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

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

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Feb 8th	CORT Report Sales for Santa Barbara CA. December 2009 & January 2010
2010	Categories: Hope Ranch, Market Statistics / Updates, Montecito, Santa Barbara

View: Detailed list of each home that has sold including price for January 2010 Further Reading: The Mesa Neighborhood 2009 Sale Statistics The Riviera Neighborhood 2009 Sales Statistics Hope Ranch CA Real Estate Home Sales Statistics - 2009 Montecito CA Real Estate Home Sales Statistics - 2009 The Riviera Neighborhood The Upper East Neighborhood Santa Barbara Market Statistics Santa Barbara Photo Tour Buyer's Resources for the Santa Barbara area Seller's Resources for the Santa Barbara area For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l... Read more

Feb 7th	Pros and Cons of Buying Foreclosures in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta CA.
2010	Categories: Carpinteria, Foreclosures & Bank Owned, Goleta, Santa Barbara

As a home buyer in today's market here in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria, you may be able to get "deals" on foreclosures, but buying foreclosures can be risky as well.  If you are looking at foreclosures as an option for a home purchase, it is crucial to understand the many potential cons associated with the one obvious "pro" of buying a foreclosure. First, there are a few definitions of properties that are generally thrown around and become universally known as "foreclosures." A "pre-foreclosure" for example is a home which is in danger of falling into foreclosure, but is still owned... Read more

Feb 2nd	25th Santa Barbara Film Festival (Silver Anniversary) February 4 – 14th, 2010
2010	Categories: Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara

Welcome once again to...Santa Barbara, CA.  Celebrating its Silver Anniversary, The Santa Barbara International Film Festival presents a wonderful line-up for 2010 featuring 200 films that include World Premieres, U.S. Premieres and numerous films representing countries around the world. The Festival chosen motto for this year is '11 Amazing Days, 10 Starry Nights.' The excitement starts this Thursday, February 4th. Thank you for reading.  I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative.  Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts. Read more

Tags: santa barbara film festival 2010

Dec 11th	Looking for a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental?
2009	Categories: Santa Barbara

With the pure beauty of Santa Barbara and the year around temperate climate, our community is high on the list for many people as a vacation destination.  Besides all the wonderful hotels, small inns and B&B's, Santa Barbara also offers numerous options for vacation rentals.  These vacation rentals vary from ocean front property, to 1 bedroom condos, to numerous view homes, to simply "community living" within a "family" neighborhood. The major reason for the availability of vacation rentals seems to simply stem from the reality that much of our community is well traveled themselves and therefore often set their own personal... Read more

Tags: santa barbara luxury rentals, santa barbara vacation rentals

Nov 18th	The Top 10 Most Expensive Beachfront Real Estate Sales in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria CA.
2009	Categories: Luxury Real Estate, Santa Barbara, The Oceanfront Areas

Year to date, here is a list of the top 5 most expensive beachfront real estate sales for 2009 here in the Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria CA areas.  Most of the beachfront sales in the last 15 months have been at prices about 30-40% from the peaks in early 2008.  Of all the markets here in the Santa Barbara area, our luxury beach front real estate has most likely taken the hardest hit in values.  4385 Marina Drive, Santa Barbara CA., 93108.  Sold for $12,800,000.  Rising from a sun-drenched promontory overlooking the Pacific, "Terra Bella" is a magical romantic... Read more

Tags: montecito oceanfront real estate sales 2009, santa barbara beachfront real estate sales 2009

Nov 11th	The Top 10 Most Expensive Condo / Townhome Real Estate Sales in Santa Barbara CA in 2009
2009	Categories: Luxury Real Estate, Market Statistics / Updates, Santa Barbara

Year to date, here is a list of the top 10 most expensive condo / townhome real estate sales for 2009 here in the Santa Barbara area.  Most of the sales in the last 15 months have been at prices about 20-25% below the peak in late 2007.  4763 Sandyland Road, Carpinteria CA., 93013.  Sold for $4,000,000.  Classic Santa Barbara CA living in this beautiful, oceanfront - toes in the sand, gated 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath beach home.  Enjoy wonderful unobstructed ocean, island and mountain views, sea breezes & breaking scenery.  Amenities include a large living room and luxury master suite,... Read more

Tags: santa barbara expensive condos, santa barbara luxury condos townhomes, top 10 real estate condos santa barbara

