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Montecito, CA Real Estate News

By Kathleen Barnato, Realtor - Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate
(Kathleen Barnato, Your Santa Barbara & Montecito Connection)
As reported in the Daily Sound," a 2-year study of a wastewater outflow site off the cost of Montecito has determined that bacteria levels in the area are within state standards, according to Heal the Ocean. "   The study was funded by a state grant in the amount of $330,000, and monitored the water off Butterfly Beach, near the Biltmore Hotel in Montecito. Hilary Hauser, director of the non-profit Heal the Ocean http://www.healtheocean.org/, was impressed with the job the Montecito Sanitary District is doing in treating waste water. The Johnson Ohama Charitable Foundation has donated additional funding to continue the analysis for an additional six months. UCSB researchers (Carter Ohlmann, Libe Washburn, oceanographers, along with Dr. Trish Holden and her team) tested the waters weekly...
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By Ron and Alexandra Seigel, Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy
(Napa Consultants)
This is part one of our local coverage of holiday spirit, here in Santa Barbara, California.  We were inspired by holiday blog posts we have read from all over the world from bloggers who shared local color, like the first snow of season. It truly helps to make the spirit bright! One of the luxuries of life in the holiday season is to admire the lovely decorations that signify the end of the year.  The creativity involved and the execution gives you a moment to reflect on people’s artfulness.  To celebrate the season and wish all our readers a wonderful holiday, we are sharing our photos of local holiday decorations that we found impressive or original. Today, we had breakfast with friends in the Bella Vista restaurant of the Biltmore hotel overlooking Butterfly Beach.   It is a wonder...
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By Steve Epstein, REO Real Estate Expert - Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, Montecito, Hope Ranch Homes - Coldwell Banker)
FIND OUT THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME IN MONTECITO! If you are curious about recent Home Sales in Montecito or if you want to find outwhat your home in Montecito is worth CLICK HERE TO GET THIS WEEKS MLS MARKET SNAPSHOT OF MONTECITO REAL ESTATE SEARCH HOMES FOR SALE IN MONTECITO HERE
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
Here and there I am proposed various questions from clients about the luxury market here in Montecito CA., such as where are the most famous homes located and/or what is the most expensive home to sell this year or any year for that matter.  Many times though it is as "simple" as what is the true definition of luxury real estate here in the Montecito 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 it down with price being the simple parameter.  When speaking about Montecito, the luxury market is generally referred to as anything above $5 Million. -- Thus for our purposes here, I am going to refer to...
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By Kathleen Barnato, Realtor - Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate
(Kathleen Barnato, Your Santa Barbara & Montecito Connection)
My market is in Santa Barbara/Hope Ranch/Montecito, located in South Santa Barbara County.  For years, we have competed with the La Jolla/San Diego market and Beverly Hills as the most exclusive and highest priced real estate in California, not to mention the rest of the United States.    Considered an easy commute to Los Angeles, only 100 miles away, we were discovered by the entertainment industry crowd a decade ago.  The second and third home buyers fueled our market for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008.  Only recently, have the high end sales slowed down.  Many perceive this to be an adjustment by the CEO's and COO's of publicly traded companies not wishing to call attention to any public perception of spending the profits, when there weren't really any.  The market meltdown in 2008 also...
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By Kathleen Barnato, Realtor - Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate
(Kathleen Barnato, Your Santa Barbara & Montecito Connection)
What's going on in the Montecito, California market? Stats show that the sales volume is down almost 60% from this time last year, with the bulk of the sales happening in the $1-2M group, entry level for Montecito. Last year the Median price was $3.6MM, today is is approximately $2.3MM, a decrease of 36%. The sales in the condo market have been almost non-existent, with sales volume down almost 77% from last year, median price falling from $1.6MM to under $900K. This last stat is a hard one to figure, with so few sales, and most in the low end fueled by bankruptcy and distressed sales. Best buys - contact me and I will let you know what I think for each price range. There are some fabulous estate opportunitites right now; cash is king, as they say, or the real ability to qualify for and...
