Your Castle

Today was our Broker’s Tour day and the house I wrote about the other day was
open for all Realtors to inspect.  Location, location, location is the mantra for real estate and I think it still trumps beautiful construction, but this house is down right beautiful and easily $1 million less than it would have been had it sat one or two blocks away from El Camino Real.  I kid you not!  You might be able to afford your very own castle if you are in the market for a home under $1.5 million.

If you are looking for new construction that appears to be top rate this house is worth a look-see.  The bedrooms are large, which is unusual in new construction today.  In fact, all of the rooms, with the exception of the library, are good sized.  The lot is small, but who wants to be outside when you’re sitting next to a very busy street?  Not too many people.  El Camino Real is a major thoroughfare so caveat emptor.

It will be very interesting to see how long it takes to sell this house.  It’s a great buy for the right family.  Interested?  Let me know and I’ll show it to you.

Woman watching

We’ve been watching a house being built on a lot in San Mateo that has to be one of the worst locations possible for a luxury house.  If you know San Mateo you know the corner I’m talking about, El Camino Real and Poplar Avenue.  This lot once had a small building on it that
was used by some utility company.  All of a sudden, the lot was scraped and then construction began.

It’s been very interesting to watch this house go up.  It was completed about a month ago and we were wondering if it was a custom home for someone, or one built on spec.  We got our answer today with the For Sale sign popping up. The real estate mantra is Location, Location, Location.  Buy the worst house in the best area you can afford.  I tell clients to do this and I’ve done it myself.  But what about a great house in the worst location possible?  How does one go about selling this one?

For Sale

It looks like a beautiful house in the virtual tour, it really does.  But the intersection it sits at is one of the busiest ones in San Mateo.  There’s traffic noise there day and night.  It’s sits
at a traffic light so there really is no where for guests to park in front of the house.  It sits across the street from a gas station, a condominium complex, and townhouses.  Hum, not the best location in town for sure.  I give the listing agent credit though, he priced it aggressively for a new house with as much square footage as it has, almost 3000 sq. feet, and it does sit at the entrance to San Mateo Park, the most expensive area in San Mateo.

It sure will be interesting to see it on our Broker Tour this Tuesday and then to see how long it takes to sell.  Location.  Location.  Location.

The homes and apartments just to the south of Peninsula Avenue are a mixture of bungalows, large homes, and modest first-time properties.  The large condo development, Woodlake, that does feature a lake in the middle of the complex is considered one of the best places to live with many activities for the residents. This part of San Mateo is walking distance to Burlingame Avenue and depending on how close you are to Poplar, it could be walking distance to downtown San Mateo as well.   San Mateo High School sits just inside the city limits.  This is where the Performing Arts Center is located and where most of the local musical productions are held.

If you cross 101, you come to Coyote Point, where a wonderful natural history museum resides, along with a county park, beaches, a golf course and a marina.  Coyote Point has a colorful history, dating back over 4000 years.  The College of San Mateo was originally on Coyote Point, but relocated to the top of the hill in 1963.  The San Francisco Bay Trail starts a little north of Coyote Point, just at the Millbrae/Burlingame line and runs south to Redwood Shores. Some day, its hoped that the entire bay will be circles by trails.

Just to the south of Coyote Point is the area called Shoreview.  Here are single family homes that are entry level, and what we laughingly call affordable!  These small homes were mostly built after WWII, and prices can begin in the low $700,000s.  These homes fill in most of the eastern shoreline down to Foster City.  The North Shoreview area has a very active Homeowners Association. The Shoreview/Parkside Homeowners Association isn’t as active.

Search here for San Mateo homes, San Mateo condos, and investment property.

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