365 Things to do in Simi Valley, CA & Ventura County - San Fernando Valley Real Estate Guide
Simi Valley's Insider's Guide to Real Estate Research & Home Owner Information
Looking for Things to do in Simi Valley for the Halloween Season? Mourning Rose Manor in … [Read More...]
(Video) Thursday Nights at Giovanni’s in Simi Valley is featuring live jazz music with the Tony Maddox Band. Giovanni’s has put together a special menu for Thursday nights so you come down for cocktails and music or enjoy dinner as well. Tony calls this “Thursday Night Therapy” with a mix of Jazz & Standards.
Yes that is right the lucky number 13th thing to do in Simi Valley is “drive-by” the Original house from the movie Poltergeist. Notice how I said drive-by. Please be respectful as this house is still a private residence. Please do not bother the occupants or enter onto their property. I like to be able to show some other famous locations in Simi Valley but if we can’t behave like citizens then the fun will stop pretty quickly.
Sorry to start out on a note of warning. I’m not to give complete directions to the home, but enough that you can create an adventure, drive down the street and figure out which house it is for yourself. The easiest way to get there is to drive up Tapo Street from Alamo toward Wild Horse Canyon and turn left on Roxbury. When I located the house a number years ago I didn’t remember the driveway being that steep in the movie; so I had to watch the movie again. I have some friends who lived in the area and who were there when the movie was filmed. They filled me in on some the details. The tract of homes was very new at the time of filming. Other parts of the movie were filmed out in the Conejo Valley and other areas.
This is a sort of companion post to one by my friend in Pasadena who located the original house from the movie Halloween. Up until recent years the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas have always been movie locations for the studios. It’s fun to see where Hollywood makes all the magic happen and and exciting to know that it happens in our own backyard.
Properties for sale in the Texas Tract
Simi Valley’s Texas tract is one of the more popular areas north of the 118 freeway for home-buyers moving or relocating to Simi Valley. Typically comprised of older homes on larger lots with wide sweeping streets on a gentle sloping downhill, pricing has always been attractive to the largest segment of the market.
Texas tract single-family detached homes is made up of four different subdivisions. The Bellwoods, the Alpine’s, the Parklanes, and the New Monterey’s. The Belwoods and the Alpine’s were the first to tract built nearly 1960s. The shopping center located at the corner of Alamo and Tapo streets was anchored by a supermarket (and if I remember correctly was an Alpha Beta at the time) that center is named The Belwood Center which now houses Fresh and Easy Markets and Yankee Doodles.
Below are some charts and tables of the sales data for Simi Valley’s Texas Tract beginning January 1, 2004 up through June 28, 2010. The average sales price in the area has dipped significantly below the 2004 averages and looks to be settling in the low $400,000 range. You may also notice that the volume has significantly slowed as well. The high number of foreclosed properties and short sales has added a negative impact on sales in the area.
While homeowners in the tract are patiently waiting for the recovery, those homebuyers looking to relocate into Simi Valley have an opportunity to find good value in one of Simi Valley’s most coveted tracts on the north east end of Simi Valley.
Sales broken down by year with highs, lows averages and days on Market.
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2004 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$504,993 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$615,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$335,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 97.76% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 14 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 59 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2005 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$572,713 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$673,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$399,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 97.60% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 14 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 69 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2006 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$608,810 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$760,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$395,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 97.10% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 45 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 52 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2007 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$588,545 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$700,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$485,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 94.65% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 81 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 33 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2008 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$443,736 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$712,500 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$320,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 87.71% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 89 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 35 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2009 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$432,076 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$700,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$315,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 97.07% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 67 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 37 |
| Texas Tract Simi Valley 2010 Sales Data | |
| AVERAGE Sale Price |
$427,617 |
| HIGH Sale Price |
$510,000 |
| LOW Sale Price |
$350,000 |
| List to Sale Ratio | 95.05% |
| Average Days on Market (DOM) | 47 |
| Number of Homes Sold | 12 |
(Video Blog) Summer is here and so is Friday Night Dinner at Lost Canyons Golf Course. The Friday Night Dinners began the first week of June and will continue up through September with outdoor dining on the patio, live music and great views of the area. This is not a private club, so everyone is welcome. If you’ve not been up to the clubhouse or golf course, this is a great time to visit and see one of the beautiful Golf Courses located in Simi Valley, you will not be disappointed. The Lost Canyons Golf Course and Clubhouse is located up behind the Big Sky housing development and can be reached by traveling north Tapo Canyon Road or north on Erringer (see map link below).
