Volume 1 | Issue 4 | Apr 2011

In This Issue:

*I have much more data at my fingertips than can go in the newsletter. If you would like more specific information about a particular area or neighborhood, even if it is what the neighbor's house really sold for, just call or email me and I will be happy to provide the information for you.

** These statistics reflect active, pending and sold single family homes for the month ending March 31st, 2011.

San Ramon Valley School District

Pleasanton School District

Acalanes School District

Danville Express

Groupon

Blackboard Eats

If you have a family member, friend or co-worker who is thinking about buying or selling their home, please forward this email to them or have them contact me at:

jfischer@rockcliff.com

Your referrals are truly appreciated!

"John helped us find and purchase our current and previous home.

John helped us find the right home for us by providing us with multiple options that fit our criteria and refining his search based on our feedback.

He was very valuable to us in shepherding us through the purchase process and representing our interests along the way. I highly recommend him."

Blackhawk Perspective

This month I wanted to focus on the community of Blackhawk, an unincorporated master planned community located in the hills of the beautiful San Ramon Valley at the base of Mt. Diablo and east of Danville. Here are some interesting details about the community.

Established in 1917, the land passed through the hands of several owners, including the owner of Caterpillar Tractor Company, the Hawaii-based sugar and pineapple company Castle & Cooke and Howard Peterson (owner of Peterson Tractor).

I was a sales rep for Xerox in 1973, serving the San Ramon Valley, with Blackhawk as one of my customers. Back then, the main office was in an old house which is now the country club area. The golf course was only 9 holes at the time.

In 1975, Peterson sold the land to Florida real estate developer, Ken Behring. He originally planned for 4800 dwelling units over 4200 acres of land. Due to local opposition, Blackhawk reduced the number of homes planned to 2400 and offered more than 2000 acres of open space to Mount Diablo State Park. Now, Blackhawk HOA consists of 2027 homes with an estimated population of 5000 people. You can read more about the rich heritage of Blackhawk on Wikipedia.

Communities:
Blackhawk is divided into 6 gated communities listed below, spread out along Blackhawk Road and connected by a 3 mile long jogging trail.
Hidden Oaks consists of 206 homes and in 1978 was the first Blackhawk community to be completed. Most homes are on half-acre lots.
Oakridge consists of medium sized homes ranging from 2000 -3000sf with a few large estates on top of a private court
Saddleback, the second community completed, is where homes are on lots being at least 5 acres in size.
Silveroak is an upscale condo complex.
Silver Maple is a separate community with medium sized homes
Blackhawk Country Club is the largest of the communities.

Blackhawk Country Club:
The highly exclusive Blackhawk Country Club opened in 1979 and sits on 4800 acres.
Lakeside Golf Course (6,904 yards), designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, hosts the annual CVS LPGA Challenge. The newer Falls Golf Course (6,700 yards) was designed by Ted Robinson. Both are championship golf courses that offer the low-handicapper and beginner challenging play. Blackhawk’s Tennis Club includes 20 tennis courts, a clubhouse and pro shop. The Blackhawk Swim Club includes a competition-sized pool, a spa and dressing rooms plus instructional programs and youth swim team competition. The 25 acre Sports and Recreation Center included basketball courts, outdoor volleyball courts, a children’s pays park, Olympic -sized pool and various sport fields.

Blackhawk Plaza:
Blackhawk Plaza is a shopping center located outside the Blackhawk Country Club. Beautifully appointed with fountains and water features, it includes retail stores, restaurants, a movie theater and the Blackhawk Auto Museum. This 70,000sf architectural masterpiece houses approximately 90 cars which are on a rotational basis by car collectors worldwide.

Truly a wonderful place to live, Blackhawk offers luxury living and the highly desirable country club lifestyle.

- John Fischer

Blackhawk Historical Sales Perspectives

Blackhawk sales for 2010 were at levels last seen in 2000 - 2003. The big difference is that average days on market have increased by over 200%. It takes much longer for houses to sell now, but there are some great prices compared to the last 5 years in the Blackhawk market. Sales prices in 2010 were down 34% compared to the high levels of 2005. Of course, this makes it very difficult for sellers who purchased within the past 7 years to realize a comparable selling price to their purchase price.

Blackhawk is similar to the rest of the Diablo Valley with higher priced homes especially seeing greater depreciation. Mortgages are tougher to get and buyers must actually qualify for their loan. Larger mortgages are less available, so the majority of activity has been in the lower priced homes. The message is: Now is a great time to be a buyer of a larger luxury home.

Blackhawk Home Sales Stats

Blackhawk Sales for 1999 - 2010

Here are some basic sales statistics for homes sold in Blackhawk for the past dozen years. If you would like to know the current value of your home, please contact me for a complimentary home evaluation. You may call me at 925-980-4816 or send an email to jfischer@rockcliff.com.
 

Year	#of Sales	Avg. Sales Price	Avg. Day on Mkt.
2010	108	$1,071,000	78
2009	76	$1,139,000	108
2008	68	$1,326,000	94
2007	97	$1,507,000	63
2006	91	$1,574,000	26
2005	130	$1,634,000	23
2004	203	$1,375,000	27
2003	173	$1,183,000	36
2002	182	$1,026,000	36
2001	121	$1,105,000	29
2000	200	$1,110,000	27
1999	254	$871,000	41

Following that, I proceeded into IBM computer sales and leasing. My wife, Janeen, and I have lived in the same house in Alamo since 1983 and have raised three children. They all graduated from Monte Vista High School and have gone to UCLA, UC Davis and University of Washington. Our youngest, Kelsey, is now attending UC Hastings School of Law.