Archive for May, 2008
Summer Art, Festivals and Culture in Santa Barbara CA!!!
categories: Community Events, Lifestyle / Things to Do
One of the amazing luxuries of living in Santa Barbara is the amount of culture and art that exists here. As the summer approaches for 2008, I wanted to point out a few of my favorite cultural highlights that I think should not be missed.
Music Acadamy of the West is a wonderful venue to see live orchestra and intimate concerts. The Music Academy of the West has been recognized “as one of the world’s preeminent summer music programs for gifted pre-professional classical musicians.” Their festivities kick off June 23rd.
The Lobero is a great venue to see live performing arts including music, dance and theatre. The Lobero Theatre is a huge asset to our community as a place for performing arts.
The Santa Barbara Bowl has been a major stop on the circuit for all musicians and for many of them it is one of the top 2 small venues in the entire country to perform. It is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Santa Barbara with around a capacity of 4500. Festivities kick off in June with upcoming acts such as Robert Plant, James Taylor, The Gipsy Kings and more.
Nights is a cultural stop at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art one night a month. Live music and performances, art exhibits and activities and multi-sensory delights. Upcoming Dates are June 19th, July 17th, August 21 and September 18.
First Thursday is a new and very enjoyable program highlighting downtown arts, entertainment and culture on the first Thursday of each month from 5-8 p.m. You can collect a venue map at most all locations. Stroll with friends from location to location for a wonderful night out to enjoy free access to art in a fun and social environment.
Further Reading: Treat Your Kitchen’s Home to Food from The Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market, The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Looking for an Active Vacation in The Beach Town of Santa Barbara?
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.
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Need Baby and Toddler Equipment on Your Next Santa Barbara CA Vacation?
categories: Montecito, Rentals / Vacation Rentals, Santa Barbara
Are you planning a vacation or visit here soon to the Santa Barbara and Montecito CA areas and are worried about all the items you have to haul. Why not Relax and let Santa Barbara Baby Company help you take care of the family.
Santa Barbara Baby Company offers premium brand rental equipment and supplies. Their service is designed to help parents enjoy their visit to the Santa Barbara area. Start your vacation by traveling with the luxury of minimized baggage. From infants to toddlers, they’ll make your stay in Santa Barbara more enjoyable. Free delivery of baby and toddler rental gear to Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, Summerland and Carpinteria areas.
Why Rent?
Traveling with a child or children can be a challenging experience. Baby equipment is not tailored for the nuances of travel and often becomes cumbersome and bulky luggage.
For those on flights, airlines often require you to pay surcharges for extra luggage – especially on international flights. In addition, excessive luggage creates a longer check-in process, and more baggage to manage, in addition to your child. Loose equipment checked onto flights can lead to damage or loss. Claims with airlines are tedious to file and rarely cover the actual damage or loss.
Start your vacation by traveling with the luxury of minimized baggage. Arrive at your destination with all the amenities you need to make your vacation with your child more enjoyable!
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.
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5 Reasons I Should Buy Into Santa Barbara Real Estate Today!!
categories: Buyer's Resources, First-time Home Buyers, Santa Barbara
Many true buyers are sitting on the sidelines these days deciding on when to get into the real estate market. Ultimately this decision for each individual will be based on many different factors. If your own personal reasons are leading to you wanting to get into the Santa Barbara Real Estate market right now, here are 5 factors today that should be a part of your thoughts.
1) You can not time the bottom of the market. Timing the bottom of the market is incredibly hard to do and often harder to resist. With current inventory at a decent amount and mortgage rates very low, find a perfect place with your Realtor and then try and bargain. Even if the selling price seems to be very good, offer lower…if it is not accepted you can move on.
2) Low mortgage rates. Most economists agree that financing will become more expensive in the future. By now we have all heard our share of stories about financing woes even for well qualified people. Currently, the 30 year loan is now roughly at 6.1% and most economists see it reaching 6.5% by the end of the year and up to a 7% forecast sometime in 2009. So even if home prices do fall some more, there will most likely be a penalty to pay with higher interest rates.
3) Rates on “larger conforming mortgages”, which is almost a given for most buyers in the Santa Barbara area, won’t be dropping much. Even though the conforming amount has risen to $729,000 in the Santa Barbara area, investors are shunning these big jumbo loans. Because of this, these larger loans are unlikely to see a drop in rates in the coming year and then the program for these “jumbo conforming” loan amounts are set to all disappear.
4) Don’t just by for a cheap price, buy in a good area. Sure you might get excited about that great foreclosure price, but when you are buying a home, you are also buying the neighborhood. If more than a few foreclosures have come up in one area, there most likely will be more. They tend to be bunched in particular areas and this might not be the best recipe for stability in a neighborhood. An old rule of thumb is to buy the worst house on the best block…not the worst house on a bad block.
5) Work with a great Realtor that has experience and who you personally have a good connection with. This I think just needs to be accepted since times are tough for many Realtors. Make sure your Realtor is not desperate and just steering you into a home to finally make a deal. Sit down with your agent, express your needs and plans and get a good sense of whether they are looking out for you or just looking to get paid.
