san mateo: Does San Mateo Have the Highest Gas Prices in the USA? - 05/26/08 07:14 PM
 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  I think this must be the highest gas price any where in the continental US!  This gas station is at 20th Avenue and El Camino Real in San Mateo, CA.  Go check it out for yourself.  Of course, this station is selling gas for about 60 cents more than anyone else.  But still....

(3 comments)

san mateo: Real Estate Has Ebbs and Flows Even in San Mateo County - 11/29/07 01:43 AM
Real estate, like many other industries, has ebbs and flows of the market.  As we enter the final month of the year we are in one of the slow periods for buying and selling homes.  San Mateo County's real estate market has slowed down.  We are seeing fewer homes coming on the market and fewer people at open houses.  Sure, there are serious buyers out there and for  those who want or need to buy a new home this is really a great time to do it.
Altos Research has placed all of our 7 cities, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo, Foster … (2 comments)

san mateo: San Mateo County Market Overview YTD - 11/26/07 12:46 PM
I was asked to take a look inside my crystal ball today and try and guess what the market is going to be doing next fall.  I tapped my magic wands furiously on both crystal balls and try as I might, I wasn't able to give the kind of answer I know he wanted.  Unfortunately there are too many outside forces coming to a collision course between now and then and that's not factoring in a presidential election.  So, all holds are barred.  San Mateo County, and specifically my 7 cities, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo, Foster City, Belmont and San … (0 comments)

san mateo: Many San Mateo County Homes May Need Flood Insurance Soon - 11/13/07 06:52 PM
Some time in early 2008, FEMA is going to release new flood maps for San Mateo County.  So what, you say?  Well, if you live in certain areas of San Mateo and Redwood Shores you should worry because if, as expected, FEMA says you are in a flood plain, you will be required to have flood insurance.  And yes, I did say required.  No options here, you will have to purchase it and baby, it's expensive.
Part of San Mateo, North Shoreview to be exact, is already considered to be within a flood zone.  What's expected is that the rest of San … (1 comments)

san mateo: Does San Mateo Have The Highest Prices For Gas Anywhere? - 11/12/07 06:40 PM
The other day I was driving on El Camino Real in San Mateo.  At the corner of 20th Avenue and El Camino sits a Shell Station with perhaps the highest prices for gas in the entire city, if not the county, if not the state!  I hope you can see the sign because it says $4.15 for regular, $4.27 for mid-grade and $4.39 for supreme.
I had to take a picture of the price sign because you wouldn't believe me if I told you this without proof.  We must be setting some kind of record here.  Now, this is the one and … (2 comments)

san mateo: It's Time To Buy A Home in San Mateo County - 11/11/07 06:47 PM
San Mateo County has had a shortage of housing for as long as I can remember.  I've lived around here all of my life, and I certainly remember when building was going on everywhere, but that's not been the case for years.  Sure, we read about possible new subdivisions being built periodically.  There's talk about one in Redwood City, along the bay.  In San Mateo, once Bay Meadows shuts down, there are plans for a large mixed use community of homes, townhouses, apartments, businesses and parks. Redwood Shores may see one last open space developed, too.  But these are all years … (2 comments)

san mateo: San Mateo CA Market Update - 10/26/07 07:27 PM
San Mateo is the largest of our local cities and has four zip codes that Altos Research follows.  For the sake of simplicity I am focusing on their combined report but I'll talk about each zip a little bit as I go along.  San Mateo like the other cities I've written about this week is a Cool Buyer's Market but there are  two exceptions, 94401 and 94404, both Cold Buyer's.  This is the first time we have seen anything at the cold buyers level.
The median price for the entire city is $784,444.  Almost half of the houses on the market have … (0 comments)

