Most Walkable San Mateo Neighborhoods

The most walkable San Mateo neighborhoods are going to be found near the revitalized Downtown area, which is between 2nd and 5th Street from about B Street to El Camino and near the new Bay Meadows Development.

Specific Neighborhoods Near Downtown San Mateo

The closest to Downtown San Mateo are Hayward Park and the Eastern Addition neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are a stones throw from restaurants, movie theater, shopping and other Downtown amenities.

If you want to get a bit farther away, you can cross El Camino to the San Mateo Park, Aragon and Baywood neighborhoods. The homes closest to El Camino would be considered the most walkable homes in these neighborhoods. However, with mostly flat terrain, a greater percentage of each of these neighborhoods are easily accessible to the Downtown area.

Specific Neighborhoods Near Bay Meadows

Near Bay Meadows, you’ll have the Bay Meadows neighborhood, Fiesta Gardens neighborhood and San Mateo Village neighborhood that will provide a great deal of walkability. The homes closest to Hillsdale Blvd in San Mateo Village and the townhomes located in Bay Meadows will be closest to shopping, restaurants and transportation. Fiesta Gardens is a bit longer of a walk, but still manageable with the flat terrain.

Curious About a Specific Address?

We’ve included the Walkscore for City Gardens Townhomes at 128 N El Camino, San Mateo in the Walkscore tile below. If you’re curious about a specific address, enter it into the box below.

Want to Learn More About these Neighborhoods?

Visit our San Mateo Neighborhood Guide for detailed descriptions of each of these neighborhoods.

Considering a Move to San Mateo?

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 to buy San Mateo real estate.

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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.

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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 $700k-$800k

Most Belmont homes priced between $700,000 and $800,000 will be North of Ralston Ave and west of El Camino Real in the Belmont Country Club neighborhood. You will find a few South of Ralston Ave in Belmont’s Carlmont neighborhood and a few in East of El Camino in Belmont’s Sterling Downs – Homeview Neighborhood.

What Kind of Home Can I Expect to Get in Belmont Between 700k – 800k?

Because Belmont is such a hodge podge of homes, it is difficult to standardize home sizes and styles in a certain price range. For the most part, however, most Belmont homes priced between $700,000 and $800,000 are 3 bedroom, 2 bath homes with around 1,500 sq ft of living space and 6,000 sq ft lots.

What Kind of Terrain Can I Expect?

Most Belmont homes priced between $700k-$800k are on hilly terrain with sloped lots. If you desire a flatter lot, it is best to look for homes closer to El Camino Real, where the lots flatten out. You can also look at the homes in the Sterling Downs – Homeview neighborhoods for a completely flat neighborhood.

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.

Schools Make Belmont a Highly Desirable Place to Live

Over the years, Belmont has held its value largely in part due to the top notch schools we have. From Central, Cipriani and Fox Elementary School to Ralston Middle School and Carlmont High school, Belmont schools are among the peninsula’s best schools. Homeowners are willing to pay a premium to get their children into these schools.

Considering Moving to Belmont?

Being Belmont residents for 30+ years now, we’d understand why Belmont may be appealing to you. If you’re considering moving to Belmont, 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 to buy right.

Search Belmont Homes $700k-$800k

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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.

If you have bought a home in San Mateo County in the last several years, you may be eligible for a reduction in your property taxes. Upon request, the tax assessor will reassess the tax value of your home. By following a few rules, you may save yourself some money.

How to Lower Your San Mateo County Property Taxes – Thank Prop 8

In 1978, California voters passed Proposition 8, which allows for a temporary tax reduction when a home’s market value on Jan. 1 is less than the prior year’s assessed value.

Let’s say you bought a house in 2006 for $500,000. In January 2008, it should be assessed at $510,000, allowing for the 2 percent inflation adjustment which the law permits.

But suppose comparable homes in your neighborhood are now going for $400,000. You might qualify for a $100,000 reduction in assessed value, which would save you about $1,000 on your tax bill. Here is how to apply…

How to Apply

The first step is an informal review. Homeowners who think the value of their home Jan. 1 is less than the assessed value can request an informal review from their county assessor. The tax assessor, using sales data as of Jan. 1 for comparable homes in the neighborhood, will determine whether a temporary reduction is warranted. Homeowners can request an informal review by filling out this form.

If homeowner and assessor cannot agree on a value through this informal process, the homeowner can file a formal appeal with the county’s assessment appeals board. The appeal must be filed by Sept. 15 or Nov. 30, depending on the county, and might require a fee. The homeowner who disagrees with the tax assessor’s determination may submit his or her case to the appeals board, which has the final authority on the property’s value.

Property Tax Reduction is Only Temporary

You should be aware that the Proposition 8 reduction is only temporary. After you are granted a reduction, the assessor will automatically review your home’s market value as of Jan. 1 each year and may adjust the assessed value; however, the assessed value cannot go higher than it would have been had you never received the temporary reduction.

For more information, visit the San Mateo County CARE website or email the San Mateo County Tax Assessor at assessor@smcare.org to request a “Decline in Value” Reassessment Application Form.

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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

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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.

10 Questions Every Seller Should Ask the HOA before Selling a San Mateo Condo is a guide for condominium owners to facilitate the sale of their condo. Selling a condominium is more complicated than selling a single family home. A single family home sale is simply the land and everything attached to it.

With a Condo, 3 Things are Sold

1. The UNIT itself, the place the owner lives
   
2. A set of EASEMENTS controlling the use of the common property
   
3. A PROPORTIONATE INTEREST in the common property governed by the business entity called the Homeowner’s Association (HOA)
   

Which of These 3 Can Be the Biggest Impediment?

