Belmont’s School Force

Belmont’s School force needs your support. Whether or not you have children in the Belmont school system, great schools positively impact your life in many ways. Superior schools provide an environment which engages the student enriching our society as a whole. There is less crime and more community support in cities with excellent academic programs. And if you own a home, your values are directly tied to how well your schools perform.

Please take a moment and read about Belmont’s School Force program which has helped elevate our schools to their accomplished level of excellence.

Welcome to Beautiful Mountain Blog-Belmont’s Open Resource Forum

If you arrived at this page you probably already know what a blog is–if not here’s a brief description as provided by Wikipedia:

A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Here’s your chance to discuss all things Belmont and get feedback from your politicians, neighbors, and industry professionals. Of course our posts will be mostly related to real estate and we encourage you to check in frequently for market updates and commentary, but we also have a thing or two to add about  life in Belmont.

Want to be a regular poster? Email us to become and invited guest author–or simply reply to any comment already posted.

Feel free to comment about anything important to you–obviously refraining from expletives, slander or other things which could get you in trouble.

We hope this will provide a unique way for Belmont residents to communicate and improve our city and its attributes.

Sincerely,

Drew & Christine Morgan-Sponsors

Neighborhood Associations

These are the Neighborhood Associations that we are aware of in Belmont. Some have their own web page and others simply a contact.

This PDF file shows the boundaries for the various associations. Click on the name of the association in this document to rech the same links as below.

Download belmont_neighborhood_associations.pdf

Chamber Events-September 2007

Save the Music Festival: October 14, 2007 11:00 AM-5:00 PM

The Belmont Chamber of Commerce and School-Force, the Belmont-Redwood Shores public school foundation, are pleased to announce that we have joined together to present Save the Music Festival in the Park, a collaboration of the Blemont Chamber’s Festival in the Park and Save the Music with the LIttle District that Could. Together we will create a signature event for Belmont to showcase our community businesses and the musical talents of school district students. Sign up forms will be going out the week of June 17th; any questions call the chamber at 650 595 8696 or Email us at execdirector@belmontchamber.org.

Chamber_save Artists–sign up here! Sign up form

Restaurants

MARVIN GARDENS
1160 OLD COUNTY RD
BELMONT, CA 94002

CHINA VILLAGE RESTAURANT
600 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-593-1831

CHEZ SAIGON
1316 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-596-0878

NARITA JAPANESE CUISINE
1001 ALAMEDA DE LAS PULGAS
BELMONT, CA 94002

AVANTI PIZZA
2040 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-508-1000

TOTOS PIZZERIA AND RESTAURANT
1200 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

HOLA MEXICAN RESTAURAT & CANTINA
1015 ALAMEDA DE LAS PULGAS
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-591-1735

DOCS BAGELS & DELI
Address 1027 ALAMEDA DE LAS PULGAS
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-4000

IRON GATE
1360 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

SHORELINE GRILL
2039 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-595-1520

GIN MON RESTAURANT
1079 ALAMEDA DE LAS PULGAS
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-3663

SUSHI MONSTER
955 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-595-3965

DIVINO RESTAURANT
968 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-551-1171

AVANTI PIZZA
2040 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-508-1000

LA HIQUERITA RESTAURANT
520 MASONIC WY
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-593-7019

HOBEES
1101 SHOREWAY RD
BELMONT, CA 94022

Phone 650-596-0400

VIVACE RISTORANTE
1920 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-637-0611

AUSIELLOS
864 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-595-9531

HONG KONG RESTAURANT
945 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

CAPRINOS ITALIAN RESTAURANT
1000 6TH AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-591-4156

PAPA MURPHYS TAKE N BAKE PIZZA
1602 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-594-4877

LUNAS RESTAURANT
1500 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-637-9257

QUIZNOS SUB
1480 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-591-6095

THE VANS RESTAURANT
815 BELMONT AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

WHISPERS CAFE & CREPERIE
390 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-594-0000

INDULGE ASIAN BUFFET
1000 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-588-9350

VIVACE RISTORANTE
1920 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-637-0611

MOUNTAIN MIKES PIZZA
390 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-593-4178

TAQUERIA EL METATE
120 HARBOR BLVD
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-595-1110

IHOP RESTAURANT
510 EL CAMINO REAL
B ELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-992-8887

CAPRINOS ITALIAN RESTAURANT
1000 6TH AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-591-4156

ST JAMES GATE
1410 OLD COUNTY RD
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-5923

DOMINOS PIZZA
1501 S EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-2712

SUBWAY
1602 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-589-0573

DIVINO RESTAURANT
968 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-551-1171

KELLYS SANDWICHES
1094 ALAMEDA DE LAS PULGAS
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-0608

PILGRIM KITCHEN
311 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

THE NEW HARBOR
150 HARBOR BLVD
BELMONT, CA 94002

PEETS COFFEE & TEA
1200 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 510-594-2100

WENDYS RESTAURANT #2104
698 RALSTON AVE
BELMONT, CA 94002

HONEY BAKED HAM
210 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-595-8551

LITTLE BELMONT COFFEE SHOP
232 HARBOR BLVD
BELMONT, CA 94002

Phone 650-592-6721

Widgets for Sale Anyone?

