Santa Barbara Home Prices Among Those Forecast to Rise

 

Even though some of us live here in Paradise full time, Santa Barbara is a ‘vacation home’ destination for many.  Prices have obviously dropped in the past 5 years, but with this year’s robust sales activity and the shifts in the housing markets generally across the country, Santa Barbara is high on the list of those vacation home areas slated to rise significantly in the next 5 years.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Santa Barbara is in the category of markets starting to heat up.  The drop from our peak prices, in 2005, was 51% and our prices are forecast to rise 7.4% per year for the next five years. 

Napa, CA. is another market in the ‘heating up’ category and is predicted to rise 9.7% per year.

If this holds true, it may be time to buy your vacation home or permanent home now. 

Check out Santa Barbara home prices and see if your next home might be here in Paradise!  For more information on the Santa Barbara market, contact Karen Blackburn at 805-470-1002 or karenSBrealestate@gmail.com

Check out the Top 2 Reasons People Visit Santa Barbara

I found out a few interesting factoids about our fair city yesterday, from a representative of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce:

DID YOU KNOW?…..

Santa Barbara averages 35,000 visitors a day

We have over 9 million visitors per year!!!

We have 5000 hotel rooms

They are 100% occupied most weekends

They are 80% occupied most weekdays

The average visit is 4 hours

And now, the top 2 things people do when they come here:

#1:  SHOP

#2: EAT MEXICAN FOOD

State Street is our ever-popular shopping street, with clothing stores, locally owned art and craft stores, cafes, and lots more. The Paseo Nuevo, an outdoor mall, is a place where you’re sure to see lots of tourists as well as locals.

Mexican restaurants and take-out joints abound.  Some of the popular ones on State Street and nearby include:  Casa Blanca, Cielito’s (taco bar and another menu that’s Mexican with a South American twist!), Carlitos (great margaritas), Los Arroyos (just off State St. – try their chicken enchiladas!). 

 Other popular ones are La Super Rica on Milpas, Super Cucas (2 locations – try their shrimp super plate!), Torito’s, Los Agaves (best ceviche!).  My favorite is a hidden treasure known only to locals: Cafe del Sol – great margaritas, great food, great atmosphere!!  Also, La Playa Azul on Santa Barbara St. is a great place for outdoor eating.

but

But living here is better than a 4 hour visit.  And right now, Santa Barbara is more affordable than ever.  For more information on living in Santa Barbara, contact me at:  karenSBrealestate@gmail.com  or check out homes for sale at www.karenblackburn.yourkwagent.com

Own a Vacation Rental in Santa Barbara – the Year Round Resort Town

There aren’t many places that have such consistently good weather that there is virtually no ‘off’ season.  And while other ‘beach towns’ are quaint, they can be sleepy, too, especially at night.  But Santa Barbara is a destination spot with MUCHO amenities – an abundance of restaurants, theater, shopping, outdoor activities, festivals, concerts, movies, wine tasting, beaches, mountains… it’s a small town with big city amenities.  And if you do happen to get bored,  just take a walk downtown.  There’s nearly always something happening. 

That’s how I first discovered the outdoor movies in the Courthouse gardens.  (“Where are all these people going with their lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets?”).  Not only is this event held in one of Santa Barbara’s most gorgeous settings, it’s also free. 

But I digress.  I was going to explain why having a vacation rental here can be a great idea.  Especially if you like to visit here but you don’t or can’t live here.  Or if you’re thinking of living here in the future.  Prices are somewhat deflated from where they used to be and Santa Barbara attracts tourists all year round, many of whom are looking for something more than a hotel for their visit.  Vacation rentals are a big business here.  With today’s lower prices, it’s an ideal time to buy in before prices go up again, which they inevitably will.  Santa Barbara sits in a natural ‘bowl’, with geographic limits on development and political limits on growth.  We don’t have hurricanes like Florida, 100+ degree summers like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Palm Springs and we’re more accessible than Hawaii.  

