A conversation with Gary McKae of McKae Properties

Silicon Valley, California is known for being home to some of the largest technology companies as well as some of the most beautiful homes in the country.  The location is extremely desirable with some of the most sought after cities in California.

Location, Location, Location

The migration to Silicon Valley has never ended, while comments of the demise of the California Dream have permeated every article featuring California’s financial woes. Think of Silicon Valley like Camelot, or the Knights of Malta stronghold on the Isle of Malta. While the land of King Arthur did fall the stories of its grandeur live on; Malta on the other hand, never fell and the crusades ended in the 1500’swhen the Knights fought off the Turks.

Silicon Valley is the home of Apple, Oracle, Hewett Packard, Genentech and countless other biotech and high tech companies. It is the home of the most successful venture capital firms.Feeding those firms and companies are higher education institutes like Stanford and Cal Berkley. The heart of Silicon Valley is Stanford University.

When thinking of real estate we think of LOCATION, LOCATION, and LOCATION. So it is with Silicon Valley Stanford being the hub and as you move out the communities of Silicon Valley radiate the success of Stanford and provide the quality of life and ambiances of Camelot. The financial success and the ability of the residents to maintain their wealth give it the defense of the Castel of Malta.

Of the Silicon Valley Cities, the most sought after communities are Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Portola Valley and Woodside of San Mateo County. They are sought for the schools, medical services, proximity to arts and recreation; as well as the homes that state, “I made it”.

OUR TOWNS: TOP RATED SCHOOLS, STRONG ECONOMY, GREEN ECONOMY

The top of the list is Atherton, with it large estates that are hidden behind large, gated walls. Starter homes here for a standard “Atherton Acre” (really just less than an acre) start at $2.5 million for a tear down in the less school district to $25 million for a 14,000 square foot house with Pool, Tennis court, guest house and pool house, a garage for 6 cars and maybe a basement with bulling alleys. Atherton is split between two school districts, one being Menlo Park all in the State Score of +900 with 1000 the top and Redwood city in the 700’s. The proximity to Stanford University, Stanford Shopping Center, the restaurants and shops of Menlo Park and Palo Alto; as well as CAL Train to San Francisco make it a choice the high end buyer who prefers privacy.

For the high-end buyer who loves horses there is Woodside, “Mink and Manure” it was once called. On any Friday Night you could find cowboys in jeans dancing with society’ ladies in the Whiskey Hill Saloon to the most recent area Western Group. The town has its own horse trail system. The private Woodside Trail Club has its own permitted trail system that will start you out in Woodside and end you on any beach from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The various trails will allow the horse person a grand experience of the western hills, redwoods and maybe some cattle and deer along the way, not to mention the chance of an elk. Homes in Woodside are one-acre minimum with a few smaller lots created before the town’s incorporation. Prices start at $1.5 million for 1950’s Ranch Style homes to the +100 million Ellison Estate. Woodside Elementary has won State honors almost every year. It sports a 950 rating and its own endowment for a public school. The town is off Interstate 280, which allows fast and quick access to San Francisco, San Jose and both of their airports. Woodside has privacy, trees, a small town center with some of the most sought after restaurants for the “makers and shakers” of Silicon Valley.

Portola Valley is for those that want Woodside, but less trees and more views. It too has a 900+ elementary school system; horses are there but not a tradition as its sister town of Woodside. Population is the same at about 5000 with about 2500 residential properties each. Prices start at $1.5 and can reach the 30+ million ranges for the more elaborate estates. The town center has tennis clubs, swim clubs, restaurants and specialty shops. The views of the western hill are great as is the view of San Francisco Bay for those wishing more dramatic view. Like Woodside, Portola Valley is off Interstate 280 and has the same fast access except one additional access; Stanford University and the town of Menlo Park is a short 10 minutes away.

