The Emerald Hills Blog

I have to admit that I have a big soft spot for the Farm Hill Estates neighborhood that is in between Jefferson Ave and Farm Hill Boulevard.  Having grown up in that area, I had lots of childhood friends who lived on Red Oak Way, Glennan, Round Hill Road, and Stony Hill Road, just to name a few.  This neighborhood is blessed with picturesque streets, nice homes, and the proximity to Roy Cloud School is ideal for families with youngsters.  That’s why the new listing at 914 Stony Hill Road grabbed my attention.

This home is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with 1,300 square feet of living space on a 7,840 square foot lot.  It’s currently offered at $829,000 by Denise Simons of Alain Pinel Realtors.   For additional info and photos, click here –>  914 Stony Hill Rd.

What really caught my attention is the price — this is a very attractive price for this neighborhood, and presents a great opportunity for someone looking to get into the Roy Cloud School district.  Another positive is that it’s located at the top of Stony Hill where the road flattens out.  This gets you a nice level lot, and it makes your walk to school a little shorter.

Like any 50+ year old home, you’ll see a mix of old and new in this home, but at this attractive price point you’ll have plenty of money left over to do whatever you please.  The location and lot size alone will give you infinite possibilities.

If you’re looking in the Redwood City foothills this weekend, definitely give this one a look.

Want to see something a little spooky? Type in your address on Google Maps — you may see a thumbnail picture along with the normal map that you’re used to seeing on the results page.

If you click on the picture, something very surprising happens — you get a large, very detailed picture of your house. But this is not an ordinary single shot — it’s literally a virtual tour of the front of your house as well as your neighborhood. Here’s an example of a business address on Industrial Road in San Carlos:

View Larger Map

Be sure to click on the navigation arrows to zoom in, rotate, and “slide” up or down the street. Stunning stuff.

Not all residential addresses have the Street View feature yet, but I expect they all will soon. Mine certainly does. On one hand, this is yet another in a series of amazing technological feats put on by our friends at Google. I can see how this is a boon to home buyers. Don’t have the MLS number handy on a place? No problem, just type in the address and — boom — instant neighborhood photos.

But on the other hand, it has an uncomfortably detailed picture of my home. It certainly shows my car’s license number clearly, and it captured a clear picture of a jogger on the street. What if my kids were playing in the front yard when they shot the photo? I certainly don’t want pictures of them on the internet with the home address conveniently listed.

Regardless of your opinion of this technology, it is here and will likely only become more pervasive. It’s a neat feature for people looking to buy a home, but it will definitely make owners a little nervous.

What is your opinion on this?

For those of you familiar with the many splendors that Edgewood Park has to offer, you know that this is the time of year when Mother Nature puts on her display of colors.  Every year on the cusp of Spring, the hundreds of different wildflower species that reside in the park start to bloom, which creates an amazing and random display of colors that you could only find in nature.

If you’re looking to take advantage of the nice Spring weather we’re having, this is well worth it.  You’ll enjoy the exercise, and relish the scenery.  Here are a couple of great links that have information on docent-lead tours, maps to the park, and some good history:

San Mateo County Parks — Edgewood Park

Edgewood Park — c/o Bay Area Hiker 

Don’t miss it — Mother Nature doesn’t work on our schedule!

Looking for something to do that’s much more rewarding than Holiday shopping? Treat yourself to an outstanding production of “Little Shop of Horrors” by the Sequoia High School Drama Department. This musical is only running through next weekend (December 9th) at Carrington Hall on Sequoia’s campus, so don’t wait too long to get tickets.

This is the latest production by Sequoia’s resurgent drama club, and features a cast of nearly 100 talented students. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this play — don’t miss it! Here’s the show schedule:

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Saturdays — December 1 ,7, and 8: 7:00 PM

Sundays — December 2 and 9 — 2:00 PM

TICKET PRICES
$5 18 & Under
$10 Adult
$15 Reserved

TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Call: 369-1411 x 6288
or
Go To Sequoia’s Treasurer’s Office
Linda Gordon
or e-mail phillips.gail@gene.com