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You are here: Home / Archives for News

News

Exclusive Interview with James Durbin

March 11, 2017 by Seb Frey

Courtesy of Freeman Promotions

For those of you who haven’t heard, local musician James Durbin was recently announced as the new lead singer for Quiet Riot, the legendary metal band.  James was kind enough to grant an interview to AptosCommunityNews about this new musical venture.

First, congratulations on joining Quiet Riot! That’s quite an accomplishment.

1) How did you happen to get connected up with those guys?

JD: I was doing a residency show in Las Vegas and ended up (re)connecting with QR Guitarist Alex Grossi and we started our own songwriting project titled “Maps To The Hollywood Scars” of which we just released our first five song EP titled “Volume 1”. Throughout our time writing, Alex played our songs to QR Drummer Frankie Banali. Frankie had had his eye on me for a few years. I guess everything just fell into place at the right time 🙂

2) What history do you have with the band – have you been a fan, if so, how long?

JD: The first time I heard QUIET RIOT’s ‘Bang Your Head (Metal Health)’ was on a video game called Legends Of Wrestling. The gameplay was awful but the theme song was worth keeping it haha. This is a few years before YouTube was around.

3) Do you have any favorite Quiet Riot songs in particular that you look forward to rocking out on?

JD: Since QR rehearsals took place earlier this week all songs in the setlist are just as strong as the next one, but in particular I’m currently enjoying ‘Condition Critical’, ‘Thunderbird’, ‘Put Up Or Shut Up’ & ‘Sucks To Be You’.

4) Have you and the rest of your new band mates discussed any changes to the sound or a new approach to performing their music?

JD: QUIET RIOT is a straight-forward Rock ‘n Roll party band! 1 Guitarist, 1 Bassist, 1 Drummer & the Singer 🙂 We now have 3 Generations in the band, so there will definitely be some new approaches happening every now and then.

5) Quiet Riot is something of an institution in the heavy metal world – and you’re a pretty young guy. Do you have any concerns about that?

JD: No concerns at all. As soon as we hit the stage for the first time together, any concerns will be laid to rest.

6) When will be your first show with Quiet Riot?

JD: My first show is at The Cotillion in Wichita, KS on March 18th!   I can’t wait to unleash everything we’ve got on that crowd haha. I hope they’re ready.

7) Are there plans to record any new material with the band now that you’re on board?

JD: Right now QUIET RIOT is focused on touring and getting the word out about my joining the band.

8) Will Quiet Riot be playing in or near Santa Cruz any time soon?

JD: No scheduled dates at this time, but we are looking at possible bookings in Santa Cruz.

9) Quiet Riot is based in L.A. – does this mean you’ll need to move, or will you be staying here in the Santa Cruz area?

JD: Most of my travels will be weekend based, so there are no plans to move at this time.

10) Will you continue your career as a solo artist?

JD: Absolutely! I recently released my first Independent album “Riot On Sunset” that was recorded in Santa Cruz at Rocker Studios with ‘Father’ Rick Vierra. We will be recording an Acoustic Album sometime this year as well as a songwriting project with my wife Heidi.

—

James Durbin is appearing TONIGHT, March 11th, at the Catalyst Club in downtown Santa Cruz to support Jacob’s Heart. The show starts at 7:30 PM – so head and down and check it out!

Filed Under: Entertainment, Lifestyle, News Tagged With: james durbin, music, quiet riot

Aptos Median Home Price, February 2017: $1,050,000

March 9, 2017 by Seb Frey

Spring is in the air! Like all of you, I’m thankful for the copious amounts of rain we’ve had this winter – but enough’s enough! I’m loving the sunshine, and I’m looking forward to the weather heating up. But the Aptos real estate market has galloped ahead of mother nature: it’s plenty hot already! Would you believe this: the Aptos median home price, February 2017: $1,050,000!

Everyone thinks that the spring heralds the start of the traditional real estate sales season. Truth be told, we don’t have much seasonality in the Aptos real estate market. While the market may take a bit of a slow down around the holidays, it’s usually roaring right along half way through January. And that’s borne out this year, because many of those February 2017 closings were initially listed for sale in January.

