Here's a list of things you the seller can control, to help your Santa Cruz property sell faster and for more money.  A little extra investment of time and energy will make your property more interesting to more buyers...and more interested buyers often gets you a higher sales price! Clean!   Nothing sells a well-priced home like sparkling cleanliness.  The return on this effort is the highest of nearly anything you can control.  When a house or yard is dirty/unkempt, it implies a lack of caring & maintenance.   This, consciously or unconsciously, reduces its' value in buyers' minds. Curb Appeal: Listen to your agent's advice & take the time to spruce up your home before listing it.   A home with a broken front fence or weeds in the yard implies deferred maintenance.  Some buyers won't ... 01/15/2014

So often people ask me – how’s the San Lorenzo Valley real estate market?    San Lorenzo Valley Real Estate prices rose 6% during the 3rd quarter*, compared to the 2nd quarter.    102 SLV homes sold on the MLS between July 1st and September 30th, at an average price of $459,503.    The 87 acre Johnson ranch in Boulder Creek fetched $2.25 Million; while a red-tagged home with severe erosion issues sold for $50,000.   *Excluding the two outliers from my calculations, the average price was $445,693*, up an astonishing 30% over the same period last year.    During these first few weeks of October, my sense is that the market is stablizing. Although most of this year the market has favored sellers, perhaps the next few months may be a good opportunity for buyers.    Click here if you'd like ... 10/23/2013

San Lorenzo Valley Real Estate Prices and Sales  July 2013 & 2nd Quarter 2013 The San Lorenzo Valley real estate market was still red hot this July: 32 homes sold at an average price of $439,818. The San Lorenzo Valley turned in a smoking hot second quarter of 2013 – 78 homes sold at an average price of $420,858, up 18% over the same period last year  (66 homes sold at an average price of $355,435 in Q2 2012).    Average prices are the highest they’ve been since August of 2008.  SLV Real Estate prices have recovered well from the low point in February 2009 (and again in September 2011), when SLV average home prices briefly touched $270- $280k. The pace in the first quarter of 2013 was 63 sales, with an average price of $348,842 between January and March.         This year, for the first... 08/07/2013

SLV Real Estate: Home Prices and Market Report –  March 31st 2013 Every day, people stop me and ask, "How's the market?"   The residential real estate market in the San Lorenzo Valley was sizzling hot during the first quarter of 2013 – 63 homes sold at an average price of $348,842, up 16% over the same period last year.   Last year from January to March, 57 homes sold at an average price of $300,474, taking an average of 106 days to sell. This year, 22% of homes went into escrow with buyers within 7 days!   Homes listed as “normal transactions” – in other words, not distressed (foreclosed or short sale) –took an average of 47 days to go into escrow.   The average days on market was 69 days.  The most expensive home – which sold for $735,000 in Boulder Creek – was a gorgeous 4 bedroom 29... 04/04/2013

Holiday Events in the San Lorenzo Valley   November 23rd –Friday – 5-8 pm – Boulder Creek Holiday Event Come join this wonderful small town event -  caroling and music, face painting, and the lighting of the tree.   Gather at the main stage in the parking lot behind Boulder Creek Hardware for Santa’s arrival and the tree lighting… Santa Claus arrives at 6 pm.   Horse drawn carriage rides depart from in front of Jenna Sue’s*.    The Jazzercise dancers will perform, and later Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at Boulder Creek Pizza and Pub for pictures*.     *Carriage Rides & Photos cost $5 – proceeds go to the Canpaign for lighting downtown – BCBA.net   November 24th –Saturday – 5-7 pm – Felton Holiday Tree Lighting A fire truck will bring Santa Claus in to town, and carolers will sing on the... 11/21/2012

San Lorenzo Valley Home Sales, Prices and 2012 Market Trends Here in the valley, the number of homes selling is on the rise compared to the same period last year.   But, the market continues to be dominated by short sales and REOs (sales of bank owned, foreclosed properties), which is dragging prices a little bit lower than last year.    It is exactly these low prices that are attracting investors, who are able to fix up and rent out these properties at positive cash flow.    That's why there are so many multiple offer situations on new listings.    This is a brand new development that we weren't up against last year. Mortgage rates are so incredibly low, a buyer able to lock in a mortgage around 4% for 30 years could end up in a better position than anyone in the last 2 generations, as... 02/28/2012

Fun stuff to do in Boulder Creek February 11th:     This weekend, the town merchants are “putting out.”  …  Putting their merchandise out on the streets that is, in the manner of a street fair.  There will be a raffle, crafts demonstrations, discounts, and Valentines’ gift ideas.  These street fairs occur on the 2nd Saturday of every month…    February 14th - Valentines Day - this coming Tuesday Take your loved one for a Valentines’ Dinner – 4pm to 10pm at Boulder Creek’s legendary Scopazzi’s Restaurant 338-6441 and consider coming back to help celebrate their  100th year in business at the end of April...details soon :) http://www.scopazzisrestaurant.com/   February 18th – Windy Hill – Bluegrass at Joe’s Bar  These guys appear at venues like Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, Amnesia in ... 02/08/2012

Boulder Creek is one of Sunset Magazine's "Favorite Places to Move to" in their recent issue. Sunset calls Boulder Creek “absurdly rural,” with ample open space for hiking, biking and horses. Not surprisingly, they list my hometown as a dream place to move to  - for those seeking a slower-paced life. Having lived all over the Bay Area, working downtown in the San Francisco Financial district high-rises for many years, I couldn’t agree more! Click here for the Sunset Article Are you new to town?    Please share your stories about how relocating here feels to you! Click here for help finding your dream home here! 01/24/2012

