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

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

With housing prices continuing to climb in the region, many first-time buyers have had a hard time breaking into the Santa Cruz real estate market. To help alleviate some of the financial pressures these buyers are facing in the Silicon Valley , Housing Trust Silicon Valley is helping home buyers with a new Homebuyer Empowerment Loan Program (H.E.L.P.), which will become available to help households with incomes that are up to 140% of the area's median income to buy a market-rate home.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest loan program for first-time home buyers in Silicon Valley.

Funding Assistance For Your First Home in Silicon Valley

The Homebuyer Empowerment Loan Program will assist middle-income earners looking to buy

After much anticipation and excitement, you’ve finally closed on a home for your family – but now what should you do? Here are 10 important things you should do during your transition into your new abode.

Make Copies Of Important Documents & Store Them In A Safe Container

Have copies made of your home’s important legal documents and put them in a very safe place, like a safety deposit box at the bank. As much as you don’t want to think about fire, flood, earthquakes or otherwise, accidents do happen and you’ll thank yourself later for being proactive.

Change The Locks

Who knows how many keys the previous owners had made that are floating around out there. Before moving into the home, change the locks as soon as you can. You can opt for

One of the most stressful things for UC Santa Cruz students in trying to find a place to stay during their studies. As if tuition isn’t enough, it doesn’t help that rents are still incredibly high compared to what they used to be. In June, the average rent in Santa Cruz was around 2,600 per month, an increase of 4.3 percent over last year. While this might not seem like much, it means that renters are paying about an extra $100 a month more than they were in 2015.

So with August right around the corner, students are starting to look for places to stay for the start of their semester. If you’re one of those who are feeling pressured by the housing squeeze, then listen up! Buying a home in Santa Cruz just might be a better option, especially if

Buying your first home is one of the most exciting purchases you’ll make in your life, but before you start to comb through the listings to find the home of your dreams, you’ll need to find out how much you can borrow. If the idea of buying a home is even minutely interesting to you, it’s never to early to get your financials in check so that when the time comes, there’s nothing to hold you back.

Here are some tips from some national mortgage pros to help you be mortgage-ready when the time comes to buy a home in Santa Cruz County.

Clean Up Your Credit Score

Your credit score and history are two of the biggest factors that lenders consider when processing your mortgage eligibility. Before you apply for your mortgage, request a free credit report

The Santa Cruz real estate market is still simmering from its red-hot year in 2015. Prices remain high, inventory is low and the demand for homes is still remarkably high. So where does that leave first-time homebuyers? With rental prices at an all-time high, it may be time to ask yourself the tough questions. Are you ready to buy a home? Can you picture yourself spending the next few years here? Are you financially and mentally ready to commit? If you can honestly answer those questions with a yes, then you’re nearly halfway there.

1) Ask All Of The Questions

Ask your friends, family, coworkers, web forums, industry professionals, essentially everyone and anyone you can to find out more about things like financing, the buying process, home

So, you’ve found the perfect homes for sale in Santa Cruz and have already been approved for a mortgage. All that’s left is for you to finalize the deal and the home is yours! Sounds pretty straight forward, right? But closing costs have a tendency to sneak up on buyers (especially first-timers) that get so caught up in the excitement of house shopping that they completely forget about them, that is until they want to seal the deal. 

What Are Closing Costs?

Whenever you buy a home, there are quite often a number of additional costs to cover the cost of third-party and lender fees. These fees are called the ‘closing costs’, and include all of the costs that are incurred along the way, like lawyers, appraisers, documentation, and so on. Closing

Where Are All The Homes For Sale In Santa Cruz?

While home prices continue to rise, homeowners who were once thinking about capitalizing on the value of their home are reconsidering the idea. A study from the California Association of REALTORS® found that more than one-third of California homeowners have thought about selling their home in the past year in an attempt to cash in on the boom, but a majority of them weren't able to afford another home if they sold the one they had. In addition to the affordability crunch, the higher property taxes are another factor that's keeping residents in their current homes.

In the first quarter of 2012, when housing in California was the most

When you make the decision to buy your first home, there’s a whole spectrum of emotions that typically come into play. With so much money on the line and the commitment of a mortgage, it’s no wonder that home buying is regarded as one of the biggest decisionsf your life. It's also one of the most exciting, too! Here are a few common mistakes of new buyers to avoid if you’re thinking about purchasing your very first home.

Skipping Important Steps

With so much excitement and anticipation of home shopping, all too often many of the little details are either missed or completely disregarded. Things like home inspections and researching the neighborhood are crucial to how you’re going to live in and enjoy living in your home. As eager as you may