If you enjoy history and fixing things, then it may be hard to drive by historic Santa Cruz homes for sale without feeling the urge to buy one and fix it up.  Before you do, you need learn the three R’s of fixing up historic homes and the differences between them.

The three R’s of fixing up historic homes are restoration, renovation and repair.  Some of the differences are minor, but they can make all the difference in cost, time and problems.

Restoration

“Restoration” literally means returning something to its original state. 

Restoring historic Santa Cruz homes for sale involve city and state programs.  It’s essential that you check to see if the home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or if it’s located in a historic…

2048 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Are you considering buying your first home?  I'm sure you already know that now's an amazing time to buy your first home.  You have the perfect combination of low interest rates, low Santa Cruz home prices and President Obama's stimulus plan which gives you additional incentive to buy now.

To help make your first time Santa Cruz home buying experience the best it can be, here are some tips:

1) Know What You Can Afford

It is easy to get carried away with what you want versus what you can actually afford. Start with reasonable expectations.

2) Decide Exactly What You Need

Consider your current family status and what your immediate future might hold, then decide on the number of bedrooms you require and the amenities you feel you can't do without. If…

1929 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Today’s slow real estate market is a hard place to sell Santa Cruz homes. However, the fact remains that homes are still being bought and sold.  Buyers are out there; you just have to attract them to your home.

Here are a few tips for getting Santa Cruz homes sold in a slow real estate market:

Prepare for the Sale
Your home needs to stand out from the rest. Give it a lot of sparkle and shine:

• Make minor repairs:  Patch holes, fix faucets and replace cracked tiles.
• Clean inside and out:  No cobwebs, dirty carpets, worn rugs or smelly odors.
• Check your curb appeal:  Mow the lawn, plant flowers, trim bushes, etc.
• Remove clutter and de-personalize:  If it isn’t essential, pack it up or get rid of it.
• Straighten your cabinets and closets:  Buyers…

1659 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

If you’re ready to sell your home but it’s not yet on the market, asking the right questions of your Santa Cruz real estate agent is a good way to help your home get sold.  These questions assist agents in creating a customized marketing plan for your home, as well as helping you know what to expect.  The top five questions are:

1.  When is the best time of year?  Spring is supposedly “the” time of year to put home on the market, but it all depends on the specific area.  In addition, many historic trends are completely disappearing and can’t be trusted as an indicator.  Your Santa Cruz real estate agent can help you with a good timing strategy to get the best out of your particular area.

2.  What features can I accentuate?  Take the time to walk…

1609 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

If you’re looking at homes for sale in Santa Cruz, want to buy a home and are waiting around for better prices, you might want to rethink your strategy.

If you’re a market watcher, soaking up the information overload across news media and Internet websites, you’re probably overwhelmed with confusion by now. Is the housing market getting better? Is it getting worse? Was there really, when it gets down to it, a housing bubble collapse? And, if so, who popped it?

First, the quick answers. Yes, the housing bubble collapsed, and everybody had a hand in popping it: the government, the lenders, the investors and the general public. Now the hard answers: it’s getting better – and worse.

The truth is that market predictors are all on the fence. With the …

4764 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post