DeLeon Insight- September 2025 Cover Page

The DeLeon Insight – September 2025



San Francisco Bay Area: America’s Second City

New York City is consistently viewed as the preeminent city in America, and arguably the world. However, the title of “Second City” has been more fluid, in flux from as early as 1890. Chicago was originally dubbed the Second City to illustrate its status in America. When Los Angeles surpassed Chicago in population in 1984, the informal title of Second City transferred to Los Angeles.

How to Effectively Build Your Dream Home

By: Ken DeLeon, ESQ | Founder The demand to purchase a lot and build a custom home in Silicon Valley is higher than ever before. The three main reasons for this, in declining order, are: The lack of new homes being offered by speculation builders, …

Why is The Spring Market Unusually Active in 2017?

  After a 2016 that was plagued by uncertainty, trepidation, and general lethargy on the part of buyers, the 2017 spring season is off to a strong start. While there are a number of different factors that contribute to the newfound surge of…

Los Altos Hills: Joining The Building Bloom

  From developers building speculation homes to residents designing their custom dream homes, Los Altos Hills has seen a significant increase in new development over the years. In 2015 and 2016, the building department at the town of Los Altos…

Woodside: The Anatomy of a Boom Town

John DeOliviera, Senior Buyer Specialist - March 16, 2017 Woodside is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and is home to many chief executive officers, venture capitalists, and founders of the area’s many high-tech companies. But before evolving…

An Assessment of Zillow’s Automated Valuation Algorithm

By Ken DeLeon, Esq., DeLeon Founder Within real estate, there are few things more revered or more reviled than Zillow’s Zestimate, which instantly values homes across America. The Zestimate can be revered by those who love the ease of getting an instant…

Millennials, This is Your Time to Buy a Home

HUY VU - January 19, 2017 The DeLeon Insight January 2017 Issue Millennials were just graduating high school or college when the housing market collapsed and the economy entered the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Frustration over lack…

2017 Predictions for Silicon Valley’s Housing Market

The DeLeon Insight January 2017 Issue by Ken DeLeon, Esq., DeLeon Founder “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” - Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics While prognosticating always has risks, doing so now…

Year in Review

The DeLeon Insight January 2017 Issue by Michael Repka, ESQ. There is no doubt that 2016 was a turbu­lent year for real estate in many prime parts of the Peninsula. The softening of the overheated market that we have experienced over the past few…

Investing in a REIT

In the early 2000s, many investors jumped onto the rollercoaster of excitement known as the stock market. However, once the stock market proved too volatile and inconsistent with forecasts, investors became less confident and looked elsewhere to invest…