Oct 15th	The Secret of Santa Barbara CA. Foreclosures – Update October 2009
2009	Categories: Foreclosures & Bank Owned, Santa Barbara

Where is the real estate market today with regards to foreclosures here in Santa Barbara CA?  The answer to this really depends on the specific areas of Santa Barbara you are talking about as well as specific price points.  Santa Barbara is simply too unique of a town to pinpoint a "foreclosure label" at any level, on any certain part of our real estate market.  You really have to look at the individual markets and areas within our community. For example, lately in the national news we have been bombarded by information and statistics about how the high end luxury real... Read more

Tags: santa barbara bank owned, santa barbara foreclosures

Sep 15th	Santa Barbara Luxury Real Estate Sales – Statistics Through Sept 15th, 2009
2009	Categories: Luxury Real Estate, Market Statistics / Updates, Santa Barbara

Here and there I am proposed various questions from clients about the luxury market here in Santa Barbara CA., such as where are the most luxurious homes located and/or what is the most expensive sale this year.  Many times though it is as "simple" as what is the true definition of luxury real estate here in our area.  The answer is that there is no exact definition of luxury real estate and this varies greatly depending on the circumstances, whom you talk to, location in our town etc.  But in order to provide some statistics, I am going to break... Read more

Tags: santa barbara luxury real estate sales, santa barbara luxury real estate statistics 2009

Aug 18th	Santa Barbara CA. Real Estate Among “Pricey Cities That Pay Off”
2009	Categories: Luxury Real Estate, Santa Barbara

10 Pricey Cities that Pay Off by Matthew Bandyk of US News and World Report (short excerpt) "When you pay a lot of money for something, you hope to get a lot of value in return. Despite the housing downturn and the number of cheap houses it has left in its wake, there is still plenty of expensive land left. According to the Global Property Guide, an online real estate investor's guide, New York might have slipped from the second-most-expensive city in the world in 2008 to the sixth most expensive in 2009, but an average 120-square-meter (1,300-square-foot) apartment in the central business... Read more

Tags: santa barbara pays off, santa barbara pricey

May 9th	Santa Barbara CA Jesusita Fire Update, 80 Confirmed Homes Burned – Saturday May 9th
2009	Categories: Goleta, Mission Canyon Neighborhood, San Roque Neighborhood, Santa Barbara

After several relentless and stressful days of extreme heat, wind and fire, Santa Barbara is finally getting a break from the weather.  With day time temperatures around 100 degrees and overnight temperatures hovering in the 80 degree range the last 4 days as well as wind gusts up to 50-70 miles an hour, this mornings heavy marine layer, calmer winds and 58 degree weather is a blessing. Everyone one I seem to talk with expresses their appreciation with the job the fire fighters have been doing with the evacuation, keeping everyone safe and protecting as much Santa Barbara property as... Read more

Tags: santa barbara ca fire, santa barbara jesusita fire

Apr 7th	What Does $1 Million Buy You in Santa Barbara Real Estate These Days? – April 2009
2009	Categories: Buyer's Resources & Advice, Santa Barbara

As the Santa Barbara Real Estate market has softened here in the last 18 months, the big advantage for new home buyers is that they are able to get a little more property for their $$.  Most statistics are showing that the average home here in Santa Barbara is down about 15-25% (depending on exact area) from its peak in late 2006 / early 2007. In the last several weeks, much of our market up to the $2 Million price point has been very stable with a good amount of pending sales and numerous buyers out looking.  Here are a few... Read more

Tags: bel air knolls santa barbara, million santa barbara real estate, samarkand, san roque santa barbara, the mesa santa barbara

Mar 4th	Santa Barbara, California receives “Distinctive Destination” Award
2009	Categories: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Architecture

Santa Barbara California's beauty and quality of life are renown on a national and international scale.  From the temperate climate and scenic coastline to the classic Spanish architecture and cultural events, there is much to offer locals and tourists on a daily basis. Earlier this year, Santa Barbara CA. was affirmed once again as a terrific place when the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) publicly announced the city as one of its 2009 Distinctive Destinations.  The award was accepted by Mayor Marty Blum and a plaque commemorating the honor was given to Santa Barbara.  The ceremony was rightfully held... Read more

Tags: santa barbara award, santa barbara ca architecture, santa barbara lifestyle