Simi Valley detached home sales for May of 2010 essentially matched the results of May 2009. While May sales saw an increase in sales volume over the first four months of 2010, the expiration of the tax credit should have accounted for a higher sales volume. The federal tax credit deadline finishes on June 30 and Simi Valley sales closings better pick up before June 30 if anyone wants to claim the federal tax credit was a stimulus on the real estate market.
The same story continues month, after month, after month with sales under $500,000 dominating the market and the majority of those are under $400,000. All purchases are still dominated by 20% down conventional financing and combined with the all cash Buyers. FHA purchases are accounting on average for about 33% of the sales.
The average sale price of a Simi Valley detached home declined significantly in the first quarter of 2010 and has rebounded over April and May, however, looking at the improvement in average Simi Valley sales price over 2009; this is still significantly below 2008 average sale price levels.
The historically low interest rates are helping stabilize prices from any future significant declines.
The Rancho Santa Susana Park Walking & Jogging Trail is a popular spot for Simi Valley residents to get some exercise, walk their dogs and even take a leisurely stroll with friends. The trail is just under one mile in length. The trail is flat wide and is all dirt which can be easier on runners bodies. There is a post marker at the 1/2 mile point for those timing their laps. To get to the park go south on Stearns from the 118 freeway and then west (right) on Los Angeles Ave. The park will be on your right hand side across from the Metrolink Train Station.
(Video Below) – The Simi Valley Valley Knights of Columbus Annual Cook-Off & Car Show at its 23rd year. This event attracts chili fans from all over. In addition to sampling all the different entries of homemade chili, there’s a car show with over 100 cars, live music, vendor craft booths, bouncers/jumpers for kids. The event as a small entry fee of five dollars, the Knights of Columbus have used this event over the years to raise money for local charitable community needs. Be sure to bookmark the Knights of Columbus Chili Cook-Off website http://www.chilikc.com for information on next year’s event.
(Video Below) Tutu’s Shave Ice is now 100% mobile. Simi Valley Business owner Scott Miller, keeps his customers and fans up-to-date on his locations through Tutu’s Facebook page and Twitter page. So if you’re craving one of Tutu’s Shave Ice creations, just login to Facebook, check Tutu’s page and Scott will have posted his current location.
Tutu’s also is a terrific community partner like many of Simi Valley’s other business owners and will partner with schools and organizations and give back a portion of their proceeds to those groups.
(Video Below) Did you know that Simi Valley is home to the skateboarding Hall of Fame? Did you know that Skatelab indoor (air conditioned) skate park houses the nation’s largest collection of skateboard memorabilia and historical artifacts? Skatelab Simi Valley is well-known throughout the skateboarding industry and is well known to 
many of the youth and families of Simi Valley. What many didn’t know is that the skateboarding museum is one of the 10 most visited museums in the area.
I had a chance to talk with the owner Todd Huber and find out a little bit more about his amazing collection of skateboard artifacts; he even took me into his private vault to show me items for future display. Recently Todd’s enthusiasm to preserve the sport, led him to open the Skateboarding Hall of Fame right here in Simi Valley. The next class of inductees will be honored this fall. So next time you drop off the kids or you come down to enjoy the skate park yourself; take some extra time to check out the museum, it really is an amazing collection of the history of the sport of skateboarding.
Ted Answers Trulia Voices
Looking for Things to do in Simi Valley for the Halloween Season? Mourning Rose Manor in East Simi Valley at 5250 Aurelia Street has been delighting Simi Valley Halloween fans for 6 years. Lydia and her husband have created a unique Halloween experience complete with Ghosts, Skeletons, Grave yard with Crypt, Spiders, Spooky Sounds and [...]
(Video Below) The Simi Valley Fair & Music Festival, formerly called Simi Valley Days has included a 5k – 10k run almost every year in the last 25 years I can remember. The race has taken on a few different routes and this year’s race was no exception. The Start – Finish line began in [...]