Compared to last year, it’s been a busy start to the real estate year: 15 single-family homes sold in Aptos in February 2017. You’re thinking that’s not a lot – but it’s 36% more than a year ago, when only 11 sold in February 2016.

[Home-Price-Callout]

Those 15 homes sold in an average of 52 days – about the same as last year at this time, when they sold in 51 days on average. Sellers received 98% of full asking price in February 2017 – a smidgen better than the 97.6% they received a year prior.

The #1 favorite topic among the water coolers in the local real estate brokerages is real estate listings – where is the inventory?! 25 new single-family home listings hit the Aptos market this past February. A year ago? 26. But wait, we’re a week into March already, so how are we looking now? Just 4 new listings in the first 7 days in March 2017 – a year ago, we had 7 new listings by now.

A lot of folks are going to see the $1,050,000 February 2017 median sale price and say, “Wow! That’s really high!” And it is – but the median home price in January 2017 was even higher – $1,145,000. And in February 2016, the median home price was $1,059,000.  These prices aren’t an anomaly – upper-end homes in Aptos are selling, comprising about half the market.

[Home-Search-Callout]

It may look like even at $1,050,000 the median sale price in February 2017 came in a little weak – but I put that down to the low sales volume. 15 sales does not represent a huge pool from which to draw meaningful conclusions, but it does indicate a market that is at least holding is own, at least for the time being. Interestingly, Zillow now rates zip code 95003 as only a 6.1 out of 10 on its “market health” score.

The “health metrics” I monitor most closely are median sale price, days on market, sales to list price ratio, and absorption rate. Right now, there are 49 single-family homes listed for sale on the Aptos MLS, but only 26 of them are available for purchase (the rest are already under contract). The way I figure it, we’re looking at around a 51 day supply of homes for sale in Aptos – and that means we are still in a very low-inventory hot seller’s market.

The $6,400,000 question is: but for how much longer?

[CTA-Callout]

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Single Family Homes

210 Treasure Island Drive:
3/2 1436sf sold $669,150 in 9 DOM
2001 Sparrow Valley Road: 4/2.5 3,000sf sold $1,050,000 in 158 DOM
618 Beach Drive: 4/3 2,192sf sold $5,700,000 in 76 DOM

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Condos/Townhouses

226 Seascape Resort Drive: 1/1 608sf sold $390K in 32 DOM
277 Perch Way: 2/2.5 1514sf sold $656K in 7 DOM
428 SEASCAPE RESORT A & D Drive: 2/2 1288sf sold $735K in 122 DOM

Filed Under: News, Real Estate Tagged With: March 2017, real estate

Aptos Real Estate Broker Writes New Book: Get It Sold!

March 7, 2017 by Seb Frey

Get It Sold! By Sebastian “Seb” Frey

Local Aptos real estate broker Sebastian “Seb” Frey has written a new book: Get It Sold!, which is his unique perspective on the fine art of home sales. While there are hundreds of books written on this very topic, relatively few are written which focus on just the northern California region. And this may be the only book written by a Santa Cruz-based real estate broker which focuses squarely on the needs of Santa Cruz county area home owners.

The book is designed to be an easy read – at just 110 pages, it can be absorbed in just an hour or two. It maintains a conversational style throughout, to help keep the reader engaged and turning pages. The goal for the book is simple: to show home owners what they can do to sell their home quickly, but for the absolute highest price the market will bear. And of course, with the least amount of hassle, risk, and uncertainty.

According to Seb, “In a hot real estate market such as we’re currently experiencing in Aptos, there’s a misperception that all you need to do to sell your home for a crazy high price is just jack the asking price up a notch or two above what the neighbor’s house sold for, put a for sale sign in the front yard, throw it on the MLS, and wait for the bidding war to ensue. But it doesn’t work like that!”

Get It Sold! takes readers through the whole process of getting homes sold at peak pricing. It starts by discussing the decision to sell, then moves on to getting the home prepared for sale, staging for maximum appeal, creating and executing a full-blown, attention-getting marketing campaign, and covers savvy negotiation techniques to wring out the maximum sale price of the property.

The book is available on Amazon.com for $12.95, but it is being made available to Aptos-area home owners for free – and Seb even covers shipping and handling! To order your copy Get It Sold! with free shipping, click this link. Happy reading!

