San Mateo-Foster City Real Estate News

This Sunday, downtown Burlingame will turn into a bicycle raceway, when the 5th annual Ryan Phua Criterium takes place, so beware.  Parking will be tight.  Streets will be closed and it will be a great day to bring the family and watch the fun.  Starting at the intersection of Burlingame Avenue and Lorton Avenue, the 7/10 of a mile race is serious business and the bicycles are moving fast.  Crossing the street when they're coming down the raceway is dangerous and won't be allowed, so plan accordingly.

Read more »

Since I like to write about happenings between Millbrae and San Carlos, summer means free concerts and each of our towns has some for you to pick from.  Make a picnic and grab your blankets to sit on and/or to possibly bundle up.  Bring the family and enjoy the music.  Free is good. When you're leaving the concert be sure to thank the local Park & Recreation people for providing the music.  Belmont kicks off the summer season tomorrow afternoon.

Belmont

Let's start with Belmont. Their concerts are always on Sunday afternoons from 1-4PM at Twin Pines Park on Cottage Lane. They begin in June and run through July.

June 15 - Stompy Jones - Jumpin' Jazz and Swing

June 22 - Refugees - Tom Petty tribute

June 29 - Tom Rigney and Flambeau - Cajun Fiddling

July 6  - McCarty and Company - Pure Country Western

July 13 - Groovy Judy - Flower Power Funk Rock

July 20 - Blue-Rock and Roll Rhythm and Blues

July 27 - D-5 - Rockin' the Par

San Mateo

Read more »

BURLINGAME

The City of Trees, Burlingame, has a population around 29,000 and 18,000 trees.  With top schools from Kindergarten through senior high school, it's a great place to raise a family with a community very willing to support both the elementary school system and the high school district.

Located just south of SFO, it's an easy commute north to San Francisco or south to Silicon Valley.  Public transit runs through the city with CalTrain and just north in Millbrae the BART line starts. 

Homes sit in the flat lands all the way up to steep hills with amazing views of San Francisco and the bay.  Homes in the hills rise as much as the hills do.  Overall, home prices are high in Burlingame.

The land the city sits upon was originally inhabited by Native Americans before the Spanish founded the Missions.  After Mexico gained independence in 1821, it seized the church's lands and sold them to private owners.  The land continued to be sold to the wealthy for decades. 

The town really took off after the 1906 Great Quake when San Franciscans discovered the town's beauty.  The founding of the Burlingame Country Club made the name Burlingame permanent.  The club members worried that the "village", as they called it, was getting too commercial so they broke away and formed Hillsborough. The town incorporated in 1908 and was named after Anson Burlingame, the Ambassador to China, who once owned 1200 acres nearby, although he never lived there. 

The streets are lined with eucalyptuses, magnolias, sycamores and more, where the 18,000 trees often grow into the streets causing great battles between the homeowners and the city about removing them.

There are fifteen parks and playgrounds, a Bay Trail, many sports fields for outdoor recreation.  The vibrant downtown has many shops and restaurants and is always filled with people strolling along the sidewalks.  Sitting part way up Burlingame Avenue is an historic train station, still being used today.  Built in 1894 to serve the country club, the land surrounding it was wide open except for occasional mansions.  The tiles on the roof of the station were salvaged from Mission San Antonio de Padua and the San Mate Mission hospice.  There is a second business district on Broadway, that also has many shops and restaurants and has become a magnet for locals.

Burlingame sits between 101 on the east and 280 on the west.  It's a family friendly community with high priced homes.  Most of the homes were built between the 1920's and 1960's.  Any new construction today is because an old home was torn down and a new structure built in its place. Mild weather, good public transit and great schools are what keeps Burlingame a favorite for many Peninsula citizens.

Easter is just around the corner and with that comes Easter Egg Hunts!  The first San Mateo County easter egg hunt takes place this coming weekend on Saturday, March 15th.  Head over to Orange memorial Park's Picnic Shelter on Orange Avenue in South San Francisco to take part.  It's the 61st Annual Easter Egg Hunt and children from pre-school to 3rd grade (8 years old) can take part.  It will take place rain or shine.  If your child is under 3, the Easter Bunny will hand out treats and easter eggs to them.  There will be

Read more »

It's been a while since I posted any information about the Burlingame real estate market.  Altos Research sends me reports weekly on all of the seven sister cities we cover but frankly the market has been so slow it hasn't been worthwhile posting these until now.  Spring has sprung.  We are beginning to see listings come onto the market, and lots and lots of people are out looking at homes.  Hopefully, to buy them.  Burlingame only had 38 homes for sale last week.  It's gotten better this week - a whopping 41!  Shoot off the rockets, we're off to a good start!   Seriously folks, that's not a lot of houses for sale, is it?

Read more »