Los Altos Students Deliver Aid In Haiti

It is always heartwarming to hear about how our local youth continue to step up in making the world a better place.  Just this past week, the Los Altos Town Crier ran an article about the humanitarian efforts of group of students.  Once you have read the article, I encourage you take a moment and visit the web site listed at the bottom of the story…

Sleeping in tents, meeting representatives from grassroots organizations, playing soccer with the locals and helping rebuild a school are just a few of the activities a group of local students managed to fit in over their summer trip.

A delegation of 15 high school and college students, including seven from Los Altos High School, teachers and one parent embarked on a good-will mission to Port-au-Prince. Their goal was to bring aid to Haitian community organizations and pitch in to rebuild a Haitian school following the devastation caused by the 7.0 earthquake Jan. 12.

Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based non-profit group, organized the trip. Los Altos High teacher Seth Donnelly, who has visited Haiti eight times, initiated Los Altos High’s participation after students approached him expressing interest in assisting Haiti firsthand.

“It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life to see how our delegation just game to life while bonding with Haitian peers and activists,” Donnelly said.

Several students who traveled to Haiti volunteered with the Los Altos High-originated One Dollar for Life (ODFL) organization. ODFL-participating high schools raised approximately $20,000 for Haitian relief. Half of the money was delivered via the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, a Bay Area organization that collaborated closely with Haitian grassroots organizations, schools, farming co-ops and women’s groups even before the earthquake, Donnelly said.

The students distributed the remaining $10,000 this summer to various Haitian groups through the Haitian Emergency Relief Fund.

“One hundred percent of the money from the ODFL drive was given to grassroots organizations, unlike a lot of large aid,” Donnelly said. “Students were able to see dollar for dollar that everything they raised went to actual organizations in Haiti.”

Donnelly said that during the students’ stay in Haiti, they witnessed how little of the major aid – pledged by governments and raised by nongovernmental organizations – seems to actually reach the people of Haiti.

“You need to give in a sustainable way,” said Ian Glasner, a Los Altos High School senior who participated in the venture. “You know that you are going to make a difference, but you cannot see it right away.”

While distributing the $10,000, students witnessed the courage, ingenuity and tenacity of Haitian leaders active in women’s groups, schools and other community organizations, who are trying to rebuild their country against the odds, Donnelly said.

“The earthquake happened six months ago, and there is still rubble everywhere,” Glasner said. “The streets are torn up, and the government has done nothing.”

In addition to distributing money, Donnelly said the group:

• Established deep ties of friendship and solidarity with Haitian activists and youth.

• Distributed medical supplies, donated by an Oakland nurse, directly to the Aristide Foundation, which operates mobile medical teams that serve people in the camps.

• Participated in the construction of a new Haitian school.

• Distributed approximately 200 solar-powered lights, donated by One Million Lights and World Centric, to Haitian community organizations.

• Distributed food and dental supplies to youth in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest areas in Port-au-Prince.

Glasner said he felt differently about life when he returned from Haiti.

“When I came back, my friends were like, ‘You missed so much,’” he said. “I couldn’t care less. People were dying in Haiti. Television is boring. I couldn’t care less about seeing the latest movie or sitcom.”

Glasner said he hopes to accompany Donnelly on another trip to Haiti.

For more information on One Dollar for Life, visit www.odfl.org.

Good News & More Good News

Good News #1 … 2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for real estate in Los Altos.  Comparing the first six months of 2009 with the same time period for 2010, there were 58% more homes sold.  Additionally, we saw an increase in the sales prices of comparative homes year-over-year.

Interestingly, however, the average “days on market” for a home has increased to 87 days.  That is a significant increase for homes which last year were sold in less than 60 days.  So, what gives?

Clearly, lenders are taking a slightly longer to work through the average transaction.  But it’s still feasible to close a transaction in 30-45 days.  Anticipating market demand, for any one home, is still an imperfect science.  However, we have been seeing well priced homes snapped up without dely.

Good News #2 … our last two listing sold in less than a week, and we are confident we can achieve similar results for you.  How did we do it?  We put together an effective plan, executed on that plan in partnership with our clients, and developed an outreach campaign to attract the maximum number of agents and interested buyers.

