Hollys Site » Holly Barr

Willow Glen Home Sale Stats 5/10/09

hollybarr — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:42:11 +0000

Well, I gotta say on my blog as I say to all my clients… the market is CHANGING! I have buyers that refuse to believe me and still want to wait until prices go down further. I am seeing multiple offers 35 offers in some cases!!

There were 23 sales in the last week for Willow Glen. The week before was only 13! Price ranged from $1.6M on Dry Creek to $199,500 on Hull Ave. I just spoke to a builder who sold a house (before being on market) for close to $4million!!

Gotta love real estate… I do!

Classic Craftsman!

hollybarr — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:25:04 +0000

For those who love a Craftsman style home, there is a BEAUTIFUL one for sale (again) at 1226 Minnesota Ave. in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. This house has 2700 sq ft., artist studio and a HUGE full height basement. It was for sale almost exactly 2 years ago for the same price at $1,425,000. The details of this home are true and original craftsman. From the dental crown molding untouched by the usual white paint (which is a crime!- please no paint!)…

to the built in cabinets in the dining room and my personal favorite a library with a sliding ladder (HOW COOL IS THAT!!)…

The stats for Willow Glen this week are 13 sales in the last 7 days and the count has gone up to 259 houses on market (up 3 from 256 last week).

What is your favorite listing right now?

Finding a good lender – in this economy.

hollybarr — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:47:44 +0000

Okay, financially speaking, the world is a bit scary right now. Banks are closing and being absorbed. I am reading about people pulling money out of their banks (and putting it under their mattresses essentially). Our whole economic system is morphing into something new.

That being said, people (lots of people) are still buying houses. There are amazing bargains to be found. But, how do you find a good lender? One that is less likely to be absorbed or leave you high and dry…

Here are my top 5 suggestions for finding a good lender:

1) Ask about the lenders volume. A good lender is dealing in $100Million a month or more range.

2) Ask about the length of time the lender has been in business.

3) Who do they partner with or who owns the lending company? Do those partners appear strong, do you know the names of those companies?

4) What kind of education does the individual lender have?

5) Has the lending institution ever done sub prime lending?

And, of course, your realtor should be able to guide you to a great lender!

Take a new way home and get a treat!

hollybarr — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:41:52 +0000

As a realtor, I like to think I am up on the neighborhoods that I serve. Part of that is driving around a bit and checking out streets I may have not seen in awhile. Today, my meandering home took me down one of my favorite streets, Franquette. I like this street because of the huge lot sizes (I am just jealous) and how it always seems to have a house under construction. That street is really going through a metamorphosis. Anyway, today I drove by a stand out in front of someone’s home on that street that was selling tomatoes. About 7 large romas for $1.00. I have no need for tomatoes right now, but I HAD to get some! Can’t beat local and fresh for a buck!! Tacos, salads and pasta sauce for a week!

Short sale in Willow Glen

hollybarr — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:12:58 +0000

This house at 2573 Malaga Dr. has a lot to offer with a 4th bedroom that was opened up in to an office or living room, A/C 1678 sq. ft. on 7660 sq.ft. lot with hardwood floors and dual pane windows on a great street with Booksin Elem. I was shocked to read that it was a short sale and listed at $799,000. That price just does not have the ’short sale’ ring to it.

It was interesting to see all of us agents adjust our thinking once we realized it was a short sale. Because of the stress a short sale puts on the transaction and the time involved, the value in our minds appeared to drop.

As I was walking through this house I was listening to the agents discuss the details and I noticed the built in entertainment area and how my husband would be removing the wall to get his tv to fit.

Nice house and I recommend taking a look if you are in the market!

holly@hollybarr.net 408 887-3225

Willow Glen’s real estate world of RANCHERS!

hollybarr — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:14:18 +0000

10 new listings on tour in Willow Glen today and 5 of them were ranch style homes. These ranchers range (you know like, home on the range…) in price from $798,000 for a 3 bed 2 bath 1652 sq ft on Wawona to $1,099,000 for a 3 bed 2 bath 1880 sq ft. on Willow Oaks. The house on Willow Oaks has a SIX plus car garage (you could store a lot of ranch equipment there). Here is a picture:

SIX plus car garage! Look closely you will see another building behind these front ones.

I have to mention my listing that is not a ranch, yet it was on tour, 1520 Hervey Ln. it has THREE driveways, 4 bed 2.5 bath 2073 sq ft. 6133 lot @ $900K Wonderful home! Open this Sunday 1:30-4:30. Here it is:

Beautiful home on a wonderful quiet street!

My pick of the week is 1051 Clintonia (near Palm Haven in Willow Glen). This house is a newer build and as I write this is not yet on MLS. The owner is also an agent, Donna Cowsert and she has done a beautiful job with this house. It has designer touches you do not see in typical homes. White cabinets, beautiful chestnut hued wood flooring and detailed carpeting. My favorite was the yard. Large lounging area and the pool was like artwork shaped in a C with elegant steps, waterfalls and a glass fire pit. Check it out! I was told it will be open on Sunday 1:30.

Entertaining or sunbathing... no complaining!

A little something for everyone!

