Check out our Belmont Neighborhood Guide

We got such positive feedback from our San Mateo Neighborhood Guide, we decided to dive into Belmont. Belmont is one of the more desirable cities on the peninsula for families because of their top notch schools.

Belmont has more of a Village Feel

If you’re looking for urban living, Belmont may not be the city for you. Though there are shopping and restaurants conveniently located to all Belmont neighborhoods, one shopping complex on each side of the city and one in the middle, very few locations are walkable and none are considered “downtown.”

Looking for a Downtown Urban Lifestyle?

For those of you looking to live more in a neighborhood setting with great schools, Belmont may just be the ticket. Belmont does have a variety of terrain both steeply sloped and flat lots as well as neighborhoods with sidewalks and neighborhoods with dirt shoulders.

If a more urban lifestyle with a genuine downtown appeals to you, check out our San Mateo Neighborhood Guide. We think you’ll more likely find the neighborhood you’re looking for there.

What Are You Looking for in a Belmont Neighborhood?

Whether you prefer a flatter neighborhood, or a more rural neighborhood with no sidewalks, you can use our Belmont Neighborhood Guide to find out which neighborhood is right for you.

Head Over to Our Belmont Neighborhood Guide and Check it Out!

Search Belmont Homes for Sale

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

Belmont Homes Between $600k and $700k

Belmont is one San Mateo County City that prefers to keep the “Country” feel. With only a small geographical area that could be considered downtown, most of Belmont is comprised of single family homes in neighborhoods.

Top Notch Schools Make Belmont a Desirable Place to Live

Because of the top notch schools, Belmont is considered one of the more desirable cities to live in San Mateo County. Belmont is home to some more expensive homes, that can be found at the top of Ralston Ave in Hallmark and some more moderate (well at least moderate compared to the rest of San Mateo County) neighborhoods.

What Can You Buy in Belmont for $600,000 – $700,000?

There are two Belmont neighborhoods with homes that sell for between $600,000 and $700,000: Belmont County Club and Homeview – Sterling Downs.

What Can You Buy in Belmont Country Club?

For between $600k and $700k you can expect to buy a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,000 sq foot house on a 4,500-6,500 sq ft lot in Belmont Country Club.

Where is Belmont Country Club?

Belmont Country Club is bordered by Ralston Ave, El Camino, Ruth Ave and Alameda de las Pulgas.

View Belmont Country Club in a larger map

What Type of Neighborhood is Belmont Country Club?

Belmont Country Club ranges from hilly terrain with no sidewalks, to a more flat neighborhood with sidewalks and a short walk to shops and restaurants. Belmont Country Club is most known for its steep sloping lots on either side of Alameda. Architecturally, the homes are very different and some of the homes towards the top of the hill have spectacular views.

What Can You Buy in Homeview – Sterling Downs?

By going a bit down Ralston to the Homeview – Sterling Downs neighborhood of Belmont, you’ll get one more bedroom and about 100 more sq ft of living space on average. Most homes between $600k and $700k in Belmont’s Homeview – Sterling Downs neighborhood are 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,100 sq ft homes on 4,500 to 6,500 sq ft lots.

What Type of Neighborhood is Homeview – Sterling Downs?

Homeview – Sterling Downs has more of a neighborhood feel for a more moderate price. The neighborhood is fairly flat and there are sidewalks throughout. The pride of home ownership is apparent here, with many homeowners improving and maintaining their home’s exterior appearance.

Where is Homeview – Sterling Downs?

Homeview – Sterling Downs is located to the East of El Camino over Highway 101.

View Homeview – Sterling Downs, Belmont in a larger map

Search Belmont Homes Between $600k and $700k

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

Q: How Do I Start My San Mateo Home Search?

A: I’ve had this question asked many times by San Mateo first time home buyers as well as trade up buyers. The answer is use the Internet. Here is what I would do.

Step #1: Get a Rought Estimate of What You Can Afford

Use a basic mortgage calculator, like the one below, to get a rough estimate of what size loan you’d be comfortable paying.

    Free Mortgage Calculator

Step #2: Begin to Look at What’s Available

Once you have this rough number of what you can afford, begin by scanning the real estate web sites like our San Mateo Home Search here on

You can set up this automated search program for you by creating an account and entering your search criteria in our online San Mateo Home Search program. We will email you at no charge or obligation, details and photographs of homes listed that match your search criteria. You’ll get maps, driving directions, demographic, school and community information about each property that will help you begin to narrow down your home search. We can also set this up for you if you’ll email us your search criteria at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com.