Get It Sold! Launch Party Video

[Home-Price-Callout]

Filed Under: Lifestyle, News Tagged With: get it sold, real estate

New Accessory Dwelling Unit Rules for Santa Cruz County

March 6, 2017 by Seb Frey

New Rules for Accessory Dwelling Units in California

In September 2016 Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1069, which introduced a series of changes that limit the requirements local jurisdictions can place on the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, otherwise known as “Granny units”. The intention behind the law was to make it easier to build ADUs, which tend to be a more affordable type of housing, and are seen by many housing and business advocacy groups as low hanging fruit in the fight to develop greater housing supply.

ADUs make use of existing land, are cheaper to develop than other types of housing (such as single family homes or multi-unit apartments), and are easier to approve because they are not subject to many of the same approval processes that other housing developments are. Furthermore, many local jurisdictions already have ordinances in place outlining ADU construction.

The main barriers to building more ADUs, like most housing products, are that local jurisdictions tend to over regulate their construction, oftentimes resulting in high compliance costs that can prove to be too cost prohibitive to the average homeowner; and entrenched neighborhood resistance to increased density. SB 1069 aims to address both this issues by limiting the type of regulations local jurisdictions can impose upon homeowners, streamlining local approval processes, and in some cases outright removing local control mechanisms.

Santa Cruz County was in the midst of updating its ADU ordinance when SB1069 was passed, and thus was able to reorient its approach to become one of the first local jurisdictions to react to the state mandate. A summary of the key changes is provided below.

  • All permit applications for new ADUs are now approved by a ministerial process, rather than a public hearing process. This means that a homeowner interested in building an ADU, who has met all of the County requirements and submitted site plans, should have a reasonable expectation of certainty that their application will be approved.
    SB1069 also mandates that any application submitted must be approved or denied within 120 days
  • The County can no longer deny an ADU permit based upon a lack of available parking, and cannot require additional parking as a condition of approval.
  • New ADUs do not require a sprinkler system if the main dwelling does not have a sprinkler system.
  • Special districts (such as water or fire districts) can no longer require that homeowners purchase a second water meter to build an ADU. Though this change is being challenged in court.
  • ADUs can now be built on any lot that allows for a single family home, regardless of size or zoning.
  • ADUs built on top of existing structures, such as a garage, do not require a public hearing and are now are subject to the same ministerial approval process.
  • Rear setbacks have been reduced to a maximum of 5 feet for ADUs built on top of existing structures.
  • Additional sewer system requirements cannot be imposed on rural parcels of less than one acre that already have a single family home, unless a County Health Officer rules that it would have significant impacts on local water quality.

The County is currently conducting a survey on the new ADU changes, and is hoping to collect responses before March 14th. You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SantaCruzCountyADU

This article has been provided courtesy of Robert Singleton, Policy Analyst with the Santa Cruz County Business Council.

[Home-Search-Callout]

Filed Under: News, Real Estate Tagged With: accessory dwelling units, granny units, robert singleton

A Look Into Persephone

February 16, 2017 by Seb Frey

Peresphone Restaurant Interior

I recently had an opportunity to chat with two of the owners of Persephone, the hottest new restaurant in Aptos. I wanted to check in with them and see how their new venture is going, and to learn more about what has made Persephone such a success right out of the gate.

I sat down with chef Cori Goudge-Ayer and her brother Alex Potter who serves as the beverage manager / sommelier. I met with them around mid-day, as they were hard at work planning that evening’s service. Several cooks were in the kitchen, busily preparing the food which would be served in a few hours. I was told that the kitchen starts going shortly after dawn, as many of their dishes require hours of preparation.

Speaking with Cori and Alex, their passion for their work and Persephone came through. I’m not a restauranteur and only a wannabe foodie, but when I have my choice, I want someone who clearly wants to serve a meal that’s going to knock my socks off. Talking to Cori and Alex, that’s the distinct impression I got: they want every dish that comes out of the kitchen to wow the palette and dazzle the eyes.

One of Persephone’s hallmarks is their commitment to using fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. This means that the menu is always changing as new vegetables come into season. A couple of local farms have even agreed to grow vegetables exclusively for the restaurant, assuring them a steady supply of fresh, high-quality ingredients for their cuisine.

