by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | May 10, 2023 | Homes & Housing Market, Los Gatos Real Estate
As of today, May 10, 2023, the Los Gatos real estate market in 95030 & 95032 is showing signs of warming. Many homes are selling quickly, but some languish on the market – mostly if they started overpriced or have a location defect.
Los Gatos real estate market statistics
Here is some Los Gatos real estate market data that I pulled directly from the MLS today.
Inventory of available homes for sale in Los Gatos 95030 and Los Gatos 95032
A quick glance at the last few years suggests that this inventory is somewhere between a little low and normal.
Numbers of homes sold
Sales slipped a little while inventory rose – that’s making the LG market a little easier for buyers!
Months of Inventory
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by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 20, 2023 | Haunted Los Gatos
Where are the better known business or public haunted places in Los Gatos? That’s a good question – and the answer is open to some debate! There are a few spots with a long-standing reputation for being haunted around town.
This is not an endorsement of anyplace, nor a warning. Most of the ghost stories are quite benevolent, and this is “just for fun”. There are haunted residences too, but I’m leaving those out. It would be creepier for the tenants or owners to have people peering in than to have a ghost, at least in most cases.
List of haunted places in Los Gatos
The following list is certainly not exhaustive. These are stories that I have been told about haunted places in Los Gatos or that I’ve researched and read about. I am extremely grateful for the many people who have shared their sightings or experiences with me – thank you, and please keep the stories coming!
(1) The old cemetery area is now covered with shops and restaurants but some of them have had odd sightings over the years. If you aren’t familiar with this tidbit of history, it used to run from Highway 9 or Los Gatos-Saratoga Road to about where Bank of the West is located on North Santa Cruz Avenue and from that road back to where the train tracks used to run (now a very long parking lot) and back to Hwy. 9. In fact, North Santa Cruz Avenue north of Highway 9 used to be called Cemetery Lane. Learn more on a 2007 article I wrote on this blog: Haunted Los Gatos: The Old Cemetery row, I thought it might be a good time to list a few spots for your enjoyment.
(2) The Opera House is another locale with spooky sightings, though the ghost(s) there seem to be pretty well intentioned! Get the scoop at this article on Live in Los Gatos from 2007 also. The Haunted Opera House of Los Gatos. Last sighting that I heard of was in March 2023 on the lower level (in one of the shops).
(3) Coggeshall Mansion – this lovely old Victorian home at 115 North Santa Cruz Avenue has been a restaurant for years (Chart House, Chart’s, Trevise, Palacio, and now The Palms) but before that served as a mortuary and before that, a private residence. When I last wrote about it, it was Trevise (I will update the article at some point). When it was the Chart House, I spoke to several employees about the happenings there and got an earful. Read more: Reincarnation of the Haunted Restaurant
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by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 7, 2023 | East Los Gatos, Homes & Housing Market, Los Gatos Neighborhoods
Approximate boundaries of Los Gatos Village
Where can you find a 1 story townhouse which is only connected to its neighbor at the garage? This description fits many of the homes at Los Gatos Village, a tidy townhome community in east Los Gatos set alongside Los Gatos-Almaden Road.
Built in 1972, these comfortable homes are well designed both inside and out. There are 163 units and of them, 57 have 2 stories and the rest are single story homes.
How big are the interiors and lots of town houses at Los Gatos Village?
These homes are modest in size, ranging from 1015 to 1494 square feet, generally (one home has 1648 SF – I would love to hear how that happened!). They have 2 or 3 bedrooms and 2 baths (there may be a few with 2.5 or 3 bathrooms, but most have 2). The lots likewise have a range between about 1563 SF and 4520 SF. I believe that every one of them has a 2 car garage.
Los Gatos Village is a Los Gatos real estate bargain
Homes in Los Gatos Village represent a bit of a bargain for Los Gatos housing prices as they are available for under $2 million and often closer to $1 million.
Dues are in the high $300s for the smallest units but includes quite a lot – painting, roof, beautiful lawn areas, and a pool. The incredibly good pricing might be why turnover is so low, usually only about 3% per year.
If you want to watch for these properties in your home search, these are the streets in which Los Gatos Village homes are located: Milmar Way, Los Gatos-Almaden Road, Escobar Court, Escobar Avenue, and Camino del Cerro.
The good and the bad
Very very good: Every home and every location has good and bad elements to factor in. Here there’s a whole lot of good – the price point (esp. for the schools), very private townhomes, many barely attached at all and more like “patio homes” than town houses. The floorplans are smartly designed with good use of space and flow. Many enjoy vaulted ceilings. Outside patios are also fairly spacious as townhome living goes. It’s very hard to find a single story townhome, but there are more than 100 of them here! The complex is very scenic with lots of lawn area and graceful sidewalks inviting a good stroll into the neighborhoods nearby.
What newcomers may miss is the very convenient foot bridge where Camino del Cerro would seem to go through but is stopped by Ross Creek with two points of the road which do not actually connect for cars. But people on bike, skateboard, foot, or otherwise motor vehicle free can get across on the pedestrian bridge. This is very convenient if your goal is to get to Alta Vista Elementary School, which is just 1115 feet or so from the other side of the creek.
And in case you didn’t know, Alta Vista Elementary and Union Middle School are both very highly scoring with API scores well into the 900s. This alone is a major draw for homes in this price point!
But wait, there’s more! From this community it’s less than a mile’s walk to nearby Safeway, a coffee shop and all kinds of little stores at The Downing Center at Los Gatos-Amaden Road and Union. I measured about 6/10 of a mile from the front of LG Village to the shopping center. For those who cannot or do not want to drive, this is a pretty sweet location for taking care of the essentials!