The Internet is most efficient and effective search and information tool we have ever seen in the real estate business. Use it to your advantage to save time, effort and money.

Step #4: Get Pre-Approved for a Loan

Set up an appointment with a reputable lender who will take the time to go through your options and present different loan programs that may work with your financial situation. Here, you will also get a more accurate idea of what a lender will loan you to buy a home. We recommend contacting our Co-Author, Chris Williamson, who will take the time to go through your options and explain the process. Chris can be reached through email at Chris@SanMateoMortgageBlog.com or by phone at (650) 520-0915.

Step #5: Select a Buyer’s Agent

After you’ve visited a reputable lender and know what you can afford, it’s time to find a real estate agent who specializes in working with buyers. For more info, you can read our post How to Select a San Mateo Buyer’s Agent?

We’d also suggest you take a look at our Buyer Representation program. If you like what you see, call us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to schedule a no obligation consultation. We’ll help you come up with a game plan for a stress free and smoothe real estate transaction.

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San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class Wed Jan 26, 2011 @ 7pm

Back by popular demand, we’ve added another San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class Wednesday January 26th at 7pm.

What Will Attendees Learn?

As with our past First Time Home Buyer classes, San Mateo first time home buyers will learn:

• What’s the San Mateo real estate market really like?
  
• Is now the right time to buy a home in San Mateo or am I better off to wait?
  
• The truth about foreclosures, bank owned homes and short sales.
• The costly mistakes even smart home buyers make and how you can avoid them.
  

Our past attendees have told us this class is filled with real world information that will help you buy San Mateo real estate right. Check out a sneak peak of the program in this YouTube clip.

When? Wed Jan 26 at 7pm in San Mateo

Our San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class will be presented Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7pm.

Check Out Our Class Schedule for Other Webinars and Classes

We specialize in home buyer and home seller education and present live classes and webinars to help inform, educate and empower San Mateo home buyers and sellers. For a complete list of our upcoming programs, visit our San Mateo Home Buyer and Seller Class Schedule.

Search San Mateo Homes

To search San Mateo homes, click on the map below.

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

What Can I Expect to Buy in San Mateo Between $600,000-$700,000?

You’re Looking at Three San Mateo Neighborhoods

Currently in the City of San Mateo there are 18 single family homes for sale priced between $600,000 and $700,000; 12 homes are located east of El Camino Real and west of Highway 101.  The majority can be found in 3 neighborhoods:  Sunnybrae, Fiesta Gardens and San Mateo Village.  All three of these San Mateo neighborhoods offer similar convenience to shopping and transportation, yet they have their distinctions.

San Mateo Neighborhood #1: Sunnybrae

Sunnybrae’s  population is about 3,100 people living in roughly a ½ mile square. The recently remodeled Sunnybrae Elementary School scored over 800 on API statewide, standardized testing program, and is ranked a 5 on Greatschools.net with a Parent Rating of 4 out of a possible 5.

What Kind of Neighborhood is Sunnybrae?

Almost 60% of the existing housing inventory in San Mateo’s Sunnybrae neighborhood was constructed from 1940 to 1959 with virtually no new construction since 1980. Visually Sunnybrae is an older neighborhood with mature foliage and quiet streets.  Sunnybrae homes located nearer Highway 101 experience highway traffic noise to varying degrees.

What Types of Homes are in Sunnybrae?

Typical lots are 4,500 square feet to 5,500 square feet with an upper limit of value approximately $700,000 within the Sunnybrae neighborhood.  Most homes are of the 2 and 3 bedroom variety between 1,000sf and 1,300sf with 1 car garages and a handful of 4 bedroom, 1,500sf plus homes with 2 car garages.

San Mateo Neighborhood #2: Fiesta Gardens

Fiesta Gardens’  - a unique pocket neighborhood, out of the cross town traffic pattern – most noteworthy features are its International School, a two-way Spanish/English language dual immersion public elementary magnet school, and it’s active and proud neighborhood association.  Rated a 4 by GreatSchools.net, the International School gets a 5 of 5 Parent Rating.

What Type of Neighborhood is Fiesta Gardens?

Visually Fiesta Gardens landscaping is not as mature as Sunnybrae with fewer trees and wider streets, but with better recreational facilities – park and ball fields.  Neat, clean and well maintained, Fiesta Gardens is clearly a family oriented neighborhood.

What Type of Homes Can I Expect in Fiesta Gardens?

