In the current real estate landscape we find ourselves amidst a dynamic and evolving market. With demand remaining strong and inventory levels still at record lows, navigating the part to homeownership requires careful consideration and expert guidance. Despite the challenges posed by inventory constraints and rising prices opportunities abound for those who know and understand this market.The market here in Santa Barbara has picked up. For buyers, it’s essential to stay vigilant and act decisively when the right property presents itself. While the inventory is low working with an experienced professional can help you navigate the nuances of this market.The market continues to favor sellers. We are still seeing multiple offers with some homes selling for over the asking price. With our ... 05/01/2024

Proposition 19 went into effect on April 1, 2021, protecting millions of older homeowners, homeowners with severe disabilities, and victims of wildfires or natural disasters. As older homeowners move to senior housing, retirement communities, condos, and smaller homes, more homeownership opportunities will open up in communities throughout California each year for renters, young families, and first-time homebuyers. Proposition 19 allows victims of wildfire or natural disasters to transfer the property tax base of their damaged house to a replacement home anywhere in California. Proposition 19 also frees up inventory by offering these considerations.TAX SAVINGS FOR OLDER HOMEOWNERS Thanks to Prop 19, seniors, retirees, and all homeowners aged 55+ can move closer to family, medical care, ... 02/18/2024

This coastal-inspired Mediterranean residence is an architectural masterpiece featuring six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, walnut hardwood floors, a chef's kitchen built with custom cabinetry, imported Italian Carrera marble countertops, vaulted ceilings throughout, and upstairs loft space, swimming pool, and sweeping canyon views. This custom 5,000-square-foot home is located in the exclusive Calabasas community of The Oaks and is truly a Southern California treasure. Do good. Win big! All proceeds go to benefit the Special Olympics of Southern California (SOSC). SOSC enriches the lives of athletes through sports, leadership, and wellness programs. Thank you for helping reach more athletes and start new community programs. Special Olympics Southern California Special Olympics Southern Cali... 02/18/2024

Houseboats are rare and few in Santa Barbara, California. Recently this property came on the market. The following description is from the listing agent:It is here where the anchor drops. A one-of-a-kind masterpiece designed and rebuilt by a father (engineer) and son (carpenter) over a period of four years. The Thomas Jefferson is berthed in the beautiful and sought-after Santa Barbara Harbor. As the Municipal Code has imposed restrictions on similar structures, it emphasizes the inherent value, exclusivity, and rarity of this floating home. Exquisitely framed views of the ocean and mountains, there's a profound connection to nature and the elements. Professional hand-crafted carpentry throughout; quartered and rift white oak floors and staircase, pops of burlwood, mahogany, brass, and ... 10/17/2023

For the second consecutive year, Carpinteria’s Kevin Costner opened his oceanside estate for a fundraiser to support One805Live!, an organization created in 2018 to support local First Responders, and raised over a million dollars. The event attracted over 3000 guests including Harry and Meghan with entertainment provided by Maroon 5, Alan Parsons, and John Fogarty. Oprah Winfrey was also on stage interviewing Santa Barbara fireman Sam Dudley. Also in attendance was friend and fellow realtor Adam McKaig whose outreach program Adam’s Angels, which helps the homeless, received the Heart of the Community Award from some special guests including Price Harry.  The photos included here are from Adam’s Facebook page.  Other sightings around town include the Foo Fighters who recently played at ... 10/17/2023

Wildfires have burned nearly 10 million acres of forest and destroyed 39,000 homes in California over the last five years, providing a glimpse at just how dire the state’s climate crisis has become. Yet at a time when it’s more vital than ever for homeowners to have adequate insurance coverage, many carriers have decided to no longer insure homes in certain parts of the state, while others have left the home insurance market altogether. As a result, many California residents are left with little to no options for homeowners insurance — particularly those with homes in areas most at risk of wildfire damage.2017 and 2018 were two of the most destructive fire seasons with a combined claims payout of almost $300 billion.For more information and a source for some of the information in this p... 06/11/2023

