So you want to move up "here"?

Our clients always have several questions when they are looking to move away from the "burbs" and into the rural parts of the county.  Everything from "What are the people like" to "who picks up my garbage."  We have tried to compile and address some of the more common ones.

Wholives up here?

Everyonealways asks us what type of people live up here, and I never have a good answersimply because, from my observation, there isn't a type.  People in thisarea vary, there are Tradesmen (electricians, contractors), Professionals(Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers), Executives, Loggers and Ranchers.  The onething I have found that everyone has in common is that they are almost all veryhelpful and friendly.  Being in a rural area you rely on your neighbors alittle more.  Everyone knows this and is willing to help out with whateveryou may need, knowing that their turn could be next.  The communities aretypically tight-knit and very involved in the community schools and volunteerfire departments.  

Asan example, my wife and I moved up here from the suburbs some time ago. When we first moved to the ‘burbs, we didn't meet a neighbor for amonth or two; when we finally moved out, we knew a total of two.  The firstnight my wife and I moved up here, as the moving truck was pulling out at 11pm,one of our new neighbors came over and gave us his phone and a bottle of wine,and said "bring the phone back when you get yours hooked up." That sums up the type of people up here.

Whomaintains these roads?

Notall the roads are maintained by the county.  If it isn’t maintained bythe county, chances are it’s maintained by your community.  Keep in mindthat on some of the private roads, you and your neighbor may be thecommunity.   There are dozens of communities up here that aren'tformal home owners’ associations, but rather road associations.  This canmean that every year you throw in a couple of hundred dollars to help maintainthe road.  You may also have a neighbor that is a contractor with a tractorthat may take care of the road for you when he's bored. If the property youwant to buy is located on the other side of a bridge, it is important that inbuying the property, you also purchase rights to traverse the bridge, if not,you may need to acquire these separately. These things are usually not aproblem, but must be kept in mind when considering a purchase in the area. As always, I will help you with this.

Wheredo I get water?

Thereare several ways people get water up here.  On Skyline Boulevard, there arethree small water companies, Skylonda, Skyline Mutual, and Woodside Water. A little further west on La Honda road there is another water company, and in LaHonda, Loma Mar and Pescadero  there are two or three more.  Somewater companies are run by the county, but most are run by the localcommunities.  When you are interested in a particular location, I will tellyou what I know about each of these, but the most important thing to do is readthe property disclosures, which will give you an indication of how thesecompanies work and if there are any major upgrades that need to occur  If you aren't on a community water system, you are likely on a well or a spring. The main concern about a well/spring is the quality and quantity of water. Living on a well isn't a whole lot different than living on city water, exceptyou there is more equipment and your water can have more minerals in it that theproperty owner must deal with.  With a well, you almost always have afiltration system, pressure tank, and a storage take from 1250 to 5000+ gallons. When you find the place you like, I will help you get the appropriateprofessional to confirm that the well is in proper working order. 

YourGarden..

Notexactly... it's the deer's garden, the birds’ garden, the raccoons’ garden,but certainly not your garden. Good fences can do wonders for a garden, but you still may have themountain "soil" to deal with.   If gardening is one of yourtop priorities, you may want to look in areas such as San Gregorio andPescadero.  In these places, wherethe mountains give way to the ocean, as well as next to creeks, the soil isusually pretty good.  La Honda has a lot of clay, so you will have to worka little harder to make your garden there, but there are certainly somebeautiful ones in the area.  Skyline has some great gardens, but those,too, require a lot of work and bringing in a lot of soil.  If you needplants, Yerba Buena Nursery by Langley Hill Quarry (off of  Skyline)specializes in local plants that will grow in the area.  It's worth a look. No matter what you do, if you don't have a good fence, you will be sharing yourgarden with the deer, and the neighbor’s dog.  There's help though... seeMy Deer Garden  (to help you tokeep deer out of your plantings). http://www.mydeergarden.com/

Arethere wolves and mountain lions up here?