Only 3 homes for sale are located in Fiesta Gardens of a total of 83 single family homes currently for sale in the City of San Mateo.  All are priced in the $600k-$700K range.  Lot and building sizes are comparable with  Sunnybrae, however there a smaller number of homes in Fiesta Gardens and they are generally newer and more updated than Sunnybrae.

San Mateo Neighborhood #3: San Mateo Village

San Mateo Village is one of San Mateo’s many neighborhoods built in the 1950s. In the past 10-15 years, many young families have moved into San Mateo Village and begun the process of renovating and remodeling their homes and have made San Mateo Village one of San Mateo’s more desirable neighborhoods to live.

What Type of Homes Can I Expect in San Mateo Village?

You can expect to find a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home of about 1,200 sq ft and a 5,000 sq ft lot. Some will have an additional bathroom that was added after its original construction.

Moving to San Mateo?

Check out our Buyer Representation page to learn more about us and how we work. We think you’ll like what you find! Then, contact us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to schedule a no obligation consultation to discuss how we may be able to help you have the best real estate experience possible.

Search San Mateo Homes Between $600k-$700k

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

How Do Buyers Finance Short Sales?

In our last post, we showed you how buyers financed bank owned homes in San Mateo County. This post, I’d like to talk about the differences in how San Mateo County home buyers purchase short sales, or pre-foreclosures.

Fewer All Cash Buyers in the Short Sale Market

Savvy San Mateo real estate investors who have cash have realized the challenges surrounding purchasing short sales. As we showed you in the bank owned homes segment of the San Mateo real estate market, 31% of bank owned homes are purchased with all cash. In the short sale market, only 16% of homes are purchased with all cash.

Why are Investors More Interested in Bank Owned Homes?

Buying short sales is a very uncertain process. Though we have one of the highest success rates in the country (at around 30% of all short sales listed closing escrow), short sales are still loaded with a lot of uncontrollable variables and take months to sort out. For more information about these variables, check out a previous post, Why San Mateo Short Sales Fail.

Some Truths About San Mateo Short Sales

We’ve written a whole series of posts about short sales and why they are so problematic for buyers. One of our most popular is the Truth About San Mateo Short Sales.

Short Sales Take Much Longer to Close Escrow

Of the 391 bank owned homes that sold in San Mateo County in the last 6 months, they were on the market for an average of 56 days before they accepted an offer and were in escrow for 35 days (this is the number of days between when an offer was accepted and when the property sold).

Of the 339 short sales that actually sold in San Mateo County in the last 6 months, they were on the market for an average of 104 days before accepting an offer and were in escrow for 98 days. Remember, these figures do not include the short sales where the seller accepted an offer and the bank took 8 months to come back to the buyer and say no. These figures ONLY include the short sales that actually closed escrow.

Short Sale Buyers Need Loans

As you can see in the chart above, 84% of buyers purchasing short sales in San Mateo needed financing of some sort. Most cash buyers have decided to put their money in the bank owned market and go for the more sure thing.

Remember, Not all Short Sales are Good Deals

Some of these homes you see on the market as a “short sale” were purchased at the height of the market. One property in Belmont I saw listed for sale last summer at $725,000 as a short sale was recently taken back in foreclosure and was recently listed on the market for $650,000. Keep in mind, the single family home market in Belmont has been inching up for the past several months, so last summer this house was definitely not a $650,000 house. However, the owner had it on the market as a short sale for $725,000. Buyers who thought all short sales were good deals would’ve been sold a bill of goods here.

Planning on Buying a San Mateo Short Sale?

If you’re planning on buying a short sale in San Mateo, we’d suggest you do as we do and ask these 15 Questions Before You Make an Offer on a San Mateo Short Sale. With the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to get a much better idea how likely your chances of a successful outcome will be.

Need a Buyer’s Agent? Call Us…It’s Free!

Did you know buyer representation is free to the home buyer? That’s right! The buyers agent’s fee is paid by the company that lists the property. So, it costs you no more to be represented by your own agent.

Thinking of going through the listing agent to save money on commission? Don’t bother! They usually won’t refund you the money and they have a fiduciary duty to get the seller the most money possible. Sounds more to me like going that route could cost you money. Besides, you wouldn’t hire the other sides attorney if you got sued would you?

Call us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to schedule a no obligation consultation.

Search San Mateo Short Sales

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

All Foreclosure Buyers are Cash Buyers

Last week, we got a question from a reader who had been pre-approved for an FHA loan and her Realtor told her that she can forget buying bank owned homes because all bank owned home buyers were cash buyers.

