by Mary Pope-Handy | Oct 30, 2018 | Los Gatos Neighborhoods, West Los Gatos
The Los Gatos Estates townhome community sits just off Pollard Road and More Avenue on the west end of town. Although this area on the north side of Pollard is actually in Campbell, it has a Los Gatos mailing address, which may confuse folks with a gps device. Our MLS also treats it as Campbell, so good to know about this area quirk since if you search for “Los Gatos homes for sale” there it won’t show up! (Same thing for the nearby Cameo Park West neighborhood of Leep homes a little closer to Quito Road.)
Basic facts: appx 57 homes, HOA dues as of this writing are in the high 300s (includes roof, painting, private roads, grounds, pool, spa and tennis court). Homes do not come on the market very often, but expect to see prices between $900,000 to $1,200,000 for most if they are remodeled.
Townhouses in Silicon Valley are usually either held in condominium ownership or as PUDs. These are condo. (For more info on the difference between PUD and condo ownership for common interest developments, please read this article on another of my sites.)
What are the Los Gatos Estates homes like?
They were built in 1979. Individual units range in size between 1739-2063 SF, with the average being 1921. Parcels are not big, running from 1739-2063 SF, but there’s a lot of open common space, so it does not feel small or crowded.
Why people love Los Gatos Estates
If you value a convenient location, Los Gatos Estates has it! Directly across the street from the entry to the community you’ll find a large, remodeled Safeway and a number of other helpful shops. El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos is only about a mile away. More shopping is found within 2 miles at Westgate and El Paseo de Saratoga. For workers commuting to Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and similar areas, a trip north on Pollard turns into Lawrence Expressway, making the journey pretty straight forward.
The highly regarded public schools are very nearby: Rolling Hills Middle School (API 919) is pretty much “next door” but on the other side of More, and Marshall Lane Elementary (API 945) is about a half mile away. Westmont High School (API 796) is within a mile also.
The townhomes at Los Gatos Estates enjoy tremendous convenience, but there’s much more to the complex than that. The townhomes are well laid out, with good floor plans, spacious rooms, and often high ceilings. Each one includes an attached 2 car garage and of course a laundry room or closet. In many ways, these townhomes feel more like houses than attached homes. Not only that, but residents get to enjoy a pool, spa, and tennis court, too.
Above is one of two gateway signs along Pollard Road, a nice welcome to the community!
Below, a typical two story townhome with both a back patio and balcony. One end of this complex is adjacent to highway 85, the train tracks, and the high voltage power lines, which you see in the image, too. Homes closest to the freeway, train and electrical wires will be somewhat price impacted by them, of course, but this creates an opportunity for more affordable housing than you might otherwise find in this neighborhood. If you are looking for good real estate pricing, this may be a great opportunity – lots of home for the money.
(more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 19, 2015 | Los Gatos Businesses, Pampered in Los Gatos
Visit Tradewind Spas in Los Gatos and you’ll find friendly, knowledgeable help with maintaining or purchasing a spa. Almost 2 years ago, we purchased one from them, and received excellent assistance and no pressure from Jeff, the owner, and Don, who’s often running the store. That exceptional customer service has continued as we have returned again and again with either questions or the need to purchase supplies. Our experience has been very positive and for that reason, I wanted to give them a little blog attention. (As always, I am not compensated for this in any way, and the article was my idea, not theirs.)
Their focus customer service and their expertise is in is portable spas and hot tubs. They sell those with the most reliable manufacturers and warranties that exceed California Energy Commission standards. The brands they work with the most are MAAX/Coleman and Freeflow. (We purchased a Freeflow and have been very happy with it.)
Per the store’s website: “We are a four-time recipient of the MAAX/COLEMAN spas or hot tubs “Outstanding Service after the Sale” award. A distinction given to only three dealerships in the country each year. If your spa needs repair, we will fix it quickly and professionally.” and “We will meet or beat any competitors deal on a spa of comparable quality, size and features.”
Services include
- hot tub and spa sales
- gazeebos
- covers
- repair parts (for spas they have sold dating back to 1980)
- spa accessories
- chemicals and water testing
- spa removal and disposal
- trade-ins
- used hot tubs and spas
- spa/pool service and repair
Opened in 1979, Tradwind Spas has survived multiple economic downturns and multiple droughts. While many other spa outlets have gone under, they have kept their doors open. I believe that this is a testament to their fair prices and excellent service.
http://www.tradewindspas.com/
Located along “the boulevard” between Los Gatos-Almaden Road and Blossom Hill Road – you may sometimes see the mannequin or mascot out of doors, sitting atop a hot tub, waving hello:
15736 Los Gatos Blvd.
Los Gatos, CA 95032
408-358-8800
Hours per their website:
Monday – Saturday
10am – 6pm
Sunday 10am – 5pm
Read reviews of Tradwind Spas on Yelp
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jun 4, 2013 | Los Gatos Government
June 04, 2013
Yesterday afternoon, my family and I walked our elderly dog through our east Los Gatos neighborhood. We saw an inordinate amount of water coming down the gutter on one street (and it was the middle of the day, so we didn’t think it was watering a lawn). Eventually we arrived at a house where a large amount of water was emerging from a property’s drainage system and into the gutter. It looked like several hoses’ worth was coming through at once.
Turns out that this homeowner was draining his pool, and he didn’t know what to do with the water. So he directed it to the storm drain via the gutter.
Do you know what to do with pool or spa water when it needs to be drained? I don’t think most of us do.
The Town of Los Gatos has a stormwater page on its site. Here there’s a two paragraph explanation that the stormwater drainage system (what goes into the gutters) is not the same thing as the sanitary sewer system. Pool and spa water should be directed not to the gutters, but to the sewer system via either the cleanout or washer outlet. When spa or pool water is sent to the gutters, it goes to our creeks and to the bay, where it’s pollution and harmful for the environment and the ecosystem of our water.
On another page of the town’s website for FAQs on stormwater pollution management, there’s a bit more info on draining pools & spas:
What should be done with drained pool and spa water?
The chemicals used in pools, spas, hot tubs and fountains can be toxic to aquatic life in local streams and the San Francisco Bay Area.
When cleaning out your pool, spa, hot tub, or fountain, discharge the water into a sewer line after obtaining permission from the local sewage treatment plant.
There had been a brochure available for more info on what to do via a link on the first page I mentioned above, but it is broken, unfortunately. I’ll contact someone at the town and if possible, will provide a working link as an update to this post when it is available.
