Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice
Santa Barbara
From wooded hills and magnificent estates to the laid back beaches, Santa Barbara’s renowned beauty is more than skin deep. Active, community-minded residents have shaped this metropolitan area into a well-rounded, multifaceted gem of a place for the discriminating person to live and work, many who are convinced they live in paradise.
Known as “The American Riviera,” the mix of so many cultures and people with world travel under their belts makes for an exciting mix of life. Opportunities abound in Santa Barbara to enjoy a life tailored to families as well as the individual’s needs. There is quality shopping, over 400 fine restaurants, numerous cultural activities, countless active outdoor pursuits, top educational institutions such as the University of California, and a small local airport to shoot you off to wherever you may need to go…while counting the days until you return. Yes, the climate here is wonderful.
Early on, Santa Barbara’s soothing climate provided a prime stomping ground for the Chumash Indians. They were followed by the Portuguese, Spaniards and Franciscans, who later left their stamp with the beautiful Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, La Purisma Mission State Historic Park in Lompoc (one of the most complete and authentic missions standing) and the Queen of the Missions, Mission Santa Barbara. Mexico stepped in for 24 years before Colonel John Fremont crowned Santa Barbara a U.S. territory in 1846.
In the early 1900s, Santa Barbara became the film capital of the world before the motion picture industry centralized in Hollywood. More than 1,200 movies (mostly Westerns) were made in a 10-year span and Santa Barbara became a favorite retreat for such legendary film stars as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin.
The area soon evolved into a haven for wealthy Easterners and a hot spot for health-seekers lured by the city’s curing mineral baths. At the turn of the century, luxury rail cars turned out the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Duponts, followed by an artistic swell of painters, poets and authors.
Today, Santa Barbara proper is home to some 95,000 residents and still exudes the warmth and relaxation of a small city, coupled with the major attractions of a metropolis. Many of the buildings, homes and estates built in Santa Barbara have a Spanish-Mediterranean architecture and are located anywhere from the relaxed pristine coastline to the foothills.
Pedestrian-friendly with roughly 76 designated historic landmarks, an impressive line-up of performing arts venues, museums, galleries and restaurants, the area is an excellent vacation destination, especially from the California hubs of Los Angeles (92 miles south) and San Francisco (332 miles north).
Santa Barbara’s unique neighborhoods vary in size, topography and real estate values, all with their own unique characteristics.
Santa Barbara Real Estate values vary based on areas, but average around $500,000 to $3 million. Spectacular view homes, estates and ocean front property start at around $1.5 million and can exceed this amount fivefold, tenfold or more…
If you are interested in real estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life here, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Read About: Santa Barbara’s Oceanfront Areas
Read About: City of Santa Barbara
Search: Properties in Santa Barbara
Receive: Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Properties
Read: Testimonials
View: Map of Santa Barbara Area
View: Photo Tour of Santa Barbara
Read About Individual Santa Barbara Neighborhoods and Schools:
Downtown, The Mesa, The Westside, Mission Canyon, San Roque, Samarkand,
The Riviera, The Upper East, Campanil Hill and Yankee Farm, The Oceanfront
To Continue Reading Updated Articles About Santa Barbara Scroll Down
| Jan 17th |
New 3 Bed 2 Bath San Roque Real Estate Listing in Peabody School District – Price $775,000 |
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2012
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, San Roque Neighborhood, Santa Barbara |
Wonderful New Listing in San Roque
Exceptionally well-cared for remodeled single level 3 bedroom 2 bath home located in the Peabody School District. Located in a well established neighborhood in San Roque, mountain views, mature landscape, great street, minutes to downtown and uptown Santa Barbara.
Numerous upgrades including:
A/C and heating in 2011
Paint and landscape 2011
Sewer lateral in 2008
Roof, extension of home adding master and master bath plus dining in 1997
Remodeled kitchen 1997
New copper plumbing throughout 1997
Almost complete new electrical 1997.
For many, San Roque is Santa Barbara’s quintessential family neighborhood. The entire area is relatively flat and great for walking or biking and seemingly...
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The main areas of the Monroe Elementary School District encompass the neighborhoods of The Mesa, Campanil Hill and Yankee Farm and then stretches over and grabs a small swath of Downtown.
The Mesa area in Santa Barbara stretches from the Santa Barbara City College on the east and extends two and one-half miles to Arroyo Burro County Beach (or "Hendry's/The Pit" to locals). The Mesa is an extremely desirable neighborhood and has often been voted the "Best Neighborhood" in a local paper's poll.
The Mesa would be considered by most "a family neighborhood" although...
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This weeks average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage continued to hover just above its record low. Freddie Mac reported this week that the rate on the ever popular 30-year home loan sat just below 4% at 3.99%. The record low for the 30-year mortgage rate was set about 9 weeks ago when it dropped to 3.94%.
The average rate of the 15-year fixed mortgage has been sitting around 3.27 %, down from 3.30 % the last few weeks. The record low for the 15-year mortgage rate was also set about 9 weeks ago at a low of 3.26 %.
Here in Santa Barbara, these low rates...
