Large Cupertino view home now available!   10387 Amistad Court, Cupertino California

Fabulous 5 bed + den, 4 bath home with lovely valley views from several rooms!  Room to accommodate two or more generations or live in help if so desired.  Lower level includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and bonus room or retreat.  Upstairs are the main living areas (living, dining, family, kitchen, nook), master bedroom suite, one more bedroom and a large den or office.  Living room, office, balcony and master all enjoy views.  Good sized, private yard.  Located on quiet cul de sac in lower foothills, a very easy drive.  Best schools, including Monta Vista High School!

Please enjoy a slideshow of this fine home, and click to see more photos as well as some panoramas.

This property is co-listed

10387 Amistad Court, Cupertino California is co-listed with Mary Tan and George Tan of Coldwell Banker in Cupertino, tel # 408 861-8832.

Please stop by our open house this weekend!

This fine home will be open Saturday, 3/31/2012 from 1:30 – 4:30 (hosted by Mary Tan) and Sunday, 4/1/2012 1:30 – 4:30 (hosted by me, Mary Pope-Handy)

More information on  10387 Amistad Court, Cupertino California – a beautiful view home in the prestigious Cupertino foothills!

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More information on the City of Cupertino

Cupertino, California attracts Silicon Valley’s best & brightest, both to for work (most known workplace is Apple) and for home (extremely highly regarded schools).  Once an agricultural hub, the area used to be just as renown for apricots, prunes, cherries and grapes.  Those who remember Silicon Valley as “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” can attest to the orchards, farms and vineyards that once lined Sunnyvale – Saratoga Road and were part of the Blossom Tours.  Some of those agricultural spaces are still around today, but a little harder to find.

Cupertino views

In the high tech hustle and bustle, it is often forgotten not just that the area had a great agricultural past, but that even now, much of Cupertino includes scenic views of either the “blue hills”, the coastal range, or, if you’ve got some elevation, the San Francisco Bay, downtown San Jose, or all of Santa Clara County and The Peninsula.  Additionally, some homes enjoy views of Stevens Creek, Stevens Creek County Park or the beautiful 92 acre Stevens Creek Reservoir.   Wineries such as Ridge Vineyards are high enough on Montebello Road to enjoy spectacular panoramic vistas of both the bay, the whole south bay and in some cases as far as San Francisco on a clear day.   While some Cupertino neighborhoods are indeed terribly crowded with tract homes on small lots (a complaint often echoed against it now), that is not true for the city as a whole – there are many beautiful areas, some with stunning views.

These Cupertino view homes offer enduring appeal to the home buyer who wants top performing schools, a convenient commute location, and aesthetic surroundings.  View properties are always highly prized, but all the more when they come with great schools and convenience too.

Browse Cupertino View Homes for Sale

Find a Cupertino view home for sale, enjoy top schools, a great community and scenic vistas!  Browse list below, no registration!

Situated on a small knoll in the prestigious Los Altos Country Club neighborhood, the home at 1557 Plateau Drive features many of the most highly regarded elements which make a house a luxury property and a joy to see.

The Los Altos Country Club Neighborhood

Younger, Elegant Mediterranean View Home

The property at 1557 Plateau Avenue is younger, just 18 years old, constructed by a builder who was making it for himself and his family.  As you might imagine, the owner-builder utilized the land to make best use of the view opportunity.  He also created it with many extra features & finishing touches which distinguish a quality, custom home from tract housing.

The floorplan is flexible. There is a 2 car garage at street level, but a third which is accessed from the rear of the property – ideal for RVs, boats, and extra cars or vehicles. The 3rd garage can be used as built, or as a rec room, extra storage, or a number of other options.

With fabulous views, exceptionally high ranking schools and beautiful newer construction, the Graystone and Pfeiffer Ranch neighborhoods in San Jose’s Almaden Valley are perennially desireable.

Today I was in the neighborhood and took a photo of Mt. Umunhum from there. 

The neighborhood also enjoys a park along the creek with a playground to enjoy on days with better weather.

Not sure if you’ve been to this scenic part of San Jose’s Almaden Valley?  Here’s where to find it (this is where I took today’s picture):

View Larger Map

Silicon Valley features a number of upscale communities that enjoy beautiful estate properties. These luxury homes are not simply large houses, but rather they boast qualities generally not seen in regular residential real estate.

What makes a house a “luxury home”?