san mateo: How Do You Determine What Your House Is Worth? - 10/21/07 07:03 PM
Okay, it's been all over the press thes past weeks.  San Mateo County has finally joined in the price decline.  Hum.  Maybe yes, and maybe no.  There is still a shortage of housing in San Mateo County, especially in the mid-county area where we work, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo, Foster City, Belmont and San Carlos.  Everything is just about filled in so if you want to live here you pay the piper.
How do you determine what your house is worth on the open market today?  You can go to Zillow or Cyberhomes but they only estimate its worth from … (0 comments)

san mateo: Is Something Changing? - 09/13/07 03:42 PM
There is a season for real estate just like a season for all things.  The Fall generally sees a slow down in listings and sales as people begin to think of other things on weekends like football and fall sports.  Last weekend's open house saw a reduction in the number of people coming through and we weren't the only place feeling this.  Whether this is something that was only due to other things going on last weekend or the beginning of the Fall season, won't be recognized until we see this over a couple of weekends.
I decided to take a … (2 comments)

san mateo: What's going on with the Market in San Mateo, CA - 09/02/07 05:41 AM
The largest city in our immediate area is San Mateo with almost 100,000 people living there.  It has a large spread of housing and the prices run from entry level in the high $500,000's to almost $3 million.  Obviously what you get for the smaller amount is far different than the larger amount and so is the neighborhood. San Mateo has four zips, three of them will be covered here.
<!--{PS..0}--> Altos Research breaks down San Mateo into zip codes as well as providing a city overview.  Let's talk about the city first, and then I'll break the data down … (0 comments)

san mateo: What's Going on In San Mateo County? Here's San Mateo's Latest Info. - 06/24/07 07:26 PM
Today I am continueing my discussion of the real estate market here in San Mateo County with the City of San Mateo.  It is the largest city in our immediate area with about 94,000 people.  San Mateo has four zip codes and I'll break down the information about the city by zip.  As before, all of my data is coming from Altos Research, the company we subscribe to for all of our research data.  <!--{PS..0}--> <!--{PS..1}-->
Last week the city of San Mateo had 129 homes for sale with an average time on the market of 81 days.  Inventory and days-on-market … (1 comments)

san mateo: Is The Market Slowing Down? - 06/11/07 08:29 AM
This morning, I opened up my edition of the San Francisco Chronicle and there above the fold on the front page is this headline: Would-Be Home Buyers Hesitate.  If you go to SFGate, the headline is Leisurely Lookers.  If you look at the chart that sits at the top of my blog and then click the Altos Research Chart, you will see that in each town we are tracking, days on the market have increased substantially from last year. This change took place earlier this year.  I'm using Burlingame as my example here, but the charts for our other towns, Millbrae, … (0 comments)

san mateo: Impacted Schools, Part Two - 06/05/07 11:20 AM
I received a call today from Amber Farina, Coordinator of Community Services for the San Mateo/Foster City School District, correcting some information I had been given by another person at the district office and that I wrote about yesterday. Foster city Schools do have room for Foster City children, there just might not be room at their neighborhood school. Currently there are two schools in the district with impacted Kindergartens - Baywood School in San Mateo and Foster City Elementary in Foster City. Children unable to attend these schools will be able to do so in first grade unless an opening … (0 comments)

 
Lenore Wilkas, Your North County Lifestyle & Real Estate Expert (Engel & Völkers - Carlsbad Village )

Lenore Wilkas

Your North County Lifestyle & Real Estate Expert

Carlsbad, CA

More about me…

Engel & Völkers - Carlsbad Village

Address: 181 Second Avenue, Suite 100, San Mateo, CA, 94401

Office: (650) 685-7646

Mobile: (650) 867-2909

Commenting primarily on seven cities on the San Francisco Peninsula where I live, work and play. I believe that education about the real estate process is key in my desire to help people find their next home. If you are looking for research data about a community I write about, I have it. If you have questions about how to buy a home for the first time, I like answering those questions and educating you about real estate. Are you considering a Divorce in your life? Don't do it without talking to me first because there are huge financial ramifications to keeping the family home. You need to talk to a Realtor before talking to an attorney in order to protect yourself. Want more info about why? Read my blog.


Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog