by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 12, 2021 | Homes & Housing Market, Los Gatos Neighborhoods, Los Gatos Real Estate
One of the more confusing areas in Los Gatos may the Alberto Way. There are a number of HOA communities and for those new to the area, they may all blur together.
Los Gatos Commons
The largest complex along Alberto Way in Los Gatos is the The Los Gatos Commons, a senior community with 110 units. (To read more about senior housing in the area, please see my post on it here.)
As with most senior housing, the units at The Commons are more affordable than the majority of Los Gatos condos. The Commons was built in 1978 and requires that at least one resident be 55 years of age or more. As of 2020, you may be able to purchase a a unit there between $500,000 and $700,000.
Pueblo de Los Gatos
A smaller condo community just a little closer to Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, and on the opposite side of Alberto Way, is Pueblo de Los Gatos. These homes are a little further away from Highway 17, are a little quieter, and are not senior housing. They tend to sell for a little more than the homes across the way. There seems to be about a 5% to 10% difference in price, most of which may be attributable to freeway noise, but part of it to the “senior community” status. This property was developed in 1970, so is actually a little older than the Commons.
Pueblo de Los Gatos consists of 53 units. Of these 53 condo units, 1 of them is a 3 bedroom (unit # 1, which also has a large 2 car garage), 44 are 2 bedroom units, and 8 are 1 bedroom units. Except for unit # 1, the rest of the homes in this community have carports. For many home buyers, these properties offer a more affordable way to get into the Los Gatos Union School District than might otherwise be possible.
Bella Vista Village
Next to and behind Pueblo de Los Gatos is the much newer and more expensive Bella Vista Village, which was built in 1997 and 1998 and includes 47 townhomes. Click on the link to see some photos and learn about it!
Las Casitas
Additionally, there is a small townhouse complex built in 1979 with 18 units on the same side of the street as the Los Gatos Commons, Las Casitas, located at 435 Alberto Way. Something unusual is that all of them appear to have the same floor plan – all have 1448 square feet. It is a tidy complex built around a central grassy courtyard area. Each home has a small back patio & storage closet outside, a laundry closet in the kitchen, 3 skylights for the 2nd floor, good sized bedrooms and baths, and pleasant grounds. There are carports and uncovered parking at the back of the property, up against the freeway. Click on the link above to see a half dozen photos of this attractive complex and learn more about it.
What is the fastest way to tell them apart? The easiest way, without even clicking on a link, is to spot the address. If there’s a letter as part of the unit number (as in A100 or B202), it’s part of The Commons. Also, if the price looks low for the area – it’s probably the Commons. If there’s no letter, as in #7, it’s part of one of the other communities. Or just check the map – The Commons is tucked back at the far left side of the cul de sac (beyond it are office buildings with a private driveway).
All of these are in close-to-downtown Los Gatos locations. If you’re in the market for Los Gatos real estate and would like to live close in, this is a great street to check out.
All Alberto Way area homes for sale, pending, or sold over the last year – including The Commons
This includes properties on Alberto Way as well as Maggi Court and the other Bella Vista Village homes.
- List View
- Map View
- Grid View
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Sold
$560,000
-
Lot Size
-
Home Size
768 sqft
-
Beds
1 Bed
-
Baths
1 Bath
-
Year Built
1978
-
-
$565,000
-
Lot Size
1,865 sqft
-
Home Size
768 sqft
-
Beds
1 Bed
-
Baths
1 Bath
-
Year Built
1978
-
-
Sold
$565,000
-
Lot Size
-
Home Size
768 sqft
-
Beds
1 Bed
-
Baths
1 Bath
-
Year Built
1978
-
-
Sold
$623,100
-
Lot Size
-
Home Size
1,136 sqft
-
Beds
2 Beds
-
Baths
2 Baths
-
Year Built
1978
-
-
Sold
$669,000
-
Lot Size
-
Home Size
1,136 sqft
-
Beds
2 Beds
-
Baths
2 Baths
-
Year Built
1978
-
See all Alberto Way.
(all data current as of
9/28/2023)
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Nov 8, 2020 | Homes & Housing Market, Los Gatos Real Estate
Los Gatos condo sales are good to watch as it provides info on the most affordable segment of the local real estate market. The condo / townhome market in Los Gatos includes a broad spectrum of housing and affordability across the 95030 and 95032 zip codes and its various school districts.
Included are senior condominiums (mostly but not exclusively at the Los Gatos Commons), which are usually the lowest priced homes and which are residences with age restrictions (mostly 55+). This can skew the data a little, so remember that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is (for all the non-seniors who would love the prices at the Commons in a non seniors complex).
