Villagesite Blog

Moving Up in a Down Market

Bob Curtis — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:12:26 +0000

Many Santa Barbara homeowners that want to upgrade their present home are putting a move on hold because of the soft housing market. However, the current “buyer’s market” is actually the best time to trade your current home for a better one. Here’s why:

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Median Home Prices Gain Ground Despite Milder Market

Shane Zimmer — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:14:18 +0000

We consider it our job to keep our clients informed. That’s why we compile a S.B. County Real Estate statistics report every quarter. It’s an easy-to-read report. We think you’ll find the results very interesting.

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Fed News is Good News

Maddox Reese — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:37:44 +0000

“KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.” It’s a phrase used by many, and last week was an important one to be in the know, as Bonds and home loan rates were affected by many big newsmakers and market shakers. Bonds and home loan rates found some improvement in the early part of the week, leading into the Fed’s big announcement on Wednesday of another .25% cut to the Fed Funds Rate.

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REO’s in North County Santa Barbara

Wayne Natale — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Chicago Title Company has been tracking the Bank/Mortgagee Real Estate Owned properties (properties taken back in foreclosure) in the three marketing areas of north Santa Barbara County. The results quantify that real estate markets are localized. What is happening in the Lompoc Valley and Santa Maria Valley troubled real estate markets is not happening in the Santa Ynez Valley market.

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Santa Barbara Newcomer’s Group: Girls Night Out

Elizabeth Wagner — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:07:37 +0000

I was asked by my friend and past client Denise Stevens, to be a guest speaker at the Santa Barbara Newcomer’s Club, Girls Night Out Event. The evening was hosted at a gorgeous house in Hope Ranch overlooking the ocean and open fields for the horses.

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Earth Day 2008

Elizabeth Wagner and DeAnn Bauer — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:16:35 +0000

DeAnn and I had a Village Properties/EcoBroker® Booth at the Santa Barbara Courthouse’s Sunken Garden on Sunday, April 20th. The weather was just perfect and we heard that between 14,000-16,000 people attended the celebration.

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Computers For Families is Winning!

Elaine Abercrombie — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:16:06 +0000

With all the bad news printed today it’s hard to find the positive things that are happening in the world let alone in our community. Here is some good news! I attended an annual celebration for our education system in connection with Computers for Families. As our State budget shifts the focus from educating our youngsters our local community develops new programs that sustain themselves for the future.

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Livingreen store in Santa Barbara

Elizabeth Wagner — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:34:17 +0000

I was invited to be a panelist at a lecture at the downtown Livingreen store in Santa Barbara. Ellen Strickland, the owner and Lindsay Horstman of Smith Barney put together a panel to discuss and answer questions about how to green your life one shade at a time. Ellen has expanded her store from the ‘Funk Zone” location to Coast Village Road in Montecito and a store in Los Angeles. She was very generous to open up her store to the crowd of about 70 people that packed in to be sheltered from the rainy evening.

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Markets Taxed by Negative News

Maddox Reese — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:12:44 +0000

“IT REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF BOLDNESS AND A GREAT DEAL OF CAUTION TO MAKE A GREAT FORTUNE.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. And a great deal of caution was definitely important last week, as “earnings season” began on Wall Street. First quarter earnings for Stocks got off to a bit of a rough start, with disappointing news from aluminum company Alcoa - always the first in line to report.

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Waiting to Sell for More may Cost you a Bundle!

Kelly Knight — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:12:50 +0000

Many people ask me if they should sell their home now, or wait a few months or a few years for the market to recover. During uncertain times, people tend to adopt a “let’s wait and see” approach – after all, it’s human nature. Unfortunately, this instinct doesn’t serve most homeowners, who should really be asking themselves the more difficult question: What will I NET if I sell my house now versus later? (more…)