In all, over 230 Real Estate Agents stop by these two homes on Broker Tour when they first came on the market, in sequential weeks.  Buyer traffic through the properties was consistent from the time 465 Benvenue Ave & 595 Los Altos Ave hit the market.  An average of 270 potential buyers visited each home through open house, while even more buyers came by via private showings.

So, the market remains strong, but inventory is relatively low.  There are a number of buyers looking to move into Los Altos, but they are strategically examining the available options.  With a strong real estate team in place, a seller or buyer could have a tactical advantage, if they utilize the right tools for today’s market.

If you are looking to move into Los Altos, or simply move across town, we are confident that we can help you.  Call us today at 650-823-1434.  We would love the opportunity to earn your business.

Another Great Los Altos Home

When looking for a new home to to call your own, it is always great to know that the house holds many happy memories.  For the past 12 years, this house has been home to a wonderful family that fully enjoyed living in Los Altos.  Being located in North Los Altos allowed them the ability to stroll to Downtown, or Rancho, to enjoy many of the shops and restaurants.  All of these community amenities are just minutes away on foot.

If entertaining at home is what you enjoy, the open floor plan and flourishing gardens will provide a wonderful experience for your guests.  If staying home is more your style, the abundance of light cascading through the windows and skylights allow for easy reading, relaxing and the full enjoyment of your surroundings.

This wonderful three bedroom, two bath, 1,800 sq ft home is perfectly located on a typically quite Los Altos street.  Additionaly, this proerty has a one bedroom, one bath detached cottage.  The 610 sq ft cottage also comes with its own kitchen and living room.

As always, if you are looking to move into Los Altos, or simply move across town, we are confident that we can help you.  We would love the opportunity to earn your business.  Call us at 650-823-1434, and then sit back and relax, as we seamlessly take care of everything.

Old Cars & Saturday Mornings

If you’ve passed the parking lot behind Main Street Cafe on State Street near the intersection with Main on a Saturday morning, you’ve probably noticed 10-20 unusual cars parked there.

Some of the cars are so old that few were alive when they were built. Some are so unusual that most people will never see them outside of automotive history books or an auto show.

Those who own these cars meet just about every weekend for what’s become a tradition in the downtown village. The group, started with a casual conversation at the Los Altos Fall Festival’s annual car show nearly 10 years ago.

The only objective was to share their love of classic, collectible and just plain unusual cars – of which there seemed to be a great many around Los Altos. Someone had noticed that the back parking lot of the cafe (which sits under the Town Crier’s office) was usually empty early Saturday mornings, and the shop had an area in back where they could meet over coffee and share information about the cars.

To wander through the parking lot on any given Saturday is to see the widest range of automobiles that anyone can imagine. Sometimes the vintage can span 100 years … you might stumble upon a 1904 Franklin with its air-cooled two-cylinder engine and crank starter at one end of the lot, a new Dodge Viper or Ferrari super car at the other.

One of the regulars has driven his Peel, the smallest road-legal four-wheel production car ever built and roughly one-quarter the length of one of the Packards or Cadillacs that frequently makes an appearance.

And as everyone insists, this is not a contest among show vehicles. One of the regular cars is a Pierce-Arrow from the mid-1930s, jointly owned by three of the regulars, that won its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the most prestigious automobile show in the country. But one of its owners might just as likely drive up in a running, but completely un-restored, Jaguar XK120, parking it next to an equally rusty but equally dependable old Dodge step-side pickup truck or a Lancia in similar condition.

Conversations often flow into nostalgia, remembering what it was like in a world of dial telephones, manual typewriters and gas pumps at service stations with a bell that rang when you drove in and a fill-up that came with a check of oil, water and tire pressure. However, the group might just as often compare features on new iPhones or discuss the ins and outs of setting up a home Wi-Fi system.

If you’ve got a newer or older car that’s the slightest bit out of the ordinary, you should drop by with it on a Saturday morning and join in the fun. If it’s not running, come anyways as someone might be able to offer some advice on how to get it back out on the road.

And if you’re just downtown on a Saturday morning – between 9 and 11 a.m. – stop by and look at the cars. Show them to your children to help them understand the evolution of technology, or just to tell them what it was like when mom and dad, or grandma and granddad, drove a car just like this one. They guarantee you’ll be welcomed, and there’s never an admission charge or dues to be collected.