This kind of dedication to their craft is clearly what’s behind the restaurant’s success. Already, a number of locals come to eat there on a weekly basis, as the daily and desert specials are constantly refreshed, subject to availability of ingredients. For example, many seafood items will be available only when the fishermen bring in a fresh catch, and may be on the menu for a single night only.

If you’re looking to treat yourself (or your spouse, friends, or family!) to a really special night out, be sure to check out Persephone and see for yourself why they’ve already earned so many raving fans.

[CTA-Callout]

Filed Under: Eats and Drinks, News, Restaurants Tagged With: dining, Persephone, restaurant

Aptos Real Estate Update January 2017

January 5, 2017 by Seb Frey

It’s a whole new year, Aptos! And that means it’s time for my Aptos Real Estate Update January 2017. Before we forget completely about what happened in 2016 (and I can’t blame you for trying!), let’s take a look back and see what the Aptos real estate market was like in the final month of 2016.

Without further ado, I’ll tell you that the median price for single family homes in Aptos in December 2016 was $912,250. That’s a fair bit less than the $968K we saw the month prior, but it is up a whopping 18.8% compared to a year ago. Yep, in December 2015 the median price stood at a lowly $779,000. What a difference a year makes!

But a single month doesn’t provide enough home sales to produce a really meaningful statistic. So I looked back at the whole year, January to December, and saw the median price for single family homes in Aptos was $874,000 with 258 homes sold. I looked back one year past that, and in 2015 we sold 334 homes in Aptos, with a median price of $827,500. That means that as a whole, home prices were up only 5.6% in 2016 versus 2015 – but home sales actually plummeted, down nearly 23%!


[Home-Price-Callout]

But December was a pretty decent month for home sales in Aptos – 22 homes were sold last month, about the same as this time a year ago (23 sold in December 2015). And they sold about as quickly as they did a year ago – in 85 days on average, versus 83 days on average in the year-ago period. Sellers received 95.5% of full asking price last month – which is actually a pretty big discount compared to most months – for example, a year ago in December, sellers received 96.5% of full asking price.

We had exactly the same amount of new inventory available in December 2016 vs. 2015 – 9 single family listings hit the market both years at this time. Last year the median list price was $829K; this year, the median asking price for new listings in December was $1,049,000 (and THAT home went under contract in 1 day!).

When it comes to inventory, it’s the same sad story – we have just a 50 day supply of single family homes available for purchase in Aptos as of this writing. There are presently 53 homes listed on the Aptos MLS, but 28 of those are under contract with only 25 available for purchase. Bad news for buyers, but GREAT news if you’re looking to put a house up for sale soon.

[CTA-Callout]

As we begin the new year, mortgage interest rates are about where they were a month ago, with 30-year fixed rates hovering around 4.15% for many types of borrowers and loans. Rates had risen sharply after the election, and there was a fear that rates would continue to rise, however they appear to have stabilized for now, and are still quite low by historical standards.

While interest rates have been stable over the past month, most talking heads are predicting that interest rates will be rising throughout 2017. There’s a growing optimism that the economy will continue to pick up steam, which will in turn drive up the demand for money and borrowing costs. The Mortgage Banking Association is predicting that rates will gradually rise, hitting 4.7% at the end of the year.

Despite the rise in interest rates, most “experts” are still predicting that home prices will continue to rise in the United States – albeit at a much more gradual pace, somewhere around 3-5%. Check out this article on Forbes and also this on the Wall Street Journal.

If you’re looking for a 2017 prediction closer to home, check out the 2017 California Market Forecast by Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist for the California Association of Realtors.

[Home-Search-Callout]

Aptos Condos and Townhouses

Yawn. The condo market in Aptos was pretty sleepy last month. Only 6 condos and townhouses traded hands last month, and the median price was $579,650. That’s up just about 2.5% compared to a year ago – in other words, accounting for inflation, condo prices have gone nowhere in Aptos over the last year. The 6 condos that sold did so in an average of 69 days (vs. 50 days a year ago). Condo sellers did receive 98.6% of full asking price though – better than last year (they got only 97.7% in December 2015).