Menlo Park has been a community of walkers and the enjoyment of life. On any weekend you will find parents, grand parents, singles and the elderly walking the streets to the main center for coffee or refreshments at on the several coffee house on University Avenue. There are 4 distinct districts in Menlo Park each offering a different lifestyle for the family, couple or single to enjoy. Prices vary from less than a million dollars for townhouses and apartment to up to $5 million. Single-family homes are all on about 10,000 to 12,000 square foot lots, with the quaint cottages of the much sought after Allied Arts area with 7000 to 9000 square foot lots. The entry level is higher there too! $1,500,000 to over $5 million is not unusual.

Palo Alto is the home of Facebook. Like Facebook, Palo Alto is the home of many start-up companies that gain national and international recognition. The graduates of Stanford and Harvard MBA gravitate to Palo Alto with it vibrant and fresh atmosphere. University Avenue is a gridlock from 5-8 p.m. Every workday evening as workers move out to the surrounding areas home. Excellent schools of the 900+ level Palo Alto has its own utility district and its own WIFI. The town is diverse in home sizes, lot sizes and home styles. You will find an apartment/condo complex next to a Victorian. Home will start in the mid million mark and what you get is really nothing more than a small outdated home in a great community. On a price per square foot, Palo Alto most assuredly ranks the highest in the entire Silicon Valley. When the real estate market froze after the Lehman bankruptcy and the entire stand still occurred in real estate, Palo Alto just slowed down a little and then returned to its pace of moving real estate.

The above towns and cities have one thing in common Going Green was started long before it was in vogue. The Open Space is part of Woodside and Portola Valley with many contributors from financial contributions to large tracts of land. Composting was part of daily lives as separation of garbage occurred 20+ years ago with all of the towns holding composting classes for its residents without charge. Palo Alto has its own WFI network, as does Menlo Park. Telsa the new all electric car has it only store in Menlo Park. Bike lanes permeate all of the Towns mentioned and many people regularly commute to work by the bike lanes.

About Gary McKae:

Gary McKae holds a certification from Wharton School of Business in Investment Management Analysis. He is a founding investor and agent in the newly opened office of Keller Williams in Menlo Park. He has been licensed in real estate since 1983.

He started his real estate career as an investment banker in the financial securities industry during the late 70’s as banks and savings institutions were burdened with liquidating foreclosed property. Again in the early 80’s he worked with the in the liquidation of foreclosed properties of the Resolution Trust Company. After an early retirement from the investment Banking and financial services industry in 1994, Gary spent his time working with his community and serving as chief executive officer of two investment consulting firms. He also found time to devote to his passion in archeology allowing the “Indian Jones” in him to thrive as he worked on and attended numerous archeological trips. His community service involved his term as Mayor and Town Council Member of the Town of Woodside, two terms with San Mateo County Boards, Trustee of the College of Notre Dame, Search and Rescue with the Mounted unit of the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department, Special Deputy with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, and a registered Conservator and Guardian for the State of California and a Friend of Probate Courts Superior Court of San Mateo.

Always keeping himself involved and up to date in the financial markets and developing technologies and marketing, Gary renewed his real estate license in 2004. Gary chose to use the Internet as the communication and marketing source for the renewal of his career in real estate. Today over 80% of homes are found on the Internet and Gary has applied his marketing, managerial, financial and community experience to create a team of professionals to service both buyers and sellers. Through his website, www.mckaeproperties.com, Gary sends out weekly dispatches and a bi-weekly blog, www.mckaepropertiesblog.com, which provide a value added service not provided by any real estate agent in the area. Using his background he is able to provide commentary on the stock market, real estate, commodity prices and general economic information. From his political service he has the insight and experience to guide his clients through the tangled web of Planning Department rules and regulations. His expertise in Conservatorships has been an extra benefit to his clients traveling the difficult and emotional road of estate liquidations. Gary holds a Luxury Homes Marketing Specialist Designation.

For more information on Silicon Valley, just go to Silicon Valley’s own Google and type in one of the towns or write Gary@mckaeproperties.com.

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This guest post is part of our Realtor Thursday Series. We invite realtors from towns and cities all over the country, big or small, to participate. Our goal is to “travel” to as many towns as we can in every state. Every town is unique and wonderful to our readers. If you would like to showcase your town, your neighbors and your talents as a realtor, please contact us at liz@dalesiegel.com