Santa Cruz's Most Walkable Areas

In a city like Santa Cruz, where neighborhoods are built outwards instead of upwards, finding a walkable place to live can be difficult.

Our city is sprawled out from the redwood forests to the oceanside, meaning it can be difficult to get around without a car.

But this doesn’t mean that Santa Cruz doesn’t have its pedestrian-friendly areas.

In fact, it has a ton! Here’s a guide to Santa Cruz’s most walkable neighborhoods:

Downtown Santa Cruz

As with most cities, downtown cores are typically the most walkable areas in town. Santa Cruz is no different.

With a fantastic Walk Score of 96, downtown Santa Cruz takes the cake for the most walkable neighborhood.

The area is filled with over 130 restaurants, bars, and coffee shops…

1575 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

5 most affordable communities in santa cruz to buy a home


Recently, Santa Cruz was named one of the five least affordable real estate markets in the United States of America. A median home in Santa Cruz would run someone approximately $650,000. Over 100 percent of a families wages would go towards paying their mortgage. With all this negativity towards purchasing homes in Santa Cruz, we’re going to bring a little positivity to the process. You might be asking yourself, is there affordable housing in Santa Cruz?


The short answer? Absolutely.

Here are the top five most affordable communities in Santa Cruz to buy homes:

Watsonville, CA

Located at the southern end of Santa Cruz County, Watsonville is known for its rich agricultural heritage. Moreover, it is a hotbed for berries. This “small” town…

18592 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The kitchen is the heart of the home⁠—it’s where families spend most of their time cooking, socializing, and entertaining.

Since so much time is spent in the kitchen, potential homebuyers often search for homes with impressive kitchens. It’s for this reason that making upgrades to your kitchen will increase the selling price of your home.

On average, American homeowners spend between $12,565 and $34,976 remodelling their kitchens. But, when you’re selling your home, you probably don’t want to dump that much money into renovations.

With a few hours and a little bit of elbow grease, you can bring life back to your kitchen for a relatively low cost! Try these three DIY kitchen upgrades that will boost your home selling price:

Refurbish Your…

1715 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

how to set up a legal short-term rental in your Santa Cruz home

Short-term vacation rentals are a great source of income for homeowners in Santa Cruz. However, the city council is starting to crack down on many properties that don’t necessarily follow all the rules and regulations for short-term vacation rentals. Although the industry for vacation rentals is not largely regulated, changes could be on the way that could make a big difference to your vacation rental property.

Here are some tips for setting up a legal vacation rental in your home:

Do the Proper Research

Before renting your vacation property, it’s important to do the proper research and determine if you are allowed to rent it out. Check with the city and county codes for any notices on short-term vacation rentals. A good way to do this is by…

1913 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

"Going green" has been big news in real estate for some time now. The benefits are undeniable: less waste, more savings, and the growing appeal to an ever expanding market of environmentally conscious home buyers.

Going green isn't just about recycling your trash, turning the lights off, or the ol' brick-in-the-cistern trick. And we're also some ways past the era of simply putting a solar panel and some extra insulation on a home and calling it "green".

So, where are we in the race towards sustainability? Well 2019 is set to be great for exciting new innovations, as well as some interesting variations on older ideas.

Read on to find out more...

Green Home Construction

More and more, the drive towards greener homes is taking into…

810 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

People from all over the world relocate to Santa Cruz for its picturesque coastlines and laid-back lifestyle.

Moving to Santa Cruz might be one of the most exciting moves of your life. You soon get to experience the joys of this treasure of the golden state first-hand and live everyday as a vacation.

There are countless things to do in this county, from weekend wine trips in the Santa Cruz mountains to days spent surfing in the Pacific.

The vibrant city of Santa Cruz has something for everyone and welcomes people from all walks of life.

Although it’s a dream to live in this city, Santa Cruz relocation can be daunting. With so much to consider, you’ll want to start planning your move early.

To help make your move easier, here’s the…

889 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Santa Cruz people using cell phones.

Santa Cruz can feel overwhelming when you’re new to the city. There’s so much to do and see, it can seem impossible to do it all.

Luckily, there are some awesome Santa Cruz apps to help you do just about anything--from guides to the best restaurants in town, to the breathtaking wineries in the Santa Cruz mountains. Whatever it is you need, there’s an app for that!

Check out the best apps to enjoy Santa Cruz, CA.

Santa Cruz Maps and Walks

Available on IOS and Android!

If you’re new to Santa Cruz and want to learn more about the city, this GPSmyCity app is great for you. Santa Cruz Maps and Walks will lead you on self-guided walking tours that take you to see the best attractions in Santa Cruz.

Guided tours are one of the best ways to…

1027 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

community spotlight, rio del mar

Located in the Aptos area of California, just a short distance east of Santa Cruz, the neighborhood of Rio Del Mar overlooks the waters of Monterey Bay from its winding streets and rolling bluffs. Homes in Rio Del Mar display a varied range of California beachside properties, from frame-and-board cottages, to modernist bungalows, to Spanish-revival haciendas. Balconies and walkways are common for talking in the beautiful ocean or fairway views.

Community Attractions in Rio Del Mar, CA

From Rio Del Mar you can descend to Rio, Platform or Beer Can beach to enjoy miles of sandy shores, grassy banks, and surf-friendly waves. Or, visit the world-class Seascape Golf Club for a round of golf. Rio Del Mar's many ridges and valleys are full of surprising…

5127 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

If you're looking for an investment property in Santa Cruz, then you're looking in the right place. Whether you're looking for a rental, or vacation property, or second home, the Santa Cruz real estate market has a lot of opportunities for building your wealth.

However, as with any property investment, the costs and risks are significant, so you'll want to make the decision carefully and based on the best information available. Still on board?

Here we'll discuss some of the factors to consider when looking for an investment property in Santa Cruz, as well as the best areas to go for.

Click here to jump directly to the list of recommended investment communities around Santa Cruz, or keep reading for more information on buying investment…

1475 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

There are many great reasons to sell your home in the spring. The biggest of these is the weather - not only are more people out and looking for homes, but homes look a lot better too.

So, spring tends to be the time when we see a lot more homes on the market, and a lot more people buying them. What's the downside?

Competition. You're going to have to work a bit harder to make your home stand out from the rest. To help you along, here's a list of 4 areas where you can focus to ensure that your home sells in a timely manner, and at a price that's good for you.

Let's get started.

1) Right Time, Right Price

When people are ready to buy something, usually the final decision comes down to that "something" appearing at the right time and…

718 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post