If you are thinking about selling your condo or townhouse in Aptos soon, I’ve got some really great news for you. There are presently just 27 condo listings in Aptos; 15 of these are available for purchase, while 12 of them are pending sale. According to my calculations, that works out to a 56 day supply of inventory of condos and townhouses in Aptos – very slim pickings! Sellers in this market have next-to-no competition for their homes.

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Single Family Homes

224 Treasure Island Drive – 2/1 800sf sold $599K in 86 DOM
130 Seabreeze Place – 4/2.5 1970sf sold $925,000 in 84 DOM
713 Seacliff Drive – 3/3 2,409sf sold $2,335,000 in 87 DOM

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Condos/Townhouses

2607 Willowbrook Lane #59 – 2/2 1170sf sold $449,500 in 106 DOM
326 Village Creek Roa – 2/2 1629sf sold $571,300 in 81 DOM
130 Carrera Circle – 3/2.5 1449sf sold $715K in 28 DOM

Filed Under: News, Real Estate Tagged With: December 2016, real estate

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Burner

November 23, 2016 by Seb Frey

Rocky's Thanksgiving Day Turkey Burner
Rocky’s Thanksgiving Day Turkey Burner

Worried about busting your waistline this Thanksgiving Day? If you’re concerned about what indulging in a 3,000 calorie meal could mean for your health, you’re not alone. The good news is that while we celebrate all we are thankful for by overindulging in a way that might make Boss Hogg blush, you do have a great opportunity on Thursday to make a positive difference for your body and your health.

Rocky’s Fitness Center in Pleasure Point is once again having its traditional Thanksgiving Day Turkey Burner. Rocky’s is run by Aptos resident Rocky Snyder, and he’s been running a fitness center in Santa Cruz county for decades. It’s very well known by many athletes, surfers, and health care professionals in the area for its distinctive approach to physical fitness training.

Members of the community are invited to go down to Rocky’s Fitness on Thursday, November 24th at 9 AM for a FREE one hour fitness session. Check it out and see what you think – Rocky’s is also running a Winter Workout special, with a three-month membership on sale for $249 which is a heck of a deal and includes a free t-shirt! It’s suggested that you get there a bit earlier than 9:00 AM as parking may be a bit hard to find. Get on down to Rocky’s and get your metabolism geared up for the feast to come!

Filed Under: Events, News, Sports/Fitness Tagged With: rocky's fitness, thanksgiving, turkey burner

Aptos Real Estate Update November 2016

November 23, 2016 by Seb Frey

It’s only been a month or so since my last real estate market update – but wow, a lot can happen in a month!  Would you believe…Donald Trump is now President-Elect?  I wrote a whole piece and did a video about what that means for your home’s value last week, and it’s already had hundreds of views. If you’re interested to hear what may be in store for your Aptos home’s value in the coming months and years, it’s worth a read.

But here in the Shire, err, Aptos, that is, things are looking rosy. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying the rain and I hope it keeps up! It hasn’t dampened home prices, that’s for sure – the median single family home price in Aptos in October 2016 was $856,000 – that’s up 10.8% year-over-year, and up 5.6% from the prior month. We closed 25 homes in October – down 7.4% from a year ago, and those homes sold in an average of 48 days on market (vs. 40 days on market this time a year ago).

[Home-Price-Callout]

If you’re thinking about selling your home this fall or winter, here’s some more good news: we are down to just 71 days of inventory. That means if you’re looking to buy, there are slim pickings – a 2.4 month supply of homes means this is a very strong seller’s market. Owners who do a good job pricing their homes will usually be rewarded by getting multiple offers and a sale price often high over asking price.

Speaking of pricing your home, I thought I’d share with you something interesting that’s happening right in my own neighborhood. I live in a small little self-contained neighborhood near Cabrillo College, and there are two homes up for sale right now: the “cheap” house is 2839 Estates Drive (3/2, 1450sf, 23,697sf lot with a swimming pool, initially listed at $799K). The “expensive” house is 2884 Estates Drive (5/4, 2856sf, 11,543sf lot, initially listed at $1,050,000 later reduced to $1,025,000).