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By Kathleen Barnato, Realtor - Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate
(Kathleen Barnato, Your Santa Barbara & Montecito Connection)
Montecito/beach area estate properties are alive and well.  This morning's caravan features 9 properties that are listed for over $10MM, and 20 properties that are listed between $2MM and $10MM.    We have experienced several multiple offers on estate properties in the last month, a signal that those buyers who were uncertain, now perceive our area to have some bargains.  Most comment on how much land you get - these are not urban lots with massive structures, but rather impressive estate grounds with the bonus home included. Today, one terribly interesting property is available:  The Austin Val Verde Estate on Sycamore Canyon Road, home to some of the best estates in Montecito.    The listing agent writes:  "This majestic estate is nestled on 17.4 lush and private acres, complete with ...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
For the first 6 months of 2009, there were 55 closed sales of single family homes and condos in Montecito CA.  As of July 1st, 2009, there were 12 properties in Montecito that are pending sale (under contract). The lowest sale in Montecito was... Read Full Story 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 Realty. 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.  Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Real Estate Search The Santa Barbara Area MLS
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By Kathleen Barnato, Realtor - Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate
(Kathleen Barnato, Your Santa Barbara & Montecito Connection)
Open this Sunday 2-4 for your viewing pleasure  - please come see me if you are in town. 1525 Las Tunas Road, Montecito 93108Across a stone bridge and through an olive grove An exquisite French Country home on 1.39 acresSorrel Design and stagingGrand living room, expanded master suite, media/game room, Provence farmhouse kitchen/family roomSeasonal stream meandering past stone-terraced swimming pool/spa and rose gardens$7,500,000  Kathleen Barnato    k@kathleenbarnato.com    www.kathleenbarnato.com   805.570.3366 cell/text 
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
Montecito CA Real Estate - Year End Sales Statistics for 2008 I have summarized below an easy to look at brief outline of the overall Santa Barbara MLS statistics for both single family homes and condos in the Montecito CA. area for the year 2008.  The comparisons are drawn against the previous year's statistics (2007) for Montecito CA Real Estate. Read: Full Story View: Map of Montecito View: Current Active Listings in Montecito up to $ 3 Million View: Current Active Listings in Montecito $ 3-7.5 Million View: Current Active Listings in Montecito $ 7.5 Million and above For a complete summary of the Santa Barbara Real Estate Market in 2008, information in general on Santa Barbara Real Estate, Montecito Real Estate and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in o...
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By Steve Epstein, Santa Barbara Realtors - Epstein Partners
(Montecito Luxury Homes & Real Estate Team)
                 Now everybody can get a Montecito Luxury Estate Home, on-line that is.                      Are YOU looking in Montecito? Either way, we have some hot                                 Montecito Real Estate Links for easy access.                             Looking for  MONTECITO LUXURY ESTATE HOMES? If not you can go back to www.Google.com or www.Yahoo.com and try again. However, If you ARE looking for Luxury Estate Homes, my Montecito Real Estate Blog is the place for you. Need to hear more about Montecito before seeing the Montecito Real Estate Listings? Try these popular Montecito Links, if need be, before searching on one our our great MONTECITO HOME Search features below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montecito,_California Learn all about Montecito California on Wiki...
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By Steve Epstein, Santa Barbara Realtors - Epstein Partners
(Montecito Luxury Homes & Real Estate Team)
                                         Seeking Montecito Luxury Homes?                             Are you looking for MONTECITO LUXURY HOMES? If not you can go back to www.Google.com or www.Yahoo.com and try again. However, If you ARE looking for Luxury Estate Homes, my Montecito Real Estate Blog is the place for you. Need to hear more about Montecito before seeing the Montecito Real Estate Listings? Try these popular Montecito Links, if need be, before searching on one our our great MONTECITO HOME Search features below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montecito,_California Learn all about Montecito California on Wikipedia.com Explore Google Maps on Montecito and Santa Barbara http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=montecito++ca&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title Ready ...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
Whether you are a local, in town visiting family and/or friends, or here on vacation in Santa Barbara, California, there is never a lack of activities and things to do in our wonderful seaside resort community.  Here below is the fourth installment in a series of articles that point out some of Santa Barbara's most prominent local attractions.  Some of these will be cultural, some dining, some active pursuits and some I am still deciding on.  This fourth installment will be focusing on... The Montecito Area and Shopping: Montecito has taken a huge accent into the high-end luxury real estate world in the last 10 years.  This lush area filled with mature landcape, great estates and an abundance of mature nature is a true paradise.  The rise of Montecito started in the 1920's and 30's when...
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By Greg Knowles Santa Barbara Ca.
