PopeHandy.com: Los Gatos, San Jose, and Silicon Valley Real Estate
Mary Pope-Handy and Clair Handy, Realtors and real estate bloggers covering Santa Clara County and adjacent areas
Welcome to popehandy.com, with info on Silicon Valley real estate
This site is part of a network of sites and blogs that we run, this one being the oldest and covering the broadest area (multiple counties in Silicon Valley / Bay Area), with a focus on home selling.
Please also visit our other sites, which also cover Silicon Valley real estate at the county or more local level:
- The Valley of Heart’s Delight blog – SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com (main blog – the Valley of Heart’s Delight blog, focusing on Santa Clara County real estate market reports, neighborhood descriptions, info on trends in buying and selling, and more – over 1,000 articles on this site alone)
- Valley of Heart’s Delight website listings showcased, Santa Clara Valley info, real estate info
- Live in Los Gatos blog – info for people living in or moving to Los Gatos – Los Gatos real estate, neighborhoods, events, history, businesses, restaurant reviews, and loads more
- Move 2 Silicon Valley – relocation resource for the broader Silicon Valley area
- Belwood of Los Gatos and adjacent areas website – specific to one area in east Los Gatos
- popehandy.rereport.com – real estate statistics for 3 counties: Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and Santa Cruz County – updated between the 5th and 10th of each month. (Sign up to receive this info by email.)
Mary Pope-Handy
As a Santa Clara Valley native and Realtor since 1993, I know Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley real estate like the back of my hand. I love the myriad of communities that make up the lower San Francisco Bay Area.
Silicon Valley encompasses a broad region, including Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and a little of Alameda and Santa Cruz Counties.
Santa Clara County, now sometimes called "lower Silicon Valley", was once known as The Valley of Heart's Delight. This is where we focus our work in helping nice folks to buy and sell homes, but we do have experience throughout these counties and beyond.
Looking for information? We have a number of blogs, and between them there are over 2,000 articles on Silicon Valley real estate, neighborhoods, homes, and related tips for consumers. This one, popehandy.com, covers Silicon Valley more broadly than our other sites (which seldom go beyond Santa Clara County), but also will include San Jose, Los Gatos, and nearby areas.
Of course, no website (no matter how comprehensive) can take the place of personal guidance and advice. we'd welcome the opportunity to connect with you, discuss your home buying or selling plans, and see if we might be able to work together.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, ABR, CIPS, CRS, SRES
Christie's International Real Estate Sereno (Los Gatos office)
DRE License # 01153805
408-204-7673
mary@popehandy.com
Clair Handy
Mary's daughter and long-time real estate assistant, I chose to obtain my real estate license and become a Realtor in 2021 to work alongside Mary to help even more nice folks buy and sell homes in Silicon Valley.
I have been researching and contributing to Mary's blogs for many years, and have a deep knowledge about the local real estate market, home styles, red flags (I have a very keen eye), and housing trends. With a special affection for both historic homes and resource-efficient home design, I'm always working to further my education. This passion allows me to be a tremendous asset to our clients.
With a bachelor's from LMU’s College of Communication and Fine Arts with honors, and a background in museums and historic homes, I combine research and data-driven analysis with clear and thoughtful communication for the benefit of our clients and readers.
Watch for my byline on our many sites!
Clair Handy
Realtor, GREEN
Christie's International Real Estate Sereno (Los Gatos office)
DRE License # 02153633
clairhandy@sereno.com
Neighborhood Info & Recent Articles
Home buyers get keys at closing, even if you are renting back
Did you know that home buyers get keys at closing, even if you are renting back? If you are selling your Silicon Valley home, you may have an agreement to stay on in the home after the close of escrow. Depending on the length of stay, you may be referred to in the...
How To Make People Line Up And Beg To Buy Your Irresistible Home
What can you as a Silicon Valley home seller do to elicit that buyer frenzy which results in many more offers than is normal, and thus a far higher sale price than you might otherwise expect? Simple: make your home irresistible!
Mountain View
Mountain View, next to Palo Alto at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, is visible from a distance because of the giant "Hangar One" at Moffett Field that used to house a blimp. The airport at Moffett is fairly quiet these days, but occasionally large cargo...
Palo Alto
Palo Alto is located at the north end of Santa Clara County, just a short drive from San Francisco International Airport. "The Birthplace of Silicon Valley" One of Santa Clara County's most prestigious addresses, Palo Alto is home to some of the Stanford campus. This...
What is a cripple wall?
What is a cripple wall? If you are buying or selling real estate in Silicon Valley, you most likely have seen a seller questionnaire asking if the house has a cripple wall, and if so, has it been reinforced. Most people have no idea what it is, let alone if they have...
What’s my home worth? Request the value here!
What's my home worth? Whether you're thinking of selling or just curious about your property's equity, the question of current market value is always of interest to home owners. If you are a Silicon Valley home owner, please request an online or in person valuation of...
Real Estate Info
Contingencies
Contingencies are clauses that permit one member of the purchase agreement to get out of it if certain conditions aren't met. What are the typical contingencies? Most of the time, it is the buyer who has contingencies. The typical ones we see (when we have them at...
How’s The Silicon Valley Real Estate Market?
How's the Silicon Valley real estate market? Because the Silicon Valley region is so large - comprising of all of Santa Clara County, much of San Mateo County, and a little of Alameda County and Santa Cruz County - the real estate market is really quite different from...
Pre-sale inspections
Pre-sale inspections are the various property inspections (home, pest, roof, pool, etc.) that home sellers pay for and provide to home buyers upfront. In Silicon Valley, this is the norm. It benefits both sellers and buyers by allowing the property's condition to be...