Most real estate agents at one time or another wonder what planet their local news media is reporting from when it comes to home values in their area. Often time prices are rising when the media is seemingly reporting waning sales; and other times the media appears to be Johnny-come-lately in their reporting of trends such as the latest run up in mortgage defaults.

Unfortunately, as mainstream media becomes more sensational and less informational we’ll all be exposed to more stories on which celebrity is due for another DUI arrest on their way home from a drug rehab program and less stories that matter-ones which actually affect our lives.

Case in point–On the peninsula where we live in the Bay Area, our little town of Belmont has continued to show strong gains in real estate for the past ten years. Yet every January, the media reports that sales were down for that month. That seemingly incongruent piece of information would puzzle the likes of the fine citizens of Belmont and would invariably result in us receiving calls from past clients wanting to know what’s up with the market; every year we’d explain that often times the information they are hearing is the result of national or even statewide reports, and may not necessarily be applicable to the mid-peninsula.

It goes like this: the media gets a wire that the National Association of Realtors reported sales of resale homes were down in January over the prior month. That gets translated into a teaser tag line that says, "Is the real estate market crashing-stay tuned". So you patiently stay up for another twenty minutes when right after they erroneously predict the next days weather and apologize for the previous night’s errors, there’s this 20 sound bite that NAR reported resale home activity slowed in January. Slowed compared to what? Of course no one remembers the details and the next day the water coolers are bubbling over with conversation about a downturn in the value of homes. Even if they did mention that sales were down over the previous month (which they always are) nobody hears that part or knows that that’s par for the course and they mistakenly draw the assumption that slower sales means a downturn in values. And of course the media takes no initiative to interview any agents who are involved in multiple offers and losing home after home due to the low inventory. You don’t have to be the recipient of a Nobel Prize in economics to understand if you have fewer widgets to sell sales will be down and prices may go up if demand is strong.

I almost forgot, every year-months after we’ve sold a half dozens homes for considerably more than asking-the media reports a median home price gain. But were those numbers national or statewide? Who cares, it’s good for the ratings.

San Mateo County Median Price thru August 2007

The graph below is for San Mateo County, California. Notice how steep the trend-line is for this year as compared to 2004. The trend line used is a straight line computation in which the trend illustrated is based upon the previous data points. Of course this predicted outcome can change radically as market conditions change and in fact we would expect that this level of appreciation (given the current issues in the mortgage industry) is not sustainable and in fact it may be the result of more expensive homes selling in the two previous months–September data points should help level off this trend.

Smcgraph

Which Way is the Wind Blowing in Belmont?

WHICH WAY IS THE WIND BLOWING IN BELMONT?

Belmont Hallmark View

There are a many hot topics in Belmont that can cause the debate around water coolers to boil over, though normally our weather isn’t one of them. Being nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay keeps the weather in Belmont relatively cool in the hot summer months and mild the rest of the year.

But what about the so-called microclimates we hear so much about? Having personally lived in three distinct neighborhoods in Belmont we noticed each one benefited from individualistic weather nuances.

If one were to drive around Belmont in a convertible, on a motorbike or bicycle on a summer day they’d no doubt experience dramatic variations in temperature from one neighborhood to another; for those who live and work in Belmont it comes as no surprise to find the temperature in one part of Belmont completely different from another. These so called “microclimates” exist all over the Peninsula but in some cities such as Belmont, they are found within the city itself.

Back in the day before air-conditioning, choosing a mild climate was key to comfortable summers. In the 1860’s, William Chapman Ralston picked a strategic place in Belmont to call home when he bought Count Cipriani’s chateau on what is now Ralston Avenue. Located near the bustling downtown section of Belmont, yet secluded inland far enough to be protected from the cooler San Francisco Bay winds, this area today remains known for its superior microclimate.

Other microclimates can be found elsewhere in Belmont such as in the hills overlooking the bay. These higher elevations are affected two fold; by more exposure to the wind and their inherent altitude. Also referred to as the “lapse rate”-for every 1,000 feet in elevation, temperatures are around 3.5 degrees lower. So it stands to reason that a home up in Belcrest Gardens or Belmont Heights near Highway 92 would be slightly cooler than a home in Sterling Downs. It’s not just elevation which accounts for the differential in temperatures. Microclimates created by the shelter of a hillside, ravine or eastern exposure can provide a protected environment free from cool afternoon winds which can drop temperatures as much as 20 degrees in the course of just a few hours.

The temperature in Belmont peaks most days in the afternoon and has cooled considerably by early evening. Want to know what time of day is typically the warmest? On average it’s 2:10 in the afternoon.

Belmont is a city with mild seasons and is ideally situated between Silicon Valley and San Francisco with easy access to three international airports. Once you’ve found Belmont, you’ve found home!

 

weatherstation_pic*Our NOAA registered weather station is located at our home in Belmont and provides real-time weather reports. You can find our Belmont Weather station by clicking here!

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

© D. Morgan, 2007