Tag archives: real estate
How hot is Today’s Montecito Real Estate market? The Heat Index measures buyer choices for single family homes in five price sectors. Rather than sales data, typically at least 30 days old, the Index measures signed contracts resulting in present demand and thus market strength and direction. Since home purchases fluctuate seasonally, indeed monthly, today’s […]
It often surprises people when I tell them they can purchase a single-family home, on a good-sized lot, with amenities and upside potential, for under (and often well under) $2,000,000 in Montecito. In this price range, one is not likely to find a home with big ocean views or a done home on a large […]
We are regularly made aware of the damages done to homes and property, and the lost income to local businesses caused by this past winter’s dual episodes. There is one institution that has had a lot of both of these issues to contend with: the San Ysidro Ranch. This storied institution is the prize and […]
With our tony town’s main rue, State Street, having a record high of 38 empty storefronts in July, Santa Barbara resident Erica Brown is determined to buck the trend. She is opening her first retail boutique, Dylan Star, inside of Salon U, owned by crimper Michael Romo, at State and Islay. The store is an […]
“What’s going on in the real estate market?” It’s a question agents field on an almost-daily basis, and as of late, my answer to my clients and others is that we are in an adjustment period, with the market, in general, feeling a period of softening. The number of properties sold in the first half […]
When one thinks of Montecito, images of the ocean, palm trees, Spanish-style architecture, San Ysidro Ranch cottages, and more come to mind. It is one thing to be able to live here, in such a special, small yet internationally recognized community, but it is another thing altogether to have a career that allows access to […]
There is no doubt that condominium living is completely distinct from that of a single-family home experience. We all know condominium dwellers who fired their gardener and the guy who fixes the electric gate years ago and would not live any other way, and others who miss being able to paint their front door any […]
There is nothing quite like this 6,350-sq-ft former “pool pavilion,” designed by Francis Underhill, on the market here or anywhere else in the Santa Barbara area, at least nothing I’m aware of and… and I can say this because I am not in the real estate business and have no stake or interest in this […]
There’s nothing that will make you feel poorer than perusing the high-end homes for sale in the Friday edition of The Wall St. Journal. Or heck, pick up a paper in Atherton, San Francisco, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, or any upper-end community in Napa, Sonoma, Oakland, or even Oxnard. Everything for sale comparable to what […]
The Montecito Real Estate market has done well during the past six months, considering what it, and the residents of Montecito went through, what with the fires and the debris flow and the resulting damage and insurance questions, not to mention the countless personal tragedies that occurred during those few hours on January 9. While […]
The Santa Barbara Heat Index is a snapshot of demand for single-family homes in the city of Santa Barbara described in our Multiple Listing Service as east and west of State Street. Rather than a measurement of home sales, often lagging by at least a month, the Heat Index measures homes currently under contract but […]
Village Properties has announced that realtor Leanne Wood, who is also the managing editor of the Montecito Journal glossy magazine, has joined the Village Properties staff as the new executive director, Strategic Development. In her new full-time job, Wood will help with the day-to-day running of Village Properties. She also will work with company owner […]
It is one thing to be fortunate enough to own an ocean-view home in the Montecito area. It is another thing altogether to own a 9+/- acre hilltop, with three substantial homes, three guest apartments/houses, three pools, three spas, parking for dozens of cars, and control of the entire end of this important lane in […]
According to broker Wendy Gragg, president of Montecito’s Distinctive Real Estate, many high-end buyers appear to be holding back from purchasing in Montecito, at least for the time being. Gragg sees the mid-year Montecito real estate market as slowly shifting from a seller’s market toward a buyer’s market. As more sellers list their homes, buyers […]
How hot is today’s Montecito real estate market? The Heat Index shows us buyer choices for single family homes in five price sectors. Rather than sales data (closed transactions) typically at least 30 days old, we measure current signed contracts (pending sales) resulting in an indication of present demand and market strength and direction. […]
Nothing says summer like a day at the beach… and where better to spend a day at the beach than in Montecito, at Fernald, Miramar, Hammonds, or Butterfly? The beach area in Montecito is bordered to the north by the 101 freeway, and to the south by the ocean, making it easy to define. While […]
Village Properties, Santa Barbara County’s largest independent real estate brokerage, is now exclusively owned by co-founder Renee Grubb. She and Ed Edick founded Village Properties in 1996 with the goal of creating a locally owned real estate company founded on teamwork, community consciousness, and high ethical standards. Today, Village Properties has offices in Montecito, Santa […]
From a mountain cottage to an impeccably well-designed ocean-view condo, from a mid-sized estate with a tennis court near town, all the way up to Oprah Winfrey’s mansion property, Montecito offers real estate options for anyone who can afford a purchase price of about $750,000 on up. To expand on that, an entry level condo […]
Santa Barbara Polo Club player Judith Baker has been flying high! To celebrate her 75th birthday the bubbly Brit, who I have known for more than a decade, took a 3,000-feet, 30-minute paragliding flight above the exquisitely manicured oceanside Carpinteria club after participating in a tournament playing for the World Gym team. “The idea originally […]
The Montecito Heat Index identifies demand for Montecito single-family homes in five price sectors. By measuring buyer demand, (signed contracts) rather than sales (closed escrows), we create a forward-looking indicator of both market strength and direction rather than sold data that are typically a month or more old. And since real estate activity fluctuates seasonally, […]
