of Saratoga was very helpful. I discovered several new hiking or walking trails that I hadn’t been aware of previously.

The city’s website includes a page with links to ALL available Saratoga trail maps which are all pdf files (so be prepared for loading). It offers both a map with all of the trails (shown above), a map of Saratoga Village displaying public restrooms & parking as well as streets, and maps to specific trails.  The big map of all the trails takes a little while to load but is really fantastic.

The Campbell real estate market appears to be “past the bottom”, as is the case with much of the Silicon Valley housing market. In some parts of San Jose, “the bottom” was in February or March of this year.  Campbell may have hit that point sooner – but in any event it is now heading back toward a balanced market (30 is the balance point for this formula). (Images and charts from Altos Research, to which I have a subscription and permission to use these, as well as the RE Report, another subscription service of mine. Altos uses list prices, the RE Report uses sold data as well as list prices.)

Let’s look at the data for October in Campbell – actives, pendings, and closeds (care of the RE Report).

While in many parts of the greater San Jose area the Days on Market (DOM) are lengthening, they are shortening in Campbell! Sales are up, but prices are still declining a bit (in several areas of Santa Clara County, prices are again inching up – this tends to happen in less expensive areas).  Pending sales are up and inventory is down.  So there are some mixed indicators but Campbell appears to be at or near “the bottom”.
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My alma mater, Saratoga High School in Saratoga, CA, just launched a student-made video about the school.  In interviews of students, faculty, and staff, many of the plusses of being a part of that community are brought out.  Film footage shows the cinderblock construction that was equally ugly in 1977 (when this local blogger graduated), but made clear that the school is about the people, not the architecture and paint color.  That part has not changed in the last thirty years, while the campus has become more sophisticated and now sports a great-looking theater for its star class performances.

This is a nicely done video and is worthwhile viewing for anyone thinking of enrolling at Saratoga High, or of having their kids enroll there.

Saratoga High School:
Why students, teachers, and staff love working here

Go Falcons!

Campbell, California is a city in the “West Valley” of Santa Clara County. It was once a farming and orcharding area but is now a suburb of San Jose and the greater Silicon Valley community.  It enjoys a classic and vibrant old “downtown” area with restaurants, shops, plenty of coffee houses, pubs and places to hang out.  The city buildings are there too, and so is the beautiful and historic Ainsley House.

Browse listings of homes for sale in Campbell, California

Whether you are looking to purchase a small condo, a townhouse, a starter home or a large house or luxury home in Campbell, you can find it in this beloved city!  Below please find a list of properties currently listed as available on our MLS. This list will include all types of housings and sale types (regular sales, short sales and REOs or bank owned properties).

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 30. See more city of Campbell real estate.
(all data current as of 5/24/2012)

1. $425,000 : 1270 Hoffman Ln, Campbell
   
   4 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,462 sq ft

   Lot size: 15,252 sqft
   
2. $799,000 : 4192 W Rincon Av, Campbell
   
   4 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,512 sq ft

   Lot size: 6,695 sqft
   
3. $413,000 : 1124 Capri Dr, Campbell
   
   2 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,336 sq ft

   Lot size: 1,150 sqft
   
4. $849,000 : 1776 Leigh Av, Campbell
   
   4 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,160 sq ft

   Lot size: 7,700 sqft
   
5. $335,000 : 1116 Capri Dr, Campbell
   
   2 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 1,336 sq ft

   Lot size: 1,150 sqft
   

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.