Every Menlo Park Neighborhood EXPOSED — Prices, Schools & Lifestyle

Every Tuesday, I go into detail about a question I frequently get asked. This week, I'm going to discuss how does the election impact bay area real estate?So this is clearly on people’s minds and rightfully so. How will the election impact Bay Area Real Estate prices? Take a look at the last 3 election cycles. What are common themes here? Do prices tend to drop at this time? It appears that things typically slow down leading to an election and last through January. But, take a closer look again. This same effect happens every single year. This is called seasonality and has very little to do with who is in office. While home prices tends to be lower than before during these months, keep in mind, many sellers choose not to sell during this time and wait until the Spring Season to list their home. The options are much more limited and the product available themselves may not be what you are looking for.Now if you have been watching my weekly market update videos, you will see there isn’t much of a slowdown this year leading to the election so far as my prediction is that prices will continue to increase although more modestly moving forward. There are many reasons for this.1) Consumer confidence 2) Millennials are moving away from renting and into home ownership 3) Tech employees are doing very well valuing their homes more than ever before 4) Interest rates continue to stay at record low figures.So is now the right time to buy or sell? The need to move to a larger home due to extended work from home policies,and to leverage the record low rates we have, it’s been an incredible time to make your move now, Be aware if the economy does get better as an aggregate, we may see increases in interest rates which lowers the buying power of individuals. While the home price is important, the key metric is what is your monthly expense. Are you able to afford that monthly amount while having reserves if rates go up? This is why mortgage rates are so critical to the housing market and how it affects the dynamics whether people choose to rent vs buy.--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

5 Nov 20204min

Every Wednesday at 12PM PST, I interview and introduce a top real estate agent from all across the country to hear about how they got into the business, what they are seeing with real estate impacts with COVID, and the economic drivers of an area!--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

4 Nov 202021min

Every week, I go over news that can affect Bay Area Real Estate. I look into news and data that can affect the Silicon Valley Real Estate Market. Tune in weekly and ask me anything!Bay Area Developer Seeking $750M Refi for Facebook Office Campushttps://commercialobserver.com/2020/10/bay-area-developer-seeking-750m-refi-for-facebook-office-campus/TMG’s 300 Lakeside Buy for PGE HQ Further Propels Oaklandhttps://www.tmgpartners.com/news/tmg-partners-acquires-future-oakland-pge-headquartersSilicon Valley office markets show resilience during Covid-19 pandemichttps://www.fintechsvjobs.com/blog/silicon-valley-office-markets-show-resilience-during-covid-19-pandemic/Pending home sales fell in September, but annual gain is the important metrichttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/pending-home-sales-fell-from-august-but-annual-gain-is-the-important-metric/#Zillow Offers cuts 80 jobs, cites realignmenthttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/zillow-offers-cuts-80-jobs-cites-realignment/Luxury housing market inspires ‘total frenzy’ in vacation boom townshttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/luxury-housing-market-inspires-total-frenzy-in-vacation-home-boom-towns-like-aspen-palm-beach-and-lake-tahoe/Latest Market Data for all counties in the Bay Areahttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P5T3T4doU9vutLotcKnZ0WCZahU0nvKn1khR-QQsrTI/edit?usp=sharing--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

30 Okt 202030min

Welcome to my new series! We will be reviewing what developments are happening in every city across the Bay Area. Many of you that are local here see projects and construction happening but did you know that most cities have plans to redevelop areas over the next 15 years?Let’s learn about how Palo Alto is set up right now. Palo Alto comprises 16,627 acres, or about 26 square miles. Approximately 43 percent of this area is in parks and preserves and another 15 percent consists of agriculture and other open space uses. The remaining area is nearly completely developed, with single family uses predominating at about 21%. 0.5% of the city has vacant land.There are 35 neighborhoods in Palo Alto. Neighborhoods built prior to the mid-1940s generally have a traditional pattern of development with relatively narrow streets, curbside parking, and street trees between the curb and sidewalk. Many homes are oriented to the street with parking often located to the rear of the lot.Many later neighborhoods were shaped by Modernist design ideas popularized by the famous builder Joseph Eichler. The houses are intentionally oriented towards private backyards and interior courtyards, where expansive glass walls “bring the outside in.” Curving streets and cul-de-sacs further the sense of house as private enclave.So what are the plans for Palo Alto over the next decade? There are several key developments.The key developments happening in Palo Alto are around the California Avenue Caltrain station. The area between Oregon Expressway, Alma Street, and El Camino Real are going through changes where they are creating live/work spaces, and a lot more mixed use opportunities. You can see through the map the plans in place.The bigger areas of change are for future affordable housing projects. These are always very difficult because developers do need incentives to build these types of lower income properties. So how does a city help assist with this? Outside of giving the developers money, they will rezone specific areas which you can see is mostly around El Camino Real and the Cal Train stations, and increase the density, maximum building size, and reduce the amount of parking ratios. However, these are not guarantees that developers will want to build as it’s a math equation for them. Will they still be profitable after these changes? If not, these types of projects won’t happen. However, the plan is to create roughly 2,000 units.I hope this was helpful to see what is coming down the pipeline in the beautiful Palo Alto. Leave a comment with what you think and if there are any cities I should cover next!--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