Note: This is a slightly edited version of a recent article, written by Gary and Genie Anderson for the Los Altos Town Crier.

Designed For Living & Entertaining

For the past 18 years, 595 Los Altos Avenue has been home to a wonderful family that fully enjoyed living in North Los Altos.  Being located in North Los Altos allowed them the ability to stroll to Town, enjoy the Hetch-Hetchy pathway, or dine at many of the nearby restaurants.  All of these community amenities are just minutes away on foot.

If entertaining at home is what you enjoy, the natural indoor/outdoor flow will provide a seemless experience for your guests.  If staying home is more your style, the abundance of light cascading through the windows allows for easy reading, relaxing and the full enjoyment of your surroundings.

This 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home has been almost completely remodeled and truly is move in ready.  The added benefit of a private back yard with sparkling pool makes this home perfect for entertaining.

Volunteers Helping Seniors

What began as a simple desire to help fellow residents, has blossomed over the past 8 years to include almost a dozen cities and hundreds of volunteers.  The focus of all this care an compassion?  Our senior citizens.  Through the years, Carol & I have been a part of many coordinated efforts.  The RSVP program, is once such effort.

The day of volunteering was recently covered by the Town Crier.  Below are highlights from a recent article which highlighted how the program has helped to improve the lives of those assisted …

More than 100 Realtor volunteers helped 46 senior households, in the Los Altos and Mountain View area, during Realtor Service Volunteer Week.

Volunteers from Intero Real Estate Services & the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors helped seniors and the homebound with household. Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a blue-and-yellow logo that identified them as members of the Realtor Service Volunteer Program, workers descended on households to help homeowners and renters with chores they can no longer perform by themselves.

Seniors were grateful for the free service.  “I really appreciate the help,” said one 84-year-old senior, who has requested help for the past two years. “I still do quite a bit of the work myself. I even used to climb the stepladder, but my son gets worried about that, so I don’t do it anymore.”

Three volunteers visited her home to wash exterior windows, move a stove and refrigerator so she could clean underneath and replace her smoke-detector batteries. When a volunteer climbed the stepladder to replace the battery, he noticed there were none. That sparked a memory for the senior homeowner.

“I remember taking it out, but I never replaced it, because I couldn’t reach to put the new one in,” she said.  Local Realtors officially adopted RSVP as a community outreach project in 2002, and it has since expanded to include realtor association members from other cities and counties.

Every May, these volunteers help seniors and the homebound with household tasks, such as washing windows, installing smoke-detector batteries, flipping mattresses, vacuuming, dusting, replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters and trimming bushes.

Outside the home of a 90-year-old Mountain View resident, the team of Carol Casas, Hilda and Nick loosened dirt in a flowerbed, swept the patio and carport, trimmed ivy in her front yard and washed windows.  “My children have gone and moved away, so it’s wonderful to have help. I couldn’t do it any other way,” the homeowner said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

Two Open Homes This Weekend

We will be holding two homes open this weekend.  Both of these great houses are located in North Los Altos.

595 Los Altos Avenue will be held open this Saturday & Sunday, May 22nd & 23rd, from 1:30-4:30 pm.

465 Benvenue Avenue will be held open this Sunday, May 23rd, from 1:30-4:30 pm.

Come see these wonderful homes, both built for entertaining and living.  You will absolutely love their locations, their neighborhoods, and their tree lined streets.

Feel free to call the Casas Team for a private showing of either home, or both, at 650-823-1434.

63rd Annual Pet Parade

Well it was certainly one of the best Pet Parades in a long time, and pristine weather to boot.  We surely enjoyed the riding on the Mayor’s car, with our Chocolate Lab … Coco.  There were hundreds of people lining the street, and even more in the parade.  This is one of those Mayberry moments.  Truly a slice of mom and apple pie.

Below are highlights from a recent article in the Los Altos Town Crier …

Creatures of the world united in downtown Los Altos Saturday as thousands of them – two-legged, four-legged, eight-legged, no-legged and winged – thronged Main and State streets for the 63rd annual Kiwanis Club Pet Parade.

