Does this look familiar?

MLSlistings Property Detail for MLS number 672591
3615 PITCAIRN WY
San Jose, CA 95111

$800,000

This Single Family Residence has the following features:
MLS#: 672591 Approx Age: 43 Years Approx Sq Ft: 1614
Detached Single Family 1 Story Contemporary
6 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1 Stall Shower
2 or More Showers over Tubs 2 or More Tubs Gas Heat

It should! It was featured yesterday as a house that would instantly get you the pride of ownership, and be excellent for 2 families!

But wait there’s more! Burbed reader Nancy notes that this house has a 2 car garage! She’s right!

Wow… so that’s what a garage means in San Jose. If you drive Mini’s, this house could easily have a 4 car garage!

3615 Pitcairn Way, San Jose, CA 95111. San Jose Real Estate/Home for Sale.
3615 Pitcairn Way, San Jose 95111
| Bird’s Eye View Pictures

Bedroom: N/A Bathroom: 3 MLS#: 672591 Square Footage: 1614 $800,000
Status:
Active
Year Built: N/A Parking Spaces: 2 List Date: 12/16/2006 Lot Size: N/A

DESCRIPTION -
3615 Pitcairn Way, San Jose
Pride of ownership!! 4-bedrooms 2-baths. Garage converted w/permits 2-bedrooms 1-bath. Home with many upgrades……. Excellent for two families. Close to schools and freeways.

Wow! If bought this, I could have the pride of ownership! And, nothing says pride of ownership like having to rent out your garage to another family to pay your mortgage. I guess I don’t even know what I’m missing!

“Mom! Dad! Aren’t you proud of me? I bought a home!*”

“*oh, and I uh had to rent the garage out in addition to working 60 hours a week.”

Now that’s pride babyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Does this look familiar:

318 Dale Dr, San Jose, CA 95127. San Jose Real Estate/Home for Sale.
318 Dale Dr, San Jose 95127

Bedroom: 1 Bathroom: 1 MLS#: 720250 Square Footage: 576 $579,000
Status:
Active
Year Built: N/A Parking Spaces: 2 List Date: 4/18/2007 Lot Size: N/A

DESCRIPTION -
318 Dale Dr, San Jose
GARAGE CONVERTED TO 3BED/2BATH. PERMITS UNKNOWN. DO NOT SHOW UNTIL 4/25/07 OWNER IS CURRENTLY REMODELING THE HOUSE. NEW BATHROOM/ WINDOWS AND PAINT. HUGE LOT!!!. GREAT HOME FOR TWO FAMILIES.** OPEN HOUSE 5-26-07** 1PM-4PM**

It should! I posted this just yesterday! Earlier in the month, this was a $499k for 576 square foot hous – that was great for 2 people.

Well clearly the owners have come to their senses and have hiked this to the appropriate $1000 per square foot price.

Phew. That was a close one. They almost got robbed!

Better buy now! Next year this will be $1500 per square foot.

Voice Mountain View Voice: Turning off gang infatuation: Intervention starts in middle school with special counselors (May 25, 2007)
The colors and paraphernalia of local gangs are showing up more frequently in local middle schools, a phenomenon that worries officials of the Mountain View Whisman school district. To combat the growing problem, a team of special counselors has been hired to intervene with students and help them steer clear of gang activity.

[snip]

There’s a folded blue bandanna a student wore in his pocket, signifying the Surenos gang, and several drawings another student made on binder paper, depicting gang members, weapons and gang logos.

[snip]

He recalled a meeting last week with the parents of a 12-year-old girl. The parents were worried that her erratic behavior was a sign of drug use and other correlating behavior. Garcia was able to locate her Myspace Web page, where a picture of her boyfriend was prominently displayed.

“He’s a well known Sureno,” Garcia said. “Her parents were completely shocked. And while she isn’t a Sureno herself yet, we knew she was associating with them. And that’s where it starts.”

Parents need to be wary and watchful, both men agreed.

Garcia and Noriega regularly hang out around students both on campus and off. The two men will walk around neighborhoods like Latham Street and California Avenue, known gang territories, looking for familiar faces to talk to.

Or in Realtor speak: “GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS!”

