Mansions & Shacks: Los Gatos

When I become editor of Bay Area Sweet Digs earlier this year, it was the norm to write about mansions and shacks on Monday. I had no problem finding at least one, if not both, of these items on our Daily Stats list, but not anymore. People don’t even seem to be checking out those palaces online anymore. I suppose it is a sign of the times, although it really doesn’t cost anything to just look. So, I am resurrecting Monday Mansions & Shacks and will pick out a city each week to feature, rotating counties. Because I have not written about Los Gatos in awhile, it will be first up.

First up is our high-end home of the day, which happens to be the priciest listing in Los Gatos: 300 Santa Rosa Drive. For the price tag of $7,888,000 ($1052/sf) you can not only have a 6 bedroom, 7.5 bath contemporary abode, but you can have the house that Steve rebuilt, Steve Wozniak to be exact. This home not only has a bright modern interior, but it has also had one of our generation’s brightest (or at least most visionary) minds grace its halls. Originally built in the 1980s, it was completely remodeled in the last few years for Wozniak. Encompassing 7500 square feet, there are large common spaces, the requisite killer kitchen and wine cellar, as well as a koi pond, guest quarters, and pool, but according to an article in last year’s Chronicle, this home also has a cave, arcade, children’s discovery complex and a pet hotel. Oh, and phenomenal views. A virtual tour can be found here.

Trying to find a shack in this neck of the woods proved to be a lot harder than I thought. There is only one home under $500,000 and that is a small condo at 14225 Lora Drive that isn’t in bad shape. I also looked at an attached single family home at 420 Alberto Way, which has been on the market for 727 days, probably a record. No photo was available but it is described as a nicely upgraded property, so that didn’t work. Then I checked out 21434 Geraldine Court, located up in the mountains, as it looked like a little shack. And it is little at 960 square feet, but the listing agent describes it at a 10 with updated kitchen and baths, so that isn’t exactly a shack. So I am giving this week’s shack award to 20300 Bear Creek Road. Listed for $645,000, this is a court-ordered sale. There are no interior photos, but the price has been cut over $100,000 and the exterior looks overgrown and in need of a really good landscaper or a lot of hard work by the new owners. Hopefully next week I will have a bit more luck finding a true “shack.”

Recent Sweet Digs Bay Area Posts:
Oakland: This Week’s Money No Object Home
SF and Daly City: Get Smart
Debtless Home Equity Part 1: The REX Agreement
Garage-less in Oakland
One Twin Pending, One to Go
Berkeley: Every Sale Tells A Story — This One’s An Old One
Mtn View: Chill in the Air
Menlo Park: Buyers Catch a Break
What the?
Oakland: Floral Fancy Catches The Eye
Sales Number Falling on the Mid-Peninsula
What Others are Looking at in Marin: Recent Top Listings