I saw a great deal on mls listings a Mountain View home 4 bed 2 bath 2000 sq ft in for $888,000 I think 172 Gladys Ave. I am suprised this has not sold yet.

Unfortunately, more evidence that people that make $60,000+ a year still can't afford to live here. How sad.

What is really unfair is for the people that earn up to and less than $50,000 per year can barely afford or can't live here.

That's not fair at all. This city is full of run down apartments which is not maintained by property management companies and by it's owners.
How is it fair for us to pay about $975 for a studio that's falling apart? Really we should be asking ourselves why the hell is a studio worth $975 a month? This is ridiculous.

It should be worth so much to live here, because Mt. View is not all that great. Neither is it's neighboring cities like Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale is a dirt hole compared to Mt. View. In any event, things need to change here soon this city will end up like another Beverly Hills to be filled with Snooty Rich People.

I would suggest that Mt View start making more affordable housing because people like me won't be able to live here in the next few years with the rate of rent going up. [Expletive removed by Mountain View Voice staff.]

The comment about Gladys sounds like a shill to me. If it's not selling, it's probably not priced right. There are factors besides "Mountain View" such as the school and the type of house. It looks like this one is intended as a rental property and isn't exactly what most people want as a primary resident. No offense. Price it right and the buyers will come.

This is a very illuminating article, but the online version seems to be missing about half of the paper version. One interesting comment in the full article was that long-time Google employees are "cashing in stock options" to buy in Los Altos while the Mountain View broker (Nick French) claims to be seeing more Cisco employees than Google. This is purely a guess, but a tidal wave of money into Los Altos could be driving prices so high there as to push prospective Los Altos buyers into Mountain View and driving out the traditional ones (not that Mountain View was cheap 5 years ago or anything).

It'd be sad to see Mountain View turn into a community of just executives, doctors, and lawyers. I thought it was bad enough that people with "normal" jobs are being priced out (or lured away if they were lucky enough to buy early). But I'm starting to think that the working engineer may become an endangered species around here.

C-Biscuit: "Really we should be asking ourselves why the hell is a studio worth $975 a month?"

It's worth it because of the proximity to high-paying jobs. Actually, that doesn't sound any worse than the rental market (and condition of properties) that I remember from 10 years ago. I would argue that Mountain View is a nice place to live for a number of reasons, and the downtown seems to get better every year. But you're paying for a commuting location, and the rental market, while steep has at least avoided the excesses of the real estate market.

I'm with you on the appalling condition of the properties. But what's the alternative. Renovate them at raise rents, or (if you can) convert to condos and drive out everyone with normal jobs. Is that what you want?

As a school teacher I am very close to being priced out of the area -- and that includes rental prices. A living solution for lower paid residents isn't an easy one but shouldn't be forgotten in the (unrestrained) rise in the cost of living in the Bay Area.

It's simple "Supply and Demand." People who argue for cheaper rent and cheaper (or stagnant) housing do not see the larger picture: this is a capitalistic society, not a socialistic one.

Wow! How Googlelicious! Very soon now even the most modest of shacks will be worth $1.5 million dollars; it's inevitable. Mountain View just can not be stopped. It is truly immune to all that ails the rest of the Bay Area housing market. I love Mountain View! Even though it does have 3 superfund sites, but that just makes it more unique and special of a place. Now that it has been anointed with a Whole Foods store it is truly blessed and poised for further price appreciations - Goooooo MV!

Just a FYI. WholeFoods is located in Los Altos, not Mountain View.

I have been a Mtn. View resident since the 1970's and served on the original downtown revitalization committee. For those who don't remember, (or weren't born yet), the downtown used to be a pretty dreadful place, a collection of stinky, run-down whiskey bars and shady-looking card clubs. The transformation that has taken place over the last 30 years is precisly what the committee envisioned happening back then, only even better. Naturally, I didn't forsee that the $60K homes in the city core would someday be selling for over $1M (wish I had), but Mtn. View didn't get to be the vibrant and attractive "place to be" that it is now by accident. Every step of the way, it was carefully thought out, and executed via a master plan. Much credit is due the Council Members, Committee Members, and City Staff who found against sometimes tremendous opposition to turn this city into the beautiful (and much envied) community that it is today. Sure the housing prices have skyrocketed, but that's been true all over the Bay Area. At least here in Mtn. View, your money buys you more than a house or condo. It buys you a piece of true community, and that- as the credit card commercial says- is "priceless"!

I totally agree with the previous comment….

Mountain View Rocks! compared to other cities-it's so diverse in everything: stores, brilliant downtown layout, people, and things to do. So can we help it if we are highly desireable?! lol

For those who can't afford the extremely high housing prices "google" Eden Housing and the Community Housing Alliance and see if you can apply for the below market price housing-it's worth the wait.

real estate prices in Mountain View will never go down. they have been on an upward move forever. my advice is to buy and never sell.

172 Gladys Ave SOLD in less than 30 days with multiple offers!

THOSE THAT CAN'T AFFORD MV BETTER HIT THE ROAD TO A GHETTO TOWN,

Greg Perry doesnt know what he's talking about. Home sales in surrounding communities are off. If job growth in MV were the driver, that would not be the case. Office vacancies are up in MV, so job growth seems unlikely (and it seems that Perry would like to take credit for the percieved growth, but I dont think he works in business development for Google). Stength only in small defined markets would not come from factors that would influence the region.

Its the schools and the community. I hope that Greg Perry doesnt get in a position again to turn MV into a high density traffic nightmare, instead of the very desirable, livable city that it is now.

Oh, and a PS to Greg-- THANK YOU for your work years ago on the downtown revitalization! City Hall Plaza, Centennial Park, and all of Castro Street are a huge benefit to our city!