Silicon Valley real estate, explained by the Property Nerds®

Moving in and need to start trash service, or just want to know who picks up your carts? In Silicon Valley it depends on the city: most cities and towns sign a franchise with one hauler, a few split the work, and San Jose assigns haulers by area. Here’s who collects garbage, recycling and compost at

Choosing where to live in Silicon Valley usually comes down to three things you can measure: what you can spend, how you’ll get to work, and the kind of home you want. Here are the 31 cities we cover in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, sorted by each of those, with what houses and condos sold for

Who built your house, and who designed it? In Silicon Valley the answer is often findable, because most neighborhoods went up as tracts by a known builder, and many listings, permits and county maps still carry the name. Here’s where to look, in the order we’d look, and how to check what you find. T