If you're considering buying a new home, now is the time to get off the fence and call me! I will be with you throughout the entire process! #thehelpfulagent #home #houseexpert #house #listreports #homeowner #realestate #househunting #icanhelp #realestateagent #realtor #haha #dadjoke #friyay #punny #realtornearme 04/14/2023

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced on January 18, 2023, the highly anticipated line-up for the 38th Festival which will run from February 8, 2023, through to February 18. The Film Festival will showcase 52 World Premiers and 78 US premieres from 43 countries along with tributes featuring the year’s top talent, panel discussions, and free education and community outreach programs.TRIBUTES Montecito Award honoring Angela Bassett – Thursday, February 9 at 8:00 pm Outstanding Performer of the Year Award presented by Manitou Fund honoring Cate Blanchett – Friday, February 10 at 8:00 pm Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Jamie Lee Curtis – Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 pm Variety Artisans Award sponsored by Variety – Monday, February 13 at 8:00 pm –  Honorees to be annou... 02/08/2023

MY 2023 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONSI was going to quit all my bad habits, but I realized no one likes a quitter.I resolve to take all the Christmas lights down by Easter.I resolve to get into shape. Round is a shape.I resolve to read more, so I’m going to put the closed captions up on my TV screen.I resolve to leave the toilet seat down, as long as my wife promises to leave the toilet seat up.I resolve to get better at multi-tasking, so I’m going to start texting while sitting on the toilet.I resolve to stop making the same mistake twice. Instead, I’ll make a different mistake each time.I resolve to stop messing up my online passwords, so I’ve changed all of them to “Incorrect.” Now every time I key in the wrong code, the computer reminds me, “Your password is incorrect.”I resolve to conserve ... 01/08/2023

Fractional home ownership. One-eighth ownership. Basically a timeshare. What could go wrong? Santa Barbara real estate enters residential fractional home ownership.Disruptor Pacaso, is a Bay Area-based company that buys homes and then sells fractional interests in them to second-home buyers. After the sale – in which the company makes a profit – the company then manages the home, and the co-owners use Pacaso’s technology to schedule time in the home. Kelley Mahan Herrick reported in the Montecito Journal that, “The company has acquired two homes in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas: one on Las Alturas on the Riviera which sold for $1,085,000 for a 1/8 share and one on East Valley Road in Montecito, which is selling for $1,294,000 per 1/8 share, with six shares already sold. Some nei... 12/29/2022

Seen around town recently...Ellen and Portia noshing at Tre Lune.  Ryan Gosling checking out Whole Foods. Chris O’Donnel getting his java jolt at Pierre LaFond. Candy heiress Jacqueline Mars at the Ritz Carlton Bacara. Grammy-winning rocker Adam Levine and supermodel wife Behati Prinsloo noshing at Field and Fort in Summerland.  Chris Pratt, wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, and Maria Shriver shopping at the Montecito Country Mart. Writer T.C. Boyle lunching at the Natural Cafe on Hitchcock Way.Larry Davis and Ted Danson chatting at San Ysidro Ranch. Chris Pratt doing pushups while pumping gas at the Coast Village Road Chevron. Laura Dern checking out Merci Montecito. Donald Trump’s ex Marla Maples, Lawrence Fishburne, and Maria Shriver at a concert at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall. Christ... 10/23/2022

Santa Barbara RealtorsHOW'S THE MARKET?How’s the market? Home prices have increased while the average rate on a 30-year mortgage edged up to 6.079 percent this week.The Central Coast experienced the largest decline among major regions, with sales plummeting 37.3% from the previous year. The housing inventory in California is now back to the pre-pandemic level.The graph below reflects the number of home sales per month dating back to 2013 up till July 2020 in southern Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara - Montecito - Hope Ranch and surrounding communities. 09/14/2022

   Based on a variety of different factors including stricter standards for lenders, more homes starting to come on the market, and significant fluctuations in home asking prices the average interest rate on a mortgage has remained consistently low for most of the past decade. However, interest rates have started to rise and this may cause some people to reconsider purchasing and wait out this market. In order to help you understand this new phenomenon, we will help explain how rising interest rates are affecting the housing market.   It appears the housing market here in Santa Barbara has peaked. We're beginning to see what is now being referred to as "Price Improvement," which I'm guessing, sounds better than " Price Reduction" which had been the norm for when a seller reduces their a... 06/16/2022

