News

Twin Lakes Garage Sale this Saturday

May 16, 2014 by Seb Frey

Twin Lakes Church is once again hosting its annual “World’s Biggest Garage Sale” this Saturday, May 17. Proceeds from the event will go to help the Second Harvest Food Bank provide food for families that need it. In years past, they’ve been able to raise an amazing $80,000 for Second Harvest. In addition to an amazing array of garage sale items, they’ll also be selling coffee, cakes, and pastries – shop and munch at the same time! The garage sale starts at 8:00 AM and wraps up at 2:00 PM.

See also: Twin Lakes Garage Sale

Here at the world's biggest garage sale #aptos pic.twitter.com/T8nP2FJmVR

— sebfrey (@sebfrey) May 17, 2014

Aptos Real Estate Report – May 2014

May 12, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Aptos real estate market is alive and well in May 2014! In April 2014, the median home price in Aptos was $715,671 – up 11% compared to a year ago, when the median price was $645,000. 34 homes closed escrow in April, which is almost the same as a year ago, when 33 homes closed sale in April 2013. These homes sold in an average of 56 days, which is about higher than March of last year, when homes sold on average in 50 days. Not only did these homes sell quickly, they also sold, on average, for 100.06% of full asking price. Sweet!

As of today there are 114 homes presently listed, and of those, 72 are available, 42 under contract. Given the ratio of active listings to pending sales, and assuming an average escrow length of 45 days, the amount of available inventory is about 77 days.

When it comes to condominiums and townhouses, there were a total of 15 sold in Aptos in April, with a median price of $620,000 – a rise of 7.8% over last year. These condos had an average of 71 days on market, with a sales-to-list-price ratio of 98.84%. This compares to 7 sales in March 2013, a year ago, when the median price was $575,000, the sales-to-list-price ratio was 96.4%, and the average days on market was 57.

As of today, there are 40 condos/townhouses listed, 31 are active, and 9 are under contract. Given the ratio of active listings to pending sales, and assuming an average escrow length of 45 days, the amount of available inventory is about 155 days. 40% of the available units (16 of the 40), however, are in the Seascape Resort, which is almost a market in itself.

What’s YOUR Aptos House Value?

Interested to know what your Aptos house is worth in todays’ real estate market? Then head over to AptosHomeValues.com for an instant, on-line evaluation of your Aptos home’s value.

What Your Money Buys You – Houses

While the median price for homes in Aptos in April 2014 was $715,671, the least expensive home went for $120K and the most expensive went for $4.5 million. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

$120K: 220 Hayward Road – a foreclosed “REO” home with serious soil issues

$668K: 801 Bear Valley – 2 bed, 2 bath, 1939sf

$4.5M: 629 Beach Drive – 9 bed, 8 bath, 6900sf

What Your Money Buys You – Condos

While the median price for condos in Aptos in April 2014 was $620,000, the least expensive home went for $355K and the most expensive went for $765,000. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

$355K: 7555 Sunset Way #7 – 2 bed, 2 bath, 1020sf

$620K: 122 Tiburon Ct – 2 bed, 2.5 bath, 2000sf

$765K: 38 Seascape Resort Drive – 2 bed, 2.5 bath, 1220sf

What about the rest of Santa Cruz county?

Want to know what’s going on in all of Santa Cruz county? For a complete report on Santa Cruz county as a whole, check out the Santa Cruz County Real Estate Report for May 2014

Sheriff Candidates Forum, May 13 2014

May 8, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Seacliff Improvement Association is hosting a forum for the candidates vying to become the next Santa Cruz County Sheriff. One of the missions of the Seacliff Improvement Association is to work with elected officials to improve our community. To foster this, they are hosting a candidate forum because, in June, residents will vote for a new county sheriff. All three candidates have accepted their invitation to join them up on the terrace of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, across from Rancho Del Mar Center.

Candidates will share their views on law enforcement and answer pre-selected questions from our moderator (submitted by our members). If you have a question for the candidates, please bring it along so you can ask the candidates during refreshments/mixer. The forum is to be held on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 PM.

They need to know if you plan to attend so we can save you some tasty snacks and a seat. Seating is limited so please RSVP this week by email to info@seacliffimprovement.org by Monday, May 12th.

If you have yet to visit the terrace at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, you can reach it from outside stairs on both sides of the building. Just look for the signs. Parking is limited so remember to carpool.

Cabrillo College Annual Plant Sale, May 9-11

May 5, 2014 by Seb Frey

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and for the 38th year in a row, the Cabrillo College horticulture department is having it’s annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale. Each year, they sell a huge selection of plants, flowers, culinary and medicinal herbs, succulents, vines, vegetable starts – you name it, they got it! This year they have over 1,000 varieties to choose from.

All of the plants being sold were grown by Cabrillo students, with proceeds from the sale going to fund the Environmental Horticulture Facility for the upcoming school year.

The “presale” begins on Friday, May 9 from 3 to 7 PM, and you must donate $25 to get in on the presale. On Saturday May 10, hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

While you’re there, check out their state-of-the-art facilities including the greenhouse complex, shadehouses, lab classroom, horticulture learning center, and community room. Agriculture plays a significant part in the Aptos economy, and it’s interesting to see how the future of agriculture is being shaped in our community.

Dinner and a Movie in Aptos

April 29, 2014 by Seb Frey

The owners of the fabled Nickelodeon Theater and Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz also have the good taste to own the Aptos Cinema in the Rancho del Mar Shopping Center. They have partnered with a number of local restaurants to create Date Night Santa Cruz, which is a Dinner and Movie Special. For just $50, you can get two tickets to see a movie and dinner for two, every evening Monday through Thursday, holidays excluded.