Yes,we have mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, as well as endless other interestingwildlife.  You'll marvel at the owls, the howls of the coyotes, and thehuge hawks and falcons. The coyotes, foxes and bobcats are rarely seen, butthey're always out there. Raccoons are abundant, and they like nothing betterthan to figure out how to steal your garbage, or your pet's food.  If yougo outside in the morning and your dog bowl has dirt in it, the raccoons havebeen using it to wash their hands.   If you move up here you will seedeer periodically.  All these animals are a part of our community.

Drivingand Deer

Andwhile we're talking wildlife, keep in mind the issue of deer in the road. Deercan destroy your vehicle and even injure you when you hit them at high speed.You must drive with extra care at night, especially during August throughNovember. Keep your speed down and your eyes open for those deer that oftendecide to cross the road right in your headlights. They usually come in pairs;so if you see one, look for the other.  Being alert and careful on theroads in the area is imperative.   

CanI find a smaller piece of land that's next to a park?

Dependingon what you want to do, land adjacent to Open Space or a Park can be coveted. If you ride a mountain bike or a horse and are next to the right park, there arehundreds of miles of trails to ride or hike out your back door. Some parks allow mountain bikes and horses, some don’t so let meknow if this is important and we can find the right place for you.  If you are a hiker, make sure the park or Open Space area is open; thereare a couple thousand acres up here that are not accessible to the public.   

Remember, if you can walk on it, so can others, so you may see people walkingpast your property.  Dogs are not allowed on many open space and parklands, if that is a concern keep it in mind when as you look for your home.  

Whopicks up my trash?

You'llpay just about the same for trash pickup here as you will anywhere else. Recycling is available in some areas, not in others.  In La Honda forexample you have to take your recycling to the binds at the local elementaryschool, where it is picked up every week or two.  If you live on a private road, you may have to bring yourtrash up to the start of the road in order to have it picked up.

Canget cable TV and high-speedInternet access?

CableTV is widely available up and down Skyline Boulevard.  It is also availablein La Honda.  Other than that, if you want to watch TV you will need asatellite dish.  Typically satellite dishes need a reasonably unobstructedview of the south sky and won't work if hills or trees obstruct them. 

Youcan get high-speed cable Internet access on Skyline Boulevard, and DSL in LaHonda.  You can also get WiFi Broadband in some parts of South Skyline andLa Honda.  If you are out of theseareas and want high-speed Internet access you will have to get it via satellite. All of access methods work rather well, satellite just has a bit more latency. Another option is to get ISDN Internet access, which will give you speeds ofapproximately 128Kbs.

Willmy cell phone work?

Theonly place I have found cell phones to work are random spots on Skyline Blvd(usually just enough for you to dial and then loose the signal), at theintersection of Hwy 1 and Pescadero Road, in the little town of La Honda, and at the corner of Alpine Road and Portola State Park road.  The carriers are adding service all the time, so eventually they may cover the area, who knows...

Whenits dark, its really dark

Therearen't a lot of streetlights up here, and it is amazing how much of a differencethis makes.  Many of the homes have exterior lights that are on timers ormotion sensors.  The upside is, even with a thin marine layer, you can seean amazing number of stars.  If you are off of Skyline Boulevard, you willhave pretty clear views of the night sky – an astronomer’s delight.  Infact, I have had at least one client in the area looking for a small piece ofland on which to put his telescope. There is a private observatory above LaHonda, although I'm not sure it is still in use.

Looking for a property

Nowthat you have decided to move forward, what things should you look for and inwhat areas? I have put together answers to some of the most frequent questions Iget when people begin their property search.

