San Mateo-Foster City Real Estate News

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

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MILLBRAE

The city is named for Darius Ogden Mills, a rich financier who founded the Bank of California and bought land from the Sanchez family to build his country estate.  The Scott's refer to a "brea" as rolling hills, and Mills turned into Millbrae at some time in the late 1800's.  The Mills estate went from Skyline Boulevard down to Bayshore Highway, now 101 and 280, east and west and from Millbrae Avenue south to Trousdale Drive  There were multiple lakes at one time, with the largest where the football field for Mills High School now sits. The mansion burned down in the early 1950's.

Mills also owned the land where Mills Field stood, the first airport.  It had been a dairy farm and was converted to an airport.  San Francisco International Airport still sits on part of the original land.

The city has about 30,000 residents today.  Some of the areas of the city were developed after WWI, and in 1927 the Highlands, homes built for the upper market above the downtown area between Chadbourne Avenue and Taylor Boulevard, Magnolia Avenue and Ashton, was developed.  The area is known today for its beautiful tree lined streets and Spanish style homes.

After WWII, the town began to grow and more houses were built in the northern part of the city.  The Mills Estate was developed in the mid-1950's through 1970's for the upper market.

The downtown is a bustling street with many restaurants and shops.  Millbrae's schools are considered excellent.  Mills High School is a top ranking school.  Weather is moderate, and the hills do a good job of keeping the fog away from the main part of town. 

The BART station and CalTrain station are a major transit hub.  Millbrae, sitting across from SFO has many residents who work in San Mateo County, or up in San Francisco.

Last week Millbrae had 50 houses for sale.  They were on the market for an average of 68 days, and the number of homes coming to the market  appears to be moving upward.  Prices are trending downward, yet most homes in Millbrae are selling for over a Million dollars today.  A far cry from how this city of about 20,000 use to be, where modest homes housed families of modest means.  Not today.  The median price last week was $1,087,500.  Millbrae is considered a flat Cold! Buyer's market.

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It's time for an update on the real estate markets around the mid-Peninsula.  Let's start off today with Millbrae, 94030.  There were 39 homes on the market last week.  The average time on the market was 53 days, which believe it or not, is an improvement from previous weeks.  The median price for was $1,248,000 (this is for single family homes).

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Not a day goes by without someone stopping me and asking, "What's going on with the real estate market in San Mateo County?" We get this question because the press is doing a good job of yelling at us "Chicken Little, the sky's falling in!" and that the housing market is in a slump around here. Well, yes it is in many places around the Bay Area, but in our little area of the Peninsula, it's doing just fine, thank you.

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