by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Oct 10, 2026 | Homes & Housing Market, Los Gatos Real Estate
The Los Gatos real estate market in September was strong for single family homes, cool for condos and townhouses, and a cold market in the mountains. This is a repeat from July and August, more or less.
Per Altos Research (see below), the hottest segment of the market in Los Gatos is the 95032 area.
1 – Los Gatos real estate market statistics for the “in town” areas: multi year data
Here is some Los Gatos real estate market data that I pulled directly from the MLS. This is for the in town areas of 95032 and 95030.
Inventory of available homes for sale in Los Gatos 95030 and Los Gatos 95032
Click on any of the images below and a larger version will pop up in a new tab and be easier to read.
Inventory in September rose substantially but didn’t break any records.
(more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Oct 1, 2026 | Los Gatos Events
St. Mary’s Country Fair in Los Gatos is a fun, annual community event that occurs the first weekend in October. This year it’s October 2 – 4, 2026.
Each year it’s a little different, a little better.
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 2, 5 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, October 3 11 am to 10 pm
Sunday, October 4, 10 am to 3 pm (same as last year)
Hours for the Harvest Market Thursday Oct 1:
11 am to 4 pm free admission!
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.) In 2025, advance tickets can be purchased at a discount until Sept 29th at the event’s ticketing site!
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!
by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Sep 29, 2026 | About Monte Sereno, Monte Sereno neighborhoods, Monte Sereno Real Estate
An Introduction to the city of Monte Sereno, California
The city of Monte Sereno is cozied into the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west side of Santa Clara County (about an hour south of San Francisco and a few minutes from San Jose), adjacent to the town of Los Gatos. It is a scenic, small city which is semi-rural with neither sidewalks nor street lights. It has, in fact, the tiniest population of the 15 cities within the County, having just about 4000 residents in about 1.6 square miles.
There are no businesses in town, just residences, the city office, a church or two, and Daves Avenue School. It is one of the most highly regarded and upscale communities in Silicon Valley.
Monte Sereno enjoys many rolling hills and green views of the coastal range, particularly El Sereno, the peak of which rises over the the city and has an elevation of 2249 feet. There is an open space preserve there now, with 1415 acres and 7.4 miles of trails. Please see the El Sereno Open Space Preserve website for information on parking, trail maps, equestrian trails, and more.
As you might imagine, the city is named for this mountain: monte – mountain, sereno – serene, calm or pleasant. And it is a pretty calm place to be.
It shares schools, police, parks and the library with the town of Los Gatos, so they have much in common.
Please also see The Monte Sereno Real Estate Market (updated monthly).
City of Monte Sereno Zip Codes
Almost 100% of this small city falls into the 95030 zip code, with a very tiny sliver belonging to the 95032 zip code. Both of these zip codes are also utilized by neighboring Los Gatos.
Public Schools
Of the approximately 1250 households in the city, all but about 60 of them fall within the boundaries of the highly regarded Los Gatos School District. The other small minority is in Campbell Schools.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 26, 2026 | Events
The Santa Clara Valley Wineries are hosting a passport weekend again Oct 24 & 24, 2026 from 12 noon to 4 p.m.. For $55, it’s a great reason to stop by a number of local, fine wine tasting rooms, including Cinnabar and Cooper-Garrod, both in Saratoga. The rest are in South County (Morgan Hill, San Martin, or Gilroy).
What’s offered?
Your passport is valid Saturday and Sunday, October 24–25, and includes ten winery stops.
Each participating winery will offer at least tastings of two wine. Some wineries may include their own special experiences such as new releases, harvest activities, food, live music, bottle specials and more.
The 2026 Passport Weekend wineries include:
~ Cinnabar Winery: 408-867-1012
~ Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards: 408-867-8441
~ CordeValle Winery: 408-686-1050
~ Cottage Creek Vineyards: 408-318-2355
~ Lion Ranch Vineyards & Winery: 408-713-8501
~ Miramar Vineyards: 408-686-0280
~ Sarah’s Vineyard: 408-847-1947
~ Satori Cellars: 408-848-5823
~ Twice Tyger: 408-659-6719
~ Verde Vineyards: 408-728-1793
Details can be found and passports purchased online here: SCVW Fall Passport
Related Reading: More Local Events
Los Gatos Halloween Pets and Kids Parade (on this site)
Magical Glass Pumpkin Patch (on this site)
by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Sep 13, 2026 | Uncategorized
Check out the Taste of Los Gatos food festival this Saturday, September 19, 2026, and get to know some amazing Los Gatos eateries, enjoy live music, and join in the activities at this end of summer street festival!
Tasting Options
Bites and Wine Tasting Wristband ($100 advance, $120 day of the event): Bites from approximately 30 Los Gatos restaurants and pours from about 20 local wineries. Upon check-in you will receive a wristband, stemless keepsake wine glass, and a map to all of the tasting sites. Please taste responsibly — Wine tasting includes a single one-ounce pour from each winery.
OR:
Bites Only Wristband ($80 advannce pricing, $100 day of the event): Bites from approximately 30 Los Gatos restaurants. Upon check-in you will receive a wristband and a map to all of the tasting sites.
* If your kids are interested in sampling restaurant bites, a Bites Only Wristband is required. Note that a la carte food items may also be purchased from our wonderful restaurants.
More Taste of Los Gatos details
The details for the 2026 Taste of Los Gatos are as follows:
- Date Saturday, September 19, 2026
- Time 12 noon – 5 p.m.
- Check-in for the event will open at 11:30 am. Check-in will be at 3 locations:
- Automobuild Breezeway | 100 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
- Old Town Los Gatos | 50 University Avenue
- near Beyond Text Bookstore | 318 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
- Location is downtown Los Gatos North Santa Cruz Avenue, Main Street & Old Town (University Avenue), Los Gatos, CA 95030
- Cost is FREE to enjoy the games, shopping, and activities.
- For those who wish to indulge in the food and drink offered by a number of LG establishments, see tasting options paragraph above
- Wine and beer tokens can also be purchased separately at their respective booths
- Family friendly gig with kid activities, too.
- Please note that N. Santa Cruz will be closed from Main Street to Bachman Avenue and open to pedestrians only. Come early and park in one of the public lots!
- Put on by the Los Chamber of Commerce and its Food & Wine Group.
Get ALL of the details and buy tickets:
Buy tickets in advance here: Eventbrite page
Do come back to downtown the following weekend for the wonderful Fiesta de Artes art & wine festival!