It’s the Homeowner’s Association (HOA) that can present the greatest impediment to a successful sale.  Today, Fannie Mae and FHA (HUD) require that all complexes or projects be listed on their approved condominium list to be eligible for financing.  That means the owner cannot sell his or her unit unless the complex is approved by Fannie Mae or FHA (HUD) because almost every San Mateo condo is financed by one of these agencies.  A buyer who cannot get loan approval cannot buy unless it’s an all cash purchase.

Identify Potential Problems Before You Try to Sell Your San Mateo Condo

Knowing what can prevent financing can help you identify the challenges more quickly.  So, before listing a unit for sale, we recommend owners request from either the HOA or the complexes’ property management firm a completed Condominium Questionnaire – sometimes referred to as a “Cert” letter – to discover whether any obstacles may impede or prevent the sale.

What Questions Can a San Mateo Condo Seller Ask their HOA?

Some of the questions asked are:

1. Is the complex approved by Fannie Mae and/or FHA (HUD)? If not, why?
   
2. Is there any litigation pending or anticipated?
   
3. If a lawsuit has been settled, is sufficient money available to correct all the problems?
   
4. How many units are owner occupied?
   
5. How many of the total number of units are delinquent in the fees owed?
   
6. Are more than 10% of the units owned by one entity or investor?
   
7. Is more than 25% of the property’s total floor space used for commercial activity?
   
8. Is at least 60% of the reserve account funded?
   
9. Is at least 10% of the budgeted income designate for replacement reserves?
   
10. Are adequate funds budgeted for insurance deductible?
    

Get Answers to These Questions Before You List Your San Mateo Condo for Sale

Planning and preparation can mean the difference between a successful, timely sale or disappointment and failure. I strongly recommend that prospective condo sellers obtain this information before listing their unit for sale. It’s imperative that sellers recognize potential problems – if any – before putting their unit on the market so they have time to enlist professional help to resolve the negative issues that may kill a sale.

Not Comfortable with the Answers You Got? Consult a Specialist

If you don’t understand the full impact of the information obtained from the HOA, ask a professional condominium HOA review specialist to explain what’s going on.

How Much is Your San Mateo Condo Worth?

Check out our San Mateo Home Valuation tool, which pulls data directly from the MLS. All we need is your email and some basic information about your home. This report monitors what your neighbors’ condos have actually sold for, asking vs. selling price, homes currently for sale and time on market. View a sample market report.

Click on the Your Home’s Value button below to get your free report today.

Your Home’s Value

Need to Sell Your San Mateo Condo?

Check out our Seller Representation Page to learn how we can sell your home in the fastest time and for top dollar. Then, call us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to set up a no obligation consultation.

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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.

San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class Tue July 13, 2010 @ 7pm

Back by popular demand, we’ve added another San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class Tuesday July 13th 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?
  
• What it takes to get a mortgage in San Mateo in today’s lending market
  
• 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? Tue July 13 at 7pm in San Mateo

Our San Mateo First Time Home Buyer Class will be presented Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 7pm.

How Do I Register?

Registration is free, but space is limited, so please register on the form below or call us at (650) 655-2500.

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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.

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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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.

Google is Changing the Way Buyers Look for San Mateo Homes

The internet in general and Google more particularly has brought about a new twist on searching for homes.  It use to be that prospective home buyers would use simple phrases like “San Mateo homes for sale” or something more specific like “Baywood homes for sale.”  They, of course, receive results showing all homes currently for sale and often homes recently sold as well, and they would have to cull through the data to find homes that conformed to their price constraints.  And, to make matters more annoying, hitting the print button before discarding the unsuitable homes just wastes paper, ink and time…and you still have to weed out the undesirable homes.

San Mateo Home Buyers are Getting More Specific

Recently, we’ve seen a very clear trend toward more focused searches based upon price range and location, such as, “San Mateo homes $500,000-$600,000” or “Sunnybrae homes $600,000-$729,000.”  What a novel idea… let the search engine to the sorting.  Range pricing searches allow us a better understanding of the value pyramid in a neighborhood and more efficiently organizes one’s choices in terms of affordability.

How Should a Seller Price their Home?

All this raises the question of how homes are priced.  The old method of pricing homes, such as, $599,888 actually works against the seller now.  The computer savvy home buyer generally searches in round numbers, such as; “San Mateo homes for sale $600,000-$700,000”.  That buyer would not see the owner’s home priced at $599,888. And, consider the opposite effect when the home owner prices his or her home at $605,000.  Buyers searching for homes priced from $500,000 – $600,000 never learn about the home priced at $605,000 because the search engine has already culled the property from the search results.

What Else Can You Do to Make Your San Mateo Home Stand Out?

Google has made the process of marketing a home and finding a home for sale much more efficient, and there are tricks of the trade that can work for you.  For a home owner it’s extremely important to have at least 8 photographs (the maximum number allowed) on the MLS Listing.  Studies have shown that homes with 8 photographs or more sell faster and for more money.  Similar studies and focus groups of prospective home buyers indicate that listed homes with few, poor or no photographs are discarded and not previewed just because of the lack of photography.

We Go One Step Further with Custom Home Websites

We build our sellers a custom website (not your run of the mill templated website) with hundreds of professional and amateur photos of their home, a professionally designed virtual tour, interactive floor plan, neighborhood guide, mortgage information, detailed pages for each room in their house and disclosure information. These sites go much further than your typical template website and have proven to be an effective method of selling homes.

Find Out What Your Home is Worth

Get an idea of what your San Mateo home is worth in today’s market with our neighborhood market reports. Get a sample report here.

Your Home’s Value

Need to Sell Your San Mateo Home?

Contact us at (650) 655-2500 or email us at info@LivingWellinSanMateo.com to schedule a no obligation consultation. We’ll help you understand how thinking like a buyer will help sell your San Mateo home for the highest possible price in the fastest time.

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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.