Market update:

We have 32 houses in Willow Glen currently listed at over $1million
The count for houses that are for sale in area 10 (WG) this week is 239 (a bit high…) Last week the count was 230.

Top three WG real estate picks for 8/7/08

hollybarr — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:29:40 +0000

Pick of the week! CARMEL COTTAGE CHARMER IN WILLOW GLEN! 1580 Cherry Glen Way (off Hicks & Mercer) 3 bed 2 bath 1732 sq ft. $1,199,000. This house felt like Carmel charm and just gave you a hug when you walked through the white picket fence (sounds cheesy I know, but really you should check this house out.- Open house on Sun. 8/10/08). And, there is a happy little dog that is due any minute with puppies so you might be able to see puppies at the open house! Okay, back to the house, charming bathroom with a claw foot tub and chandelier, remodeled kitchen with what the agent called Metaphoric Granite (jade green marblelooking stone that is said to be harder than granite) and a full size master suite addition that works well for privacy and access to the backyard.

Delightful kitchen with Metaphoric granite (bamboo green)

Coupla Comfy CONDOS! There are two very comparable 2 bed condos new to the market one is on Brace $499K (off Lincoln Ave. downtown) and one on Alma Loop $398K (close to the Eastern boarder of WG). Repeat after me… location makes a big difference… and big is defined here as $100K more for the condo steps from the downtown. It is also important to note that the Brace place is a 2 bed 1.5 bath with no complex amenities and the one on Alma Loop is a 2 bed 2 bath has a pool, spa and clubhouse.

Expect the real estate unexpected in this MUST SEE home!

1598 Santa Maria Ave. 4 bed 2 bath 3085sq ft at $1,400,000. This house felt like a blend of cultures including French with the manicured boxwood lined paths, Africa with a large sunroom filled with African animal replicas and art and Vegas with a ROUND bed in the master and gold leaves lining the staircase (hard to explain- it is something that is better seen in person- open Sunday 8/10/08). If you go see it, don’t miss with the guest room with walls COMPLETELY covered in ribbed fabric that matches the bedding and the paint on the closet door see below:

Walls and bedding match

And, be sure to take note of the fireplace. It was put in place approx. 20 years ago at a cost of $40K- hand carved and beautiful. Though, if you are not looking you may easily miss it.

WG had 14 sales this week and 14 sales last week. The count (of how many properties are on market in WG) is 230 and last week it was 227.

Real Estate and Community Update for July 17, 2008

hollybarr — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:23:42 +0000

If you are going to call it a third bedroom, that bedroom has to be INSIDE the house... Just for the record if your third bedroom does not have a closet it is not a bedroom. Also, if your third bedroom is in a separate structure, like a garage, appraisers state that it is technically not a 3 bedroom house. I recommend you put a clear description of where that bedroom is. Here are some interesting numbers about this past week in Willow Glen’s real estate scene: • 10 sales last two weeks in area 10 (Mostly 95125) • 229 active listings in Willow Glen this week 7/17/08 210 active listings is the gold standard for a sign of a healthy market for this area. The fact that we are consistently in the 230-240 range indicates Willow Glen to be a stable market. Every Thursday I attend a realtor tour of all the new listings in Willow Glen. It’s a great way for realtors like me to stay on top of the market.. The tour is organized by Mike Gains of REMax, and usually includes 25-50 realtors. Every week I’ll report back on highlights from this tour – a summary of what’s going on in the Willow Glen market, exceptional new listings, stuff like that. If you ever have any questions about what I put here, or would like to see me take a different approach with this weekly summary of the tour, please let me know!

Willow Glen Realtor Tour July 10, 2008

admin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:04:46 +0000

The theme this week seems to be YARDS!! There were some beautiful yards on tour this week! While it was hot and you did not really want to be outside at all, it does help to have something very pretty to look at (and a cool drink in your hand). Realtors on tour often offer cool drinks and food to help us stay longer at a house and to help us remember a house–nothing calls to memory like a yummy snack or a free lunch! First up was 1018 Carolyn Way for $1,129,000. Cute charming house with lots of fun details throughout. The yard was mostly behind the garage. Once you got to the yard, it was like an English garden. Many of us said how nice it would be to have a small wedding back there! Sorry I did not get a picture for you on that one! Next up was 656 Palm Haven Ave. for $1,699,000. Gotta love the Palm Haven area being close to downtown and such an exclusive yet community feel… and this jem is in the HEART of it! Nice house with upper end appliances and custom (read expensive) touches throughout. Soapstone counters and titanium appliances

The yard was out of a magazine. It has built in heaters and fans.

Of course the best house on the market right now is my listing at 1460 Kiner Ave. $949,950 between Cherry and Plummer. Talk about a yard… HUGE park-like yard with music, landscape lights and a playground. It is a ranch style house is very family friendly with some nice upgrades on a tree lined WIDE street.

What is your favorite house on the market right now? Here are some interesting numbers about this past week in Willow Glen’s real estate scene: · 22 sales last two weeks in area 10 (Mostly 95125) · 215 active listings in Willow Glen this week 6/28/08 210 active listings is the gold standard for a sign of a healthy market for this area. The fact that we are consistently in the 230-240 range indicates Willow Glen to be a stable market.