Homes in Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek real estate varies from luxury estate properties on acreage in the million dollar plus price range, to the most common Boulder Creek home prices in the $500,000-$900,000 range. Boulder Creek condominiums by the golf course occasionally come up for sale in the $300,000-$550,000 price range, while single family golf course homes typically are priced $700,000 to $1,000,000. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the average single family home price was $600,000, making Boulder Creek an affordable bedroom community about a 45 minutes commute from the Silicon Valley.
Boulder Creek is an unincorporated town, but this historic village of about 4000 residents has just about everything. We have both a grocery and a health food store, volunteer fire department and sherrif, library and US Post Office, bank, doctors and dentists, dry cleaner, a gas station, barbers and hairdressers, a vet, several churches, yoga center, clothing boutique, pharmacy, two liquor stores, gift shops, graphics design, auto repair and auto supply store, two hardware stores, a thriving community center and an elementary school. We have several coffee houses - Jenna Sue's is popular: they offer a wide bagel & fixings menu, pies & quiches, as well as a variety of desserts. Like the sign says, if there's a line, it's worth the wait! Rainbow's End has been transformed into the new Treehouse Cafe, where you can get a wide variety of breakfast and lunch treats - freshly made and delicious. All your favorite coffee drinks are available, and ice cream too! The ambiance is spacious and yes - there are redwood trees growing right through the middle of the restaurant. The Mountain Home Inn has closed. Our local tavern "Joe's Bar" features pool tables in back, live music Friday nights, and many fundraisers and special events.
Restaurants include the Boulder Creek Roadside Cafe, which has been open for just over a year now in the site of a former hamburger place a couple of miles north of town: we found their food was good while the ambiance is a bit loud. (The Roadside Cafe is owned by the former Brewery owner; tragically the Brewery was destroyed by a serious fire a few years ago; their annex across the street closed late '17). Fosters' Freeze is now under new ownership too, but the quality of the food remains high. I'm delighted we have "Edo" - a Japanese sushi and cooked fare - a sweet sushi-restaurant in such a small town like ours - the food is better than one of the Scotts Valley spots I won't name. Boulder Creek Pizza offers truly great salads, sandwiches and pizza, while Red Pearl Chinese Food (owned and operated by Jenny who is such a sweetheart!) is another of my favorites. Los Amigos Tacqueria is owned by Francisco who is often at the front register with his big smile. My favorite lunch there is the Tostada Salad - just over $7. Our legendary Scopazzi's restaurant has been serving up excellent Italian fare for 100 years now! - offering an upscale bar area with fireplace, and dining rooms with great ambiance suitable for special occasions.
Boulder Creek is an unincorporated town, but this historic village of about 4000 residents has just about everything. We have both a grocery and a health food store, volunteer fire department and sherrif, library and US Post Office, bank, doctors and dentists, dry cleaner, a gas station, barbers and hairdressers, a vet, several churches, yoga center, clothing boutique, pharmacy, two liquor stores, gift shops, graphics design, auto repair and auto supply store, two hardware stores, a thriving community center and an elementary school. We have several coffee houses - Jenna Sue's is popular: they offer a wide bagel & fixings menu, pies & quiches, as well as a variety of desserts. Like the sign says, if there's a line, it's worth the wait! Rainbow's End has been transformed into the new Treehouse Cafe, where you can get a wide variety of breakfast and lunch treats - freshly made and delicious. All your favorite coffee drinks are available, and ice cream too! The ambiance is spacious and yes - there are redwood trees growing right through the middle of the restaurant. The Mountain Home Inn has closed. Our local tavern "Joe's Bar" features pool tables in back, live music Friday nights, and many fundraisers and special events.
Restaurants include the Boulder Creek Roadside Cafe, which has been open for just over a year now in the site of a former hamburger place a couple of miles north of town: we found their food was good while the ambiance is a bit loud. (The Roadside Cafe is owned by the former Brewery owner; tragically the Brewery was destroyed by a serious fire a few years ago; their annex across the street closed late '17). Fosters' Freeze is now under new ownership too, but the quality of the food remains high. I'm delighted we have "Edo" - a Japanese sushi and cooked fare - a sweet sushi-restaurant in such a small town like ours - the food is better than one of the Scotts Valley spots I won't name. Boulder Creek Pizza offers truly great salads, sandwiches and pizza, while Red Pearl Chinese Food (owned and operated by Jenny who is such a sweetheart!) is another of my favorites. Los Amigos Tacqueria is owned by Francisco who is often at the front register with his big smile. My favorite lunch there is the Tostada Salad - just over $7. Our legendary Scopazzi's restaurant has been serving up excellent Italian fare for 100 years now! - offering an upscale bar area with fireplace, and dining rooms with great ambiance suitable for special occasions.
Boulder Creek real estate offers amongst the region's most affordable homes within commuting distance to Silicon Valley's biggest employers including Alphabet (Google) and Apple.
