Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Weekly Real Estate Snapshot 4/18 - 4/24
New Listings: 39
Price Improvements: 27
Pending: 23 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 10
$600-800k: 4
$800k-1 million: 3
$1-2 million: 4
$2-4 million: 2
$4-8 million: 0
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 12 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 5
$600-800k: 3
$800k-1 million: 0
$1-2 million: 2
$2-4 million: 1
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 10
Back On Market: 6
Price Improvements: 27
Pending: 23 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 10
$600-800k: 4
$800k-1 million: 3
$1-2 million: 4
$2-4 million: 2
$4-8 million: 0
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 12 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 5
$600-800k: 3
$800k-1 million: 0
$1-2 million: 2
$2-4 million: 1
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 10
Back On Market: 6
Saturday, April 23, 2011
County approves Carrizo Plain solar project
This is a project that the Community Environmental Council has been working on and we are very excited that it has been approved! Thank you Megan for all of your hard work!!!
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a 250-megawatt solar project on the Carrizo Plain.
April 20, 2011
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a 250-megawatt solar project on the Carrizo Plain.After the Planning Commission approved SunPower’s project in February, a resident and three environmental groups appealed the decision. The board denied the appeals which were based on protecting endangered species and the Carrizo Plains.
Earlier this week, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the offer of a conditional commitment for a $1.187 billion loan guarantee to support the project.
“The efficiencies created by the California Valley Solar Ranch project will help lower the cost of solar power and encourage more utility-scale solar deployment,” Chu said.
Megan Birney
Renewable Energy Specialist
Community Environmental Council
Santa Barbara, CA
(805) 963-0583, ext. 107
Thursday, April 21, 2011
April Santa Barbara Green Team Newsletter
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Weekly Real Estate Snapshot 4/11 - 4/17
New Listings: 57
Price Improvements: 38
Pending: 27 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 12
$600-800k: 2
$800k-1 million: 1
$1-2 million: 7
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 2
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 23 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 8
$600-800k: 2
$800k-1 million: 4
$1-2 million: 5
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 18
Back On Market: 10
Price Improvements: 38
Pending: 27 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 12
$600-800k: 2
$800k-1 million: 1
$1-2 million: 7
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 2
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 23 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 8
$600-800k: 2
$800k-1 million: 4
$1-2 million: 5
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 18
Back On Market: 10
Monday, April 18, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
How 4 People, 2 Couples, 1 Duplex & 1 Agent Made A Very Happy Team!
I sold a house a few years ago, a duplex to be exact and the unique part about this situation was that two separate couples were the Buyers. They were two young couples, 3 of which are teacher’s and in order to make their down payment go further they pooled their savings together and purchased more property than either one of them would have been able to on their own.
One side of the duplex boasted 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms set-up while the other side had a more modest 2 bedrooms and one bathroom layout. After many discussions it was decided to split the purchase 55/45 based on who would live in each side. As a group we sat down, me as their Realtor, and them as husbands, wives, business partners and first time buyers and did our best to brainstorm every possible scenario that could possibly come up in the future. All the scenarios weren’t pretty to discuss but important to hash out up front before jumping in!
What if…one couple wants to sell and the other doesn’t, one couple separates and the sale of one side is necessary? What if one couple has children and needs a larger space? Heaven forbid someone dies? I mean we really tried to think of everything and there were plenty of other scenarios that we discussed. We took the ideas and potential situations and had an attorney draft a contract that outlined them and all parties signed on the dotted line. Escrow closed and that was the last I heard of it. Now who says people can’t work together and people can’t do business with friends.
Now fast forward a few years. I bet that you, my dear readers are already thinking that things got ugly…well, they didn’t. All are still happy at their property and should they decide to move into different properties, I am here to help!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
2011 Green Shorts Film Festival Tonight!
The Green Shorts Film Festival is an annual
1 to 2 minute video contest about saving our planet,
helping our environment and being green. This year’s
Earth Day and contest theme is “Powered by
the People.” We want your compelling and
pragmatic solutions and entertaining
commentaries on energy independence, sustainability
and a green future.