Boulder Creek and Brookdale Home Sales, Prices and 2011 Market Update   Results for the 4th Quarter compared to the 3rd Quarter 2011 38 homes sold in Boulder Creek and Brookdale during the final 3 months of 2011.   The average home sales price was $244,723.     During the 3rd quarter, 39 homes had sold at an average sales price of $276,534.    During the final half of the year, the discount from the original list price remained stable at about 5%.     Click here to find Your Dream Home.     2011 –year in review In 2011, the  average home price fell when compared to 2010.   125 homes sold in Boulder Creek and Brookdale during 2011.   The average home sales price was $278,013 (off about 14.5% compared to last year), taking an average of just over 3 months (109 days) on the market prior to... 01/23/2012

"What's it like to live in Boulder Creek?"     I get this question a lot from people thinking of buying a home here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, often people who currently live in big cities in the Silicon Valley - Santa Clara, San Jose, Fremont, and so forth. I tell them that, in my experience, living in a small town is wonderful - we know a lot of our fellow Boulder Creek-ians, and we tend to look out for each other.    People aren't in a big hurry here: you don't hear horns honking or see people getting impatient in the store.     We band together in difficult times - like when a storm blows down a tree or takes out our power.    Whoever has a chain saw or a winch or a flash light simply jumps in to help. This was the case the other day when a local Sheriff was driving along Highway... 12/06/2011

Santa Cruz Mountains Harvest Festival is coming soon to Downtown Boulder Creek, Ca October 1, 2011     11-6pm Come and enjoy live music, local farmers and  artists, wineries, breweries, and more... For more details, visit http://www.santacruzmountainsharvestfestival.com/ 09/20/2011

Camping and hiking at Big Basin Redwood State Park, in California.  One of the few Old Growth forest that still exist out here in California...  Most of the forests were cut during the boom times in California's history. One of the hikes we took, guided us through some of the beasts that exist here.  This tree that my son is standing next to was called "The Father of the Forest"...  It stands over 250 tall, and is still not the tallest, as the Mother of the Forest stands over 329 feet tall! We climbed, hiked, explored, and took pictures on our way to a good day! -Chris Alston 08/28/2011

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY HOME FOR SALE UNDER $200,000!  ARTISTIC REMODEL, RIVERSIDE HOME **REYNOLDS DR, BOULDER CREEK - For Sale at $199,000 Welcome home to your private oasis.  This Boulder Creek home for sale is priced under $200,000, amazing value!     Artistically and thoughtfully remodeled to take advantage of the riverside setting and majestic redwood trees.  The large private courtyard features a built in table, deck over looking the river, built in bench, custom storage shed, fire pit area.   The interior of this Boulder Creek home for sale is filled with light and has high ceilings in the living area and skylights in most rooms.                                                                                                                  The Kitchen in this riverside Boulder Creek h... 08/26/2011

The Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department Annual Dance and BBQ is Saturday August 20th, between 4 pm and midnight. These guys and gals put on an awesome party every year to raise funds for rescue equipment.     These are the people we count on when we're desparate to save our San Lorenzo Valley homes from fire.   In the same way, they need our support too.    There will be music, dancing, and of course, hot and delicious BBQ and cold beverages.   Show your support and appreciation for our volunteer fire fighters!      Tickets are affordable - just $15 Adults, $7 kids.   More details: http://www2.bcfd.com/site/ The fire department is right next door to our offices at Century 21 Showcase REALTORS, at the only stop sign in downtown Boulder Creek. 08/19/2011

Market Overview for San Lorenzo Valley Jan 2011 Sales fell 11.8% from the month before, and were down 21.1% year-over-year. Prices improved in Jan 2011 with the median price climbing 15.8% from the previous month, down 5.3% compared to last year. The average price rose Inventory fell 1.7% from last month, and was down 10.5% year-over-year. Trends At a GlanceJan 2011Previous MonthYear-over Year Median Price $307,900 $266,000 (+15.8%) $325,000 (-5.3%) Average Price $337,520 $317,733 (+6.2%) $331,889 (+1.7%) No. of Sales 15 17 (-11.8%) 19 (-21.1%) Pending Properties 37 33 (+12.1%) 47 (-21.3%) Active 82 88 (-6.8%) 86 (-4.7%) Sale vs. List Price 95.9% 98.5% (-2.6%) 95.8% (+0.2%) Days on Market 77 100 (-23.2%) 61 (+26.9%) 02/05/2011

If you want to improve your life by living here, Call me Patti Lyles - 831-335-2100 Century 21 Showcase, REALTORS ®  Just one-half hour away from Los Gatos, and mere minutes from Santa Cruz and Big Basin Redwood State Park, Boulder Creek may be your antidote to a busy work week in Silicon Valley. Take this online stroll through our famous park, a quick our virtual-hike through the regions of Big Basin Redwood State Park. Enjoy your visit! 01/13/2011

BOULDER CREEK HOMES - HOME PRICES IN BOULDER CREEK, CA Boulder Creek, Ca is a small town in North Santa Cruz County located in the San Lorenzo Valley area off Highway 9.  Boulder Creek has a quaint downtown with a few fun places to eat like Scopazzi's and a great local market, New Leaf. Boulder Creek is situated in a beautiful area in the Santa Cruz Mountains with State Parks nearby like Big Basin where you can see old growth redwoods.  Prices of Boulder Creek homes are lower on average that home prices in Santa Cruz making it a great place for people to buy that want to be near the beach and beautiful mountains for less.  In 2009 the median price of a Boulder Creek home was about $320,000.  That is down from 2008 when the median home price in Boulder Creek was $428,000. Graph of Median... 02/18/2010