29 Okt 20205min

Every Wednesday at 12PM PST, I interview and introduce a top real estate agent from all across the country to hear about how they got into the business, what they are seeing with real estate impacts with COVID, and the economic drivers of an area!This week, our guest is a Bay Area native that is now based in Austin, TX. Job Hammond is an accomplished real estate professional and association leader who has invested heavily in his education to the benefit of his clients and the industry as a whole. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for AREAA Austin, Austin Board of REALTORS®, Texas Association of REALTORS®, and the Real Estate Business Institute. In 2019 and 2020, he was recognized as a winner for the AREAA A-List, which recognizes the top 50 residential real estate agents in the country. In January 2020, he was awarded the REALTOR of the Year for the 14,000+ member Austin Board of REALTORS. He has earned a Master of Business Administration from Tarleton State University and a Master of Science in Management from Texas A&M University-Commerce. As the son of a Chinese immigrant, Job is passionate about leadership, the success of the industry, and supporting the needs of the AAPI community and sustainable homeownership. Job can be contacted at job@realtor.com or 512-632-0757--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

28 Okt 202030min

Every Tuesday, I go into detail about a question I frequently get asked. This week, I'm going to discuss what is the better long-term investment when it comes to buying properties.Click on the link below to get access to the Investment Calculator.https://forms.gle/enS92EzP52sWDdAGA---If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

27 Okt 202016min

Every week, I go over news that can affect Bay Area Real Estate. I look into news and data that can affect the Silicon Valley Real Estate Market. Tune in weekly and ask me anything!Google adds 42,000 sq ft to SF office spacehttps://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Google-expands-S-F-office-despite-shift-to-15652058.phpBig downtown San Jose Mixed-use tower lands financial boosthttps://www.marinij.com/2020/10/21/real-estate-downtown-san-jose-tower-finance-tax-office-housing-retail/Blackstone buys Roku’s Silicon Valley office buildingshttps://therealdeal.com/2020/10/18/blackstone-buys-rokus-silicon-valley-office-buildings/In a bid for stability, FHFA and FHA extend forbearance policies until Dec 31 2021https://www.housingwire.com/articles/in-a-bid-for-stability-fhfa-and-fha-extend-forbearance-policies/Mortgage forbearance rate falls to lowest level since mid-April at 5.92%https://www.housingwire.com/articles/mba-mortgage-forbearance-rate-falls-to-lowest-level-since-mid-april-at-5-92/September single-family housing starts reached highest level since 2007https://www.housingwire.com/articles/september-single-family-housing-starts-reached-highest-level-since-2007/Builder confidence breaks previous 35-year record highhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/builder-confidence-breaks-previous-35-year-record-high/Latest Market Data for all counties in the Bay Areahttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P5T3T4doU9vutLotcKnZ0WCZahU0nvKn1khR-QQsrTI/edit?usp=sharing--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

23 Okt 202021min

Welcome to my new series! We will be reviewing what developments are happening in every city across the Bay Area. Many of you that are local here see projects and construction happening but did you know that most cities have plans to redevelop areas over the next 15 years?Let’s learn about how Belmont is set up right now.There is approximately 2,955 acres in the current city limits with an additional 62 acres of land contained within the planning area. 46% of the land is dedicated to residential land use which is a very small ratio compared to most cities. This is why Belmont is such a popular location for their privacy. Amongst the 46%, 41% of the land are Single Family homes. 4% of the land has multifamily units and there are some duplexes in the Sterling Downs and Homeview neighborhoods.So where are we heading to? The biggest projects coming down the pipeline is the Belmont Village Mixed use land and the Corridor mixed used land projects which are right across from each other. This is a 2035 General Plan but it gives you an idea what will be happening as there are projects already underway. Take a look at the map here. You can see that the changes will be mostly near the Caltrain station between Ralston and El Camino Real. Most of these areas will be much more dense with condos, apartment rentals, affordable housing, and mixed use retail space on the ground level.What are examples of these projects? Here are a few coming that you can expect over the next few years. Here are pictures of Artisan Crossing. This complex will be a 4 story 250 unit multifamily residential building ranging from studios to 2 Bedroom units. 15% will be affordable units.Another development will be 800-803 Belmont avenue.This will be on the south side of Belmont Avenue and will have a total of 125 residential apartments. They will range between 1 to 3 bedroom units.Another development will be called Firehouse Square. This will be on the corner of El Camino Real and O’Neill Avenue which will be a 4 story mixed used building with 65 affordable rental units, 3,748 square feet of retail and commercial space on the ground level, and 15 townhomes which will be for sale at market rate.The last one at this time is the project on Hill Street and El Camino Real. This is a 100% affordable housing project and will be a 37 unit residential project. These are slated to all be one bedroom rental units. Companies like Google and Facebook have poured hundreds of Millions of dollars for these types of affordable housing developments.I hope this was helpful to see what is coming down the immediate pipeline in a quiet town of Belmont! Leave a comment with what you think and if there are any cities I should cover next!--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

22 Okt 20204min