Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice
Seller’s Resources & Advice
| Apr 18th |
A Few Popular Expensive Home Remodels That Will Not Pay You Back When You Sell Your Home |
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2012
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Categories: Random Thoughts & Opinions, Santa Barbara, Seller's Resources & Advice |
Are looking to do a few nice upgrades on your home, but potentially plan to sell in the coming few years? If so, pay attention to how much and where you invest your $$. Don't get bitten by the magic phrase..."We'll for sure get it back when we sell."
Many studies come out each year in various publications about good and bad remodels, what percentage you might get back from dollars invested etc. These also vary depending on what part of the country you live in.
Below are a list of several improvements ranked by Remodeling Magazine that come in...
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| Apr 10th |
Interest Rates Still Hovering Around All Time Lows |
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2012
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Seller's Resources & Advice |
Interest rates for home purchase as well as re-financing continue to hover around historic lows. Below is a average interest rate table based on a survey of several national leading lenders for the end or March 2012.
To take advantage of these great rates here in Santa Barbara, I am hearing from both lenders and clients that these rates are based on good credit scores, 20-25% down payment and loan amounts up to the conforming $625,000. Up to the older conforming amount of $417,000, rates are tending to be .25 point less.
As far as being able to access these rates if you are doing...
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The main areas of the Adams Elementary School District encompass the neighborhoods of Samarkand, San Roque Gardens and Hidden Valley. All 3 of these areas in Santa Barbara would be considered by most "family neighborhoods". Most of the housing in these 3 areas are single family homes, but there are definitely a few condo and apartment complexes as well as some scattered income properties (duplexes / triplexes).
In the Samarkand area of the Adams School District, the average price for a single family home tends to be between $700,000 and 1.1 million. So far this year (through the end of November) there...
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| Nov 14th |
Proven Results To Make Your Santa Barbara Home Search Enjoyable and Successful! |
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2011
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Seller's Resources & Advice |
When it comes to real estate in the last 5-7 years, both buyers and sellers are spending hours online searching out information about towns, areas, neighborhoods, schools and eventually individual homes for sale in their particular areas of interest. If you as a buyer are not on top of your search via the Internet and with the tools that your agent can provide to you with the Internet, then it is almost certain that you are not getting the best most informed information.
Fact - Most homes in our area from Goleta to Santa Barbara to Carpinteria will be listed in...
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| Nov 11th |
Santa Barbara Real Estate – Hope Ranch Real Estate Market Update June – October 2011 |
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2011
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Categories: Hope Ranch, Market Statistics / Updates, Seller's Resources & Advice |
So where has the market been in Hope Ranch here in Santa Barbara? Overall, the real estate market in the Hope Ranch area has been a little slower than normal and most sales have been in the lower end price point for this area. Here is simple to view summary of the real estate market for Hope Ranch for the summer months through until the end of October 2011.
Closed Sales in the Hope Ranch Area
During these 5 months from June - October, Hope Ranch has had approximately 13 Closed sales of single family homes. The lowest priced sale that was...
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| Nov 10th |
Santa Barbara Real Estate – Summerland Real Estate Market Update June – October 2011 |
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2011
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Categories: Market Statistics / Updates, Seller's Resources & Advice, Summerland |
Here is an quick summary of the real estate market in the Summerland area from the past summer months through until the end of October 2011. Normally this time of year sees a lot of activity in June and July, then slowing a little in August as many people are on vacation, sending kids off to school, paying bills from all the summer activities etc. Then in mid September through until about Thanksgiving we have a relatively strong real estate market on average. Overall, the Summerland market has been a little slower than average with sales. Most of the sales this summer...
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| Nov 6th |
2 Quick Strategies For Pricing Your Goleta and Carpinteria Home To Sell!! |
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2011
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Categories: Carpinteria, Goleta, Random Thoughts & Opinions, Seller's Resources & Advice |
Over the last 2 years in the Goleta and Carpinteria areas, a good amount of the real estate listings on the market have been either short sale or bank owned properties. Because of this, prices have continued to slowly drop since the peak in early 2007.
