Relocating to Silicon Valley: Tips & Advice

Finding Furnished Rentals in Los Gatos

2011-06-06T02:24:00Z

Many people who move to Silicon Valley want to rent initially. Los Gatos is a great place to start! In addition to the El Gato Penthouse (in downtown LG), a newer complex with some furnished rental units on the edge of Los Gatos next to Netflix is Aventino . The Bay Tree Apartments are in the Almond Grove District (downtown Los Gatos) and they have both furnished and unfurnished, but I called them this weekend and they are full at the moment. Here's their contact info to check back later or see...(read more)

Search for San Jose area rentals on the MLS

2011-06-02T02:31:00Z

Search for rental housing on the MLS on my sites: 1- find a home by map Go to http://www.popehandy.com/find_silicon_valley_real_estate_and_homes_for_sale_by_map.html In lower left corner you'll see "property types" - scroll down and find Residential Rental and click the box to select it You can input bedrooms, bathrooms etc. in the fields to the right of it. I input 3 bed or more and 2 bath or more and got just 25 results 2 - simple city or town search on my blog Go to http://www.SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com...(read more)

Incredible Price on 5114 Nerissa Way in Cambrian Park

2011-04-08T16:01:00Z

Cambrian Park, Santa Clara County - Announcing newly on MLS and at low price for Alta Vista School, quiet street, updated/remodeled condition and oversized lot! 5114 Nerissa Way, a 1,233 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story "Room to add on!". Now MLS® $579,000 - Fabulous price!.

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What about living in the Los Gatos Mountains (or Santa Cruz Mountains)?

2011-03-30T16:25:00Z

When people relocating to Silicon Valley get "sticker shock" on our real estate prices, most of the time they look for more affordable places in which to live that are close by. Often finding neighborhoods with good schools comes into play. Or perhaps they simply love the scenic town of Los Gatos but can't buy in town. The mountains between San Jose and Santa Cruz - the coastal range - is home to a number of communities such as Chemeketa Park, Holy City, Aldercroft Heights, the Lexington...(read more)

Moving to Silicon Valley: is it possible to get a house here that's as nice as the one you currently own?

2011-03-18T15:31:00Z

I am frequently contacted by extremely bright, successful engineers or high tech professionals who are in large homes on large lots with great schools in less expensive areas of the country. They want to move here because Silicon Valley is the hub of innovation , our weather's great , crime's low and there's so much to do in this region. They know that housing costs here are extraordinarily high, but they hope that the salaries are commensurately high such that they can replicate the...(read more)

How is buying a home in Silicon Valley different from in other parts of the country?

2011-03-15T18:53:00Z

Yesterday I was asked how the San Jose - Silicon Valley area is different from other parts of the US for home buyers. What did they need to be concerned about here versus in the midwest or east coast? They knew about earthquakes, and having to strap water heaters for earthquake safety, but what about earthquake insurance? Are termites a problem here? What things should home buyers worry about here that perhaps are not issues elsewhere? I thought that this was a great question. Here are the big areas...(read more)

Sunny Silicon Valley: Sunrise, Sunset, Dawn and Dusk Times

2010-12-18T16:03:00Z

A couple of days ago I made a quick trip to Spokane, Washington, on some family business. As I'm writing this in mid-December, just short of the winter solstice (shortest day of the year), I was struck by how early the sun set and then, the following morning, how late it rose again. It seemed like I'd "lost" an hour of daylight. Upon returning home to the San Jose and Los Gatos area (Silicon Valley), I found an awesome site that charts sunrise and sunset (dawn and dusk) times for...(read more)

Finding New Homes for Sale in Silicon Valley

2010-10-14T14:55:00Z

Frequently, people new to Silicon Valley and the San Jose area arrive from places where their last home was new construction, and they hope to find a brand new home here, too. Unless you are looking to purchase a condominium or a townhome, though, it can be really challenging to find truly new homes for sale here. (There are tons of fabulous new condos in downtown San Jose, which is enjoying a great redevelopment period.) For the most part, Silicon Valley had a post World War II housing boom that...(read more)

Understanding School Scores in Silicon Valley

2010-10-14T13:48:00Z

If you are coming to the Silicon Valley area from outside of California , you may not know what to make of our school scoring system. It's actually pretty straightforward: the API scores ( Academic Performance Index ) are based on a 1 - 1,000 point system. The target number for "good schools" is 800 (that's the goal for the county). Anything close to 800 is considered decent. Over 800 is good. Over 900 is rare and is the indicator of an excellent school. Here's an example of...(read more)

Open House in Almaden Winery on Sunday

2010-10-13T15:41:00Z

Almaden Winery, Cambrian Park - We invite everyone to visit our open house at 5641 Le Fevre Dr. on October 17 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

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Open House in Sunnyvale Meadows on Saturday

2010-10-13T15:38:00Z

Sunnyvale Meadows, Sunnyvale - We invite everyone to visit our open house at B-1095 Reed Avenue on October 16 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

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Where are the Silicon Valley luxury homes? Where are the more upscale Silicon Valley neighborhoods?

2010-10-08T00:20:00Z

If you are relocating to Silicon Valley and wish to choose an upscale or luxury neighborhood, where should you begin looking? Where are the very best areas in or near San Jose? Here are some quick lists of areas in Silicon Valley areas which enjoy beautiful estate properties: Luxury Home Neighborhoods in Silicon Valley's west side Most of the more expensive parts of Silicon Valley are along the "west valley" areas, and these all enjoy excellent public schools. If you were to look at...(read more)

Where Are the Good Public Schools in Silicon Valley?

2010-09-11T19:17:00Z

Brief summary of where to find the best schools in Silicon Valley...(read more)

Linguistic Quirks in Silicon Valley

2010-07-15T04:40:00Z

Linguistic quirks in Silicon Valley...(read more)

Swim Teams and Cabana Clubs in Silicon Valley

2010-06-18T18:30:00Z

Where to find swim teams and cabanas in Silicon Valley....(read more)