I remember when I first moved to San Jose I lived in Cambrian Park (another great neighborhood) and would come to Willow Glen each holiday season to admire the Christmas Trees that the residents would place in their front yards. Yes, Christmas trees completely decorated with lights, ornaments, and a tree topper; a sort of neighborhood “festival of lights”. To walk up and down the brightly lit holiday streets and then have a cup of cocoa at one of the coffee shops in downtown Willow Glen remains one of my family’s favorite traditions.
Willow Glen offers that community that so many of us are looking for. Diverse architecture, diverse population, kid-friendly, dog-friendly, and active. There is always something going on. The annual festivals throughout the summer and fall months keep us all full of kettle corn and live music. The parks are great social gatherings for sporting events, birthday parties, and plain ‘ole family fun. We can walk our streets and wave hello over and over to our extended neighbors.
I am a little biased. Five years ago, I was able to make one of my dreams come true by moving into this great neighborhood called Willow Glen. Yes, I bought at or close to the peak of the market. But I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well our little corner of Willow Glen has weathered the financial storm. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where we were and where we are in regards to the housing market of Willow Glen.
Below is a graph that outlines the boom and bust time specific to Willow Glen. If you look at the average sales price for a home in September 2009, you will see we have dropped back to 2004 prices. When I have run these stats for Alum Rock, they dropped back to 2002. Some parts of South Santa Clara County dropped to 1998 prices. There is something to be said about stable neighborhoods. (These averages are for single family detached homes. Reflective of the majority of homes in Willow Glen.)
