by Mary Pope-Handy | Oct 15, 2022 | Belgatos, Belwood, Cabaña, Events, Recreation, Surmont

It’s official – the Halloween party is back!
The September 2022 Bellringer, the community’s newsletter, has announced it. After a two-year hiatus, Belwood is ready to have this family-friendly monster bash yet again. This event is held at the cabana club for members. The party will start around 3pm with wrap-up at 7pm on Sunday, October 30, check the Belwood event page and newsletters for updates. Feel free to reach out to Belwood’s Events Coordinator, Mary Schepman, by email through hoa@belwoodhomes.org if you have ideas or would like to help! Volunteers needed!
Info below is from previous years
Halloween fun in the Belwood of Los Gatos Community!
Put on a costume and celebrate Halloween at the Belwood of Los Gatos cabana club, Sunday Oct 27th, 2019 from 3- 6pm. Enjoy games, prizes, pizza, snacks & the spirit of All Hallows Eve. The featured event will be either a spooky haunted house or a movie, beginning at 6pm. Costumes highly encouraged!
Belwood residents and invited guests only, please. Free admission, donations appreciated.
Learn more at the Belwood Homes Halloween Party event page.
Volunteers needed! Find sign-up information through the link above.

by Mary Pope-Handy | Jul 2, 2022 | Belgatos, Belwood, Cabaña, Events, Recreation, Surmont
The Belwood of Los Gatos community is hosting its annual Independence Day or 4th of July celebration and the details are announced on the Belwood HOA website. The neighborhood festivities run from 1 – 5 at the cabaña. Read all about it on the Belwood HOA site!
The party is open to Belwood residents and their invited guests only. This will be the first July 4th community party since 2019, and it’s a great opportunity for newer residents, especially, to get to know their neighbors.
Please note that since the weather is warm, dry, and windy, the risk of fire danger is high right now. A sign at Belgatos Park warns that viewing fireworks is strictly prohibited.
Got Facebook? If so, you might consider “liking” the Belwood Cabaña page on Facebook. They are great at keeping people updated on neighborhood events (this is not my page, btw). That’s where I first learned that the holiday is being celebrated in traditional fashion.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jun 10, 2021 | Belgatos, Belwood, Cabaña, Events, Recreation, Surmont

Another “Bingo and Movie Nights” is planned for this summer for cabaña members and residents of Belwood, Surmont and Belgatos on Saturday June 26. At 6 pm the music starts, at 7 pm it’s bingo, and the film, Yes Day, starts at 8:15 pm.
Bring something comfy to sit on – blankets, sleeping bags, lawn chairs etc. Popcorn, cotton candy, and other treats are available for purchase!
For more information, keep an eye on the Belwood HOA website page for bingo and movie nights.

by Mary Pope-Handy | Apr 29, 2021 | Belwood, Belgatos, Heritage Grove, Surmont
City-Data shares demographic data by neighborhood. While the maps aren’t always precise, they provide some insights for smaller parts of the town of Los Gatos. Please take it with a big grain of salt – as you view the demographic data data, you’ll find some questionable results (such as the average household size being 16 people here!).
The “Belwood” area map includes all of Belwood of Los Gatos, Belgatos, Surmont, and Heritage Grove. Curious? Check it out at the City-Data Belwood page.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Nov 18, 2019 | Belgatos, Belgatos Park, Belwood, Cabaña, Photos & Videos, Surmont, Trails
Welcome to my site regarding a beautiful neighborhood in east Los Gatos, including Belwood of Los Gatos, Belgatos, Surmont, and adjacent tracts & subdivisions. Here I’ll provide ongoing real estate information, some events that are happening in the community, photos of Belgatos Park and other nearby areas, and items of concern to residents in this pretty corner of Los Gatos.
Please note that this is NOT the Belwood Homeowner’s Association website. For the HOA site, and phone numbers for the Cabaña or HOA, for lifeguard jobs, please visit BelwoodHomes.org
Enjoy this slideshow of photos of our scenic neighborhood.
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by Mary Pope-Handy | Jul 4, 2018 | Belgatos, Belwood, Homes for Sale, Market Info, Surmont
What’s going on with the real estate market in the Belwood, Belgatos, Surmont, and nearby areas of east Los Gatos? Here’s a quick update of the year to date listings and sales activities, taken from the MLS.
Right now, there are 6 properties for sale in the neighborhood. That’s more than what has been normal in recent years. The stats for these active listings are as follows:
Average list price $2,286,333
Average square footage 2,906
Average lot size 16,194
Average days on market 19
Average price per SF $800.92
Average age 49
There is only one pending sale, and no properties at all in the area which closed in June. We had steady rate of sales closed earlier in the year: three in February, two in March, five in April, two in May.
For those tracking the absorption rate, which is the rate at which homes would sell if no new properties come on the market, this is a bit of a surprise. Zero homes (sold / closed in the last 30 days) divided by 6 active listings = an infinite months supply of inventory. Of course, it is not truly that dire, since there were 2 closings in late May and there’s one pending sale (went into contract June 15), but it does suggest that home buyers may have put the brakes on.

We are seeing this drop in sales activity across the valley in many areas, so it’s not just this corner of 95032.
Is it just a big rise in inventory that is causing the market to stall out a little? In some areas, homes have continued selling at the same pace, but with fewer offers over the last 6 weeks or so. Those areas may not have had as large an inventory jump as we have seen on the east end of Los Gatos.
Here’s a look at the inventory for single family homes for sale in 95032 with Campbell Union High School District (so Leigh or Westmont High) from July 2012 to July 2018.

Inventory is up, but not to an unprecedented degree. There were more in June, and June’s inventory was not too different from most of the recent years (2014 and forward).
A holiday week is often slow, so I would encourage people thinking of selling to not get discouraged. Part of what we are seeing could simply be a seasonal trend – summer is normally a bit of a “slowdown” period in real estate, with things picking back up again in early to mid September. Last year we did not see seasonality at all, as the market was raging hot through December.
If you are interested in buying or selling a home in east Los Gatos or anywhere in Silicon Valley, please reach out to me and we’ll find a time to talk and see if we might be a fit for working together.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 30, 2017 | Belgatos, Belgatos Park, Belwood, Surmont, Trails
The San Jose Water District announced that 89 trees will be removed near the water storage tanks in Belgatos Park. The work begins September 5th and should end by the 22nd, and work will run between 8am and 5pm.
Due to the heavy rains last year, some infrastructure needs repairs. With the water district removing 89 trees, there will be the ability to upgrade the water main. The notice can be viewed below for those who missed it.

San Jose Water District letter regarding tree removal and work at the reservoir in Belgatos Park