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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 10th |
Very Nice Referral from Recent Client – Santa Barbara Real Estate, The Mesa |
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2011
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Categories: Random Thoughts & Opinions, Santa Barbara, The Mesa Neighborhood |
To whom it may concern :
"I, Robert Hay, wish to acknowledge the excellent service I received from Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby's Realty. I have lived in either Montecito or Santa Barbara since 1954 and my family has or has had deep ties in businesses and in charities throughout the town. I wanted to sell my beautiful house at 104 Vista Del Mar Drive and after giving it a good try in the summer, and fall of 2010 I took it off the market. I remember years past how Kevin would send me updates on The Mesa real estate and he...
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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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| Sep 23rd |
How Many Santa Barbara Real Estate Closed Sales are Bank Owned? Update August 2011 |
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2011
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Market Statistics / Updates, Santa Barbara |
Here are the latest statistics for real estate sales in Santa Barbara proper for August 2011. The shaded area with an ‘X’ states whether the property was a bank owned (REO) sale or not. Although bank owned foreclosures seem to get a lot of the news, the vast majority of sales are still traditional sales in the Santa Barbara area. Additionally, most of the REO’s tend to be at the lower end of the price scale.
Further Reading:
Cort Report Summerland, Carpinteria, Goleta
Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch, Montecito Cort Reports...Yearly Real Estate Price Changes
Sotheby's Int'l Realty - Santa Barbara and Montecito
Is My Realtor a Santa Barbara Neighborhood...
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| Sep 8th |
Santa Barbara, Montecito and Hope Ranch CORT Report on Yearly Real Estate Market Price Changes |
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2011
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Categories: Hope Ranch, Market Statistics / Updates, Montecito, Santa Barbara |
Here are some of the latest statistics for the CORT reports for real estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Hope Ranch CA. These statistics give a quick overview of comparative price changes in the real estate market in the month of July for the last 8 years.
Further Reading:
Cort Report Summerland, Carpinteria, Goleta
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...
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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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| Jun 5th |
Great Opportunity for New Condo Development in Downtown Santa Barbara |
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2011
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Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Green Housing & Living, Santa Barbara |
If you are looking for a new condo / townhome to purchase in the downtown area of Santa Barbara, most of the time the options start at around the $700,000 price point with many of the units around the $900,000 to $1.3 million price range. For the first time in many years, there is a great new complex in the downtown area (The East Beach Collection) being developed right now with units selling from $380,000 to $450,000.
In total there are 48 units within the East Beach Collection with 8 selling at market rate (no restrictions) and 40 units selling "below market"...
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| Jun 2nd |
Good Activity on Beach Front and Ocean Front Homes from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara |
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2011
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Categories: Carpinteria, Luxury Real Estate, Montecito, Santa Barbara, The Oceanfront Areas |
During the last 60 days, beachfront real estate here in and around Santa Barbara has picked up quite a bit with a lot of activity. Just in the last 2 months we have seen 9 new Active ocean front listings, 4 closed sales and 1 pending (in escrow).
Of these listings, 7 have been in Carpinteria mainly along Padaro Lane and Sand Point Road.
Of these listings, 7 have been in the Santa Barbara or Montecito areas.
Here is a list below of the Current New Active Listings
4975 Sandyland Road #205, Carpinteria CA. priced at $999,500. Exceptional ocean front property at Carpinteria...
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| May 10th |
New Listing!!! Fantastic New Opportunity Single Family Home Near Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara – Priced at $735,000 |
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2011
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Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Santa Barbara |
Here is a fantastic opportunity to own a great home, priced very well on a quiet street just above Hendry's Beach. Located close to all that The Mesa area offers including beaches, hiking trails and just a few minutes drive from downtown Santa Barbara.
This home has been well maintained by the owner and is a clean 3 bed 2 bath home with a den/4th bedroom located at 104 Vista del Mar, SB CA 93109. Peaceful setting with both large back and side yards, a terrific outdoor sitting deck, refinished hardwood floors, newer paint, newer plumbing, newer garage door, newer roof, skylight.
Address:...
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Kevin Schmidtchen
Realtor - Sotheby's International Realty
1436 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone # 805-689-6877
[email protected]
Santa Barbara
- Buyer's Resources & Advice
- Random Thoughts & Opinions
- Seller's Resources & Advice
- Green Housing & Living
- Luxury Real Estate
- Market Statistics / Updates
- Santa Barbara Local / Things to Do
- Montecito
- Foreclosures & Bank Owned
- Carpinteria
- Goleta
- Hope Ranch
- Summerland
- School News & Information
- Mission Canyon Neighborhood
- San Roque Neighborhood
- The Oceanfront Areas
- The Riviera Neighborhood
- The Upper East Neighborhood
- The Mesa Neighborhood
- The Westside Neighborhood
- Downtown Neighborhood
- Campanil Hill Neighborhood
Categories
- Luxury Real Estate
- The Oceanfront Areas
- Market Statistics / Updates
- Foreclosures & Bank Owned
- Short Sales
- Seller's Resources & Advice
- Buyer's Resources & Advice
- Foreign Buyers & Sellers
- Random Thoughts & Opinions
- School News & Information
- Santa Barbara Local / Things to Do
- Green Housing & Living
- Montecito
- Hope Ranch
- Summerland
- Goleta
- Carpinteria
- The Santa Ynez Valley
- Santa Barbara
- Downtown Neighborhood
- Samarkand Neighborhood
- San Roque Neighborhood
- The Mesa Neighborhood
- The Riviera Neighborhood
- The Upper East Neighborhood
- Campanil Hill Neighborhood
- Mission Canyon Neighborhood
- The Westside Neighborhood
