Ask the realtor, and he’ll tell you $2.8 million is a steal in Woodside. And when you drive through the woods and grandeur, past the Porsches and Jaguars, you kind of believe it. Let’s face it, you’re buying a lifestyle here.

    You’re buying Roberts Market, and Bucks restaurant _ where the elite meet in that ever-so-understated downtown, where those billion-dollar deals are made that fuel Silicon Valley. So, if you’re trying to get into Woodside on the relative cheap, this house has its advantages.

   I’d call it Dutch Colonial meets Tahoe Lodge. This is a house that was in pretty sad shape, bought buy a builder, and voila!, made into something that should be just right for the right family. The house itself is on the small side, but has a great room that has beamed, peaked ceilings that opens to the kitchen and living room. Everything is new: the floors, the bathrooms, the closets.

    While the master bedroom in the main house is on the small side, the separate guest suite, with its kitchen and bath, is a tempting alternative _ although it’s better set up for a mother-in-law or a responsible teenager.

    There’s a bit of a funk to this house. But’s it’s on 1.6 sloped acres with a Woodside address. And with a nice view, and a view of treetops and even the bay, you still get to eat at Bucks.

   For more information, contact Dana Cappiello at dcappiello@cashin.com.

Walking up to this lovely tudor cottage on Michigan Avenue in Willow Glen, I just had to ask myself: Did the owners time this Open House to coincide with their apple tree in the front yard being fully laden with ripe fruit?

    It set the tone as I walked up the front steps, alongside a darling patio with comfy outdoor furniture. I could enjoy a glass of wine there, I thought, and chat with neighbors as they walked their dogs down the narrow street lined with sycamore trees.

    Inside, I was surprised how this cottage, that looked so small and quaint on the outside, could feel so spacious and light on the inside. The walls had been opened up in all directions _ to the living room and dining room and even kitchen.

   The house, 2,600 square feet offered at $1.5 million, had been fully renovated in the last two years, and it showed. The kitchen in particular was lovely, with cherry cabinets. There was also a back stairwell that went up to a workout room. From the family photos on the walls, it was clear this couple used the equipment _ regularly.

     The bedrooms were downstairs with the master and family room on the back, with French doors opening out to the small, but charming, backyard.  As I was about to leave, I overheard some lookiloos _ a.k.a. "nosy neighbors" _ remark that the house was "nicely done." I agree.

    For more information, contact Valerie Mein at vmein@interorealestate.com.

   
This house in a quiet Willow Glen neighborhood is about as close to a Carmel cottage as you can get without being there: the high-pitched, exposed beam ceilings in nearly every room, the brick-walled courtyard, the French doors, the small spaces. The picket fence and gate out front beckoned me in, with red rose bushes guiding my way. You enter into the living room/dining room combination, then walk through charming swinging doors to the tiny kitchen. It was redone a year ago and the warm green subway tile backsplash and granite countertop are crisp and soothing.
    A just-finished bathroom has a new clawfoot tub on a cobalt blue floor of octagon tiles. Every room but the living room is small _ even the doorway to the masterbedroom is narrower than normal.
    But the house takes advantage of the backyard as extra living space, with French doors leading to it from the living room and kitchen. And I could tell in an instant, the yard is a well-loved and used space. A coffee maker and toaster sit atop the built-in barbecue. Now I could enjoy that!
    The best view from this corner-lot house is a side yard that is separated from the courtyard by a tall wooden gate. But the homeowner placed a pair of Adirondack chairs there to see it _ the graceful street scene of Mercer Avenue enveloped in a canopy of trees.
   If I lived there, I would surely wander over with my cup of coffee. The house on a 8,364 square-foot lot is listed for nearly $1.2 million by Susie Balistreri, with more photos and a virtual tour, at www.susanbalistreri.com.