Encanto

Encanto is a small Robson Homes community built between about 2006 and 2008 along Campbell Avenue, just east of Santa Clara University and a few blocks from PayPal Park. The homes are laid out in clusters around landscaped walking paths, with a shared clubhouse and pool at the center. One thing to get straight before anything else: although Encanto sits in the Santa Clara University area and is usually talked about alongside Santa Clara neighborhoods, the addresses here are in the City of San Jose, ZIP code 95126, which my guide to living in San Jose covers in depth. If the city matters to you for property taxes, utilities, municipal services or school assignment, and it usually does, that is worth confirming against the parcel record rather than assuming from the neighborhood name. I check it on every transaction.

Encanto Homes and the HOA

The homes were designed with a Mediterranean bungalow look, and most are three bedrooms with two and a half baths, somewhere between roughly 1,250 and 2,000 square feet, with attached two car garages. Lots are small, often under 2,000 square feet, because the community was built to feel like an enclave where the shared open space and paths do the work that private yards do elsewhere. Several floor plans run to three levels, with a loft or bonus room on top, and many owners have added solar since the homes were built.

The homeowners association maintains the common areas, the pool and the clubhouse, and recent listings have shown dues in the range of about $225 to $230 a month, which is low for a community with these amenities. Low dues are nice, but I always read the reserve study, the budget and the last couple of years of board minutes before a client commits, because that is where you learn whether the dues are realistic. My HOA red flags guide walks through what I look for.

Is Encanto a Good Fit for Downsizers?

For downsizing clients the trade is worth thinking through carefully. What you gain is a newer home with modern systems, a small lot with almost nothing to maintain, and a walkable pocket close to the university, Caltrain and the shops along The Alameda. What you give up is a private yard and, in nearly every floor plan here, single level living, since these are two and three story homes. If stairs are the reason you are moving, Encanto solves the maintenance problem without solving the stairs problem, and I would rather say that plainly than let someone discover it after they move.

The ground is flat, and the everyday services are close. The Santa Clara Senior Center on Fremont Street serves adults 50 and over and is about a mile and a half away, and O’Connor Hospital on Forest Avenue, with a 24 hour emergency department, is a short drive. If you are selling a longtime home to buy here, look at how Proposition 19 lets you carry your property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, because that can change the monthly math considerably.

Santa Clara University, The Alameda and Nearby Neighborhoods

The location is the reason most people buy here. Santa Clara University is a short walk west, with lectures, concerts, Mission Santa Clara and the de Saisset Museum open to the public. Just past campus is the Old Quad, Santa Clara’s oldest neighborhood, with the Saturday morning farmers market at Franklin Square. To the south, The Alameda leads toward the Rose Garden and downtown San Jose, with some of the better casual dining in the area, and Santana Row and Westfield Valley Fair are about ten minutes away.

PayPal Park, home of the San Jose Earthquakes, is a few blocks east, and match nights do bring traffic and some noise to Coleman Avenue. San Jose Mineta International Airport is close as well, which is convenient for visiting family and occasionally loud depending on the flight path. I make sure every buyer experiences both before writing an offer.

Schools Serving Encanto

Because Encanto is in San Jose, it is served by San Jose Unified School District, even though Santa Clara Unified schools sit closer on the map. Recent listings in the community have shown Merritt Trace Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle School and Abraham Lincoln High School as the assigned schools. Boundaries do change, so this is an address where I would never quote a school from memory, and I always have buyers confirm with the district directly.

Getting Around From Encanto

Transportation is a real strength. The Santa Clara Caltrain station on Railroad Avenue is well under a mile away and also serves ACE, Capitol Corridor and several VTA bus routes, and San Jose Diridon Station is a few minutes southeast. Interstate 880 is right at hand, Highway 101 and Interstate 280 are both within a few minutes, and the airport is about five minutes up Coleman Avenue.

The Encanto Housing Market

Encanto is too small for a meaningful neighborhood statistic on its own, so I look at actual sales here alongside the ZIP code. Closed sales in the community in 2026 have run from about $1.28 million for a 1,246 square foot plan to about $1.52 million for a remodeled 1,475 square foot home that sold well over its asking price in April. For the wider 95126 ZIP code, Redfin’s 95126 market data shows a median sale price of about $1 million for the three months ending September 2026, down about 21 percent from a year earlier, with homes selling in about 28 days. That ZIP figure swings with the mix of condos and houses that happen to close, so for an Encanto home the recent sales inside the community are the better guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About Encanto

If you are thinking about moving into a community like this one, or you already own here and are wondering what comes next, the details around jurisdiction, association rules and tax basis all deserve a careful look before you commit. My Santa Clara area guide covers the city next door, and nearby Sunny Brae is worth a look if you want a single story house instead. Book a call with me for a straight conversation about your options, or call my office at 408-413-3087.