About Cupertino's Monta Vista Area

What's the market like in Cupertino CA?


Cupertino California is a suburban town in the Silicon Valley, notably home to Apple Computer and other high-tech firms. The 2000 census gives it a population of 50,546. For more demographic information, check AreaConnect

On 9.1.2011, here's what is going on in the single-family home market:

• Active listings: 83, ranging in price from $658,000-$2,999,888
• Pending sales: 31, ranging in price from $590,000-$1,449,000
• Closed escrows since 7.1.11: 23, sales prices between $729,999-$2,430,000
  

One of the homes that closed escrow earlier this week is 21547 Rosario Avenue, this well cared for, updated and remodeled 4-bedroom, 3-bath home. Built in 1972, it was sold by the original owners, a family that treasured their memories of growing, laughing, loving and living there.

After 8 days on the market, 4 offers were received, two of which were almost identical in price and terms, both over asking, a difficult decision for the sellers. The buyers have told me that they felt the happiness and love in the home, and look forward to creating their own memories as they move forward in life.

And that's a great result. Is the market good in Cupertino California? You bet!

Yup! It's that getting close to that time of the year, and its time for Santa! Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making an apearance in Cuperitino on December 4th, 2010 at the Quinlin Center here in Cupertino. You and your family are invited to a breakfast celebration with both Santa and Mrs. Claus. They will be cooking up some awesome North Pole Pancakes and of course, Santa will be posing for pictures.

Santa's elves will be setting up some holiday crafts and fun for children.

Remember, register early! Spaces are limited, and it fills up fast! Also, children must be accompanied by a paying adult. Since you have to register everyone that is going, parents and children... You cannot register online. You can get the info online, and the either fax the form in or go down to the quin

One note... Parking around the quinlin center can get tight as many people come and go. So be patient, and arrive early.

To learn more about this wonderful event, log into www.cupertino.org/register

Activity Codes:

43045 8:30 am
43046 9:00 am
43047 9:30 am
43048 10:00 am

Hope to see you there! I am signing up right now!

-Chris

Hiking in Linda Vista Park, Cupertino CA

Ever wanted to do a great hike, close to home, but feels so far away? Try Linda Vista Park. It is located on Linda Vista Drive in Cupertino. At first you wouldn't think you can do some hiking here, but the path is there, right up to the top.

The park as play structures, and the hiking trail can be found from the middle of the parking lot going up the trail.

The hike is for moderate hikers, as it is pretty much an uphill walk to the top of the hill. When you get to the top, you will be rewarded with a view of the SF Bay, the bridges, Mountain View, San Jose, Cupertino, the hills and the city.

Just watch out for poison oak. It can grow heavy in places after the winter/spring rains, but dies back a bit in the summer.

The hike to the top should take 20 or so minutes, but can be strolled on an hour, just in time for a packed in lunch.

Parking

There is a huge parking lot, with lots of room and never seems to be full.

Restrooms/Facilities

Yes, there are clean and spacious public restrooms. There are also picnic areas, and water fountains.

Play Structures

Yes, there are play structures for use, and are rarely full.

Wildlife

Yes. Deer are frequent visitors all through the park, in fact you can see thm out in the residential area as well. In the evening you can hear coyotes. There can be wild turkeys, bobcats, jays, crows, blue birds, sparrows, hawks, vultures, lizards, snakes, and squirrels. Be sure to hike in pairs, as with any other types of hikes.

Having shot several thousand homes here in Silicon Valley over the last four years, I'm often asked the same question by real estate agents and photographers alike: "What kind of camera do you use?" The answer: I've used many cameras, all with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. From the Canon 5D to my Olympus C7070, I've experimented with tons of camera/lens combinations in the search of an affordable solution that I can confidently recommend to fellow photographers and real estate agents alike.

The bottom line is that your choice will boil down to two types of digital cameras: "SLR" cameras are great and offer wide angle options, but the're expensive and require additional lenses to be purchased. "Prosumer" cameras are quite affordable, however most lack wide angle lenses or manual shooting options necessary for shooting real estate. There are a few key things I look for when purchasing a digital camera:

• Wide angle lens (needs be somewhere between 18mm and 26mm in order to show interiors well)
• Manual shooting features (needs to be able to control exposure time, f-stop setting and ISO).
• Auto bracketing feature (this will allow you to shoot HDR photos quickly and easily).
• External Flash shoe (nice to have but not necessary if you'll be shooting in HDR format, using natural lighting - I highly recommend learning to shoot this way)

Now, there are tons of SLR cameras that easily meet these criteria, however most agents I know don't want to shell out $2000 or more for such a camera and its accompanying wide angle lens. Based on this, I'm recommending the following camera:

The Panasonic Lumix LX-3. This is a great (and affordable: $399 on amazon.com, last I checked) little camera, packed with all the necessary features I listed above, and most importantly: it has a nice wide angle 24mm lens. In case you're wondering, no, I don't get any kick-backs or payment from Panasonic for this, although if they offered... ;-)

07/29/11 UPDATE: CHECK OUT THE Panasonic LX-5

I hope you've found this information useful. If so, please respond to this post and let me know. If there is a strong demand for it, I will be adding more posts, including:

• "Basic Equipment for Photographing Real Estate" (this will cover items like: tripods, tripod heads, panoramic heads and photo editing software).
• "Real Estate Photography 101" (this will explain the basic do's and don't of real estate photography and will be targeted to the amateur photographer).
• "Advanced Real Estate Photography" (this will cover more advanced techniques such as shooting in HDR format and camera settings like shutter speed, ISO setting, exposure time and white balance, and possibly night photography).
• "Virtual Tour Photography" (this will cover panoramic shooting techniques including setup, shooting and photo stitching basics).

The goal of these tutorials will be to set a photographic standard for our photographers to follow, and also to show real estate agents how they can shoot their own virtual tours. Eventually, I'll most likely post these instructionals on the home2market website. Please let me know if there are additional related subjects you'd like to see covered, and I'll consider writing about it.

Thanks for reading, and happy shooting!

Justin Adams

Okay People, I want to hear from you... If you are still in real estate and need a jolt, call or email me. I have a fun way of listenting and then giving you the kick in the butt you need to get going with your career in real estate, or is it a job for you???

Remember to watch The Secret video Again, monthly! You should have a new Dream board made for everything you want to achieve in life, even the small wants and goals- find a picture and get it on the board before the year is out! Next, crunch the numbers and work out your monetary goals with a start and finish date. Wanna lose weight, write that down too.

Stop "shoulding" on yourself and get moving, "Action?Makes it Happen! as my firend Deena would say. If your "give a shitter" is broken and you've been kicked to the curb this last year or two, by all means get it fixed and get moving- ASAP. Stop whining and get on with your life. We never said it was going to be easy. Taking the easy way out of your career is what landed this country in the heap of mess it is in! Go out and help your community by saving people from foreclosure. If you dont know what to do... ask a CDPE Agent and get more training.

Got Kids, and want to move beyond the simple goals of paying for college... then get a bigger goal like paying for their kids' college and leaving a legacy for your children's children or a group in the community. Simply put... it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.