For more than two decades, Genii Sidoli and Gregg Dye have lived in a three-bedroom ranch in West San Jose. But with retirement on the horizon, the couple decided it was time to downsize. Sort of.
Sidoli and Dye wanted less upkeep and a smaller yard, but were also hoping they might find a space with extra square footage in one critical area: a living room that could fit Dye’s grand piano.
“Right now, we open the door and it’s like, ‘Welcome to our piano,’” Dye joked.
Music was what brought the two together. They met in their 20s when Sidoli, who now works in accounting, signed up to help manage one of Dye’s bands. In 2004, they both joined the Steely Dan tribute band Aja Vu, where Dye played the keys and Sidoli helped promote its gigs.
Now both in their 60s, they hope to have more time to dedicate to hobbies like music — including the three ensembles Dye plays with these days — as well as their San Jose community.
“As we’re inching toward retirement and lifestyle changes, we wanted to find something, hopefully in the neighborhood, that would accommodate us,” Sidoli said.
But real estate has changed a lot since they bought their house 20 years ago for $415,000, a price that even then felt “astronomical,” Dye said.
“We hadn’t really followed our home’s appreciation,” Sidoli said. “When we started to look, we were like, ‘What the—?’”
Their search began casually. The two would pop into open houses they came across during their regular walks around the neighborhood. But they got spooked when real estate agents started asking them to sign forms about representation before touring, a practice that some brokerages have instituted since the National Association of Realtors changed its rules last August to delineate how commissions are set.
As the couple started to get more serious about buying, they reached out to the agent who helped them buy their first home — Jerry Hill, a San Jose-based agent with REMAX/Gold.
“I felt like we needed an agent who’s listening to us and working in our best interest,” Sidoli said. “Not only did Jerry listen to us, but he was also very realistic with us.”
Hill helped steer the two toward homes in their price range. Sidoli, who works with certified public accountants, and Dye, a designer who works in computer-aided manufacturing, had saved up over the years — enough to afford a home priced up to $1 million, but not much more.
In addition to room for a piano, Sidoli and Dye had a few other requirements, but they wanted to stay close to San Jose. “I don’t commute,” Sidoli insisted.
They also wanted a home with three parking spots: two for their cars, and another for the van that Dye loads with instruments for gigs.
Even with three cars, the two enjoy walking most places — so they wanted somewhere centrally located. And, despite Dye’s passion for planting tomatoes in the spacious yard at their San Jose home, they wanted a spot with a smaller yard that would require less upkeep.
Here are the options they considered, all in Santa Clara.
A spacious townhouse in a central neighborhood
This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home was built in 1980 and measured 1,350 square feet. It was located southwest of Santa Clara University and north of the Westfield Valley Fair mall, both about a 20 minute walk. It included a covered patio and a small outdoor area near the entrance. It also was located across the street from a cemetery, which they saw as positive, since it meant the site likely wouldn’t be developed in the future.
The townhome included an attached two-car, side-by-side garage, equipped with a 220 volts electric vehicle charging outlet. The kitchen had been recently remodeled with black and white counters and new lighting. They didn’t like that the layout included lots of staircases. It was listed at $1.15 million, with a $420 monthly homeowners association (HOA) fee.
Next door, a great layout and big primary bedroom
Just next door, this three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath townhouse measured 1,254 square feet. Though built in 1979, it had an updated kitchen with cherry wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The living room was large, and featured a gas fireplace. The primary suite was also spacious. It included a one-car detached finished garage, plus a designated parking space in front of the garage.
The townhouse was listed for $819,000, with monthly HOA dues of $750 that covered a swimming pool and the water and trash bills.
A light-filled unit near the university
This two-story, two-bedroom, three-bath townhouse measured 1,408 square feet — meaning it had the most square footage but the fewest number of separate bedrooms. It was located just north of Santa Clara University. The end unit got light on three sides and came with two reserved parking spots beneath the building, though Dye was uncertain his van would clear the low ceiling.
It was listed for $998,000, with a monthly HOA fee of $410.
Which one did they choose?
Sidoli and Dye liked the first home they toured near the cemetery — but the owners ended up taking it off the market and renting it out.
The townhouse near the university was a no, given that Dye’s van wouldn’t fit. They also noticed the home had already been listed for about six weeks by the time they saw it. “Homes that sit make us worried,” Sidoli said.
The house down the street from the first home they toured felt good — they liked the layout that would allow Dye to have a separate space to play piano, and Sidoli could make a small home office out of another bedroom. The price was also within their budget.
Their broker, Hill, spoke with the listing agent, who said he expected four offers, in addition to Sidoli and Dye’s.
Based on what comparable properties had sold for and the competition over the home, Hill suggested bidding slightly north of $900,000.
Sidoli, meanwhile, was crunching numbers, double-checking that they could afford that price.
“We compromised our lifestyle to afford our first house when we bought 23 years ago,” Sidoli said. “We gave up eating out and all sorts of things to get into a house.”
Sidoli and Dye decided to push their offer up, but conservatively. It turned out that Hill had made the right call. A sixth offer came in at the last minute, bidding exactly $900,000. Sidoli and Dye’s offer? $903,000. Just enough to win the house.
“It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?” Hill said.
For their part, Sidoli and Dye said they were shocked they won the bidding war with the addition of just $3,000.
“You have all these people here who can just cash in stock and throw a bunch of money at a home,” Sidoli said. “We’re just ordinary middle-class people that were able to do this — and I don’t know that we would have been able to without Jerry.”
The couple closed on the home in March. They plan on doing some small renovations and staying in their current home until those are completed. Leaving the place they’ve known for 20 years has proven difficult, even if they’re just relocating a few minutes down the road.
“We feel that pretty much everything we like is right here,” Dye said. “There’s really nowhere in this country we’d rather live.”
<