These days you can get a "good" family home in both areas for somewhere around the $500,000 to $700,000 price point. This is in stark comparison to 2006 when most of these homes were selling in the $875,000 to $1,050,000 range. If you are a seller of a non distressed home, you have added pressure...
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| Nov 1st |
How To List and Sell Your Santa Barbara Home Without Sitting on The Market for Months!! |
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2011
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Categories: Santa Barbara, Seller's Resources & Advice |
As a Realtor, I take part in numerous daily discussions on various topics about our real estate market here in the Santa Barbara area. Fortunately for all of us, even with the overall craziness in our country's economy, we live in an area where the real estate market is still fairly strong and homes continue to sell.
A seller who is reading this and who has a home that's sitting on the market for a while might beg to differ... But, most certain the reason their home is sitting and not selling has a lot less to do with our real...
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| Oct 5th |
What Seller Incentives Entice Buyers the Most in Today’s Real Estate Market? |
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2011
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Categories: Random Thoughts & Opinions, Santa Barbara, Seller's Resources & Advice |
In today’s real estate market here in the Santa Barbara area, sellers can find themselves in a serious situation with no offers in site from buyers. If you’re trying to sell your home, are confident in your realtor and you have priced your home very well, but still find your home struggling to get offers...adding Buyer Incentives might prove to be a road to success.
Buyer incentives are simply perks that you as a seller can offer to an eventual buyer. These
incentives that end up having the most power to get your home sold tend to be money related perks
that actually fill a real need for the average home buyer. Here...
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Here is a very informative graph that lays out the monthly price trends since 2004 up through July 2011. These statistics are for Santa Barbara proper and do not include other areas such as Goleta, Carpinteria, Montecito etc.
Further Reading:
Sotheby's Int'l Realty - Santa Barbara and Montecito
Is My Realtor a Santa Barbara Neighborhood Specialist?
Santa Barbara Real Estate Market Statistics
How Difficult is it to Get a Loan These Days?
What Does $1 Million Buy you in Today's Market?
Subscribe: Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Real Estate
Search: The Santa Barbara Area MLS
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding...
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| May 24th |
Santa Barbara Real Estate Market Data and Statistics Update Spring 2011 |
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2011
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Market Statistics / Updates, Seller's Resources & Advice |
Here are some of the latest market statistics here for Santa Barbara. The first report/graph below is an overall snap shot of the market with regards to inventory, prices, days on the market etc. It is all pretty self explanatory.
With regards to the overall feel of the market today...this seems to actually change weekly during the last few months. Most of the time the overall market feels pretty stable, but then we will have a few weeks where the market feels a little slower and vice versa. After a few slower weeks, once again we will see numerous properties pending sale...
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| Apr 22nd |
No More Zoning Report Needed for Condos / Townhomes in the City of Santa Barbara |
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2011
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Santa Barbara, Seller's Resources & Advice |
As of January 1st, 2011, the City of Santa Barbara no longer requires a zoning report for condos and/or townhomes located within the city limits. This is a big change with regards to real estate transactions.
What is a Zoning Report?
For each real estate transaction within the city of Santa Barbara, the seller is required to get a zoning report to give to the prospective buyer. The goal of the zoning report is to see if there have been any illegal additions and/or changes to the property without the required permits etc. In the past, zoning reports have cost anywhere from $300 to...
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Kevin Schmidtchen
Realtor - Sotheby's International Realty
1436 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone # 805-689-6877
[email protected]
Seller's Resources & Advice
- Santa Barbara
- Carpinteria
- Goleta
- Hope Ranch
- Summerland
- Buyer's Resources & Advice
- Short Sales
- Random Thoughts & Opinions
- Foreclosures & Bank Owned
- Market Statistics / Updates
- Samarkand Neighborhood
- School News & Information
Categories
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- Market Statistics / Updates
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