Many people own second homes in Santa Barbara, and rent them out when they’re not here.  While summer is the busiest season and commands the highest rental rates, our weather can actually be sunnier in the fall and winter, when the fog is less of a factor.  And with the LA market only an hour and a half away, weekends year round are busy.

If you’re thinking about moving here at some point, now might be the right time to get your foot in the door by buying a home that you can vacation in, and rent when you’re not here.  Or, if you’d prefer to have your house to yourself and still bring in income, consider buying a home with a guest house that you can rent out. 

If you’d like more info about vacation rentals in Santa Barbara or the real estate market in general, contact me at:

Karen Blackburn, Realtor

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

1435 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101

805-470-1002

karenSBrealestate@gmail.com

Can You Afford to Move to Santa Barbara?

You might think that you can’t afford to move to Santa Barbara, since the area is known for its expensive real estate.  After all, it IS paradise.  But you’d be surprised at what you can get, now that the market has fallen.  Home values are down to 2002 levels in many cases and condos have become especially affordable.  That, along with today’s incredibly low interest rates, means you might be able to call this incredible town your home without completely breaking the bank.  But the situation may not last for much longer –

According to statistics posted by the California Association of Realtors,

“February sales posted a stronger than usual performance with sales in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and San Francisco all logging double-digit gains from the previous year,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “Recent encouraging signs in the GDP, employment picture, and consumer confidence suggest that a growing economy is in the making. All this, combined with continued-low mortgage rates, lays out a good foundation for the housing market to continue to grow as we enter the spring home buying season.”

The same phenomenon is occurring here in Santa Barbara, with 203 pending sales logged in as of the end of February, 2012, compared to 123 by end of February last year.  However, the number of homes for sale is down 8.4% compared to the first two months of last year, which is starting to result in multiple offers on the homes that ARE on the market. 

The median house price in Santa Barbara is hovering just below $800,000, which is still lotsa moolah, but nowhere near the $1.25M it was at the height of the market.  The median price for a condo is now at $360,000. down from $695,000 at the height of the market. 

Examples of reality?  I recently found a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with 1800 square feet  in Old Town Goleta for some first-time buyers that they were able to purchase for $350,000. (Yes, it needed lots of cosmetic work, but it was structurally solid).  And at this moment, there are at least 3 homes available in the desirable neighborhood of San Roque for under $700K.  And there is an 1100 sq. ft.,  2 bedroom, 2 bath cottage (with one attached wall) also in San Roque, currently for sale for $479,000.

And as for the rest?  With all the free festivals, 2 Trader Joe’s for affordable groceries, and the beach, you can’t go wrong. 

To get more info on Santa Barbara, contact:

Karen Blackburn, Realtor

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

1435 Anacapa St.

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

805-470-1002

karenSBrealestate@gmail.com

Moving to Santa Barbara? Check Out SB Newcomers Club

Santa Barbara is a small town, and the people are friendly.  But making actual ‘friends’ – that’s a whole other thing.  I was lucky enough to have heard about the Santa Barbara Newcomers Club, which is apparently (I don’t really know, because I’ve never known about Newcomers’ Clubs until I moved to Santa Barbara, but they exist all over the country) the most active and diverse of any.  Some towns have a small group of people who go to lunch together from time to time, play bridge or have the odd dinner party, but Santa Barbara, as always, does it big.

Wine-tasting

In my first month as a member, my social calendar was full – “Wine Appreciation” caught my eye right away, so that was a no-brainer event to sign up for – then there was “Lifestyles” – a large dinner party (I’m talking ’50 people’ dinner party) held at one of the members’ houses, then “Cheers!” – a casual mixer held at a local watering hole.  Next was a group for writers to share their short-story memoirs, “Architecture & Design” with events to show off some of Santa Barbara’s amazing architecture, “Visual Arts” events, a walking group, a hiking group……… well, you get the idea. 