1 to 2 minute video contest about saving our planet,
helping our environment and being green. This year’s
Earth Day and contest theme is “Powered by
the People.” We want your compelling and
pragmatic solutions and entertaining
commentaries on energy independence, sustainability
and a green future.
- Write, produce, direct, edit and/or score your own original short film (1 - 2 minutes)
- click for rules and other important info - Upload your film to our Vimeo group to share it,
view other entries and chat with other filmmakers. - Win a MacBook from Samy’s Camera
and other great prizes! - Winners will be featured at a special screening at the Lobero Theater, aired on Channel 17, and screened at this year’s Earth Day Festival organized by the Community Environmental Council (CEC)
Highlights
SCREENING & AWARDS EVENT
Thursday, April 14, 2011, 6-9pm
Come spend an exciting evening with celebrities, fellow filmmakers and film viewers. Green Carpet walk, awards ceremony, screening of winning films and After Party. Great fun and entertainment throughout the night. Learn more...UPLOAD AND SHARE YOUR FILM!
Visit our Vimeo Group online.
Upload your film, view other entries, chat with fellow filmmakers and ask questions in the forum. NOTE: Uploading to VImeo does NOT officially submit your film.Visit the Vimeo group...
GREEN SHORTS FESTIVAL
Additional screenings in the Earth Day Theater - April 16-17
These films on sustainable living, eating and growing local food, sustainable transportation, energy independence and a green future without petroleum are creative, compelling, entertaining and fun. Learn more...
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Earth Day's Opening Night Party This Wednesday
Opening Night Party 
Kick off Earth Day in fine fashion with live music and a local menu, brought to you by +One Events and the CEC. There's no better place to get jazzed for Earth Day. Live music featuring Howlin' Woods, Sprout, Ariella, and special guest DJ Michael Ober. Sustainable wine and organic appetizers will be served for the VIP reception from 6:00-8:00pm.
Wednesday, April 13
6:00pm-11:00pm
The Savoy
409 State St.
$10 General Admission
$25 VIP Reception
Ages 21+
Tickets available at NewNoiseSB.com
RSVP on Facebook
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Weekly Real Estate Snapshot 4/4 - 4/10
New Listings: 60
Price Improvements: 50
Pending: 34 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 14
$600-800k: 8
$800k-1 million: 6
$1-2 million: 3
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 0
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 22 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 5
$600-800k: 4
$800k-1 million: 4
$1-2 million: 6
$2-4 million: 2
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 18
Back On Market: 8
Price Improvements: 50
Pending: 34 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 14
$600-800k: 8
$800k-1 million: 6
$1-2 million: 3
$2-4 million: 3
$4-8 million: 0
$8 million+: 0
Closed: 22 breaks down to:
Under $600k: 5
$600-800k: 4
$800k-1 million: 4
$1-2 million: 6
$2-4 million: 2
$4-8 million: 1
$8 million+: 0
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 18
Back On Market: 8
Sunday, April 10, 2011
"Hi Guys!" on State Street...
When I was a little girl, growing up here in Santa Barbara, I spent lots of time as a passenger in my parents’ cars. Every time my Dad would drive us past the Dolphin Fountain, we would call out; "Hi guys!" and wave at the fountain. Now years later, driving myself and quite often, my son, I still call that out or at least think it as I drive by.
As I show clients around Santa Barbara and educate them about real estate, neighborhoods, school districts and prices, I also am rattling off insider information that only a local Santa Barbara can divulge.
Did you know that in addition to the beautiful Dolphin Fountain at State and Cabrillo, in the 80's there used to be an awesome roller skater that danced around the pier area in her colorful lycra outfit and she really had moves on her wheels...and this was well before roller blades!
