Have you ever bought something, and you wish you didn’t, it did not meet your expectations or turn out the way you imagined? I thought I would bring up the subject of buyer’s remorse later in the season then I realized this topic is best before the season gets going...

Remorse comes from a lot of things and here is what I have seen.

#1. Buying for the wrong reason. some people buy houses based on others’ ideas, such as making it easier for them, for example encouraging mom and or dad to give up the huge two-story house, and buy a single story, less maintenance and they can worry less about mom living in a big house.  But for them they like their house and do what their family wants them to do and regret the move. Or families often…

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Catch the aloha vibe here! This lovely home in the heart of the lower westside, has an island feel. 2BR/1BA home well apportioned with, large bath, warm cork floors and amazing outdoor space with privacy fence of lush passion fruit vines, gracious outdoor deck with space for entertaining, slides or sandboxes. The home has gorgeous features such as Saltillo tiles in the bath, crown molding, space efficient refrigerator, surf board storage, planter boxes and outdoor shower. The outdoor deck allows for enjoy the evening ocean air and stars and hosting grand dinners.  Possibility for more outdoor storage. Enjoy this amazing area with trails, surf, sun and beaches. Circle by!

One amazing feature to this home is the proximity to the ocean, one can enjoy…

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The largest fires in California this year maybe housing prices in key areas. With record amounts of snowfall and large downpours our drought maybe fixed for a while and forest fires may retreat for a year, yet the spring housing market will take it’s place. Here in Santa Cruz there are a lot of reasons for the coming home price scorcher I see blowing our way.

There are a few factors that drive housing prices and rental prices to rise so steeply.

The great resignation of landlords.

For rentals it is the lack of them, a few years ago there was a push to pass rent control in the city of Santa Cruz. This caused a large amount of mom-and-pop rental owners to sell as they did not want to be caught in a very punitive rental market, where even…

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Congratulations! Did you get accepted into UC Santa Cruz? Yay! Wait, where am I going to live? After the first year of on-campus housing, where do you go?

Full disclosure: I'm a realtor. I don't do property management; I'm not a property manager. I do know a little bit about the rental situation here in Santa Cruz, but I know more about buying a home for your student to live in while they go to school. So I'm going to give you some resources for renting and some ideas, things to keep in mind when you're looking to rent. I'm going to talk about when the rental situation just gets too crazy, what else you could do, which would be buy.

I have a couple websites I'm linking. That is the student housing services for UCSC. It really is very…

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Who pays for home staging? 
A good question, realtor, seller maybe both, but it is worth it. Sometimes realtors pay for it, but may increase their commission, sometimes sellers are just fine paying for it and splitting the cost is always a good idea as it really helps the seller sell fast and helps the realtor market it properly.

Professionally staged homes are eye-catching and can encourage more buyers to consider your property, even before they see it in person. The first impression is always online and it is important to stand out because the listing literally has about 30 seconds to catch someone's eye the only other way to do it outside of that is price. 

Staging can help create that emotional connection between a buyer and your home by…

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Do I sell before I buy or buy before I sell? This is such a chicken and egg question, I hear very often "I want to move to another home, another area or even out of state but I have to sell my house first." There is always a fear of being without a place to live it sells too quickly which is touted in the media as quite of phenomenon of homes flying off the shelves. It can be a scary proposition not to mention the idea of moving twice. 

Let me first say trying to sell your home and buy at the same time is now extremely difficult, the market is so competitive, the buyers you will be competing against will mostly likely not have a home to sell and that is your first strike. Your second strike maybe your funds are tied up in your home and you cannot…

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Buying near the beach the good, the bad and the smelly!

We all know living near the beach/ocean is amazing? The health benefits are endless the ocean air is said to accelerate your ability to absorb oxygen and balance serotonin levels. The lull of the tide is a rhythmic siren call to relax and soak up the air and gentle ocean breeze.

The sight of the vast ocean reminds us to take things more slowly as there is a great big world and we are just a small wisp of human wondering around in it. There are also seafoods which tout great health advantages, there are the activities on and around the ocean. Paddleboarding, surfing, swimming, kayaking and more. Bike riding near the ocean my personal favorite.

But what is it really like to live here in…

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Moving, it really is not a pleasant experience it is one of the main reasons people don't move. The nightmare of missing items, boxes full of mystery items, the constant nagging of something not done, box not unpacked, forgotten bill not paid, it is just too much. The logistics is a nightmare. I get it. But if you think there is a better place waiting for you, I think you should give moving a shot. I understand selling your house, buying your house, moving out of your rental may just a lot to consider. Here is a start.

First and foremost understand YOU HAVE MORE STUFF THAN YOU THINK YOU DO! Okay let's start there. Easy, no decisions on where you are moving. If you are buying or selling, just start with the stuff. Do you have a large house full of…

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What is the "market" what is this indeterminate thing. I have likened it to a blob that oozes over everything, a cloud, maybe a Tsunami that slowly receded belying the danger it is really going to do. For Realtors we often say "it's the market" a saying to help explain the unexplainable. Why are houses not selling as fast as a month ago, why did that cute house never sell, why, why, why. Honestly being in real estate is being left babysitting a three year old who's only demand is "why". I am sure a toddler would accept the answer "it's the market." But we have to.

Every day, every realtor, buyer and seller wake up to a new market, especially our area of Santa Cruz, California which has found it's self in a tug of war with buyers from Los Angeles, San…

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In the ever changing world the internet has allowed us to hire people to work with us and work for us in fashions we would have never dreamed of in the past. With the quick swipe of a device or a few key strokes we can contact someone who can help us sell possibly the largest asset we will ever own or the largest debt we will ever know. That is a big task. 

In our area we have people move in and out quite frequently it is an amazing area, Santa Cruz and casts quite a spell. But things change and people find that their families won't or cannot relocate here, a better job is located elsewhere and they have to move. Yet the allure of our area brings them in at an increasing rate and buyer demand is at an all time high. With people moving in often…

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