Dan Robinson

Keep in mind that an appraisal is only for that point in time. It will give you a general idea as to what your home is worth, but as quickly as the market is changing these days, it may not be accurate for very long. That being said, now that you have an appraised value, it might be a good idea to sit down with your insurance agent, if you have not done so in a while, to make sure you are adequately covered. With the way bay area home prices have increased over the last 10 years there are many people that are underinsured and they don't even realize it.

If you are considering selling your home, and want a more accurate value, you really need to have a realtor do a market analysis on the property. Realtors are on the ground in your community looking at houses everyday and are familiar with the nuances in your local market allowing them to be a little more accurate in determining the value of your home. Most realtors will do this for you free of charge if you ask. - Tue May 20 2008, 11:30

To give you a little more info on these homes...The Camino De Los Robles home was originally put on the market in March of 2007 for $3,450,000 and has been reduced 3 times to get to it's current asking price. There have been 4 other homes sold in this area that were at least 4000sq/ft and each has sold for more than $4,000,000.

The Stanford home just went on the market last week.

Five homes have sold on Stanford Ave in the last year and 3 on Camino De Los Robles. Having a good understanding of what has sold recently in the neighborhood gives a good indication of the current market. If you want further information on these homes, just send me an e-mail, and I would be happy to share that information with you. - Wed Apr 30 2008, 10:02

Hi Vonnya,

Adams St. is 1 block off El Camino Real so depending what side of the street you are on, you could back up to an industrial/retail area, which will definitely make it more difficult to sell and lower the price. The same can be said if you are right next to an apartment building and have people looking into your back yard. As with all properties, if you price it right, it will sell. The problem with a street like this is that the price is going to be lower than houses in a more traditional single family neighborhood and probably not appreciate quite as fast.

I would say this is not one of Redwood City's best neighborhood, but not it's worst either. It would be considered a low income area of the peninsula and you will get all that comes with that. You will have to visit it yourself to determine if it is right for you. If you would like some photo's of the house, let me know and I can forward them to you.

I assume you are looking at the one short sale property that is currently for sale on Adams St. Please note that short sales can be difficult. In many instances, the price you see has not been approved by the bank so it is not a guarantee. Some agents low ball the price, knowing it will not be approved, just to get buyers interested. I am not saying that is the case here, buy you should have your agent call the listing agent and get a status before you think about making an offer. Also, the most banks will take 30-60 days to approve the price on a short sale and during that time, other buyers can come in an outbid you. It can be very stressful.

You might want to consider having your agent drive you through areas on the peninsula that have homes in your price range. I have worked with a few couples this year that were relocating and we spent 3hrs driving around the peninsula looking at neighborhoods as opposed to properties. We found this very helpful as it will give you a good fell of the neighborhoods you can afford and help you narrow down your choices. In the long run, this will be a big time saver for you.

Good luck with your home search. Let me know if you need any further information. - Tue Apr 29 2008, 20:49

There are currently 6 homes available for rent in Belmont or San Carlos that are listed on the MLS. It would be helpful if we had some further information. Other than accepting pets, what else do you need in a home and what price range are you looking in? - Mon Apr 21 2008, 20:45

One of the big problems these cities face in bringing in anchor tenants is parking. The bigger stores require a lot of parking, which is limited in these older downtown areas. I know there were a few larger tenants that were planning to come to RWC, but backed out at the last minute because of a lack of parking.

Another problem is that many larger tenants already have stores in Palo Alto, Burlingame, and a few malls in San Mateo and Foster City. They really don't have the need to put more stores on the peninsula...especially since most of these locations are right on the caltrain route and are a 10-15 minute train ride away.

Any increase in shopping in RWC and San Mateo will most likely be of the boutique variety...small individual or family owned retail shops. These types of shops bring a lot of character to these areas but lack a specific use.

I did hear that downtown San Carlos is about to get a Peet's Coffee, Jamba Juice and Cold Stone...not really anchor stores that you are talking about. However these types of places help create a sense of community. They provide a destination for city residents to mingle and meet each other and create a closeness in a community that does not exist without places like this. I know I can walk along Laurel Street in San Carlos at almost any time and run into people I know and meet new people. It really does make a big difference in providing the small town feel in the middle of our metropolitan bay area.

If I hear of anything, I will be happy to pass it along. My wife works in downtown RWC so she hears things from time time.

If you are planning to move somewhere on the peninsula, it would be worth your while to talk to someone you know...or me :-)...about the lifestyles each city provides...and the lifestyle you are looking for. This will save you a lot of time in the long run and allow you to identify and focus your time and energy on the specific areas that truly meet your needs.

Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Dan Robinson
RE/MAX Today
650-533-1185 - Sun Mar 30 2008, 22:04

Downtown RWC is a little more active during the week and weekend nights. It is mostly restaurants and bars with minimal shopping. The Fox Theater and Little Fox are both fun places to see various bands. During the summer/fall months you will see more activity especially after they start their summer concert series.

San Carlos is probably a more lively place to go during the day if you are looking for downtown weekend shopping. It has been rated by a couple newspapers of having the best antique shops in the bay area. San Carlos also has a summer concert series in Burton Park, and a Farmers Market on downtown Laurel street on Thursday evenings in the summer.

Burlingame and Palo Alto have very nice downtown shopping areas, but are much more expensive places to live. Both are an easy train ride from RWC.

However it is still a bit early in the spring to get a lot of people outside doing things. The best weather on the peninsula is July through October. That is when you will see the most activity in the downtown areas. - Sun Mar 30 2008, 20:34

Redwood City is a city of about 90,000 people located on the SF Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. As with all cities this size it has it's nice areas and its not so nice areas. The downtown area has been going through a complete transformation over the last few years and has become somewhat of a destination on the peninsula. As with most areas, the quality of the schools is a large variable in determining housing prices. RWC has some good elementary schools, but most are ranked at or below average, adversely effecting it's property values. The average price for a 3 bedroom 2 bath single family home sold in the last year in Redwood City is about $935K.

To the south of Redwood City are the towns of Menlo Park and the Palo Alto. The average prices for 3/2's in those cities are approximately $1.5--$1.6M. Each has excellent school systems and are considered upscale communities.

To the immediate north of Redwood City are the towns of San Carlos and Belmont. Both are smaller towns of about 28K residents that have highly rated schools. Both are very popular for families with children. Because of this, you will get an average price of a 3/2 of about $1.1M...a little less in Belmont mostly because it does not have a local downtown area.

I would recommend that you seek the advice of a local agent that can help you become familiar with these areas so you can make an informed purchase. If you would like some on-line resources, drop me an e-mail and I will forward you some more information. - Tue Mar 11 2008, 16:12