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Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk

Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk

Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk 2015Save the date! The Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk takes place this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, from  1 – 4 pm, in downtown Los Gatos. Over 30 wineries will be participating!

Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk tickets are on sale now. Buy your tickets here.

Tickets are less in advance (more at the event, but it usually sells out). Loads of info on the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce’s website, including the long list of participants. Prices will be updated once published.

Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk Details

All the details will be on the Chamber of Commerce’s website.

https://www.losgatoschamber.com/wine-walk

If you’ve never attended, this is the location:

Downtown Los Gatos, N. Santa Cruz Avenue & Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030

 

Have fun at the St. Mary’s Country Fair in Los Gatos

Have fun at the St. Mary’s Country Fair in Los Gatos

St Mary's Country Fair - Stage and RideSt. Mary’s Country Fair in Los Gatos is a fun, annual community event that occurs in early October. This year it’s October 6 – 8, 2023.

Open to everyone, and with no admission fee, the three day fundraiser is a great place to enjoy so many cool things, including:

  • Butler Carnival rides (separate tickets)
  • bouncy house
  • country store shopping
  • arts & crafts (such as pumpkin decorating)
  • martial arts displays
  • dancing
  • dining (good and affordable!) – several food booths to choose from
  • raffle
  • play games
  • giant slide
  • full service coffee shop
  • margarita booth
  • talent show
  • live bands
  • bingo (of course!)
  • Harvest Market

Hours for the St. Mary’s Country Fair:

Friday, October 6, 5 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, October 7, 10 am to 10 pm
Sunday, October 8, 10 am to 3 pm (earlier than in the past)

Hours for the Harvest Market Thursday Oct 5:

11 am to 4 pm no entrance fee
Evening Shopping from 5 pm to 9 pm $20 entrance fee
Shop, Appetizers, Drinks, Raffle & Music
Tickets presale or at the door

 

See even more at the event’s website.

This is a fabulous place to walk through and simply bump into friends & neighbors from all over Los Gatos and the nearby communities. It’s also a fun place to take photos. Each day is a little different, some return again and again!

 

Location details on the St. Mary’s Country Fair:

St. Mary’s Church and School are located in downtown Los Gatos on Bean Avenue near Tait (and near North Santa Cruz Avenue) in the historic Almond Grove neighborhood. You can also reach the party by co-To get all the details on the hours, booths, events, please check the (new) event website for all details

Extra tips:

Like a bargain? There’s an easy way to save money. Visit the parish or school office before Friday at 2pm and buy your Butler ride tickets at a substantial discount – and avoid the lines! (Tickets are sold in the 2 weeks leading up to the fair most years.)

Also, much of the Almond Grove District of Los Gatos has permit parking only in the evenings. So don’t park in the neighborhood! There are lots of public parking spaces between North Santa Cruz and University Avenues in Los Gatos, and they are no cost, so park there instead. I usually like to park between North Santa Cruz Avenue and University Avenue in the public lot. If you’re in biking distance, consider cycling in – just remember lights are required when biking in the dark, and remember road safety!

Town of Los Gatos 7 Day Public Review of the Draft Revised 6th Cycle Housing Element

Town of Los Gatos 7 Day Public Review of the Draft Revised 6th Cycle Housing Element

Los Gatos Seven-Day Public Review of the Draft Revised 6th Cycle Housing Element - person inspecting documentsThe Los Gatos Planning Department sent out the information below on the public review of the housing element draft, which I received in an email today. They’ve given permission for me to repost it here. This is relevant to everyone in town who has any concerns about the California building laws and their impact on new developments, particular as they relate to the Builder’s Remedy.

Public review of the Housing Element Draft info from the Planning Department

On September 22, 2023, the Town posted online the Draft Revised 2023-2031 Housing Element with modifications in response to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) Findings/Comment Letter received by the Town on May 30, 2023.

The Draft Revised 2023-2031 Housing Element is available to the public for a seven-day review period prior to HCD re-submittal.  The seven-day public review period runs until 5:00 p.m. on September 29, 2023.  The following items can be viewed on the Town’s Housing Element Update website at: https://www.losgatosca.gov/1735/General-Plan—Housing-Element.

  • Draft Revised 2023-2031 Housing Element – Clean Copy
  • Draft Revised 2023-2031 Housing Element – Track Changes Copy
  • Response Memorandum to HCD’s Findings and Comment Letter

Written comments (including name, affiliation, telephone number, and contact information) can be submitted through September 29, 2023, by 5:00 p.m., by email to HEUpdate@losgatosca.gov or by mail to:

Town of Los Gatos
Community Development Department
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030

Additionally, the Housing Element Advisory Board (HEAB) will be meeting on September 28, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. to review and discuss the Town’s Draft Revised Housing Element addressing HCD’s findings/comment letter received by the Town on May 30, 2023.  The agenda and staff report is now available on the Town’s agenda center webpage.