(Fidelity National Title Group-Santa Barbara)
Last night was nothing short of frightening for many people in Santa Barbara. If you weren't being evacuated you had the glow of flames and the smell of smoke to keep you company. It isn't over yet either. The winds are supposed to kick up a bit today, but hopefully the fire crews can keep the fire from spreading in to more neighborhoods. The fire started about 5:45 last night and was small at first. I was playing my normal game of old man basketball in a gym about 1 mile from where it started. Being dumb old men we decided to keep playing even though someone came in to warn us about the fire. After all the fire was in another canyon, not the one where we were. The wind was howling and the roof of the building was making some really strange noises. Why stop, we needed the exercise. So w...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
Birnam Wood is located in the heart of Montecito CA., and is considered the premier gated golfing community within Santa Barbara.  Birnam Wood first started development in the early 1970's and is made up of only single family homes and estates and consists of a total of 142 unique homes with currently 2-3 vacant lots left to build on.   Most of the homes in Birnam Wood are very private feeling and line the golf course.  All homes primarily sit on 1 acre parcels (although the net land of these parcels is less as easements often extend into the golf course and/or road).  All homes must be single level with a footprint of 3,000 to 6,000 sqft.  There are no true restrictions on styles of homes within Birnam Wood and you will find a large variety consisting of French Normandy, Cottage, Ranc...
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By Greg Knowles Santa Barbara Ca.
(Fidelity National Title Group-Santa Barbara)
I don't know about anybody else, but I'm getting pretty dizzy watching the stock market go up 400 points one minute and then be down 200 points the next. It has been a very wild ride to say the least if you are paying attention there. The Santa Barbara County real estate market hasn't been so up and down. It has been pretty consistent for the most part. With respects to foreclosures and some of the indicators I watch to tell me whether they are slowing or not, the trend is certainly slowing. The most significant number in September was the number of notice of defaults the county reported recording. There were only 112 as compared to 269 in August. I am certain that some of the legislation requiring lenders to get in touch with borrowers before recording these notices is having an affect...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
People in general will always be attracted to beautiful areas within the United States when it comes down to real estate.  For many, these places are also a great place to invest in when times are as uncertain as they have been in the last 18 months.  One reality about the real estate market in the more exclusive and expensive areas in our country that seems to hold true is this -- values tend to rise the fastest when times are good and these areas also hold onto their real estate values the best when times are not as good. Read Full Story View: Current Santa Barbara and Montecito Luxury Inventory $3-5 Million View: Current Santa Barbara and Montecito Luxury Inventory $5-10 Million View: Current Santa Barbara and Montecito Luxury Inventory $10 Million and Above Further Reading: Articles...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
Despite a marathon meeting last week, no decision has been made on the hottest topic in Montecito Real Estate...Will Mr. Caruso have his proposed plan for The Miramar project be approved.   For a complete story, Chris Meagher from The Independent, has the latest update and information on where the project stands. Further Reading: Real Estate Market Update for Montecito CA - First 6 Months 2008, Concerns Rise Again About the Proposed Development of the Miramar Hotel in Montecito CA., The Secret of Santa Barbara and Montecito Oceanfront Property and Estates Kevin Schmidtchen - 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. Subscribe to Receive Personal Listings of Montecito Area Prope...
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By Greg Knowles Santa Barbara Ca.
(Fidelity National Title Group-Santa Barbara)
Our interactive map for Homes, Condo, and all other property sales is now available. There were not many sales in Carpinteria for June. The lowest priced sale was for $290,000 at 5945 Hickory St #1. There was one good sized sale in Carpinteria for $2,400,000 at 6635 Arozena Ln. Goleta had a really low sales price reported for 5218 Mono Dr. of $12,750. My guess is that is some kind of partial interest in a piece of property but who knows. The next reasonably priced property was for $510,000 at 5290 Overpass Rd #12. The highest priced property in Goleta was probably a commercial piece of property at 7000 Hollister Ave for $2,900,000. Moving on to Santa Barbara, this price is a little hard to believe, $129,000 for 4545 Oak Glen Dr #D. The highest priced piece of property reported sold by C...
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By Kevin Schmidtchen, Santa Barbara CA Realtor
(Village Properties)
I have summarized below an easy to look at brief outline of the overall MLS statistics for the Montecito CA area through the first 6 months of 2008.  The total number of single family homes sold in Montecito was 93.  The number of current pending sales for single family homes is 18.  The number of current active listings for single family homes is 135. The total number of condos / townhomes sold in Montecito was 9.  The number of current pending sales for condos / townhomes  is 2.  The number of current active listings for condos / townhomes is 14.    The total number of PUD's sold in Montecito was 1.  The number of current pending sales for PUD's is 0.  The number of current active listings for PUD's is 1. The lowest sale in Montecito was a condo for $799,000 on Coast Village Road.  Th...
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