We used to have stop lights on the 101 Freeway and those of us that had to cross the freeway on say State or Garden Streets, kept books in their glove boxes to pass the time waiting at the red lights. Or those of us who were too young to drive, came up with all sorts of car games to pass the time...'I see something blue'...'No, Dad it's not the sky'...quick think of another blue thing...
One time my Dad and I walked out to the end of the breakwater and then walked all the way across the harbor entrance, on sand to the beach. That was when the "dredge" wasn't here and the sand piled up that much! I remember my Dad telling me that this would be the only time in my life that I would most likely be able to do this...and sure enough, now the dredge is a permanent fixture in our harbor and keeps the passageway deep enough for all the boats to get in and out.
Speaking of our harbor...I used to take sailing lessons and once sailed a boat with two other 6th and 7th graders. Well we were pretty little and we capsized and we were too light to re-right our boat and had to get rescued by the harbor patrol so we didn't get tangled up in the pier pilings...yeah, not the best day...but later we spotted Kevin Costner at the dock and he was quite popular then from his Dances With Wolves movie so we forgot about our near disaster...
I am proud to be a local of Santa Barbara and have many more stories and histories of our generous community. Should you have any questions about becoming a homeowner here or moving to Santa Barbara, please ask and I will give you my professional real estate expertise. If you are lucky, as we drive around looking at properties, I may even shout out "Hi guys!" and now you will know what I am talking about.
Earth Week Events...See You All There!
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Saturday, April 9, 2011
Volunteers Needed At Earth Day April 16 & 17
Volunteers
Be a part of the Community Environmental Council’s Earth Day Festival in Santa BarbaraSign up for a shift today!
The success of CEC’s Earth Day Festival relies on the commitment and energy of those who help put it together.
When?
We need volunteers in the days prior to the event, as well as all day (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) on both Saturday and Sunday, April 16 & 17, to help set-up, run, and break-down the festival.
What Volunteers Do
Volunteers do everything from assisting with vendor check-in, working in the Green Car Show area, helping with the festival’s children's activities, greeting festival guests to lending support to the Zero-Waste Team, who works to ensure the Earth Day festival produces as little waste as possible.
High School Volunteers
For high school students, the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival provides an excellent opportunity to earn required community service hours necessary for graduating. For community members and companies, helping out at Earth Day is a way to give back to the community and the environment.
Corporate Volunteer Projects
Corporate volunteer groups are welcome! The Earth Day Festival is a great opportunity for teams of volunteers from your business to help make the festival possible while having a good time.
To volunteer, you can register through Volunteer spot online. It's fast, informative, and easy!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wine Cask Now Serving “Wine on Tap” – the Latest Trend in Sustainable Winemaking
This is my kind of promotion!
April 2011 – Yes, you heard correctly… Wine on TAP! Wine Cask is excited to be leading one of the latest green trends in winemaking - no corks, no bottle waste, reusable kegs, and much more! Wine Cask is now serving hand-delivered keg wine directly from wineries in the Santa Barbara area, including Palmina, Carr, Curtis, Melville and a very special Margerum "M3" blend by our very own Doug Margerum. To celebrate the launch of their new wine on tap, in conjunction with Earth Day festivities, Wine Cask is offering a delicious flatbread paired with a glass of wine on tap for $18, with 10% of the sales from this offer going to benefit the Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara.
“Considered by many to be the “wave of the future” in the wine world, wine on tap offers high-quality wines at a lower price thanks to the elimination of bottle cost,” offers Wine Cask Managing Partner Mitchell Sjerven. “In comparison to bottled wine, tap systems are less wasteful and offer fresher wines thanks to the preservation capabilities of kegs. In addition, the reusable tanks minimize the carbon footprint, especially since all the wine on tap we’re serving is local. “Making it even more exciting is the fact that all of these wineries are friends of Doug and I, so we could not be happier joining forces with them to go green!”
Wine on tap is the same engineering as a tap beer system, except beer systems generally use a high-pressure carbon dioxide system, which carbonates the beer. Wine Cask’s nitrogen-based system simply pushes the wine from keg to tap and occupies the empty space in the keg, preventing oxidation and keeping the wine ultra–fresh. Of course Wine Cask continues to maintain their award winning wine list featuring bottled wines, too, as the enjoyment of wine, however served, is the ultimate goal!