Further Reading: The Positives of FHA Loans here in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria areas, The 2 Major First Steps in Buying a Home in the Santa Barbara area
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.
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Cort Report for Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta and Carpinteria CA. Areas - April 2008
categories: Carpinteria, Goleta, Market Statistics / Updates, Montecito, Santa Barbara
Here is the Santa Barbara cort report for closed sales for the month of April 2008. The cort report lists all closed sales of property regardless of whether they were reported in the Santa Barbara MLS or not. This includes for sale by owners, transfers of property between family members etc. Upwards of 95+ % of all sales are reported in the MLS, where as 100% are reported in the cort report.
If you would like further info about a certain month or area, please let me know so that I can be of help.
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.
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Do Open Houses Work in the Santa Barbara and Montecito Areas?
categories: Seller's Resources
As a real estate agent here in the Santa Barbara and Montecito area, it is almost impossible to sell a home unless you get people in to first see the home. With this said, one of the main first questions a Realtor is asked upon listing a home for sale is…how will their property be shown.
That begs the question: Are open houses a big selling tool?
Answer: No/Not really/ Barely/It can be…
Most likely you will get some version of this answer from a seasoned real estate agent. The problem for many agents is that the majority of home sellers in the Santa Barbara area view open houses as a right. If an agent is unwilling to hold their home open for 2-4 hours on a nice sunny weekend afternoon, week after week, waiting for prospects to come rolling through the door with an offer in hand, they feel cheated.
But do open houses work for the seller. Here is what Realtors know and sellers should know about open houses if they don’t already:
1) According to the NAR’s latest profile of buyers and sellers, “only 7% of all buyers visited open houses as a first step in their safari for a new house. Most people start their hunt on the Internet.” Additionally, most all buyers use a Realtor and based on the client’s needs, they will view properties on their own schedule with their agent.
2) Open houses do work, but not necessarily for the seller’s home. Instead, open houses are mainly held open by agents as a form of branding, farming and/or to attract potential new clients in the form of buyers for other homes or possible sellers of other homes.
3) For the most part, most agents would prefer not to hold open houses except for the first few weeks of a new listing. Anything beyond this feels excessive for most agents.
For most agents, an open house is needed and should be done for the first 2-4 weeks. More important is the weekly scheduled “caravans” during the week that allows other agents to preview the home. This is key in getting initial exposure for the home. Then, if your home fits a need of a client of one of the agents, the agent can bring their client back for a much preferred private showing.
If your home is still not selling after several weeks, it is most likely a combination of some of the following factors:
1) The many different skills that your agent does or does not have for selling your home
2) Price
3) Price point…fewer buyers for more expensive homes
3) The overall market and knowledge of the market
4) The ability to show the home when needed
5) Location of home etc.
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.
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Concerns Arise Again About The Proposed Development of The Miramar Hotel in Montecito CA.
categories: Montecito, Real Estate News, The Oceanfront Areas
First it was Ian Schrager, the big city boutique hotelier…
Next it was local billionaire Ty Warner, the famous toy maker and hotelier…
And now developer Rick Caruso is learning first hand about the long path it will take to please all sides for a proposed development to “revamp” The Miramar Hotel located on the beach in Montecito CA.
From the start in 2006 when Mr. Caruso purchased the property from Ty Warner, he has pleased many residents and the city by holding open forums and meetings with community members regarding the development plans for The Miramar Hotel. The problem is, that to date it simply seems too hard to please everyone while also leading a profit turning adventure for Caruso Affiliated. Ben Preston, from The Independent writes a great article updating the latest concerns and news about the project being proposed.
Time is the only guarantee that we know will happen and it continues to look like any development for The Miramar Hotel will need plenty of time. The one thing that seems to be agreed upon is that everyone wants the project to happen…it is just how and on what terms.
Further Reading: The Luxury of Santa Barbara and Montecito Oceanfront Real Estate, The Secret of Santa Barbara and Montecito CA Oceanfront Property and Estates, Montecito CA Beach Property in High Demand
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.
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Will Santa Barbara’s Beloved Rincon Point Real Estate Switch to Sewer in the Near Future?
categories: Carpinteria, Real Estate News, The Oceanfront Areas
Nearing 10 years of at times rather heated controversy, the debate to switch from Septic to Sewer at Rincon Point has taken a large step to becoming a reality. Rincon Point is home to one of the best waves in all of California and definitely stirs up emotions for many when talking about the health of the ocean. Ethan Stewart, from The Independent, has written a very informative article about the latest up to date developments.
For many, Rincon is the pride and joy when it comes to the ocean for many locals both here in Santa Barbara and in Ventura. A laid back small beach enclave for many years, Rincon Point has seen its real estate values increase in the last few years to an average of $5-8 Million for ocean front property.
View Updated Closed Sales for Rincon Real Estate 2007 and 2008.
View Current List of Active Beachfront Homes for Sale. If you would like further specific information about beach front communities or beachfront real estate, please let me know.
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.
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