Also incorporated in the chart below are townhouses. A townhouse is an architectural style, not a type of ownership. A townhouse really refers to properties with no other units above or below them. They are either in condo style ownership (essentially a condominium in the shape of a townhouse) or they are planned unit developments (PUDs), which are not condos and in which the ownership includes the land under the unit. (See also: Is that Los Gatos house or townhouse actually a condo? on this blog.)
Chart of Los Gatos condo sales in 2020
Below please find data on the Los Gatos 95030 and 95032 condominium and townhome sales.
How do these condo and townhome prices compare to other nearby areas? Here’s the most recent data from my RE Report (link is to the main site, the PDF with this chart is listed in left column).
(more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 26, 2019 | Homes & Housing Market
Most homebuyers and sellers in Los Gatos and Silicon Valley generally are familiar with the terms “condo” or “condominium”, “townhouse” or “townhome” and “single family home”. But what about “patio home”? What type of residence is that? It’s an unknown to many consumers – and many real estate professionals too!
A patio home is sometimes referred to as a zero lot line home. It is a house (not attached to any other home) in which the structure is built against one of the property lines.
In a regular single family home, the building has a few feet on each side between the structure and the property line – that is known as a setback. In other words, you can walk around all four sides of the home without going on anyone else’s property.
That isn’t the case with a patio home. There’s no setback on one side.
A patio home is build up against the property line such that the owner cannot walk all the way around the house without going on someone else’s property.
There are advantages and disadvantages of patio homes. Advantages include more privacy than a townhome or condo would offer, and better use of land adjacent to the home since there aren’t small 5-8 foot side yards, but instead something more sizeable and useable.
Disadvantages include the lack of windows on the side of the home which is built on the property line and the inability to protect the side of the home that functions as a fence or boundary for the neighbors.
By way of example, if the side of your patio home that lines the boundary gets excessive moisture because the neighbors vigorously water their plants and don’t worry about hitting your house, that’s a problem. Additionally, since you cannot see what’s happening without asking the neighbors if you can go on their land to keep an eye on your exterior wall, there’s a risk that the structure could be getting damaged and you’d never know it. So there’s a loss of control and a loss of information that’s intrinsic to this type of home.
Additionally, many patio home communities have an association fee and that also needs to be factored in.
Patio homes tend to be less expensive than standard single family homes. The difference is often in the 5 – 10% range, but it varies with the individual home and the real estate market conditions at the time of sale.
Should you buy a patio home? It’s on a continuum between townhomes and single family homes. It may be the best compromise for you, or it could be a big headache. My thinking, generally, is that if you can buy a single family home for the same amount and same quality, your money is better spent there. But if you’re in the market for a townhome or a duet home (or duplex), this is definitely a step up and worth a little stretch.
See a similar article on the Valley of Heart’s Delight blog with a little more detail.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 11, 2011 | Homes & Housing Market
January 11, 2011
December 2010 sales numbers in Los Gatos
December was a good month for sales of houses in Los Gatos, showing a dramatic 63% increase in the number of closed sales over the month before. Inventory was down sharply too, further increasing the odds of a sale in December. With lower inventory and buyers jumping on interest rates as they began to creep up, it was a sellers market for this part of the Los Gatos real estate market. For many more details, click on the link below. A sumary of the number follows directly beneath it.
The Los Gatos Real Estate Market Trends Report: Single Family Homes (houses & duet homes)
December 2010: Sales increased 63.2% from the month before, and were up 14.8% year-over-year. Prices slipped in Dec 2010 with the median price dipping 13% from the previous month, down 15% compared to last year. The average price fell 7.4%, a yearly loss of 10.3%. Inventory fell 26.7% from last month, and was down 10% year-over-year.
| Trends At a Glance |
Dec 2010 |
Previous Month |
Year-over Year |
| Median Price |
$1,000,000 |
$1,150,000 (-13.0%) |
$1,176,000 (-15.0%) |
| Average Price |
$1,203,520 |
$1,299,320 (-7.4%) |
$1,342,370 (-10.3%) |
| No. of Sales |
31 |
19 (+63.2%) |
27 (+14.8%) |
| Pending Properties |
39 |
48 (-18.8%) |
31 (+25.8%) |
| Active |
87 |
124 (-29.8%) |
109 (-20.2%) |
| Sale vs. List Price |
96.5% |
94.5% (+2.1%) |
96.8% (-0.2%) |
| Days on Market |
69 |
75 (-7.5%) |
59 (+17.2%) |
The Condo market in Los Gatos is another story! December saw a slight improvement in market conditions but it remains a buyers market for Los Gatos condominium or townhouse buyers. The prices (average and median) both slipped, as did the list price to sales price ratio, accompanied by a longer “days on market”, underlying the soft market.
