PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

It's that time of year.. the kiddos will be out and about and excited to see your home decorated in the Halloween spirit.  I have lived  and worked in Portola Hills since 1995 and I have always loved how the neighbors come together to make it enjoyable for the kids.   We use to have many driveway fire-pits and haunted garages as the kids walked the neighborhood! In that spirit we are hosting a fun contest on our Portola Hills Living Facebook Page.   It's super simple too!   1. Take a picture of your home.. day or night whatever shows off your decorations the best.    2.  Post your picture on our Portola Hills Living Page ... or send me a picture direct and I will upload for you. That's it... On Halloween, we will enter everyone who posted a picture into a drawing and randomly select the winner.  Seriously even if you have just a simple decoration as pumpkins in the yard... send a picture!! So what's the prize!!   A $50.00 Home Depot Gift Card!  

We are in the last month of summer and the count down in on as to when school starts.  Here in Portola Hills school begins the last week of August.   Doesn't that seem early to you?  Man summer flew... With that rush for school prep, we tend to see a shift in the real estate market.. it gets a little quieter with the summer distractions.  So was that the case in July for the Portola Hills community...  To a certain degree yes.  The average days on the market are increasing, as buyers have slowed and inventory jumped a bit in July. Currently there are 15 homes available in Portola Hills . Below is a quick look at how the Portola Hills real estate market performed in July 2016. The average price per square foot in July 2015 was $306. The average price per square foot in July 2016 was $380.  That equals a 20% increase in home values for the area.   Of course, it is important to look at the overall market and what the mix of homes that sold are but the numbers always gi