[List-Price-Callout]

The “cheap” house does a huge back yard, and a pool (which typically adds $0 in value around here) – but it’s much smaller than the “expensive” house, and the interior hasn’t been updated pretty much since it was built in the 1960s. The “expensive” house was “refreshed” prior to sale – the kitchen was updated, but not luxuriously so. The baths are original 1960s, but the rest of the house has been cleaned up with new high-grade laminate flooring, carpet, and fresh paint throughout.

Well guess what happened? The “cheap” house got 6-7 offers in just 5 days on market. The house is now under contract, and the list price has been boosted to $895,000 – which pretty much means that the contract price on that is $895K. The “expensive” house has been on the market for 56 days, with no offers. It’s going to sit, and sit…and sit.

2839 Estates Drive – listed at $779,000
2884 Estates Drive – Listed at $1,025,000

A lot of folks around here own condos and townhouses, and they’ll be interested to know that the median price for condos and townhouses in Aptos in October 2016 was $550,000 – that’s a 15.9% drop over a year ago, and also down 9.5% month over month. On the flip side, 9 condos and townhouses sold in the month, and that’s up 125% from a year ago, when just 4 sold in October 2015.

The condos which sold did so in an average of just 37 days on market, and sellers received 98.4% of full asking price! Not too shabby – but sellers did a bit better last year. In October 2015, sellers got their Aptos condos and townhouses sold in an average of 26 days and for 101% of full asking price.

[Home-Search-Callout]

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Single Family Homes

514 Bonita Drive - 2/1 964sf sold $480K after 86 DOM
514 Bonita Drive – 2/1 964sf sold $480K after 86 DOM

327 Rio Del Mar Boulevard - 3/2.5 1716sf sold $856K after 17 DOM
327 Rio Del Mar Boulevard – 3/2.5 1716sf sold $856K after 17 DOM

775 Las Olas Drive, 5/3 2364sf sold $5,500,000 after 53 DOM
775 Las Olas Drive, 5/3 2364sf sold $5,500,000 after 53 DOM

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Condos/Townhouses

2601 Willowbrook Lane,#13 - 1/1 834sf sold $365K after 22 DOM
2601 Willowbrook Lane,#13 – 1/1 834sf sold $365K after 22 DOM
3079 Arlington Drive, Aptos 95003 - 2/2 1107sf sold $550K after 4 DOM
3079 Arlington Drive, Aptos 95003 – 2/2 1107sf sold $550K after 4 DOM
1093 Via Tornasol - 3/2 1849sf sold $970K after 50 DOM
1093 Via Tornasol – 3/2 1849sf sold $970K after 50 DOM

Filed Under: News, Real Estate Tagged With: november 2016, real estate

Aptos Holiday Tree Lighting is Back for 2016

November 16, 2016 by Seb Frey

<img src="http://aptoscommunitynews moved here.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_3228-300×225.jpg” alt=”Aptos Holiday Tree LIghting” width=”300″ height=”225″ class=”size-medium wp-image-3398″ srcset=”https://aptoscommunitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_3228-300×225.jpg 300w, https://aptoscommunitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_3228-768×576.jpg 768w, https://aptoscommunitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_3228-1024×768.jpg 1024w, https://aptoscommunitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_3228-600×450.jpg 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />

Aptos Holiday Tree LIghting

T’is the season, once again! The Aptos Holiday Tree Lighting is Back for 2016, to be held on Saturday, December 3rd from 2PM to 5 PM at the entrance to Aptos Village Park. As in years past, there will be Christmas carols, free hot chocolate and cookies, and a visit from Santa Claus – and more! If December 3rd should prove too rainy, the event will be held instead on December 10th.

There will be some great entertainment on deck too, with performances by the Sam Nigh Band and Kristy’s School of Dance. And of course, there will also be a craft fair, with a number of local vendors participating including the Girl Scouts, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, Monterey Bay Gift Company, and many more.

Put it on your calendar and come on down – it’s a great time to mix and mingle, meet friends and neighbors, and get into the spirit of the season. Hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Events, Lifestyle, News Tagged With: christmas, holidays, tree lighting

Aptos Real Estate Update October 2016

October 25, 2016 by Seb Frey

It has been four months since my last Aptos real estate market update, back in June. Back then, I had some actual news to share. The real estate report was no longer the same story of rising prices with crushingly low inventory. Prices were still rising back in June, but the number of sales had dropped and the supply of homes reached nearly six months – the biggest supply we’d seen in quite some time, and as everyone knows, greater supply often leads to lower prices.

