I Love Living In Palo Alto

A cold snap is covering most of the country. I just got a message from a friend in Maryland saying it is 7 degrees this morning so he is going to the gym instead of out running. This is after a big snow storm blanketed the mid west and east coast. I love living in Palo Alto.

Today is supposed to be 73 in Palo Alto. I have to decide between going for a run/walk on the Dish at Stanford (walk the steep uphill and run the flat and downhill parts) or taking my dog to the beach at Half Moon Bay. Did I mention I love living in Palo Alto?

Maybe I will do both, although I do have a lot of work to do today.

It is wonderful to living in Palo Alto, but there are challenges.

Homes are expensive, and there is a lot of competition for them. If you want to buy a home in Palo Alto be prepared to pay a lot of money and have a lot of competition. Most homes sell for over list price and have multiple offers as the inventory of homes for sale has been very low for a long time.

In 2013 there were 407 single family homes sold. only 5 sold under a million dollars. The average 3 bedroom 2 bath house sold for $1,923,541, was 1661 square feet with a 7,000 square foot lot, and was on the market 14 days.

But a smaller house than you find in other neighborhoods for me is a small price to pay for the benefits of living in Palo Alto. I think we have the best schools, parks, restaurants, stores, and people in the world. And who can complain about our wonderful weather?

Palo Alto also has great diversity in the neighborhoods. There is the vibrant downtown area with condos, apartments, and cute older homes. Then Professorville with gorgeous historic homes from the turn of the century. Old Palo Alto has both stately homes form the 20's and 30's as well as large newer homes and many larger lots. Crossing Oregon you get to Midtown where older cottages and ranch homes are mixed with many new builds. Then South Palo Alto is the mid century modern lover's dream with street after street of Eichlers. 

If you want to look for homes in Palo Alto click here.

If you have any questions about living in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

Ca BRE 01191194

650-619-9285

Something For Palo Alto Seniors To Think About

Today I pulled into my Midtown Palo Alto driveway around 2:30. Like most of the homes in midtown there is only a one car garage, and after you put the washer and dryer in it there is no room for a car. Most people park in their driveways, which today was very fortunate.

When I opened my car door my neighbor from across the street called out "Marcy I need help!" His garage door was open and I ran across the street. Ed was lying on his kitchen floor after falling in the driveway and crawling back to the house. Quite a feat for this feisty 88 year old man. His wife Char was out shopping and he had been alone on the floor for about an hour.

I called 911 who showed up in less than 10 minutes and took him to Stanford. Char came home and I drove her to Stanford. She was shaking and obviously quite upset. As we drove over she said, I guess we will have to move now.

I don't know. Ed's hip is broken and he will have surgery. I don't know if they will be able to maintain their independent life style or not. I do know they have not made contingency plans.

I also know that moving from a home of 20-40 years into assisted living is a huge step. Decisions should be made carefully as the options are varied. It takes careful planning and a lot of input from family and financial advisers to make the best decisions. Buy or rent? Nursing home or continuing care? A program with steps of care? How many meals per day? Who are the doctors? How much does it cost? What city? Should you stay close to home or go to where your kids are? What do you do if you have pets?

I also know that making that decision during a crisis is not ideal. While many people say the only way they are leaving their home is in a wooden box, that is not always the case. Sometimes life changes in a heartbeat and you need to go some place to get some help even though you may be years from that wooden box.

So if you are reading this, or if you have parents that are in this position, please think about what you want to do if you need more help than you can get living at home. The choices are varied, so investigate carefully, and hopefully you will be able to make this decision methodically and not while you are in a crisis and forced to do something immediately.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194