 

 

 

The Monte Sereno real estate market

The Monte Sereno real estate market

Monte Sereno Stained Glass Click Here
The City of Monte Sereno is a popular community bordering Los Gatos, Saratoga, and the Santa Cruz mountains. It’s also quite small, with just about 3,500 residents, so tracking the real estate market trends for the area can be tricky.

Info at a glance (details further below):

  • This city is currently in a slight seller’s market with low inventory, just 8 available homes at the end of August.
  • Pending and closed sales are up compared to this time last year, but relatively stable month-over-month.
  • As of today, September 20, 2023, there are 8 available Monte Sereno homes for sale (1 of them is “members only”), 2 pending sales, 0 contingent sales, and 2 closed sales so far this month in Monte Sereno.

The number of houses sold in any given month will always be extremely small and the data will jump around. Checking the Los Gatos market will also help, but the best pulse on the market will come from particular sales in particular neighborhoods.

Houses make up most of Monte Sereno – there are no commercial buildings, just a post office, city hall, some churches or religious grounds, and an elementary school. There are also extremely few residential properties that are not detached single family homes. We don’t track the condo or townhomes in this area as we do in other communities because there just wouldn’t be enough (if any) data for it!

First up for the market analysis is the Altos Research weekly profile for Monte Sereno (uses list prices, not sales). This is updated automatically, so feel free to check this article weekly to see what’s happening now with list prices.

 

 

 

Below is the Monte Sereno Real Estate Report (click to view the complete Real Estate Report).

Trends at a Glance from the RE Report:

 

The number of home sales is very small in Monte Sereno. In fact, there were no closed sales throughout the month of May! The same is true with August 2022, as you can see in the chart below. But even when there are sales, one or two outstanding properties could cause major waves in the data, so take this summary with a grain of salt.

August: 3 Sales

Trends At a Glance Aug 2023 Previous Month Year-over-Year
Median Price $3,450,000 (-2.3%) $3,532,500 $0 (N/A)
Average Price $4,083,330 (+15.6%) $3,532,500 $0 (N/A)
No. of Sales (+50.0%) 2 (N/A)
Pending (-33.3%) 3 (+100.0%)
Active (+100.0%) 4 (+700.0%)
Sale vs. List Price 110.9% (+17.1%) 94.7% 0.0% (N/A)
Days on Market 17 (-67.6%) 53 (N/A)
Days of Inventory 80 (+33.3%) 60 (N/A)

 

While the lack of sales and listings can make sales data (like price and days on market) swing wildly, we can see that the closed sales, pendings, and active inventory are all up from last year when the market was cooling.  When inventory and sales are this low it’s crucial to track the neighboring Los Gatos market as well, to gain a bit more insight.

 

What does it cost to live in Monte Sereno? With an average sale price of roughly $3 – $4 million, you may wonder if anything sells that’s not in the stratosphere – can you buy an entry-level Silicon Valley home in Monte Sereno? The short answer is this: it’s not easy to find anything for under $2.5 million in Monte Sereno. Even a “fixer” often goes well above that. It can happen, although it’s rare, and the home will certainly be priced that way for a reason.

We also keep track of this market over at the Valley of Heart’s Delight blog, in addition to many other communities around Silicon Valley.

Other pricing consideration: what about schools?

Something else to be aware of is that most Monte Sereno houses are in the Los Gatos Union School District, but a small pocket of properties lies within the Campbell School District. Those with Campbell schools usually sell for a little less. Additionally, most of this city is within the 95030 zip code, but again, there’s a small pocket which is in the 95032 area.

Next, what kind of home is available to purchase in Monte Sereno now?

Click here to view Monte Sereno Homes for Sale

 

  • List View
  • Map View
  • Grid View

See all Monte Sereno, CA Homes for Sale & Recently Sold.
(all data current as of 9/28/2023)

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

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen on the Green in Los Gatos

Screen on the Green in Los Gatos

Screen on the Green in Los Gatos 2023: "Super Mario Bros. Movie" Screen on the Green is coming back soon – playing that night will be “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

The event will be Friday, September 22, 2023 on the Civic Center Lawn, which is not the normal venue for Screen on the Green (in recent years it has been at Oak Meadow Park).  The mayor will make a welcome statement at 7:15.

Attendees, it is important to bring layers and something low to sit on – blankets, cushions, or low backed lawn chairs, are alright. I always bring a flashlight for after the show.

Screen on the Green additional info

For additional details, please see the Los Gatos town website page for Screen on the Green by using the link or clicking on the image to the right. We’ll update this post when we know more details.

Also coming up in September: Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival Sept 16 – 17, 2023.