The Aptos restaurants which are participating in Date Night Santa Cruz are:

Tickets can be purchased at any participating restaurant or movie theater (including those in Santa Cruz). The cost of the dinner is limited to $50 in most cases, although some restaurants limit it to $45. The tickets can be used for most items in the restaurants, typically including starters, main entrees, desserts, and drinks.

See also: Date Night Santa Cruz

Aptos Real Estate Report – April 2014

April 13, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Aptos real estate market is alive and well in April 2014! In March 2014, the median home price in Aptos was $693,000 – up 6.5% compared to a year ago, when the median price was $652,250. 19 homes closed escrow in March, but that’s 20.8% fewer than a year ago, when 24 homes closed sale in March 2013. These homes sold in an average of 81 days, which is about the same as last March, when homes sold in 85 days on average.

As of today there are 110 homes presently listed, and of those, 67 are available, 43 under contract. Given the ratio of active listings to pending sales, and assuming an average escrow length of 45 days, the amount of available inventory is about 70 days.

When it comes to condominiums and townhouses, there were a total of 5 sold in Aptos in March, with a median price of $440,000 – a rise of 1.15% over last year. These condos had an average of 71 days on market, with a sales-to-list-price ratio of 98.84%. This compares to 9 sales in March 2013, a year ago, when the median price was $435,000, the sales-to-list-price ratio was 98.95%, and the average days on market was 66.

As of today, there are 40 condos/townhouses listed, 23 are active, and 27 are under contract. Given the ratio of active listings to pending sales, and assuming an average escrow length of 45 days, the amount of available inventory is about 38 days. Most of the available units, however, are in the Seascape Resort, which is almost a market in itself.

What’s YOUR Aptos House Value?

Interested to know what your Aptos house is worth in todays’ real estate market? Then head over to AptosHomeValues.com for an instant, on-line evaluation of your Aptos home’s value.

What Your Money Buys You – Houses

While the median price for homes in Aptos in March 2014 was $693,000, the least expensive home went for $407K and the most expensive went for $1.185 million. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

230 Via Novella sold for $1,185,000 after 66 days on market

7049 Mesa Drive sold for $693,000 after 53 Days on Market

506 Encino Drive sold for $407,000 after 120 Days on Market

What Your Money Buys You – Condos

While the median price for condos in Aptos in March 2014 was $440,000, the least expensive home went for $415K and the most expensive went for $659,500. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

119 Fife Lane Sold for $659,500 after 92 Days on Market

2621 Willowbrooke Lane ,#106 sold for $440K after 7 Days on Market

312 Seascape Resort Drive sold for $415K after 235 Days on Market

What about the rest of Santa Cruz county?

Want to know what’s going on in all of Santa Cruz county? For a complete report on Santa Cruz county as a whole, check out the Santa Cruz County Real Estate Report for April 2014

Aptos Creek Clean-Up on May 3, 2014

April 10, 2014 by Seb Frey

A group of Aptos Residents (organizing via the Take Back Aptos group on Facebook) is planning to get together to clean up Aptos Creek on Saturday, May 3 at 10:30 AM. Save Our Shores has agreed to provide some tools and supplies for the clean-up, but volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves and buckets just in case. The plan is to meet at Aptos Village Park and get going from there. Bring your wading boots!

See also:

Take Back Aptos (Facebook Group)
Take Back Aptos (Facebook Page)
Save Our Shores

Mad Hatter Fashion Show and Tea Party

April 2, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Mad Hatter” Fashion Show and Tea Party on Sunday, April 27 from 11:30 AM til 2:00 PM at the Seascape Resort. The event will feature local models walking the runway, wearing fashions from local shops to music provided by local DJ Music Now DJ. Lunch will be served, and there will also be a raffle and trunk show with local boutiques offering their goods for sale.

Tickets are $45 and some of the proceeds will go to benefit the Katz Cancer Resource Center at Dominican Hospital. This is a great way to support local merchants, help fight cancer, grab some lunch, and see some great new fashions all at the same time!

See also:

Fashion Show — Not an actual photo from the featured event 🙂

James Durbin Speaks in Aptos on March 29

March 26, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Monterey Herald is reporting that Santa Cruz native James Durbin will be speaking – and possibly performing a song or two – at the Cabrillo College Visual and Performing Arts Complex this coming Saturday, March 29th at 7:30 PM. James Durbin garnered wide acclaim when he appeared on the 10th season of American Idol, coming in 4th Place. James is afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome and Aspberger’s Syndrome, and appeared in a documentary Different is the New Normal, about a teen living with Tourette’s.

Durbin will be talking with Wallace Baine of the Santa Cruz Sentinel about his upbringing and his experience on American Idol, and his life as a professional musician since his time on the top-rated TV show.

Adult tickets are $15; kids and seniors are $12, and Cabrillo Students are $10 and can be ordered here.

Santa Cruz Blues Festival 2014 Lineup Announced

March 25, 2014 by Seb Frey

The lineup for the 22nd annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival has been announced – and as usual, it brings an amazing amount of talent to our little town! This year, the festival is being headlined by Gregg Allman (of Allman Brothers fame) and Chris Isaak. The Sunday show also features musical virtuoso Jackie Greene, a rising star on the Jam Band circuit and an absolutely phenomenal talent at guitar, harmonica, and keyboard. Jackie is a son of the Monterey Bay area, having been born and raised in Salinas.

The festival dates are May 24th and 25th, and tickets are available on-line through the web site, but can also be purchased at Moe’s Alley and Streelight Records.

The Santa Cruz Blues Festival is one of those yearly events that make Aptos truly special. Plan to come early and stay late – they serve a wide range of food and beer. Bring the family and a set of lawn chairs and prepared to be amazed.

Also, be sure to like them on Facebook.