Are All Bank Owned San Mateo Homes Bought with Cash?

That is completely untrue. If you take a look at the pie chart I created, which shows how San Mateo County buyers financed the 391 bank owned homes and condos sold in the past 6 months, you can see only 31% of these 391 transactions were purchased with all cash.

Only 31% of Bank Owned Homes Purchased with Cash

Yes, that’s right….and that means 69% (152) of bank owned homes and condos bought within the last 6 months (between 11/19/09 and 4/19/10) were purchased with some sort of financing. Sounds to me like MOST bank owned homes in San Mateo County are bought with a loan, not all cash.

Why is Cash Seen as Better?

In this San Mateo County foreclosure market, we have two groups of people competing to buy the same group of bank owned houses: investors and home buyers. On the more desirable bank owned homes, we are seeing multiple offers and sometimes overbids. In this situation, banks have been known to take all cash offers over offers where financing is involved because they can usually close in less than a week and the bank doesn’t have to wait for the buyer to be approved for financing and an appraisal to be done. Banks want to know they have a done deal with they agree to sell someone the house. Cash takes a lot of the uncertainty out of the equation.

Are Cash Buyers in Every Bank Owned Transaction?

Definitely not. If so, you’d see a LOT higher percentage of all cash transactions. With only 31% of bank owned homes purchased with all cash, it is apparent that not every buyer is a cash buyer.

Need a Loan to Buy a Bank Owned San Mateo Home?

You are not alone and it is possible, as the data shows. With some patience and by utilizing a professional agent who knows the San Mateo bank owned real estate market, you can take advantage of affordable housing prices and historically low interest rates. Call us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to schedule a no obligation consultation today.

Search San Mateo County Bank Owned Homes

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

Local Issues Impact How Much You’ll Like Living in Your San Mateo Home

In San Mateo, as in any market, there are a variety of local issues that can have a significant impact on the buyer’s satisfaction with their purchase. Here are a few of the considerations unique to San Mateo County that you should be aware of:

• Earthquake Faults
• Flood Zones
• Land Slide Zones
• Highway 92 Construction
• Highway 1 Construction
• Highway 101/Poplar Avenue/Peninsula Avenue Improvements
• School Enrollment Restrictions
• Building Improvement Requirements and Limitations
• Property Tax Reassessments
• Sewer Connection Strictures
• Airport Noise
• Water Restrictions
• Private Roads & Street Maintenance
• Fire Protection Coverage
• Private Transfer Fees
• Mello Roos Zone Assessments
• City and County Transfer Fees
• Litigation Judgments
• Liquefaction Zone

When You Find a Home, Ask Questions First

A competent real estate broker can advise you of these and other local issues that may affect the property you are looking to buy. Ask questions and prepare yourself for the reality that your potential home offers.

Want to Discuss How These Issues Will Impact Your Satisfaction?

If you’d like to discuss these or other issues you have encountered, please feel free to call us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to set up a no obligation consultation.

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Tips for Women Home Buyers in San Mateo

Single and unmarried women comprised more than one-third of the growth in home ownership since 1994 according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. In San Mateo, California, women make up an increasing share of middle-income households as more than one in five home buyers are single women.

Look for Safe, Secure and Stable Communities and Neighborhoods

Safe, secure, stable and comfortable communities like Belmont, San Carlos and San Mateo, California, are particularly attractive to women with a strong desire to own their own home and establish roots.

Safety and security are two primary concerns among women home buyers. These buyers should inspect the accessibility, layout and visibility of streets, parking lots, garages and entry ways of the property carefully.

Tips for Security Conscious Women Home Buyers

Here are some tips for security conscious women home buyers. The most secure and safe San Mateo homes or condominiums have the following features:

1. Attached garages and electronic door openers
   
2. Secure entrances such as gated communities or security entrances
   
3. Ample street lighting and motion sensor lights around house
   
4. First floor bedrooms
   
5. Double-pane windows
   
6. Fenced back yard
   
7. Not on an alley
   
8. Effective locks and door jams
   
9. Security systems
   

Check the Neighborhood’s Safety Record

Finally, you should also check out the neighborhood’s safety record. Crime is generally higher in mixed-use areas than areas composed solely of single family homes. For specific figures, check the neighborhood’s crime statistics with the local police department and make sure to view the
FBI’s national registry of sex offenders.

With a little homework, you can easily find the home you’ve always wanted.

