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
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 I focus my work in helping nice folks to buy and sell homes, but I do have experience throughout these counties and beyond.
Looking for information? I 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, will cover Silicon Valley more broadly than my 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. I'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
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 by line on our many sites!
Clair Handy
Realtor, GREEN
Sereno (Los Gatos office)
DRE License # 02153633
clairhandy@sereno.com
Recent articles on popehandy.com
Pre-Sale Preparation for Home Sellers
Your pre-sale preparation is key to your success not just in selling your Silicon Valley home, but in getting the best price with the least inconvenience. Most sellers will enlist the help of a real-estate-sales professional, and that is the best place to start. Find...
Deciding to sell
Deciding to sell your home is not always as simple as it may seem. Home buyers wonder why there's so little inventory. Home owners know that selling is complex, impacts many other decisions, requires a lot of planning, work, and foresight. First steps in evaluating...
Looking for a top Los Gatos real estate agent?
Are you looking for a very successful, knowledgeable Los Gatos real estate agent? In the Town of Los Gatos alone, there are about 1,000 Realtors hanging their licenses at one brokerage office or another. Many of them don't live in town, and many don't sell here at...
Here’s a Quick Way to Get Your Home Show Ready
When your house is on the market and occupied, you may or may not always be ready for last minute showing appointments. Here's a list of quick tips to get your home "show ready" fast. Preparing Your Silicon Valley House on a Moment’s Notice to be Show Ready Follow...
Selling Your Home in an Up or Down Market
UPDATE (4/16/2021): This post was originally published way back in June 2015. Santa Clara County was in a seller's market, just finishing it's spring peak, but the market wasn't as hot as it is today. But even in a crazy market like we have today the best strategies...
Home Sale Success Tools
The home sale success tools that we use include the best of both traditional and high tech elements. We are a hands on pair of Realtors but value automation and online marketing where they can be used to enhance our clients' experience and bottom line. Pricing it...
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...
Benefits of realistic pricing
Realistic pricing will get your home sold faster and for more money than offering it for sale where you hope it will sell and where it would be above market value. Right now, the Silicon Valley real estate market is titled steeply in the seller's favor. Some home...
Sell one home and buy another
How do you sell one home and buy another? Most people in this situation need the equity from the current home to go into the next one. But there are a few possible approaches. Sell one home and buy another: stress It can be a little nerve-wracking to sell one...
Traditional marketing, too
Traditional marketing methods remain important (in addition to the high tech tools we use). Traditional marketing methods we use: I enter your home in the local and regional MLS system and company database. An MLS, or Multiple Listing Service, is a private database...