My elderly friend just go a letter - The envelope was hand addressed with a return address of 2530 Berryessa Road San Jose, CA  95132 - the letter said

Transferred Executive looking to buy a home in your neighborhood...

Dear Friend,

We have been transferred to this area and are looking to purchase a luxury home in your area  We noticed your home and would like to know if you are interested in selling?

Please contact my assistant Jennifer, at (408) 772-0507 at your earliest convenience so she can take the necessary information we need to make an offer on your property.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David Jan

P.S.  If you are serious about selling, please don't hesitate to contact us as our window of opportunity is closing quickly.  (408) 772-0507

....Now as I read this, my assumptions are:

   1)  This is someone who has seen this particular property and liked it enough to send out this letter
   2)  Is in need of a property for themselves to live in
   3)  And need something right away
   
When you call the number and ask the right questions you will find that this is an investor that regularly buys and sells homes, that they may or may not have seen the property and the reason they need something right away is so that they can turn a profit right away. 

Or at least that is my take on this. 

I am also concerned that this went to a 70 year old lady, with a house that is free and clear.  We are asking around the neighborhood to see if anyone else got these types of letters.

My understanding is that this is a private party and does not have a real estate license (I checked). I would be curious if anyone else has gotten letters like this or have had a transaction with these people. 

It just seems a bit misleading and underhanded or am I wrong?

The Wednesday Morgan Hill tour meeting was quite eventful.  We welcomed this year's scholarship winners from Morgan Hill Unified.  The local real estate group gives $1000 scholarships each year to High school graduates and this year's winners are just great examples of the next generation.

Next was a spirited discussion about changing the boundary lines for East and West - Currently the divider is Highway 101 but the boundary does jump back and forth from Monterey Road and Highway 101 depending on trend of new listings.  I find it interesting that there are more homes coming on the market on the west side - so that tour fills up fast compared to the east side of the valley.  It has also been a blended tour when inventory levels were so low that we needed to pull from both sides of the valley to get a decent tour.

But Today's tour was pretty brutal - not only did the meeting go long, but we had a full tour. 

15 West Central is a cute little house right next to Britton Middle School and one house off Monterey Road.  It is zoned commercial so that its use is flexible and already has a great blacktopped parking lot.  Looking to put your antique store, retail establishment or Insurance business in your own building - this is the place.

Another home came up in the Carriage Lamp PUD, at 17500 Carriage Lamp Way, nicely upgraded so if someone is looking for a great home within the Carriage Lamp development you have lots of options.

16703 San Luis is a great little one store attached home in a lovely complex with a pool, park and club house.  Cute as a button and ready to move it, nice sized yard for the development with fruit trees and a spa.

42 Dewey is the ultimate im-mobile and in one of the best owner owned parks in Morgan Hill.  Nice creek side setting and close to shops and services makes this a great retirement community.

13460 B Watsonville Road is a great example of Ranchette living.  This Rancher has its own solar power system, so say goodbye to PG&E.  Large and lovely pool on almost 3 acres that backs up to Open Space.  Near the Gateway to the Uvas valley, close to Wineries & Corde Valle but still 5 minutes to Starbucks.

1025 Appian Way is a nice custom home on a busy street corner that will only get busier. 

15750 Casino Real is a great house with some wonderful views across the Valley with the common areas and the Master on the first floor with the bedrooms and secondary common areas below.  Typical of hillside homes.  Sunnyside, which will turn into Santa Teresa Blvd eventually, is not much of a deterrent since you are above the street with a nicely landscaped buffer between you and the road.

I really liked 16065 Oak Glen Avenue; a nice comfortable Rancher is the Paradise Valley, one of my favorite communities in Morgan Hill.  Bring the car buff - since it has a detached 4 car garage, an attached 2 car garage and a guest house ready for the mechanic that rents for $900 a month.  Oak trees galore, wonderful back patio covered in grape vines, what a secret garden.

16741 Wild Oak Court is in the Spring Hill section of Morgan Hill with nice views from the master bedrooms balcony toward the Eastern Foothills.  A very comfortable home in a mature neighborhood - you walk in and feel right at home.

18440 Shadowbrook is a custom home in a mixed neighborhood.  The shop is a bit oversized for the lot and the house has been updated but you still have smallish rooms.  I would have rather seen more thought put to expanding the living space of the home rather than so much energy put to housing the toys - but that is just me.

180 Thyme Avenue is a nice 4 year old home with lots of square footage and a great backyard and pool.  This whole subdivision is nestled up against the western foothills and would be just perfect had it not been for that railroad track and the elementary school.  I graduated from Burnett School and I know that it is getting better - due in large part to this subdivision, but it still has a long way to go.

100 Wright Avenue is a set of new attached homes that are nicely appointed.  The area is a bit mixed but the price reflects that.  You find a lot of custom home features in these homes with granite in the kitchen and baths, tile floors, jetted tubs and nice fixtures.

Some of the new listings that may or may not be on the market now but are coming up are:

Swallow Lane in Gilroy   @1495 sq feet
Alamo drive in Morgan Hill 3/2.5 1762 sq ft
2.3 acres on Sycamore in San Martin with a 2500 sq ft home
Denali in Morgan Hill 2688 sq ft 4/3
Bellini Way in Morgan Hill 3/2.5
El Matador In Gilroy 1.5 acres 1631 sq ft house 3/2.5
Trail Drive in Morgan Hill
Spring Avenue in Morgan Hill 4/2.5 2576 sq ft.
and a Duplex in San Martin on Oak street

to name but a few. 