The spring and summer selling seasons are long behind us, and we’re well into autumn. Far from being a dead time of year, some of the highest prices for Santa Cruz Real Estate are recorded in the autumn months. So how is the Aptos real estate market holding up these four months later, in October 2016?

What’s YOUR Aptos House Value?

Aptos Home Prices
Find YOUR Home’s Value!
Interested to know what your Aptos house is worth in today’s real estate market? Then head over to SellForSure.com for an instant, on-line evaluation of your Aptos home’s value.

The answer is, it’s been stronger – Zillow gives Aptos a “market health” of 7.5/10 – which is rated as “good” but not “excellent” as we’ve seen in the past. Homesnap rates Aptos at 81/100 – “healthy” – but not “very healthy” as we’ve seen it not so long ago.

But here’s what you really want to know – the median home price for single-family homes in Aptos in September 2016 was $805,000 – which is down 9.3% compared to a year ago. Speaking of good and healthy: that perfectly describes this year-over-year price drop, if you ask me. The number of homes sold was also down; only 29 homes were sold in September 2016, vs. 40 in September 2015, a drop of 27.5%.

[Home-Search-Callout]

But the news wasn’t all bad: homes sold for 99% of asking price, and a year ago homes received just 96.9% of full list price. Also, the 29 homes that sold did so in an average of just 34 days on market – compared to 46 days on market a year ago. It seems that while folks are paying less for housing this year than last year, the homes are selling more quickly – a mixed blessing for sellers.

And here’s some more good news, at least if you’re thinking about putting your home on the market this year: we are back down to a 3 month supply, vs. a 6 months supply four months ago. There are 103 single family homes for sale in Aptos at the moment, with 33 under contract and just 70 available for purchase. That works out to just 95 days worth of inventory – or, not much competition for home seller, and a still-challenging market for home buyers.

What does the future hold?

Want to know what the future holds? Wouldn’t we all!  There’s no way to know for sure what’s going to happen with the housing market next year, but you can listen to an expert’s best guess here: California 2017 Real Estate Market Forecast

The market for townhouses and condos in Aptos is also also down compared to a year ago. Just four townhouses/condos sold in Aptos in September 2016 – compared to 11 in September 2015, a decrease of 63.6% year over year. The median price for condos in September 12016 was lower too – just $607,750 vs $672,500 a year ago (a drop of 9.,6% year over year).

One interesting note about the condo market is that these 4 homes sold in an average of just 11 days on market – compared to 66 days on market a year ago. This is a good indication that well-priced homes will sell – and sell quickly – in Aptos. If you are planning to sell your condo or townhouse, please note that there is presently 150 days worth of inventory in Aptos, so don’t be too aggressive with your pricing.

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Single-Family Homes

7101 Fern Flat Road - 0 bed, 0 bath, 300sf  - sold for $420K after 42 DOM (7 acres of land)
7101 Fern Flat Road – 0 bed, 0 bath, 300sf – sold for $420K after 42 DOM (7 acres of land)
200 Heather Terrace - 3/2.5, 1957sf - sold for $805K in 42 DOM
200 Heather Terrace – 3/2.5, 1957sf – sold for $805K in 42 DOM
544 Beach Drive - 3/3 2100sf - sold for $1,825,000 after 64 DOM
544 Beach Drive – 3/3 2100sf – sold for $1,825,000 after 64 DOM

Low, Median, and Highest Sales – Condos/Townhouses

1614 Dolphin Drive - 2/2 945sf - sold for $450K in 14 DOM
1614 Dolphin Drive – 2/2 945sf – sold for $450K in 14 DOM
6115 Sheraton Place - 3/2.5 1479sf - sold for $625K in 11 DOM
6115 Sheraton Place – 3/2.5 1479sf – sold for $625K in 11 DOM
210 Carrera Circle - 3/2.5 1450sf - sold for $704K in 9 DOM
210 Carrera Circle – 3/2.5 1450sf – sold for $704K in 9 DOM

Filed Under: News, Real Estate Tagged With: october 2016, real estate

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