Anja Kerstens - Signature Homes and Estates

Gilroy Garlic Festival

The Gilroy Garlic Committee is in full gear preparing for another successful event. After almost a full year of organizing the thirty-first annual event, the volunteers the many artisans, bands and activities they are in the final count down. The banners are up in Gilroy, and volunteers are put in position.

I am excited, as everyone else is of course, about volunteering and be part of the hustle and bustle. Working the beer booth is exciting. I have worked my way up over the years. I started out in 2001 as a garbage collector with the Gilroy Gators, the local swim team. Every evening at closing time (7:00 PM) we would sweep the grounds and pick up every little piece of garbage. The parents and team clean the festival grounds in no time. Then I moved up to hospitality, lemonade sales, information booth and the endless sale of water bottles. A few years ago I was asked to work in the beer booth for the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. I could hardly keep up with the sale of beer! That beer looks so good on a sweltering hot day at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

People come from far away to visit the Garlic Festival, which attracts more than 100,000 visitors. In Gourmet Alley pyro chefs cook up delicious garlic dishes such as calamari, scampi, pasta con pesto, the famous garlic ginger chicken stir-fry, peppersteak sandwich and much, much more. Amateur cooks from all over the country and Canada participate in a recipe contest and the 8 finalists are invited to prepare their recipes on the Cook-off stage.

A few weeks ago I hosted a party and decided to prepare all dishes from the two cookbooks I bought at the Garlic Festival which are a compilation of recipes from the cook-off contest. It was a great hit.

Anja Kerstens - Signature Homes and Estates

Property Tax Assessment

All Santa Clara Property owners should have received the Notification of Assessed Value card from Lawrence E. Stone, the Santa Clara County Assessor.

Many properties have been assessed at a lower value based on the decrease of property values, however, not all properties have been adjusted.

If property owners feel that the market value of their property is lower than the assessed value on the notification card they can appeal the assessed value of their property. It is important to know what the market value of the property is on January 1, 2009.

What are the steps to take to appeal the assessed value:

• Go to the website of the Santa Clara County Assessor and download the proposition 8 form to request a temporary assessment relief or
  
• Contact them at 408-299-5300 (Property valuations, Propositions 8), Email: RP@asr.sccgov.org, faxed, or personally dropped off at 70 West Heddings Street in San Jose.
  
• Gather evidence: A property owner can gather evidence of lower market value by finding "comparable sales". Comparable sales are properties which sold near the property within 90 days of the assessed date of January 1, 2009. They should be similar in appearance, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, lot size, improvements such as additions, patios and pool, and quality. It is helpful to calculate your property's price of living space per-square-foot and match them to the compared properties (patios and garages are not considered "living space").
  
• Comparable sales data can be found by your real estate professional or by going to the public records at the local assessors' office. These are usually available for free or a moderate fee.
• Know the full address and/or assessor's parcel number for each property that is compared.
  
• File your appeal before August 15, 2009
  

Note: just because your property is assessed higher than your neighbor is not a valid reason to reduce the assessed value of your property.

If you like help on this topic or are interested in properties in the South Bay you may contact me at anjakerstens@akerstens.com

Eagle Ridge Realty - Silicon Valley Golf Course Properties

Creekside in Eagle Ridge is sold out.

All homes that have been in inventory for the last two years are now sold. The California tax credit of $10,000 for new construction purchases may have helped moving these homes.

Shapell has started construction on four new homes which will be released in July of 2009. Prices are not set yet but will range in the high $600,000s or low $700,000s.

This is good news for those missed out on this great opportunity to own new construction in Eagle Ridge.

Predicting the future of real estate

As we all know it is hard to predict the future of real estate. There is not one single cause that put us in todays precarious market rather it is a cumulation of different factors. Price values have always gone through cycles of up and downs but what caused this last down turn to be so severe?

Eagle Ridge Inventory is down again.

I can't believe that we are down to only 11 homes here in Eagle Ridge. In the beginning of March the inventory was about 42 and now we are looking at only 11 properties. The new listings are priced higher and that is a good sign for those looking to move out of Eagle Ridge. In June two properties went to escrow and were sold over asking price. There was one new listing and one property was reduced in price. Four properties went to contract. These numbers are very good.

Conclusion: The market is up, inventory is down and properties are moving. Eagle Ridge is a community in demand.

If you are looking for a property in Eagle Ridge give me a call or contact me per email. I will be happy to show you what is available.