Meanwhile here are the median prices in Mountain View, and the dollar per square foot:

DQNews – San Jose Mercury News Weekly Zip Code Chart
Mountain View 94040 $880,000 41.7% $641 32 88.2%
Mountain View 94041 $850,000 2.1% $685 9 28.6%
Mountain View 94043 $700,000 6.6% $521 29 -32.6%

Just think – without these gang problems, I bet $1000 per square foot would be the norm.

Happy Memorial Day! Here’s a great bargain for you bargain shoppers!

318 Dale Dr, San Jose, CA 95127. San Jose Real Estate/Home for Sale.
318 Dale Dr, San Jose 95127

Bedroom: 1 Bathroom: 1 MLS#: 720250 Square Footage: 576 $499,000
Status:
Active
Year Built: N/A Parking Spaces: 2 List Date: 4/18/2007 Lot Size: N/A
Open: Sat 13:00 – 16:00
DESCRIPTION -
318 Dale Dr, San Jose
GARAGE CONVERTED TO 3BED/2BATH. PERMITS UNKNOWN. DO NOT SHOW UNTIL 4/25/07 OWNER IS CURRENTLY REMODELING THE HOUSE. NEW BATHROOM/ WINDOWS AND PAINT. HUGE LOT!!!. GREAT HOME FOR TWO FAMILIES.** OPEN HOUSE 5-12-07** 1PM-4PM**

That’s right! This 576 sqft home is PERFECT for 2 families! Park an RV and a boat, and it might be great for 4 families.

You were waiting all year for this deal – buy now!

Burbed Reader Brian had this to say:

Here you go.  In south San Jose on Santa Teresa and Cottle intersection today there were 21 open house signs.  I couldn’t get them all in one shot but trust me there was one on every corner and on the islands.

This was last weekend… anyone want to take a picture for this weekend?

San Jose Mercury News – Report: California faces looming skills gap as college grads look elsewhere
For decades, the educated have flocked to California to make their fortune in aerospace, computer and other high-tech jobs. But that modern gold rush is over, which could spell trouble for the state’s economic future.

With stratospheric housing prices pushing an unprecedented flow of college graduates out of the state, a prominent think tank says California faces a worrisome shortage in future decades: A lack of highly skilled workers to buttress the state’s quality of life.

A report released today by the Public Policy Institute of California says that while a new flow of highly educated foreign immigrants has covered the needs of California businesses in recent years, the out flux of college graduates to other states, limits on immigration, a growing number of jobs that require a college degree, and the fact that California is not producing enough college graduates collectively means that the state faces a worrisome brain gap.

This is bad news. Who will be buying homes and paying for retirements if these people leave California?

Clearly, repealing Prop 13 is out of the question – it would be the height of ridiculousness that someone who buys a home today should pay the same property tax as his neighbor who bought in 1977. After all, the person who bought in 1977 clearly helped improve the community by the sheer act of living there. It’s tough you know!

The only solution to mitigate the problem of these people leaving is to support Proposition 1313: Protect Californian Homeowners By Youth Exit Tax

Basically, every time someone who is under 65 leaves the state, he or she will be assessed an exit tax. The tax rate will be the highest for those who are youngest, and will gradually decrease until it is 0% for someone who is 65. The taxes collected will go to a fund to ensure that everyone who sells their home in California will break even. This will encourage California’s youths to not leave the state, and buy Californian homes – thus Saving the American dream and stabilizing society.

Problem solved!

Are you with me?  Support this Proposition today!

What an interesting week it has been:

Monday: We looked at a $585,000 ($3442 a month mortgage) that rents for just $1850 in Redwood City (Thank goodness for guaranteed 20% yearly appreciation!)

Tuesday: We found out that groceries for your Memorial Day Weekend BBQ will cost 11% more than if you lived in DC, 17% more than if you lived in Seattle. (Our perfect weather means that the food sold at Safeway tastes better.)

Wednesday: We looked at $699 4br/3.5ba house in Washington DC. And we learned that if you made $100k here, you only need to make $90k there. (But then we realized that they don’t have Fry’s there. Good luck buying anything tech!)

Thursday: We looked at $698 5br/2.75ba house in Bellevue, WA. And we learned that if you made $100k here, you only need to make $73k there. (But then we realized that they don’t have the California sun – don’t you spend all day outdoors having fun? What? You’re working to pay a mortgage?)

