First Time Home Buying

4 Tips for Buying a Santa Cruz Home for Sale (Doing It Right the First Time)

Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 1:01am. 1 Views, 0 Comments.

If you’re looking for a Santa Cruz home for sale and you’ve never bought a home before, you might think, “This won’t take much time.” Typically, just the opposite is true. Buying a home frequently takes quite a bit of time.

Of course, the whole home buying process will go much faster (and smoother) if you do things the right way. If you’re a first time buyer looking for a Santa Cruz home for sale, take some lessons from the pros. The following tips will help make the buying process fly:

1. Weigh the Benefits - Before you actually go house hunting, weigh the pros and cons of buying a home. Can you really afford it? Is it a good idea, or are you caving under pressure from family, friends, your doctor and the next-door neighbor?

Make sure that you’ve actually…

Rising Trend Points a Way to Keep Your Santa Cruz Home

Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 1:01am. 7 Views, 0 Comments.

According to RealtyTrac, 1 in 70 homes have received foreclosures notices since January, 2010 – a total of 1.7 million houses in the U.S. Was your Santa Cruz home one of them? In previous blogs, we’ve covered several ways to avoid foreclosure, but a rising trend has brought another possibility to the forefront.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, many individuals are surviving the economic blues by expanding their households. By the end of 2008, more than 16%, or 49 million, of Americans lived in a household with more than one generation. Although the statistics aren’t back yet for 2009 -2010, experts expect the numbers to be even higher.

These Americans aren’t all young college graduates moving back in with mom and dad, either. Parents have…

Closing Deadline Extended for your Santa Cruz Real Estate

Saturday, August 14th, 2010 at 1:01am. 15 Views, 0 Comments.

If you’re in the middle of buying Santa Cruz real estate, for which you’re hoping to get a Homebuyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000, you have more time to finalize it.

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress passed a 90-day extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline. The extension applies only to buyers who have written, binding contracts in place as of April 30, 2010. The new closing deadline is now September 30, 2010.

Extending the tax credit closing deadline will provide additional stability to Santa Cruz real estate and real estate markets nationwide. Additionally, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) estimates that this new extension will help about 180,000 to 200,000 homebuyers who already signed purchase agreements and…

Santa Cruz Homes for Sale: A Case of Cold Feet

Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 1:01am. 16 Views, 0 Comments.

While those who own Santa Cruz homes for sale are worried about the real estate market, some buyers are getting good deals. However, there are plenty of people on both sides of the market with a case of cold feet.

For instance, some with Santa Cruz homes for sale took them off the market. Others, who’ve thought of selling, haven’t.

The same can be said for buyers. Many potential homebuyers change their minds or still worry over that age-old question of, “Should I or shouldn’t I?”

Two Cases of Cold Feet
A 26-year old with a steady job, good paycheck and good credit, sums it up for many potential buyers. “My job’s steady and my credit is good. I keep watching the houses that go up for sale, thinking I could go ahead and buy, but then the ‘what if’s’ pop into…

4 Tips to Help Your Kids Adjust to a New Santa Cruz Home

Sunday, August 8th, 2010 at 1:01am. 14 Views, 0 Comments.

Are you moving to a new Santa Cruz home or thinking about it? When you have young children, it can be a dramatic – or even traumatic – event. Here are a few tips to help your children adjust to a new home:

Tip # 1: Share exciting points about your new Santa Cruz home.
Does the house have a big back yard? Is there a park or bike path close by? Talk about the things you might be able to do together at the new place. Build up excitement, so your kids can’t wait to see where they’re going to live.

Tip #2: Let your kids be part of the packing process, if they’re old enough.
Children like to help when there’s a lot of hustle and bustle going on. You’ve probably noticed this yourself; every time you’re busy, they become your shadow. One way to let them help is to…

Should You Stay in Your Santa Cruz Home or Should You Go?

Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 1:01am. 17 Views, 0 Comments.

Have you ever seen a child right after a huge chewing gum bubble pops on his face? A mess everywhere, eyes wide, mouth in an “O” – rather reminiscent of the real estate industry when its own bubble popped. Homeowners panicked and began trying to sell their Santa Cruz homes.

As more pushed to unload the instantly unwanted “step child” of homeownership, the real estate market became glutted, resulting in lower sales prices. Two years later, some owners are still trying to sell their Santa Cruz homes, still panicking, and still worried about what the future will bring. However, you might be like some homeowners, who are indecisive about selling their homes or who realize they don’t really want to sell.

Stop.

Take a deep breath.

Quit worrying for a moment and ask…

Santa Cruz Condos vs. Houses: Which Should You Choose?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 1:01am. 16 Views, 0 Comments.

Santa Cruz condos or houses: that is the question!

You may be thinking of getting a home but wondering how much space you really need. If you opt to look at houses, your choices are vast. Houses, both large and small, are abundant in today’s real estate market.

Even though Santa Cruz condos are typically smaller than most houses, there are large condos available (even condos larger than houses). And, just like traditional houses, there are a lot of condos available in this buyer’s market.

So, how do you choose? Your selection should be based on your current and near-future needs.

Let’s demystify the differences and clarify your selection:

Space: Is your family large? Are you planning to add many more? Do you work from home? Consider your plans for the…

Worried About Your Home for Sale in Santa Cruz? Survey Reveals Possibilities

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 1:01am. 21 Views, 0 Comments.

Many real estate aficionados worried that the ending of the homebuyer tax credits would mean an end to sales. However, a new real estate survey, conducted April, 2010, says homeowners with a home for sale in Santa Cruz and throughout the nation have more chances to sell their homes.

Survey Group
     • 1,000 American consumers
     • Ages 25 – 64
     • $35,000 + household income

Survey Results
     • Over 90% of American consumers think the homebuyer tax credit program helped the real estate industry and first-time buyers.
     • 65% actually looking for a home don’t consider the end of the tax credit program to be a factor in their own decisions.
     • 46% expect area real estate prices to increase over the next year.
     • 12% expect area real estate prices…

6 Things to Consider When Looking at Condos in Santa Cruz County

Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 1:01am. 24 Views, 0 Comments.

Let’s face it. A lot of people like the idea of the easy lifestyle condos in Santa Cruz County provide. While there are a multitude of positive reasons to buy a condo, many people are so glamorized by the idea that they fail to make sure condos fit their needs.

Before you jump in and buy one of the condos in Santa Cruz County, make sure you also consider what some people consider the downside to owning a condo:

1. Space – Buying a condo means sharing an interest in it. What you own is your personal “box of air.” The rest of the condo - the common areas - is shared between the other owners.

2. Neighbors – Because you share walls and common areas, there’s a high chance that you’ll be able to hear them as they move about their own space. You’ll run…

Santa Cruz Real Estate, Buyers and Technology

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 1:01am. 42 Views, 0 Comments.

Technology has improved our lives over the last ten years, but it’s also caused some problems along the way for Santa Cruz real estate buyers.

As a buyer, you naturally want to take advantage of every tool and service available to make it easier to find the home of your dreams. However, the Internet, which is one of the most common places for people to shop for Santa Cruz real estate nowadays, has also become a place where the unscrupulous hang out. You can’t believe everything you read online, even when it comes to shopping for homes online.

If you’re trying to find a home, here are two things you need to be aware of:

Home Valuation Sites
Many potential buyers find an interesting home and then research the home value. This is commendable and just plain…