Unless you live in the a pre-war downtown home or in a custom built home in the hills chances are you live in a tract of homes.  Most tracts in the Santa Clara Valley area are about 50 to 40 years old and are typically post war style ranch homes.  There are some neighborhoods with semi-custom homes or homes that were developed by individual developers who may have developed 3 or 4 lots, but the feel of the neighborhood is the same.  Lot sizes are generally uniform.  Also these neighborhoods generally have homes of the same floor plan or maybe 4 or 5 different floor plans with a vareity of elevations to make them appear unique.

That’s typically what to expect in the Santa Clara Valley when it comes to housing.  So for home buyers what makes real estate so special and unique are the individual homes or lots within those tracts. 

Once in a while a unique property will hit the market in a neighborhood that hasn’t been sold in 30 years, a property that perhaps has a unique lot, location, or home.  Generally these are prized properties and do not come up on the market often and are generally sold quickly at top values.  This is the case of my latest listing at 552 Hillsdale Avenue in the Westwood Oaks neighborhood of Santa Clara. 

 The neighborhood of Westwood Oaks is already quite desireable for its convenient location and Cupertino Schools.   The make up of the neighborhood consists of mainly 50 year old Ranch style homes with some modern contemporary styled homes situated on 6,000 Sqft. lots.  The unique and rare attribute of 552 Hillsdale Avenue is definitely the home’s spacious 9,000 square foot lot.  A large lot doesn’t automatically guarantee any uniqueness.  What is important in a lot regardless of size is how the lot is shapped and how it is designed.  The home on Hillsdale features a deep lot and is surrounded but mature trees and features a large covered patio.   

As you sit in the living room and gaze into the backyard you feel as though you are in your own private park.  For people who value entertaining and family living these homes are the source of memories, parties, and play dates, as well as serve as a nice sanctuary from what can sometimes be a chaotic day. 

For someone who understands this importance, they will pay almost any price to get it because they realize the next opportunity may not arrise for many years.  For those buyers who don’t recognize this importance or don’t place a high value on this will likely not offer sufficiently to buy the property, and will likely not see another opportunity like this for another 5 or 10 years.

The moral of this story is if you know what you are looking for and if is a home like this you have to seize the opportunity.