And now, it’s Friday. So to wrap up the week before we head out for a long weekend, let’s see what $699,000 – the median home in Santa Clara – buys you in the world’s most perfect region to live in:

MLSlistings Property Detail for MLS number 722955
1213 JERVIS AV
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
$699,000

This Single Family Residence has the following features:
MLS#: 722955 Approx Age: 57 Years Approx Sq Ft: 1110
Attached Single Family 1 Story Ranch
3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 or More Stall Showers
2 or More Tubs Eat in Kitchen Living Rm/Dining Rm Combo

Yep… that’s what you get! Beautiful huh?

Don’t tell me you’d rather have this:

or this:

At the end of the day, you don’t need a big home, or cheap groceries. What you really need is a big mortgage, and a house with bars on the windows and doors, and a gate.

Nothing will give you the freedom you so deserve after working so hard all week, like a house in Silicon Valley.

Have a good weekend everyone!

So on Tuesday we learned that if you lived in Seattle, WA, that your grocery bill for a BBQ this Memorial Day weekend would be almost 17% less compared to here.

But then again, the food there is always soggy due to rain. Imagine, every meal you eat will be like oatmeal because they don’t have our amazing Californian sun!

For fun, let’s take a look at what $700k (the current median price in Santa Clara) buys you in the area where Amazon/Nintendo/Microsoft employees live!

REALTOR.com: Find a Home – Listing Detail
$698,000
5 Bed, 2.75 Bath
2,570 Sq. Ft.
0.24 Acres
Bellevue, WA 98005

MLS ID# 27032724

Single Family Property, Area: Kirkland/Bridel Trails, Subdivision: Cherry Crest #3, Approximately 0.24 acre(s), Lot is 10400 sq. ft., Year Built: 1977, Single story, Basement, Fireplace(s), Hardwood floors

Wow, that’s a pretty big house!

And just for more fun, according to this cost of living calculator, if you make $100,000 in San Jose (practically the starting salary these days) and you moved to Bellevue/Redmond/Seattle WA:

Equivalent income in the city you’re moving to: $72,891.74.
You may take a 27.11% decrease and still maintain your standard of living.

So your groceries would be cheaper, your house would be nicer, and your general cost of living would be lower. And sure they my have tech jobs, Fry’s, schools, water, diversity, etc.

But ask yourself: Do they have El Camino Real there? Do they have the sun?

Accept no substitutions – accept only perfection: The Bay Area.

So yesterday we learned that if you lived in Washington DC, that your grocery bill for a BBQ this Memorial Day weekend would be almost 11% less compared to here.

But then again, our better means that our groceries will taste even better when they’re eaten!

For fun, let’s take a look at what $700k (the current median price in Santa Clara) buys you in DC!

REALTOR.com: Find a Home – Listing Detail
$699,000
4 Bed, 3.5 Bath
0.1 Acres

MLS ID# DC6367924
$699,000
4 Bed, 3.5 Bath, 0.1 Acres
Wonderful 4 level Colonial on a corner lot in popular 16th Street Heights. This cozy home has great living and entertaining spaces on the main level with a formal living room with fireplace and french doors to a sun porch, spacious dining room, and a study. Other features include: 2 master bedroom suites, a skylit attic, recreation room and attached garage. Enjoy a lovely fenced yard with patio and terraced rear–all very private and tranquil. Conveniently located-just steps from Rock Creek park and minutes to the subway and new Columbia Heights retail.

Single Family Property, Subdivision: 16TH STREET HEIGHTS, County: WASHINGTON, Approximately 0.1 acre(s), Lot is 4508 sq. ft., Year Built: 1941, Four or more stories, Central air conditioning, Basement, Fireplace(s), Dining room, Den, Hardwood floors

Wow, that’s a pretty nice looking house!

And just for more fun, according to this cost of living calculator, if you make $100,000 in San Jose (practically the starting salary these days) and you moved to DC:

Equivalent income in the city you’re moving to: $90,032.08.
You may take a 9.97% decrease and still maintain your standard of living

So your groceries would be cheaper, your house would be nicer, and your general cost of living would be lower.

But ask yourself: Do they have El Camino Real there? Do they have Fry’s? Do they have 280 or 101 there?

Accept no substitutions – accept only perfection: The Bay Area.