Every Tuesday the Intero Morgan Hill office has its office meeting and we announce new inventory coming on the market.  These listings may or may not be on the multiple listing but they desire a look at prior to making any decision. 

A nice one story with great views of the entire South Santa Clara County and Gilroy proper.  5980 Baltusrol in Eagle Ridge South has a sheltered interior courtyard, large great room/kitchen area and an updated and well appointed master suite. 

2525 Bridal Path Drive was a spectacular lot - the lot alone with site approve would be right around what the asking price of $1,495,000.  10 acres of views embrace every window, great 4200 sq ft mostly one story house sit above the world.  This is an opportunity for someone.  If you are in this price range and are looking for a place to live above it all - see this property.   I don't mean to say that the house is a fixer - far from it.  Nicely maintained fully functional - just firmly footed in last year’s fashion.

16550 Trail Drive is a Feng Shei disaster.  Front door faces a T intersection.  Views are nice and the house is well cared for - the location leaves a bit to be desired.  A great floor plan and for the backyard is nicely landscaped it just runs straight up the hill.

16105 Jackson Oaks Drive is a split level home - you know the ones where you walk into a landing and can go up to the common areas or down to the bedroom wing.  A common solution to building on a hill side lot - but breaks up the floor plan and flow of the house.  If wall paper is your thing - then rush on over.

3095 Oak Leaf Lane - tucked away and around in the Jackson Oaks area, this house has - I believe - great potential.  If someone could see beyond the box to either an East Coast Farmhouse or an oversized English Country Garden then this is the place for you.  An actual blank slate both inside and out.  The location is a hallow in the midst of the mountain with lots of Sunshine and an equal amount of privacy.  The house is a great slate to modify.

By the way - I really like the Jackson Oaks area.  It was the place to live in the '70's and many of the homes are right out of Sunset Magazine 1975 - complete with conversation pit.  But the area is one of great beauty, established neighborhoods and your choice of views.  That goes for Holiday Lake.  At the time two competing properties but today two great options if views, privacy, nature and close proximity to services are desired.

17435 Carriage Lamp is a nice PUD in one of my favorite communities of Morgan Hill.  The way the development is designed with the two great park/common areas in the middle with all the mature landscaping gives a cool calming feeling to the neighborhood.  The additional common "elbow" room compensates nicely for the small lots.

635 Calle Viento - RUN DON'T WALK to this great detached SFH in desirable Central Park - where less than a $100 a month gets the front yard mowed, private parks, BBQ area and a common pool.  Walk to downtown and the train station - kids are within 4 blocks of a great elementary school and within biking distance of the high school.  Great Central location with fairly good freeway access.  But the best part about this house is - frankly this house.  Very live able floor plan, great back yard, tastefully done and priced to sell.  You want in Morgan Hill and you have under $800K to spend - What are you doing reading this blog - go get this house. 

Here are a few homes that are coming up - only you, Intero Morgan Hill and I know about these - Sweet...

Bellingham Drive   4/2   1618 sq ft   5662 lot  
Broadway               4/3   2000          10000
Calle Cerro             3/2.5   1777   3920      Central Park - Morgan Hill
Carriage Lamp   3/2.5   1445   3920         Carriage Lamp - Morgan Hill
Chittenden
Bellini Ct                        2042   6500      Morgan Hill
Mt Vernon                                                Gilroy
Stonecrest                     4700   17000   Bridle Path - Gilroy
Lily Street                                                Union City             

When your agent tells you to kick out your tenants, do needless, seemingly endless reparis and updating, soaks you with a staging bill for several thousand a month and promises you multiples offers.

This is not saying that in some instances you need to kick the tenants out and  get the property marketable - my problem is the assurance that doing so will guarantee multiple offers. 

Humm...I go from money coming in to money going out and I am paying who?... Not only that, I am in a holding position that I may or maynot be able to hold for a very long period of time based on your assurance that the high high high price is obtainable in today's market?

What was I thinking?!!?

Don't beat yourself up - you were just being human.  Thinking that your house is better than everyone else's, that because you have fond memories of your children growing up in such a home that it would mean something tangible to someone else, didn't they count the 22,000 bricks in the patio and felt my aching back when it was all over?

Well..the sad truth is that the buyer's don't care.  Well, they might care - but not that much!  Not when they are thinking about their own children and their college accounts and the new furniture that the wife will make them buy, etc. etc. etc.  Which family will they care about more - yours or theirs?

No one can guarantee any market.  Sure there are pockets that are getting multiple offer - but many are happy just to sell their home to the first person who feels strongly enough about it to put pen to paper.  A great house in a great location will always be desireable.  When it is priced right many times more than one person will want to live there.   But... No one can predict what will happen, so when anyone implies, insinuates, or guarantees that you will be in a multiple offer situation - RUN AWAY - they more often than not will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear.

In that lies the soul of a great agent, someone who would rather tell you what you need to hear, knowing that it will be hard to accept and knowing that everyone always kills the messenager - who could not be, would never think of being someon who will tell you what you want to hear at the risk of your own well being, in essence someone who can put your needs above their own. 

Don't be hood winked into thinking that every Real Estate Agent is the same.  Do your homework.  If location, location, location, is the three major factors in Real Estate, than Interview, Interview, Interview is the three major factors in picking the person to best represent you in the transaction. 

It’s ground breaking – it’s magical – it’s really happening.  I am grabbing hold of a tiny piece of the web and am making it my own.  I’m just too excited about this.  It’s going to be fun – you’ll love it.  You will be living the life of a Realtor through me.  The goal is to relate my stories, my view of the market, helpful hints and timely messages.  So without further adieu ……here’s Pamala…..