The Los Gatos Real Estate Market Trends Report: Condominiums & Townhouses
(aka condos & townhomes)
December 2010: Sales increased 12.5% from the month before, and were up 12.5% year-over-year. Prices slipped in Dec 2010 with the median price dipping 7% from the previous month, down 7.4% compared to last year. The average price fell 6.6%, a yearly loss of 16.5%. Inventory fell 18.8% from last month, and was down 20.4% year-over-year.
| Trends At a Glance |
Dec 2010 |
Previous Month |
Year-over Year |
| Median Price |
$520,000 |
$559,000 (-7.0%) |
$561,500 (-7.4%) |
| Average Price |
$493,267 |
$527,988 (-6.6%) |
$590,738 (-16.5%) |
| No. of Sales |
9 |
8 (+12.5%) |
8 (+12.5%) |
| Pending Properties |
5 |
10 (-50.0%) |
9 (-44.4%) |
| Active |
34 |
38 (-10.5%) |
40 (-15.0%) |
| Sale vs. List Price |
95.2% |
99.0% (-3.9%) |
97.2% (-2.1%) |
| Days on Market |
107 |
38 (+181.7%) |
103 (+3.2%) |
November 2010’s numbers for Los Gatos residential real estate sales – first for houses, then condos:
| Trends At a Glance |
Nov 2010 |
Previous Month |
Year-over Year |
| Median Price |
$1,150,000 |
$1,080,000 (+6.5%) |
$1,360,000 (-15.4%) |
| Average Price |
$1,299,320 |
$1,305,570 (-0.5%) |
$1,412,730 (-8.0%) |
| No. of Sales |
19 |
32 (-40.6%) |
31 (-38.7%) |
| Pending Properties |
48 |
45 (+6.7%) |
46 (+4.3%) |
| Active |
124 |
141 (-12.1%) |
142 (-12.7%) |
| Sale vs. List Price |
94.5% |
96.4% (-1.9%) |
96.2% (-1.8%) |
| Days on Market |
75 |
33 (+127.0%) |
63 (+19.0%) |
| Trends At a Glance |
Nov 2010 |
Previous Month |
Year-over Year |
| Median Price |
$559,000 |
$525,500 (+6.4%) |
$573,500 (-2.5%) |
| Average Price |
$527,988 |
$534,833 (-1.3%) |
$560,394 (-5.8%) |
| No. of Sales |
8 |
6 (+33.3%) |
8 (0.0%) |
| Pending Properties |
10 |
6 (+66.7%) |
10 (0.0%) |
| Active |
38 |
44 (-13.6%) |
43 (-11.6%) |
| Sale vs. List Price |
99.0% |
96.0% (+3.1%) |
96.5% (+2.6%) |
| Days on Market |
38 |
101 (-62.6%) |
95 (-60.1%) |
The real estate market will vary based on zip code, school district, price point, square footage of home & land etc., so this is only a very broad overview. Information for your home’s segment of the market could be very different. For instance, there’s a huge difference betwen the luxury home market and the entry level markets in Los Gatos. Often there’s a big gap between a “walk to town” home and one that’s remote. So too with “sale type”: regular vs short sale vs bank owned. Loads of variables. Please contact me for specific info on your area or part of the market.
Want a longer timeframe, such as annual or quarterly report, or the performance of the market going back a few years? You can view the 2010 annual report, quarterly reports or view sales around any address in Santa Clara County (Campbell, Saratoga, San Jose and also areas of San Jose such as Cambrian Park or Almaden Valley) by visiting www.popehandy.rereport.com.
To see the most recent posts or articles on this topic, please click here:
Los Gatos Homes & Housing Market
Interested in selling or buying a home in Los Gatos? Please call or email me today!
Mary Pope-Handy, Realtor, Sereno Group
408 204-7673 mary (at) popehandy.com
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 6, 2010 | Homes & Housing Market
January 06, 2010
My Santa Clara County Real Estate Report is now updated to include the data from December 2009 for Los Gatos, San Jose, and, of course, all of Santa Clara County.
From any of the links below, you can navigate to see the same info for he county as a whole or other areas (both cities and districts within San Jose such as Cambrian Park or Almaden Valley).
December 2009 report for Los Gatos single family homes
December 2009 report for Los Gatos condos & townhomes
Third quarter 2009 report for Los Gatos single family homes
Third quarter 2009 report for Los Gatos condominiums and townhouses
2009 annual report for Los Gatos single family homes
2009 annual report for condos and townhouses
Los Gatos residential real estate prices are down year-over-year (10-20% for most homes). Los Gatos has mixed indicators – some numbers are better, some are worse. Have we hit the bottom yet? Some say yes, some think that there are further corrections still to come. Inventory is down, which puts pressure on prices. We will know better by mid-February or early March if this will be at all a typical spring home buying season.