It was as if a huge pet store came alive, with families and their pets showing off one another on the sunny spring morning. Animals of all shapes and sizes walked, trotted, wheeled and slithered as visitors – local and out-of-towners – lined the streets, cheering, waving and clapping.

From the tiniest hermit crabs and furry spiders to lean greyhounds and majestic horses, visitors got their fill of the domesticated wildlife.

Not all pets wanted to march, however.

Tucker, a 4-year-old Golden Retriever, sat patiently, tail wagging and tongue lolling, while his master, Spencer Richmond, 8, watched the parade from the sidelines.

The canines stole the show – with a variety of popular breeds represented, including pocket Chihuahuas, rambunctious Terriers and Pomeranians, frisky Golden and Labrador Retrievers, staid St. Bernards, stately Greyhounds, German Shepherds, Pugs and Dachshunds.

Spectators enjoyed the procession of guinea pigs, cats, goats, rabbits, chickens, lizards, rats and canaries.

To the delight of onlookers, many owners outfitted their pets in cute and clever costumes. They paraded their pets in decorated baskets, wagons, strollers and cages. Some dogs wore outfits to match their owners’, while others sat daintily in their owners’ pockets watching curiously.

Lively, foot-tapping tunes from the South Bay Jazz Society, performing in its horse-drawn wagon, and Ye Olde Towne Band, playing from its motorized gazebo bandstand, provided the soundtrack, entertaining participants and onlookers alike.

Approximately 5,000 people attended, according to Lucy Carlton, parade director and former Los Altos police chief.  “Everyone has a great time,” Carlton said. “That’s what community is all about.”

Open House: Sat & Sun, 1:30-4:30 pm

We will be holding an open house this Saturday and Sunday, May 15th and 16th, from 1:30 – 4:30 pm for our new North Los Altos listing: 465 Benvenue Ave.

Come see this wonderful home built for entertaining and living.

Call the Casas Team for a private showing at 650-823-1434. You will absolutely love this quiet, tree-lined street location.

2010 Census & Los Altos

Let the counting being. The Twenty-third United States Census, better known as 2010 Census, is the current national census in the United States. “National Census Day” was April 1, and was the specific point of reference date that was to used in filling out the form everyone received in the mail.

As required by the U.S. Constitution, the census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790.  The last census was conducted in 2000, and the results showed that Los Altos had 27,693 people living in 10,462 households.  While the numbers are expected to change, they are not anticipated to increase significantly.

For background, the Census Bureau website states it will no longer use a long form for the 2010 Census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, which asked for detailed social and economic information. The 2010 Census will use only a short form asking ten basic questions, including name, sex, age, date of birth, race, and homeownership status.

Detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey. The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a yearly basis rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a rotating basis will receive the survey each year, and no household will receive it more than once every five years.

So, how are the response rates going for Los Altos?  As of today, almost 74% of the households in Los Altos have already submitted their forms to the census counters.  That is well ahead of the current national average of 63%.

As you may be aware, the 2010 census has featured a lot of razzle dazzle.  However, one of the most interesting technological innovations is an interactive map showing how the census collection is going.  If you are interested in looking at how the various neighborhoods in Los Altos are doing, or any neighborhood across the country, simply click here to use the interactive map.

In addition to being important as it relates to Federal funding, the results of the 2010 census will determine the number of seats each state receives in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections. Consequently, this will also affect the number of votes that states receive in the Electoral College for the 2012 presidential election.

So, for those of you who have already turned in your forms, you will be happy to know that you get to skip the step of a census taker knocking on your door.  For the 2010 Census, Los Altos is on target to surpass our 2000 census response rate of 84%.  Of course, this should not surprise anyone, exceeding expectations is in our collective DNA.

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About Us

Moving into Los Altos? We can help! We have lived in Los Altos for the past 35 years and love helping people buy and sell homes in this great city! We bring experience, knowledge, skills and professionalism to each of our client relationships. Our clients will agree they would not have had the same positive experience, at each step of the way, if they had not had us represent them.

David Casas Cell: 650-823-8920 or Email
(DRE#01116954)
Carol Casas Cell: 650-823-1434 or Email
(DRE#01123855)

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