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Lenders Trying to Find their Footing with New Financing Regulations

Now that the new good faith estimate and regulations are in effect, banks and other lending institutions are still trying to digest and implement the new changes.  Each and every lender has interpreted the new regulations differently, which means with every lender you will get their own tweaked version of their new loan process.  Having a different loan process is not such a huge deal unless the bank you’re working with has decided to cut out the most important part of the process, the pre-approval.

Big Banks Have Discussed Eliminating Pre-Approvals

As lenders begin to work through the lending guideline changes from January 2010, some bigger banks have discussed eliminating pre-approvals.  Instead, they are opting to wait until a potential borrower is under contract before the bank starts looking at and verifying your income, assets and credit score.

Why Won’t Big Banks Issue Pre-Approvals Before Borrower Finds a Home?

Big banks want to stop issuing pre-approvals because they don’t want to clog up their system with pre-approvals that may not turn into real deals’.which means you as their customer are not important to them until you have entered into a legally binding contract with a seller to purchase a San Mateo home.  Only then are the big banks willing to spend time determining if you qualify for mortgage financing.  But….if you wait until you are under contract to get pre-approved, you could lose a lot of money and the house you love!

Why Waiting for a Pre-Approval is a Bad Idea!

The reason a San Mateo home buyer should get a genuine pre-approval is to make sure you will qualify for financing, find out exactly how much you can afford, and see if there are any red flags a lender may find before you start looking for a house.

As a home buyer, you should be confident that your income, assets and credit will qualify for mortgage financing before moving forward on a purchase contract with a seller.  What some of the big banks are issuing are glorified pre-qualifications, really more like estimates at best, as to what you can afford. This means they may pull the plug and deny you financing!

You Could Lose a Lot of Money and the House You Want to Buy!

Typically you have 30 days from the time the seller accepts your offer to close your transaction.  Why would anybody want to enter into a legally binding contract, put down 3% of the purchase price as a deposit, pay for inspections and appraisals (upwards of a $1000 or more), and to go through the emotional roller coaster of a purchase transaction only to find out at the end that you don’t qualify for financing? Wouldn’t you rather know that before you even start to shop for a home?

If you would have received your pre-approval at the very beginning, you can take out the unknown factor of “Will I be approved for this loan”?  A genuine pre-approval will save you money, time and the anxiety of not knowing if you qualify for a home loan.

Smart Sellers and Listing Agents Won’t Accept Your Offer

The fact of the matter is smart sellers and listing agents will not even accept your offer without a genuine pre-approval letter.  Listing agents who are representing their seller’s best interests will call the lender who issued the pre-approval and ask just how credit worthy is this buyer. They will also ask if the lender has verified the buyers income, assets and credit score and has been fully approved for the loan.  If the lender answers no, most listing agents are going to advise their clients not to accept the purchase contract and find another buyer who is genuinely pre-approved and can confidently move forward with the transaction.

Your Pre-Approval Letter May Not Be Worth the Paper It’s Written On

If you’re reading this and are relieved because you’ve already received a pre-approval letter from a big bank, the first question you should ask yourself is, did my lender review my documentation?

If you did not supply your paystubs, tax returns, bank statements and agree to have your credit score pulled, and the bank gave you a pre-approval letter, all they gave you have is a glorified pre-qualification letter.  This means your approval is not worth the paper it’s written on.  So remember….pre-approval letter means verification of income, assets and credit.

When Should I Get Pre-Approved?

You should be fully pre-approved by a reputable lender BEFORE you start to even look for a house.  You need to know how much you can afford before you start looking for a home.

Received an Approval from a Bank and Want to Make Sure It’s a Genuine Pre-Approval?

If you are already in the loan process and want to make sure you have a genuine pre-approval letter, give me a call at (650) 520-0915 or send me an email at info@SanMateoMortgageBlog.com. I can take a look at what you’ve received and help you determine whether or not you are pre-approved.

Learn your Mortgage Financing Options

If you’re not quite ready to go through the pre-approval process but want some information about what types of programs may fit your financial needs, we can schedule a time to sit down and talk about your options.  There is no obligation or cost for this meeting.  Call me at (650) 520-0915 or email me at info@SanMateoMortgageBlog.com to schedule a time to sit down and talk. I still fully pre-approve all my clients at the very beginning, well before they start looking for a home.  It is the most important piece in the home buying process and will ensure a smoother and successful closing.

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Raymond Stoklosa, Chela Stoklosa and Rebecca Williamson are Realtors with The RayChel Realty Group specializing in Santa Clara and San Mateo Real Estate.

Chris Williamson is a Mortgage Advisor with Mortgage California specializing in San Mateo Mortgage.