A 'wine appreciation' event at SB Newcomers

By month 2, I needed a day off just to get some rest for the next party, by month 3 I had gained 5 pounds (all of these events come with fabulous food and wine, some created by the members, some bought locally and paid for by the event admission price), by month 4, all my neighbors were jealous that I was going out so much, and by month 5, I knew 100 people by name and had a (somewhat smaller) circle of good friends.  Wow. 

The Friday morning hiking group

The other thing about this club is that you’re not just thrown into a crowd where you don’t know anyone and expected to swim – each event is carefully orchestrated to make you feel welcome and help you to meet other people.  There are name tags, introductions, and everybody attempts to talk with new people, so you actually get to know them.

 

The average age tends to be ‘nearly retired’ to ‘newly retired’, but if you’re younger – no worries!  There’s a newly formed ‘sub-group’ of 30 and 40 somethings that organize their own get-togethers.

The younger set meeting up at the Boathouse on Hendry's Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

A former member, now a ‘graduate’ (yes, there’s a group for that, too!) has written a book about his move to Santa Barbara, buying an old home and renovating it, and joining Newcomers.  His name is Robert (Bob) Fulmer, and his book is called, appropriately, “Newcomers in Paradise“.  Bob is a regular at the Beach walk group, and will gladly autograph a copy of the book for you.

If you’ve just moved to Santa Barbara and find yourself wandering the streets trying to meet people, check out the Newcomers group and make yourself some friends!

Karen Blackburn, Realtor

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

1435 Anacapa St.

Santa Barbara,CA93101

805-470-1002

karenSBrealestate@gmail.com

http://livinginsantabarbara.com

In Search of the ‘Deal’ – All the Way to Anaheim for Marble!

We’re renovating.  This time it’s to add another bathroom,  since we can’t seem to cope with just one.  Once you’ve had two, you just can’t go back.  So we’re shopping for subway stone and hex tile and threshold, etc. etc.  Does Santa Barbara have stone?  Yes it does.  We renovated our first bathroom with that.  Very nice marble, too.  But the savings you can get by shopping outside our small town is substantial.  But is it worth it?  Hmmmm.  Having just returned from the drive, I’m not so sure.  Honestly, I don’t know how people cope with driving in LA.  It felt kinda like this for 4 hours:

Ugh.  So we went, we looked, we bought, we loaded down our car until the springs were crying out for mercy, and we headed to Santa Monica where we were supposed to have lunch with my daughter only now it was 2:15 instead of 1:00, and we still had to get there from Fullerton.  I called to tell her we were on our way, and when she heard where we were, she said “WHAT?  You’re in Disneyland!  You won’t be here for hours!”  Miraculously, the 405 wasn’t bad, even though it’s ALWAYS bad.  We thought we might make it in time to have something resembling lunch, and we were starting to feel good as the signs for Santa Monica appeared, but then we got on the 10.  Ha ha.  You guessed it:

And so, we arrived, exhausted, at 3:30, having eaten only Cheetos and water all day, and visited for an hour until she and her boyfriend had to go somewhere else, and then we headed for food.  We always love to get sushi in LA, but our favorite place, Wabi Sabi in Venice, wasn’t open until 5:30 and we just couldn’t wait.   My daughter said we’d like the  Blue Plate Oysterette on Ocean Ave. which she described as a ‘hole in the wall, diner-type place’, and her boyfriend said ‘no it’s not’ (but she was right).

If you live in Santa Barbara and you are suddenly thrust into downtown Santa Monica, the quantity of people can be absolutely overwhelming.  I lived in a big city before I moved to Santa Barbara, but I must have acclimated already, because we were like country bumpkins with wide eyes, saying “Wow, look at all the people!  I wonder what’s going on?”  But it was only Saturday that was going on.  Everything was mobbed.  It was 4:30 in the afternoon on a chilly day and the restaurants were mobbed, the streets were mobbed, the pier was mobbed, even the beach was mobbed.  In Santa Barbara, you’d be staying home or inside. 

