Santa Cruz Real Estate News & Information

The real estate market in Santa Cruz is a mature one. There are classic examples of home styles popularized throughout the 20th century and before.

Join us as we explore a few of the home styles that you'll most commonly see come on the market in Santa Cruz. I'm sure you'll recognize many of these styles in the numerous neighborhoods that make up Santa Cruz and the surrounding area.

Search All Available Homes in Santa Cruz!

Craftsman

The Craftsman style home came to prominence around the turn of the 20th century - many believe, as a response to the over-the-top architecture of the Victorian era. The style emphasizes hand-worked features and a simplicity of form. Despite the style being over a hundred years old, it’s still as popular as ever. Many home buyers actively search out craftsman-style real estate.

Craftsman-style homes have several distinct features that set them apart, especially in contrast to Victorian styles. Horizontal lines are emphasized, with low-pitched roofs that extend out beyond the exterior walls - often beams, rafters and other structural elements will remain visible.

Bungalow

The bungalow is another supremely popular style of home that never seems to lose its lustre.

It’s a robust style of home that can come in a wide range of variations based on many different architectural styles. It’s the layout and the flow of the interior of these homes that truly makes a bungalow a bungalow.

Bungalows tend to be smaller homes, a single story or 1.5 stories with an open floor plan designed to make the most of the more limited interior space. Many bungalows also feature larger front porches that act as a kind of outdoor room, adding additional livable space. Building materials can vary quite a bit, but stucco is the defining building material of most of the California-style bungalows found in Santa Cruz.

Spanish

Common throughout California, Spanish-style originally took their design cues from the California Missions originally constructed by Spanish colonists in the mid 18th century. Although called Spanish-style, the term usually more broadly refers to European influenced designs from the mediterranean and elsewhere in that part of the world.

An instantly recognizable style, common design features include curved and arched doorways, painted tile accents and terracotta roofs. The stucco-clad exteriors are the hallmarks of Spanish-style architecture, but their layouts also tend to feature balconies that flow from the interiors of the home and regularly feature courtyards.

Contemporary

Contemporary style architecture can’t really be accurately described as a specific style at all. Instead, it more accurately refers to innovative styles of homes that push the boundaries of architecture into new directions. They often take their cues from a number of different architectural styles, finding ways to combine them (or contrast them) in fascinating ways.

If contemporary homes could be said to have any defining characteristic, it’s that they tend to be asymmetrical and will often employ contrasting materials to create interesting effects.

Also, as a side note, as contemporary styles naturally tend to be newer, they’ll commonly use newer and more state-of-the-art building materials that help make them more energy efficient. They are also more likely to integrate technology right into their construction.

If you're interested in learning more about the homes found in Santa Cruz, be sure to contact Lauren Spencer online or call 1.800.226.4717 to learn more about the area! She’s your local real estate expert and is always happy to help you with all your questions.