Schools

Theschools in the area range from good to fantastic.  I won't get into theparticulars of each one, as I know someone will read this and send me an e-mailsaying I am wrong, but there is a link to the API test scores (how the stategrades schools) on the home page of my website www.BirdHayes.com.  Generally, children in the Skyline Boulevard around the four-corner area(by our office) go to Portola Valley Elementary and middle school, then WoodsideHigh.  In the La Honda area, children go to La Honda Elementary, thenPescadero for Middle and High School.  Children in the Kings Mountain Areago to Kings Mountain Middle School and then to Half Moon Bay Middle and HighSchools.  That being said, there are always exceptions. School districts can become somewhat convoluted on South Skyline. Sometimes your neighbors’ children will go to a different school thanyour children will.  If you buy a place on Skyline and you are in the LaHonda School district, you may have to drive your kids to school, since at thecurrent time, no buses run up to Skyline.  If you work "over thehill" this can add around 20 minutes to your commute.  

Redwoodsor Sun?

Asyou are looking for a home, what type of setting are you after?  Do youwant to be in the deep redwoods?  On a sunny knoll? A little of both? There are advantages to both, it all depends on your taste.  The redwoodsprotect you from the wind, and it will be a little cooler.  Sunny areas aregreat as well – you get the sun – but you may also get more wind. Byidentifying what your preference is, we can work together to find the rightplace for you.

MicroClimates

Someoneis going to say I am wrong, so let me state that GENERALLY the climate workingNorth to South on Skyline is something like this.   Highway 92 tendsto be a bit more windy and foggy; Kings Mountain is less windy, but retains thefog.   Going South towardHighway 84, the fog and wind decrease, but pick up again about 5 miles south ofHighway 84.   La Honda ispretty sunny, but has night and morning fog, though not much wind.  SanGregorio gets the marine layer of fog, particularly in summer mornings andevenings.  HOWEVER, and this is a big one, there are so many micro climatesthat you could be in the sun and all your neighbors could be in the fog, or viceversa.  Working together we can find the place and the climate that suitsyour needs.

Gettinga view

Generally,if you want an Ocean or Bay view, buy a place with one.  It can be areal challenge to make one.  San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Countieshave very strict ordinances on what you can and can't do to trees.  Thereis a link on my site that has the San Mateo tree ordinances for heritage andsignificant trees.  If you go to the home page www.BirdHayes.com and click on the local and building info tab on the left you will see link tothe ordinances.   You do have some leeway when it comes to trimming,which may help open up your view, but cutting down trees can be a difficultprocess.

Howfar do you want to drive

Everyonealways comes up here and says they have been driving forever.  I always askthem to time it on the way back.  It takes about 10 minutes to get from ouroffice at Skyline and La Honda road to Highway 280.  About the same amountof time it takes to get from Highway 92 to Woodside Road.  You just have tostay alert when coming up here because of the curves, so it seems longer. In time this passes and it doesn't seem long at all. 

Ifyou are commuting to San Francisco you may want to look at the North SkylineArea.  If San Jose, perhaps down by Highway 9 would be a good solution. Keep in mind that a commute from this area is very different from one where youare stuck in traffic on 101.  Most people that live up here utilize Highway280, which seems to get less traffic and can speed up your commute. Typicallythere is rarely much traffic on Skyline or Highway 84, which makes for abeautiful and pleasant drive.  A benefit is that a large part of yourcommute will be through beautiful redwoods with great views of the bay or ocean. I can think of worse ways to get to work.  Would you rather spend 30minutes in a traffic jam on 101, or would you rather spend 45 minutes and flowsmoothly on 280 then have the last 10 minutes of your drive be through redwoods?  

Mywife works in Palo Alto and always comments that as soon as she starts up thehill she can feel herself relax. 

Conclusion

Livingin rural San Mateo county is an amazing experience, it is such a pleasure to be20 minutes from the activity of the Bay Area, yet in a rural setting.  Ihave tried to address some of the differences in this brief article, and hope ithas been helpful.  When you decide to make the move away from the "burbs"you will need a realtor that knows the area, knows the people, and can make sureyour dream becomes a reality with no surprises, so give me a call or send me ane-mail.