The Summer Solstice Parade began in 1974 and has evolved to be the biggest event in Santa Barbara County, often drawing crowds of over 100,000 spectators from all over the world.    It is comprised of very creative and original floats, giant puppets, fantastic costumes and masks of more than 1,000 parade participants of all ethnic and economic backgrounds.  There is dancing, music, drumming and drama that is sure to please the spectators.    The floats are all created at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) in the Downtown Santa Barbara building pictured here. It is quite a production and a lot of fun to attend. The crow in the metal gate sculpture is the symbol for CAW.  It is quite a production and a lot of fun to attend. Check out more about the Solstice Parade in Santa Barbara. It is a... 06/10/2022

As a real estate marketing professional it is easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day activities of“transaction engineering” and neglect the life-blood of your business: promotion and marketing.  Sometimes you need to step back from your practice to regain your “orbital marketing prospective”.  It is only when you view your practice from a broader perspective that out-of-the-box thinking is possible. Opportunities to out-think and out-market your competition abound.  This Memorial Day weekend we are going to see if any real estate firms or agents are sponsor one of the most well-attended community events of the year in our town of Santa Barbara, California.  We haven't seen any such sponsorships in past years. What a great opportunity for standing out this is!"I Madonnari, or street... 05/26/2022

We were inspired by a comment on one of our recent blog posts by fellow Active Rain member, Will Hamm, to return to our coverage of the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. And, we are delighted to report that the market is back in full swing.Here in downtown "SB" we often have what is known as "May Gray" and "June Gloom" with overcast skies due to a low coastal cloud cover which burns off mid-day.  Although we enjoy this time of year thoroughly, there has been wonderful blue skies and warm weather each morning, all month so far. The colors were especially brilliant at the market.On this morning's trip we were blown away by the magnificent mushroom displays. So, we wanted to share them with you. Such  variety!  Quite often we get inspired by nature for color schemes for our personal and compa... 05/17/2022

 #santabarbara, #santabrbaraca, #santabarbararealestate, #santabarbarahomesforsale, #albertopachecorealtor 05/05/2022

Those real estate professionals who are truly passionate about their work have an innate  attraction power that can effortlessly generates business. The power of passion is palpable! It is a true pleasure to witness this in any thriving business. By far, the best place in Santa Barbara to get a coffee drink in the morning is the Handlebar Coffee Roaster.  The line is usually out the door and the energy is vibrant. It is owned by a husband and wife team, Olson and Anderson, who formerly were professional cyclists in Europe. Anderson won the 2009 Route de France Féminine, the women’s version of the Tour de France. They switched gears in 2011 and directed their focus to roasting some of the best coffees in the world.  The outstanding service at Handlebar Coffee Roaster is amazingly consist... 05/03/2022

Summerland is a small town within Santa Barbara County, between Carpinteria and Montecito.  Two of our favorite local restaurants are there: The Summerland Beach Cafe (great for breakfast-best waffles) and The Nugget. The Nugget (pictured above) is a crazy, eccentric place that feels like it could be a saloon from California Gold Rush days.While enjoying lunch at the Nugget this week, we noticed these guys at the bar. One was wearing a tee shirt with a graphic for "Stinky's" House of Fish on the back. It reminded us that humor, when it is done right  (and is part of your brand personality) can really resonate with your target market because it leaves an indelible impression that is hard to forget, even after hearing the brand name just once.Then,  if you buy-in to the name you cannot he... 04/18/2022

More than 40% of active Realtors in the United States are located in California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Nearly 2% of the adult population in Florida has an active real estate license. The number of active Realtors in Arizona has grown by nearly 10% from 2020 to 2021.There are currently more than 3 million active real estate licensees in the United States. As of October 2021, there were 1.56 million members of the National Association of Realtors®(NAR). More than 65% of active Realtors are women. The median age of all Realtors in the United States is 52. 45% of Realtors have completed a bachelor’s or graduate degree. 20% of Realtors have had their license for a year or less. 82% of licensed Realtors own their primary residence. 37% of licensed Realtors own at least one secondary p... 01/04/2022