One of the nicer Bouder Creek neighborhoods surrounds the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club. This public golf course is surrounded by affordable condos and mid to upper range homes. This is one of the rare neighborhoods in the San Lorenzo Valley served by a sewer system. Bear Creek Estates is another small development of nice homes, just about 5 minutes from town, also served by a sewer system, plus a handful of homes in the streets off of Fallen Leaf at Highway 236. The rest of our town's homes are served by individual septic systems...I know more about septic systems than I wish I knew after attending a hundred or more inspections and repairs over my years helping my buyers or sellers.
Many Boulder Creek homes were originally summer cabins, so it is important to use a REALTOR, title company and inspectors to help you understand how well the home has been adapted over time for modern living. Rural properties present "special" challenges, so it's just plain smart to have an experienced local REALTOR® like myself helping you throughout the transaction.
The final quarter of 2017 ended with Boulder Creek average home prices of $590,000, compared to the more typical average price of $668,000 in 2016's final quarter. That's because there were two shacks on slides that sold in the last quarter of 2017 for $23,000 combined (!), while in the last quarter of 2016, the lowest price was $300,000. There are so few Boulder Creek home sales per quarter (lately 40-60) that the numbers vary widely if there are more fixer upper sales or high end sales. In 2015, there were 161 Boulder Creek home sales, with prices averaging about $540,000, up a strong 24% over 2014. During 2014, Boulder Creek real estate prices averaged $437,000 for a single family residence, up about 14% from 2013. In 2013, Boulder Creek's home prices rose to $398,000 (up 28% on average over 2012). In 2013, Boulder Creek's Top Agent was M.C. Dwyer. MC Dwyer sold 11 Boulder Creek houses through the MLS, plus one privately arranged transaction on the sellers' request. While the more affordable Boulder Creek homes are typically on smaller lots (1/10 to 1/4 acre), there are many homes available on generously sized parcels of an acre or more. Higher end homes in Boulder Creek typically sell for $900,000 or more.
For employment, many Boulder Creek home owners commute "over the hill" to work in the Silicon Valley. People are constantly posting on Facebook that they find the commute offers great opportunity for wildlife sightings and spectacular vistas. Most of my clients agree they would rather drive a little farther than sit frustrated in traffic and live in more expensive, smoggy and congested areas. There is even a local custom observed on the commute roads: the "locals" know all the curves and show their appreciation for slower drivers pulling into a safe turn out by flashing their emergency lights briefly, as if to say, "thank you!"
One of the nicer Bouder Creek neighborhoods surrounds the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club. This public golf course is surrounded by affordable condos and mid to upper range homes. This is one of the rare neighborhoods in the San Lorenzo Valley served by a sewer system. Bear Creek Estates is another small development of nice homes, just about 5 minutes from town, also served by a sewer system, plus a handful of homes in the streets off of Fallen Leaf at Highway 236. The rest of our town's homes are served by individual septic systems...I know more about septic systems than I wish I knew after attending a hundred or more inspections and repairs over my years helping my buyers or sellers.
Many Boulder Creek homes were originally summer cabins, so it is important to use a REALTOR, title company and inspectors to help you understand how well the home has been adapted over time for modern living. Rural properties present "special" challenges, so it's just plain smart to have an experienced local REALTOR® like myself helping you throughout the transaction.
The final quarter of 2017 ended with Boulder Creek average home prices of $590,000, compared to the more typical average price of $668,000 in 2016's final quarter. That's because there were two shacks on slides that sold in the last quarter of 2017 for $23,000 combined (!), while in the last quarter of 2016, the lowest price was $300,000. There are so few Boulder Creek home sales per quarter (lately 40-60) that the numbers vary widely if there are more fixer upper sales or high end sales. In 2015, there were 161 Boulder Creek home sales, with prices averaging about $540,000, up a strong 24% over 2014. During 2014, Boulder Creek real estate prices averaged $437,000 for a single family residence, up about 14% from 2013. In 2013, Boulder Creek's home prices rose to $398,000 (up 28% on average over 2012). In 2013, Boulder Creek's Top Agent was M.C. Dwyer. MC Dwyer sold 11 Boulder Creek houses through the MLS, plus one privately arranged transaction on the sellers' request. While the more affordable Boulder Creek homes are typically on smaller lots (1/10 to 1/4 acre), there are many homes available on generously sized parcels of an acre or more. Higher end homes in Boulder Creek typically sell for $900,000 or more.
For employment, many Boulder Creek home owners commute "over the hill" to work in the Silicon Valley. People are constantly posting on Facebook that they find the commute offers great opportunity for wildlife sightings and spectacular vistas. Most of my clients agree they would rather drive a little farther than sit frustrated in traffic and live in more expensive, smoggy and congested areas. There is even a local custom observed on the commute roads: the "locals" know all the curves and show their appreciation for slower drivers pulling into a safe turn out by flashing their emergency lights briefly, as if to say, "thank you!"
