Let’s spend another day seeing what kind of house you can get if you’re willing to drive a little, save a lot.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Tracy Tea House for this magnificent Morgan Hill megaproject!

545 LIVE OAK Ave
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
$899,950

BEDS: 2
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 2,006
$/SQ. FT.: $449
LOT SIZE: 3.28 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Country English
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Mountains
YEAR BUILT: 1946
COMMUNITY: Morgan Hill/Gilroy/San Martin
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81206317
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 107 days

THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED IN COYOITE VALLEY. THE LOT SIZE IS 3.28 ACRES. THERE ARE FIVE HOMES ON THE PROPERTY. TWO OF THE HOMES ARE LEGAL, THE OTHER THREE ARE LEGAL NON-COMFORMING. ALL OF THE HOMES HAVE SOME UPGRADES. OWNER LIVES IN THE FRONT HOME. TOTAL RENT COLLECTED ON THE OTHER FOUR HOMES IS $5,200.TWO OF THE HOMES ARE RENTED TO FAMILY MEMBERS AT BELOW MARKET RENTAL RATE.

What an opportunity!  There shouldn’t be any downside in buying five houses with permit issues and tenants related to the seller who expect subsidized rent forever!

“Bunus”: Large vehicle collection; negotiate possession.

Here’s a find somewhat far afield from our usual fun fare: all the way in Morgan Hill, and not on a reservoir!  So there’s a good chance you won’t lose half the yard when the water level at Uvas goes up.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Tracy for this delightful domicile.

19660 CAPRISTA Ct, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
$459,500

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,614
$/SQ. FT.: $285
LOT SIZE: 2.29 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Ranch
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Mountains
YEAR BUILT: 1947
COMMUNITY: Morgan Hill/Gilroy/San Martin
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81139760
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 75 days

REGULAR SALE! Just $459k for a 3/2 house on 2+ ACRES in North Morgan Hill – only 10 minutes to 85/101. Look at the pictures – yes it’s rough, yes there’s a PG & E tower at the front of the lot, but, this flat deep 2+ acres has loads of potential! What would YOU do with 2+ acres? Ride horses? Grow crops? Play soccer? Raise livestock? Run your own business? Use your imagination & make it your own.

Here’s why Tracy sent this listing in to Burbed:

Take a look at his write up… It is refreshing, the realtor admits to a tower! I have shown up at many open houses only to find that a large high power unit was photo shopped out of the pictures on the MLS. Also, the pictures are very real as well, no clean- up crew here@ WYSIWYG

I guess Diogenes can put that lamp down, because Tracy has finally found us some honest listing copy.  Also, with the high-voltage transmission lines so nearby, why waste the lamp oil?

Meanwhile, what would you do with 2+ acres IN MORGAN HILL?  I’m thinking you could rent out some of the land to the FBs who got foreclosed on or sold short, but still have a one hour commute because they can’t afford Mountain View.

One of the listing photos shows the seller had the same idea.  But do use your imagination and make it your own.

Today’s featured listing is thanks to new Burbed reader wahnny, who brings us a delightful first Guest Post from an infrequent Burbed destination.  Let’s hitch up the trailer, because we’re going for a drive down south, and we’re going to be using the boat ramp!

Please give wahnny a big, warm, Real Bay Area welcome as today’s Guest Blogger!

14400 UVAS Rd, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
$2,400,000

BEDS: 5
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 4,480
$/SQ. FT.: $536
LOT SIZE: 9.45 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Ranch
STORIES: 2
VIEW: Lake
YEAR BUILT: 1962
COMMUNITY: Morgan Hill/Gilroy/San Martin
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81143867
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 27 days

Private and luxurious peninsula estate with breathtaking views of Uvas Reservoir on 9.45 Acres property is magnificent and transformational. With a 5 bedroom house, 2 bedroom guest house, triple carport, shop, and a barn and 6+ acres of arable land, this property has much to offer. This home is surrounded by water front on 3 sides, a 626 acre County Park and 1,165 acres of Open Space Preserve land

I’m a newcomer to burbed.com (thanks to the link by madhaus on redfin forum), and thought this might be an interesting article to share:

I recently saw a unique property for sale in Llagas-Uvas area of southwest Santa Clara County.

Although the location of this property may be outside the RBA, its pricing doesn’t seem to be.  Aside from being adjacent to a county park (and its parking lot, with frequent weekend traffic), what makes this property extra “special” is the lakefront views … except during the rainy season, when over a third of the property may be underwater (notice the partially submerged trees), or during the summer season, when the water levels go down (sometimes way down … it’s a reservoir after all … see Google Earth image history).

Images from Google Earth of 14400 Uvas Road. Left taken on 5/31/2007.  Right taken on 6/19/2011. 

Thanks to Burbed reader Ek for this photo:

Further proof that Morgan Hill isn’t in The Real Bay Area, and that you need to visit Scott Murray.

Thanks Ek.

MLSlistings Property Detail for MLS number 731716
16645 CORY LN
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
$579,000
Att: First Time Home Buyers
NO MONEY DOWN, NO PAYMENTS FOR 6 MONTHS. Lovely home with lots of room for you to enjoy! Fully detached is situated on nice quiet safe street. Surrounded by a large private, child-safe fenced yard. It features nice remodeled kitchen with new appliances. Long drive way perfect for an RV. CALL US FOR MORE INFO. 408-315-6320

This Single Family Residence has the following features:
MLS#: 731716 Approx Age: 31 Years Approx Sq Ft: 1228
Detached Single Family 1 Story Traditional
3 Bedrooms Loft Bedroom 1 Bathroom
1 Stall Shower 1 Tub Eat in Kitchen
Laundry Area – Garage Wall to Wall Carpeting Hardwood Floors

Burbed doesn’t venture into Morgan Hill very often, but this deal caught his attention. Wow… No money down and no payments for 6 months. This is pretty awesome. It’s like living for free – in Morgan Hill!

Zillow shows that this house was last sold on 02/02/2005 for $515,000 meaning that the seller might just break even after 2.5 years. Or may be not. But since it didn’t go up much, now’s your chance to scoop it and flip it. Morgan Hill’s the next Los Altos Hills. Don’t be priced out forever!

HollisterFreeLance.com of Hollister California
Median home prices in Morgan Hill dropped to $858,000 in July, compared to $1 million for the same month last year, according to the MLS. In Gilroy, homes prices dropped to $675,000 in July, compared to $725,000 for the same month last year. Similar to its neighbor to the north, Gilroy has seen an increase in the number of homes on the market. But the biggest change in both cities involves the length of time it takes to sell a home.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Ever since Gilroy was kicked out of the Bay Area, it just hasn’t been the same. Look at some of the previous homes there. Sure sure – Gilroy is a short drive from Apple and Google and Facebook and VMWare and Web 2.0, but this just wasn’t the year.

So sorry Gilroy and Morgan Hill – we’re not BFF anymore.

Maybe when your median reaches $725,000 again, we can talk.

MLSlistings Property Detail for MLS number 603772
TWIN FALLS RD
MORGAN HILL, CA 95037

$525,000

This Single Family Residence has the following features:
MLS#: 603772 Approx Age: 4 Years Approx Sq Ft: 1430
Detached Single Family 2 Stories Ranch

So when you get tired of the view, can you somehow drive this away?