Anyway, we tried to stop being the totally uncool gawking tourists that we were, and went to the Oysterette (no reservations, so be prepared to wait), had some oysters and ceviche, walked Ocean Ave. to watch the sunset, and headed to the little ‘bubble’ we affectionately call our town.

Cirque du Soleil has a giant tent on the beach that you can see from the pic below.  Their show, Ovo, is playing only until March 18th.  Catch it if you can.

Cirque du Soleil Tent on the Santa Monica Beach

Our last act of the day was to unload the boxes of marble tile from our badly overweighted car.  It now sits, waiting to be installed, and I know we’ll love it and my husband is very proud of the savings, but I don’t know if we’ll ever do that again.

If you live in LA and you want to get outta there and join us in ‘the bubble’, I’m happy to help you find your piece of paradise here in Santa Barbara.

Karen Blackburn, Realtor

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

1435 Anacapa St.

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

805-470-1002

karenSBrealestate@gmail.com

Triple rainbow

We’re here.  I now live in Santa Barbara.  I’m sorry, but really?  This can’t be true.  But to go back a couple of days…. oh yes, the pouring rain as we entered California, that continued and continued and after San Jose on the last day, it let up for awhile and then continued some more.  Playing tricks with me, but I didn’t care.  Can’t mess with my head.  I know it’ll get sunny soon.  Central California.  Stopped in Pismo Beach for lunch and a pit stop.  Not raining, but still cloudy.  And chilly.  There aren’t many more towns until we’re there. 

Clouds on day 3

Paso Robles – still cloudy.  Billowing clouds.  But then, in the distance, far distance, a bit of blue.  Dare I put the sunglasses back on?

Just as i think it’s going to clear up, it doesn’t.  And I think that maybe it’ll be cloudy or even raining when we arrive, but that’s okay.  it’ll be okay.  It’ll be sunny soon.

more clouds…

And then, when we were only about 30 minutes outside of Santa Barbara and I had accepted my fate, that I would arrive in Santa Barbara in clouds and/or rain, the blue sky started to part the clouds.  It really did.  And it stayed that way and got more so.  And about 15 minutes outside of Santa Barbara, I put on the sunglasses and the flip-flops so as to arrive in style and VOILA!!!

Paradise or what???

Euphoria in Eugene

Day 2 – started with euphoria, which is pretty good.  Started up the van, headed out of Eugene (cute town in southern Oregon – median price of houses is something like $175,000. – note to self in case Santa Barbara doesn’t work out).  Heading out on the highway, the weather is threatening but holding its own. Gorgeous views, actually, as long as you know you’re leaving rain.  So we turn on the XM radio,

Leaving Eugene

with ‘classic vinyl’ radio station on and Santana comes on – oy yay como va (or whatever).  And we’re seat dancing again, and pounding the steering wheel along with the drums and suddenly I feel like those all those years of living in the cold cold north never happened and I’m 25 and in this truck and moving to California.  The next song is ‘Hotel California’, and it’s too perfect and I’m still 25 and the NEXT song is Crosby Stills and Nash ‘almost CUT my hair’ (happened just the other day), and it’s one of those peak moments – again. 

Movin' to California

Singing and driving and just plain blissed out. My music, my dream, it’s all here.I should mention, for Nanci, that then Jackson Browne came on with “load out’ (“stay…. just a little bit longer…”) and I was back at the St. Michelle Winery with that great concert. Miss you, Nanci. Lunch with Isha in Ashland, where it’s so Norman Rockwell that little kids can ride bikes with training wheels on the sidewalks without a parent overlooking to make sure everyone is ‘safe’.

 It’s fall in Ashland, and Ashland does every season perfectly, so there is a wind blowing, and leaves falling and cute little houses with cute little picket fences with acorns on the ground.

So we left Ashland and headed for the California border and it’s hard to believe, but the weather that had been threatening but holding, suddenly dumped incredible amounts of rain for hours and hours after we entered California.  All day, in fact.  All the way to San Jose, where we finally stopped, and the rain stopped and I thought ‘well, this will be it, surely, because we are in California, but maybe northern California is raining but southern California won’t be.

