by Mary Pope-Handy | Feb 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
Recently we have seen an uptick in neighborhood crime both in our immediate Belwood, Belatos, Surmont, and adjacent areas here in east Los Gatos as well as the neighboring communities of Cambrian, Almaden, and Saratoga. Specifically, a gang of 4 intruders has been hitting homes perceived to be unoccupied, often entering through back sliding doors, rummaging quickly for jewelry and cash, and getting away in under 10 minutes.
Where are the burglaries happening?
Most of Santa Clara County is using the City Protect crime map, but the Town of Los Gatos recently launched our crime info on a different platform, LGPD.CrimeGraphics.com. It would be wise to check both sites since our community is so close to Cambrian and Almaden (as well as county pockets).
The neighborhood crime info isn’t as thorough I would like. In recent weeks we had some attempted break ins by that gang of four near my house in which they got into backyards but didn’t get into the homes. They moved swiftly and the police did, too – but were gone before they could be apprehended. Those attempted burglaries are not to be found on crime info website.
My recommendation is that you log onto Nextdoor at least once in awhile and check the crime activity in our part of Los Gatos in addition to checking the 2 websites linked above. Or if you have a Ring doorbell, the online Ring community also has good sharing of information. (I wonder if Nest similarly has online sharing?) If you have neighbors who aren’t on Nextdoor, fill them in if you read about an episode so that they can make their home safer and have more surveillance.
Many of the would be and successful burglaries appear to happen when it looks like no one is home. The thieves go into backyards and then often smash a sliding glass door to gain entry. It’s loud, and alarms may go off, but they leave fast and so far haven’t been caught.
If you have security cameras, you can register them with the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Dec 22, 2020 | Market reports
Neighborhood sales were strong in 2020, aside from the initial halt to the entire market with COVID last spring. At this link you can view info on the sold properties in Belwood, Belgatos, Surmont, and adjacent areas (not my sales) as of today. Below please find an overview of the same info. Click to view larger version of the image.
How’s the market looking for 2021? As of right now, inventory is low and prices look to remain strong for at least the first six months, if not the whole year. You can read more of my market predictions on my main blog, the Valley of Heart’s Delight blog: Silicon Valley real estate market predictions.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jun 8, 2020 | Belwood, Homes for Sale
PENDING WITH 2 OFFERS
Update: CLOSED on July 10th, 2020 and sold at list price.
Great layout, location, and natural light! The home at 104 Bacigalupi Drive is available now! The special house enjoys an ideal floor plan featuring an over sized family room which is open to the island kitchen, with both overlooking the gorgeous back yard and the hills beyond.
Facing the street are the separate living and dining rooms, with a full bedroom and bathroom finishing the ground floor. Upstairs are 4 more bedrooms and 2 full baths. The master suite is situated in the back and offers a stunning view of the foothills.
Set near the base of the hills, this lovely house is within the Belwood of Los Gatos community, which features the Belwood Cabaña, pool, basketball courts, bocce ball courts, lawn, picnic tables, and more. It’s just a few blocks to Belgatos Park & open space trails and only 2 blocks to the Walgreen’s Shopping Center, which includes a Starbucks, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, and of course Walgreen’s. A couple of blocks more and you arrive at highly regarded Noddin Elementary Schools. Hiking trails abound nearby!
Quick facts:
5 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
living room, dining room, and huge family room
2344 SF
7773 lot size
Year built 1968
Attached 2 car garage
Central forced air conditioning
Dual pane windows
HOA Dues $580 per year
$1,824,000
104 Bacigalupi Dr – Belwood of Los Gatos home for sale
Large dual pane windows provide wonderful views and oodles of natural light. Central AC keeps the house comfortable on the warmest days. Fresh paint and new or newer floor coverings throughout. Super clean!
The kitchen enjoys an island with gas cooktop, a good sized sink overlooking the back yard, a breakfast bar on the peninsula, and a good amount of storage & counter space. There are wood-looking laminate floors in this part of the home.
