Sharon Lee – Silicon Valley Real Estate

My Real Estate Diary

  • Insane Number Of Visitors

    I am constantly talking to people about real estate. After more than a decade in real estate and my time working in banking, the number of people I’ve talked to is much greater than for the average person.

    However, the number of visitors to our real estate websites is insane. It is incomprehensible. We use our websites to promote homes for sale in Silicon Valley.

    Our team has a fairly large number of websites that we call our “little websites” or “city specific websites”. Cloudflare recently sent an email that was surprising.

    In April 2025, Cloudflare recorded 105,431 pageviews for one of our San Jose websites.

    Each of our little websites typically have between 3,000 and 18,000 pageviews each month. The numbers are incomprehensible.

    If you’ve talked to me about selling your home, you probably heard how many little websites we have. Multiply the number of our websites by 100,000, then add the numbers for julianalee.com and you will have a totally incomprehensible number for the pageviews in one year.

    111,860 views reported in April 2025 for one of our Palo Alto websites.

    109,655 views reported in April 2025 for one of our Silicon Valley websites.

  • Do Real Estate Agents Care About Home Buyers?

    There’s a common misconception in real estate: that buyer’s agents push clients to offer the highest price possible just to win the house. It’s an easy narrative to believe, but it’s far from the truth, at least for my team and other agents who take their fiduciary duty seriously.

    I’m proud to say I care about home buyers, and I believe my success is because of that.

    Recently, I represented a buyer on a property listed at $1,438,000. (cash buyer and it was his first offer since I met a month ago.) After running a detailed comparative market analysis, the data supported a value of around $1,450,000 for similar homes. Based on that, I recommended an offer of $1,450,000, along with an HOA contingency due to new information the listing agent had disclosed.

    During negotiations, the sellers asked us to remove the contingency. After discussing the risks and confirming my client was comfortable, we agreed. But immediately after removing it, the sellers countered at $1,465,000.

    At that point, I paused everything and checked in with my buyer. I wanted to understand how he felt about the additional cost, not just financially, but emotionally. He told me he liked the home, but he only wanted to move forward at a price that felt reasonable. He also made it clear he was perfectly fine walking away; it wasn’t a “must‑have” property for him.

    We were aligned. The unit’s location wasn’t ideal because the primary bedroom faced a public storage room, so we agreed to stand firm at $1,450,000 and let the chips fall where they may.

    We didn’t get the house. In fact, as of today, the home still hasn’t sold.

    And honestly, I feel great about the outcome.

    My job isn’t to push buyers into overpaying or to “win at all costs.” My job is to protect their best interests, guide them with data, and support decisions that feel right for them, not for my commission, not for my ego, but for their long‑term financial and personal well‑being.

    Sometimes the best win is walking away.

  • Tree Roots

    Why Buyers Ought to Think Twice When Buying with Trees Too Close? 

    When touring a home, some buyers fall in love with the curb appeal of the shade, the greenery, the sense of privacy. Trees can absolutely enhance a property’s beauty. But when a tree is planted too close to the home, it can quietly create thousands of dollars in future repairs, safety hazards, and ongoing maintenance headaches.

    As a real estate professional in the Bay Area, I’ve seen how these issues catch buyers off guard. Here’s what every homeowner should understand before making an offer.

    1. Root Damage Can Threaten the Foundation (link article to Bob’s home?) 

    Foundation repairs can easily run into the tens of thousands. Even if the home looks fine today, root systems grow continuously, meaning the risk increases over time.

    2. Roots Can Invade Sewer and Plumbing Lines

    Once inside, they cause blockages, backups, and costly repairs. Many homeowners don’t discover the issue until sewage backs up into the home or a major pipe bursts, both of which are avoidable with proper tree placement.

    3. Overhanging Branches Create Roof and Gutter Problems

    Branches that hang over the home may look charming, but they come with hidden risks like constant leaf buildup in gutters, moisture retention that leads to mold or rot, increased roof wear and tear, and higher risk of branches falling during storms.

    4. Increased Maintenance Costs (These costs add up, and many buyers underestimate the long-term commitment.)

    A tree planted too close to the home often requires frequent trimming, gutter cleaning, pest control (ants, rodents, termite, spider etc), root barrier installation and ongoing monitoring for structural impact.

    Trees are wonderful, but placement matters. A beautiful tree planted too close to the home can turn into a long-term liability.

    For buyers, it’s important to:

    • Inspect the distance between trees and the structure
    • Evaluate the root system
    • Consider future growth, not just current size
    • Consult an arborist when in doubt

    A little due diligence today can prevent major headaches tomorrow.

    For a specific story about what can happen, see https://julianalee.com/reinfo/protected-trees.htm.

  • Sewer Lateral

    What is a sewer lateral, and what responsibilities do you have as a home owner?

    When people think about home maintenance, they usually picture roofs, foundations, or HVAC systems. But one of the most overlooked — and most expensive — components of a property is the sewer lateral.

    Whether you’re buying, selling, or simply maintaining your home, understanding the sewer lateral can save you from surprise repairs, failed inspections, and costly emergencies

    A sewer lateral is the underground pipe that connects a home’s waste plumbing to the public sewer main in the street. It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain, repair, and replace this pipe, even though part of it often runs under sidewalks or driveways.

    Most sewer laterals are decades old. In many Bay Area cities, they were installed 50–80 years ago using materials that deteriorate over time, such as clay or cast iron.

    Did you know that plumbing drains use what is called a sanitary tee? When another pipe connects to a pipe the T-joint has to have a curved connection.

    Picture of sanitary tee