California?

THIS IS IT!! (with apologies to Michael Jackson)

I have wanted to live in California since I was 17.  I have wanted to live there so much that some people think I am from there.  When I was 17, it was the ‘summer of love’ in California and some people I knew went out to California and went to the concerts and I decided – this is my place.  But then life happened.  And first I went to Connecticut to go to school, (north, not west), and then I went to Toronto and married my high school sweetheart (north and a tiny bit west) and then we moved to Vancouver (very west, finally the west coast, but NORTH and RAINY).  Vancouver was a long long pause – a beautiful city – and I loved it there and stayed a really long time.  Then Bob and I met and we moved to Seattle, (south, the right direction but not far enough) and we ‘paused’ for 10+ years but NOW, TODAY, FINALLY, (“Double rainbows” for those of you in the know) I am LEAVING RAIN, but not just rain, not just leaving, I am actually, finally getting to my dream.  Screaming in my seat as we drove away from the house.  You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve wanted something for decades and then you get it.  Holy cow. 

Leaving the last house in Seattle!!!

Bob's all done!

We hit I-5, and Seattle obliged with a sudden downpour.  Loved it.  Leaving rain. 

screaming in my seat...

Screaming in my seat was quickly followed by ‘seat dancing’ to whatever song was on the radio.  Woo hoo. 

Traffic was hideous for now apparent reason, making it take hours to get from Seattle to Tacoma to Olympia.  Friday afternoon in October, but I don’t care.  I know we’re leaving.  Soon the dark evergreens that hover over I-5 opened up to fall colors.

Fall colors somewhere in Oregon

After driving through Portland,  we decided we needed to find somewhere to buy a good lock for the back of the truck, and not far south, like only about 10 minutes south of Portland, we found a Fred Meyer (for those who don’t know, it’s a northwest discount type place) in a place called Burlingame.  WOW.  You don’t have to go far away from the cities of the west coast before you’re back in the … what .. I don’t know what to say.  But this store was built in 1950 and I swear, they NEVER updated it.  NEVER.  Time warp.  Now maybe I’m an urban snob, but their brown bags didn’t even have handles.  I know how that sounds, but really.   The store was SO weird that I had to go back to the truck and get the camera to take pics of the interior.  Here you go.

on the wall in the Burlingame Fred Meyer store

Bought a lock and some cheddar Goldfish and we’re outta here.  Made it to Eugene. 

Not exactly what we had in mind….

First blog comes to you from — get ready — Seattle.  We never even got out of town.  If you’ve ever had a nightmare move, you’ll love this one.  Truck arrives.  Stuff starts loading.  halfway through, everyone looks at the garage, looks at the truck, looks at the garage again – this is not going to fit.  Things get rearranged.  Things get moved out and moved in again.  More stuff keeps vomiting forth from the house – the barbecue, the patio table, and oh yes, we haven’t loaded the washer/dryer yet.  Bob suggests returning the entire kitchen’s worth of cabinets he bought up here for the kitchen down there.  Not looking good.  The day wears on.  Then Bob suggests I call the buyer’s agent and ask if they want to buy the washer and dryer we were going to bring down for ourselves.  At 5pm, we have a pow-wow.  I call movers.  We rent a motel room in Seattle for the night (what?).  I am leaving out all the freak-outs and clusterf****s that accompanied.  By 6pm, we have a driver for the big truck for tomorrow, a room rented, another truck rented that we will drive, and we abandon ship for the evening.  Today is a much better day.  The new truck will only have to carry a small load and is MUCH MORE comfortable than the bench seats on the big truck. 

Today we understand things like the truck we rented was a ‘low boy’ and if we’d known that, we could’ve asked for a ‘high boy’ in which case everything would’ve fit.  More than I ever wanted to know about moving.  Why oh why did we leave the biggest move we’ve ever made in the hands of ourselves?  Never again.

The low boy from hell