The Community Environmental Council is an environmental non-profit established in 1970, currently focused on renewable energy, green building and sustainable transportation. Our goal is to end our region's dependency on fossil fuels in one generation - Fossil Free by 2033. www.cecsb.org
Wine Cask is located in downtown Santa Barbara in the historic El Paseo complex, and offers the best of all worlds to enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner in a stylishly relaxed setting. Our passion is serving great food, providing the highest caliber of service and bringing the comfort and nostalgia of one of Santa Barbara’s favorite restaurants to our patrons. Wine Cask is located at 813 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Open Monday - Saturday for dinner from 5:30pm, and Monday – Friday for lunch from 11:30-2:30 pm. Intermezzo is open nightly from 4 pm. Margerum Wine Company Tasting Room is open daily from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. www.winecask.com
Santa Barbara Real Estate through the end of March 2011
Each month a very generous colleague, Gary Woods compiles all the Santa Barbara Multiple Listing and Cort sales data and provides many of us in the real estate industry with a synopsis of the current market. Thank you Gary, as always your expertise and data is very appreciated!
For Santa Barbara, Montecito, Hope Ranch, Carpinteria/Summerland and Goleta for the Home Estate/PUD market for the month of March 2011 a significant number of those escrows that opened in the first two months of the year and those that continued opening in the third month completed the buying process. In March there were 83 sales up from 49 in February and 42 in January. But, the median sales price which came up from $819,500 in January to $845,000 in February fell back to $714,000 in March.
For Santa Barbara, Montecito, Hope Ranch, Carpinteria/Summerland and Goleta for the Home Estate/PUD market for the month of March 2011 a significant number of those escrows that opened in the first two months of the year and those that continued opening in the third month completed the buying process. In March there were 83 sales up from 49 in February and 42 in January. But, the median sales price which came up from $819,500 in January to $845,000 in February fell back to $714,000 in March.
This drop in the median sales price was prompted by the 50+ sales below $1 million that occurred during the month up from the low 30s in February. Sales in the $1 to $2 million bracket also went up but only a little, while the over $2 million range almost tripled going from 5 in February to 13 in March with 5 of those sales selling for over $5 million.
Also going up in March was the numbers of escrows which went to 106 for the month up from 80 in February. What didn’t go up however was the median list price on those escrows which remained at right around $800,000. That median list price on the escrows is amplified by the approximately $787,500 median sold price for the year through March down from about $810,000 the previous year.
Looking at the Districts, we see that sales are down for Carpinteria/Summerland from 19 in ’10 to 12 in ’11 with the median sales price dropping from about $850,000 last year to right around $670,000 this year. But, the numbers of escrows are way up this year from 13 to 19 while the median list price on those escrows remains around $675,000 for both years.
Sales are up in Montecito however from 24 to 27 and the median sales price is also up from $2 million to about $2.37 million. The numbers of escrows is even farther ahead with 44 this year compared to 28 last year with the median list price on those escrows also up from just under $2 million last year to roughly $2.5 million this year.
On the East Side of Santa Barbara sales are down from 47 to 46 but the median sales price is up from about $890,000 to $895,000. The numbers of escrows are even farther ahead of the ’10 pace with 68 this year compared to 54 last year and the median list price on those escrows is up from $925,000 to $995,000.
On the West Side of Santa Barbara sales are up from 39 to 40 but this year the median sales price fell to $650,000 down from $785,000 last year. The numbers of escrows are also up from 47 last year with an $850,000 median list price to 51 this year with a $750,000 median list price.
In Hope Ranch sales are down from 6 to 4 and the median sold price is down from $3,237,500 in ’10 to $1,775,000 in ’11. The escrows are the same for both years with 8 while the median list price on those escrows is also approximately the same for both years at just under $2 million.