A luxury property in Santa Clara County often includes a number of elements that set it apart, such as:

• price tag: these homes usually sell for more than three or five million dollars (and may be $10 or $20 million or more)
• more than an acre or two of land
• house larger than 4000 or 5000 sf
• the inclusion of “out buildings” such as a guest cottage, gatehouse, etc.
• views (valley, hill, acreage) or special features of the land (waterfront, riverfront adjacent), a vineyard, or something else special and uniquely beautiful
• amenities such as a pool, tennis court, racquetball court, gym, sports court or facilities for enjoying other sports & exercise on site
• specialized hobby or relaxation rooms, as in a darkroom, library, workshop, conservatory
• entertainment centers not commonly found in private homes, like a ballroom, dedicated home theater room for movie viewing, pool or billiards and “game room”, and ice cream parlor
• safety tools such as a video survelliance system, electronic gates

The (main) house itself is qualitatively different too.

Kitchens tend to be the most important room for San Jose area home buyers of all price ranges, and this includes homes that cost upwards of ten million dollars. Usually, kitchens in these homes are designed with a very clear purpose in mind and are done beautifully, though recently in Los Gatos I saw a home listed for about ten million with a kitchen that needs to be completely remodeled. This is very unusual, though.

Most luxury homes features kitchens of one extreme or the other. On the one hand, it may be more industrial in nature if those cooking in it are primarily professional chefs, domestic employees or catering services rather than the homeowner. This is not the kitchen of glossy magazines, it’s not meant to impress anyone for all the maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. This sort of kitchen is functional, not gorgeous, and it may have stainless steel countertops, for instance, alongside the giant gas range. Such a kitchen is usually separate from the living areas and the guests are not expected to visit this part of the home.

Far more commonly found in Silicon Valley is the other end of the spectrum, the kitchen where residents spend most of their time, and it’s meant to impress. Here we see high end materials and appliances in a room viewed as much as art as the meals created in it are. This type of kitchen is often the focal point of today’s upscale or luxury home. The home’s floorplan is “open” to the kitchen – often the kitchen and family room blend together as part of a Great Room. This is a kitchen designed for owners who cook, not those who have servants.

Luxury kitchens in most luxury homes include:

• a large, professional grade oven and stove
• two regular ovens plus a built in microwave
• maple or cherry cabinets, some with glass doors to showcase artistic pieces
• slab granite (or other slab material) countertops (sometimes stainless or concrete)
• an island with vegetable sink and disposal
• two or more dishwashers
• a butler’s pantry, often with a dishwasher and sink area for dishes and cutlery, which are stored in the bulter’s pantry and not in the kitchen itself
• sometimes other appliances and tools such as a built-in espresso machine (trash compactors are not so much in favor today but may still be found)
• special lighting, often imported, plus spotlights and under the cabinet lighting

Very often there’s an elegant breakfast room, often with windows on three or more sides, or nook and a place for stools to sit up close to the counter, frequently at the island but not always.

A formal dining room is to be expected in the ultra expensive, multi-million dollar home. Recently, though, I toured a home in Saratoga listed over five million dollars that was newly constructed and missing a dining room! Apparently the builder thought a corner of the living room or family room could be dedicated to formal dining, but I thought that this was a terrible oversight. Many high end homes feature large dining rooms that can seat 10 or 14 at one table, or in some cases host two tables with a half dozen or more at each. Truly elegant dining rooms will also include a fireplace as well.

I won’t do a room by room analysis, but there are many more features commonly found in expensive, estate properties. If the home is traditional, you can expect lots of crown molding and baseboard, exquisite light fixtures, and built ins. Most styles of luxury homes will include beautiful stone floors, elaborate electronics systems, pools, large master baths with soaking tubs and two-person showers.  There are many more amenities can all be hallmarks of fine homes and estates.

Sometimes, people go a little too far in an effort to appear ultra elegant. Usually it’s something overdone, like too many Greek statues or other improvements that may be “over the top”, such as the use of too much black marble, too many chandaliers, or too much gold paint worked into a ceiling or fireplace mantle. These things are easy to fix and to personalize the home so it’s more appropriate, so don’t let the finishing work be a put-off. (Of note to me in the “over the top” category was seeing diamonds built into bathroom fixtures in one Monte Sereno home. What were they thinking?)

Even in homes with a high price tag, it’s always important to carefully examine not just the general condition of the home, but the specifics. Sometimes, despite the acreage or square footage and apparently expensive construction, homes are not always well built – all builders are not the same. It is important to use due dilligence and look at the craftsmanship, simple things like grading and drainage, to make sure that the home is built not just to look good today, but to last into the future. Always, always get a home you wish to purchase thoroughly inspected. And if you own a lovely estate property, get it inspected periodically to maintain your property and prevent expensive problems such as foundation cracking and dry rot.

Where are the high end homes of Santa Clara County found?  Luxury homes are primarily found near the foothills (but not exclusively so) in the communities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Almaden Valley, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Silver Creek and a few other areas. There are some luxurious pockets on the valley floor, too, in areas such as San Jose’s Rose Garden or Naglee Park. If you are relocating to Silicon Valley and are looking for a luxury property, you won’t be disappointed at the varied selection of options here!