Good schools, walkable area, more accessible homes (single story) set in a quiet, campus like setting – Los Gatos Village does have something for everyone and appeals to home buyers of all ages.
The not so good: The pricing and location is so good that you just know there had to be something making this so affordable, and so there is. High voltage power lines cut pretty much through the middle of this pretty community, far closer to the homes than many home buyers would like. And there’s nothing that can be done about it.
One corner of the community is “kitty corner” from the cemetery, the Los Gatos Memorial Park. There is a crematorium there, too. For some home buyers, that may be a deal killer, but many will not take issue with the quiet neighbors.
These townhomes are older and some have “popcorn” or acoustic ceilings that today’s buyers do not want. If you otherwise like the home, I would suggest not eliminating it from your wish list because of the ceiling. You can hire someone to do it before you move in and it’s not nearly as costly as most Silicon Valley home buyers would think.
Los Gatos real estate, homes for sale and housing prices
Below please find a list of condos and townhouses which are for sale – as of the date of this article being written, none were for sale in Los Gatos Village.
- List View
- Map View
- Grid View
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$1,199,999
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Lot Size
2,348 sqft
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Home Size
1,218 sqft
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Beds
3 Beds
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Baths
2 Baths
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Year Built
1972
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See all Los Gatos Village townhome community Los Gatos, California Real Estate.
(all data current as of
6/2/2023)
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
Related Reading
Rinconada Hills (gated community in West Los Gatos)
Los Gatos Woods townhome community
Belgatos Park in east Los Gatos
Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in Almaden Valley
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 6, 2023 | Los Gatos Neighborhoods, Relocating to Los Gatos
We have a list of Los Gatos neighborhoods to share, and for each linked item there’s an article to fill you in on that area. This list is always growing!
The Town of Los Gatos is about 11 square miles and is comprised of dozens of neighborhoods in various parts of town, with different schools, zip codes, price points, plusses and minuses. Here on the Live in Los Gatos blog there have been many, many real estate articles devoted Los Gatos neighborhoods. Below please find links to neighborhood posts with descriptions and photos, primarily on “Live in Los Gatos” but in some cases on one of our other sites.
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(More neighborhoods to come as time permits – I have about 25 on my list. Want your subdivision included? Please email me and I will put it on the To Do list!)
List of Los Gatos neighborhoods by area
The downtown / central, west, east, and north areas are lined up separately.
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by Mary Pope-Handy | Dec 3, 2022 | East Los Gatos, Los Gatos Neighborhoods, Maps of Los Gatos, Parks, Schools Serving Los Gatos, Videos of Los Gatos
The Belwood, Belgatos, and Surmont neighborhood in east Los Gatos is a tidy community at the base of the hills and close to beautiful Belgatos Park. It includes 4 subdivisions which all share access to the Belwood of Los Gatos cabana. They include:
- Surmont, the oldest section of the neighborhood, with semi custom homes (“Class D” optional cabana membership)
- Belgatos, which was built next and is on the west side of Belgatos Road (“Class D” optional cabana membership)
- Belwood of Los Gatos, a large tract neighborhood with the cabana at its heart (mandatory cabana membership, many homes now extensively remodeled or rebuilt)
- A small subdivision with 14 homes built between 1977 and 1979 that wasn’t given a name, unfortunately: Tract 5921 (10 homes) and Lots A – D. (“Class D” optional cabana membership)
Where is the Belwoood, Belgatos, and Surmont neighborhood?
The community is located on the south side of Blossom Hill Road, generally between Westhill Drive and Harwood Road.
Nearby public landmarks are Belgatos Park and the Walgreen’s shopping center (corner of Blossom Hill and Harwood), with a Mountain Mike’s Pizza and a newly added cake shop.
There’s a fair amount of confusion about what is or isn’t in this neighborhood or who can use or join the pool. Adding to the location confusion, The Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police cert map identifies the whole region plus the Strathmore neighborhood, which is across Blossom Hill Road, as “Belwood” generally.
What are the schools for this neighborhood?
The public schools for this area are Noddin Elementary, Union Middle, and Leigh High School.
What’s the neighborhood like?
The terrain is nearly level, with very low, gentle hills over most of the area. For those looking for an arduous climb on foot or bike, though, Harwood Road provides a nice challenge. At the top, you’ll see a fantastic view of downtown San Jose and Silicon Valley for your trouble. There are some challenges to be found in the open space trails, too.
With winding, mostly tree-lined roads and tidy houses as a rule (there are only a very few exceptions). It is a very attractive neighborhood overall.
Some streets have sidewalks, but many do not. There are not a lot of street lamps, which makes for wonderful night sky viewing.
Something fun: in the summer, private and group swim lessons take place at the cabana.
Park and trails
At the middle of this community is the very inviting Belgatos Park, a scenic, setting which includes a playground near the parking lot, picnic areas, restrooms, trails into the hills (with some wonderful valley views), and access to the Heinz Open Space Preserve and its network of trails also. (And it’s not far to the Santa Rosa Open Space area either.)
One hill attracts kids who enjoy sliding down it on bits of cardboard, and thus has been nicknamed “cardboard hill” for decades. Most of the time these cardboard sledding enthusiasts are pretty good about picking up their “sledding vehicles” when done.
The paths are popular with people on foot, but also those on mountain bikes or horseback. As there are a few larger properties which are zoned for horses in the area, this is a very nice equestrian option. There are 2 nearby places for horse boarding, too.
For photographers, the park has abundant worthy subjects year round, both of the open space and the valley views below. In the early morning hours, or near sunset, you may see some deer too. But be careful: bobcats and mountain lions are in these hills also.
What are homes like in this part of town?
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