For Goleta South sales are off from 17 to 14 but the median sales price is up from just under $600,000 to just over $650,000. The numbers of escrows are the same however with 18 in both years but the median list price on those escrows is down from $729,000 to $562,500.
Goleta North has sales way up from 34 to 42 but the median sales price is the same both years at $685,000. The numbers of escrows is very close however with 43 last year and 42 this year but the median list price on those escrows is down from about $750,000 last year to about $700,000 this year.
After starting out the year behind in the numbers of sales we’ve about reached parity with 2010 numbers. But, while the numbers of escrows are up by about 18% the median list price on those escrows is down about 6% while the median sales price for the year has dropped about 3% to $787,500.
For condos, the numbers of sales started to move up from the previous 2 months when there were 16 in both January and February but they only rose to 21 for March. The median sales price fell to just below $400,000 for the month down from $422,500 in February but up from $382,500 in January. For the year, the median sales price of condos stands at $399,000 5% below where it was in March ’10 when it was $420,000.
The numbers of escrows came up slightly in March to 30 from 24 the previous month but the median list price on those escrows fell rather dramatically from $415,750 in February to $359,450 in March. For the entire year sales are down from 66 to 53 for a 20% decline and escrows are down about 19% falling from 80 to 67. There was 1 sale above $1 million in March with 4 sales between $600,000 and $800,000. But, 12 of the 21 sales were between $300,000 and $450,000 with 2 from $250,000 to $300,000.
Looking at the Districts, Carpinteria/Summerland has 15 sales in both ’10 and 11 but the median sales price has dropped from $382,500 to $353,500. The numbers of escrows is slightly up however going from 18 last year to 19 this year while the median list price on those escrows fell from $409,900 last year to $363,000 this year.
In Montecito there have been 5 sales this year with a median sales price of $645,000 compared to 5 last year with a median sales price of $1,075,000. The numbers of escrows are the same with 4 for both years with a median list price of $1,075,000 in ’10 and for ‘11 a median list price of $1,148,500.
On the East Side, sales are down by half going from 16 to 8 but the median sales price has remained stable drifting down slightly from $417,500 last year to $414,750 this year. The numbers of escrows are also down from 14 to 10 but the median list price on those escrows is up from $499,000 to $619,000.
For the West Side, the numbers of sales are down from 17 to 9 with the median sales price dropping from $455,500 to $425,000. The numbers of escrows is even farther down from 24 to 12 with the median list price on those escrows down from $499,000 to $409,500.
Goleta South is rebounding this year with sales up from 7 to 14 and the median sales price is up from $260,000 to $355,000. The numbers of escrows are also up from 12 to 17 with the median list price on those escrows going from $295,000 to $329,000.
For Goleta North both years have 7 sales but the median sales price this year is down from $455,000 last year to $365,000 this year. The numbers of escrows are down from 12 to 7 and the median list price on those escrows is down from $419,000 to $379,000.
The decline in sales in the condo market is primarily due to the increase in purchases in the $500,000 to $800,000 Single Family home market. That price range of homes saw 45 sales in the month of March alone. When buyers look at a $500,000 to $600,000 condo and add in the substantial Home Owners fees which can be in the $300 to $500 a month range those $700,000 to $800,000 homes start to look attractive. This increase in sales of the lower priced homes is the reason the overall median sales price of homes is declining which also pushes the median sales price of condos down.
I’m encouraged by the numbers of Home Estate/PUD escrows opened in the first quarter of the year but it looks like the substantial amount of activity is going to remain in that $500,000 to $800,000 bracket. The $1 to $2 million range seems to be stuck in neutral however registering roughly the same numbers of sales each month while the over $2 million market has taken off again at least in March.
It looks like interest rates are getting ready to start moving up and with the $729,000 maximum FHA loan maximum sunsetting in September prices below $1 million could continue to drift down. But, with the substantial amount of demand in that price range there could even be a slight upward pressure in prices.
Gary Woods
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