And another angle:
(more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Mar 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
Today my family and I enjoyed a walk in the neighborhood with the dry, warmer weather. Lots of neighbors were out biking, hiking, and walking dogs, and we wondered if the Belgatos Park playground would be in use, or off limits due to the coronavirus restrictions. Not surprisingly, it was cordoned off.
In addition to the police tape, there’s a sign to keep people from being in too-close proximity on the equipment.
Be safe out there!
by Mary Pope-Handy | Feb 29, 2020 | Cabaña
Midway through a major election year, voting on a few measures and maybe the presidential primary may not be at the top of everyone’s To Do List. In the Belwood-Belgatos area, we’re fortunate that our polling place is extremely local – you can vote at the Belwood of Los Gatos Cabaña. Stop on by – lines are short and the folks handing out the ballots are very nice. It’s a good reason to take a few minutes out of your regular day. And the bonus for all of us is that it’s such a scenic place.
If you aren’t going to be home, and have already completed your ballot, there are a myriad of ballot drop off locations. Check out the list here:
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/rov/Pages/Registrar-of-Voters.aspx
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 22, 2020 | Market reports
The Belwood area in east Los Gatos had a healthy number of sales in 2019 (sales which closed or originated in 2019). The map below indicates the listings and sales of single family homes (houses) in the Surmont, Belgatos, Belwood, and contiguous areas last year. (There was also one duplex, info on that below.)
The tables below are a bit small to read, but if you click on them, it will open up in a new tab as full width (1200 px instead of 700 px). Here’s what did close escrow in 2019 for single family homes. Click image to enlarge.
Please click on image to enlarge – table with info on 2019 sales in Belwood, Belgatos, Surmont, and adjacent areas.
There was one duplex just off of Belwood Gateway (the two courts near the cabana have duplexes).
Click image to enlarge
Right now, here’s what is available (there’s a “coming soon” sign on a property on Belwood Gateway right now, too):
Please click on the image to enlarge – it will open in a new tab
by Mary Pope-Handy | Nov 19, 2019 | Belwood, History
We happen to live on Bacigalupi Drive in Belwood of Los Gatos, a lovely street you might walk to get to Belgatos Park. A classmate of mine at Saratoga High School was a Bacigalupi and I have noticed that one of the old buildings in downtown Los Gatos is the Bacigalupi Building (it houses Mountain Charley’s, I believe – it is in the La Canada or Hofstra block near the corner of Main and North Santa Cruz). So I wondered, who were these people with the hard to pronounce name? (I can say it, but I speak some Italian!)
The Bacigalupi Family c.1922 – click to visit the Los Gatos Local History Research Collection and see a larger image and info on this family
The Hooked on Los Gatos project was a collaborative project by the Library and History Museum which appears to have since become the Los Gatos Local History Research Collection. This collection includes page after page of online resources, including all the photos in their archives relating to the Bacigalupi clan. Clicking on each image leads to more information. For instance, here I found information on James A. Bacigalupi, Sr.
I was very impressed to learn that he was the first president of the Bank of Italy, and then worked with A.P. Giannini to form the Bank of America. He may not be the most famous Los Gatan, but he’s certainly a big deal! To the right, this photo features Mr. Bacigalupi with his family, in approximately the year 1922. Click on the image to visit the original photo on the Local History Research Collection page, see a larger image and learn more about the family in this image.
As you probably know, the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake did a great deal of damage to many of the older, historic buildings in downtown Los Gatos. The La Canada (Hofstra) block was no exception. The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce reported on its “walking tour” page (which has since disappeared, but thankfully has been archived) after the quake, that block was restored by the Bacigalupi, Farwell, Brady and VanDalsem families, so we can thank them for their continued love of our town and its history. (On a side note, if you’re interested in a Los Gatos walking tour don’t despair! The old walking tour has been swapped with a high-tech model: LOST Gatos the walking tour App.)
