Happy Fourth everyone! As you sit back and enjoy the much deserved long weekend, here are some local activities right here in Santa Cruz to help you celebrate our nations Indepedence.   If you are looking for some explosions in the sky you are in luck. Right over in Scotts Valley on the 17, fireworks will be in full view later in the evening at Skypark Park starting at 9:15pm. Before the start of the show, attendees can play games and enjoy music in food at the park. The cost of entrace to park is 8 dollars. Make sure to arrive early to enjoy the pre firework activities and get some of the best spots to view the main attraction. Remember that this is the only place in Santa Cruz that will be having a fireworks show!   Want to take advantage of the beautiful ocean view here in Santa Cruz... 07/04/2014

For pretty much every buyer, there are certain features of their new home that they cannot compromise on. This can be diffucult especially if you find yourself looking for a home with a significant other as your two preferences can clash when looking at potential homes. The California Association of Realtors has released an new survey of the various deal breakers that buyers have. The survey shows the different preferences between men and women and surprisingly there are only a few deal breakers that both sexes do not share. The first deal breaker for both men and women in a home is one without sufficient outdoor living space, looks like we all want to have some nice yard space for those summer barbeques! With the gorgeous scenery of Santa Cruz you might be spending too much time indoor... 06/28/2014

One of Santa Cruz's staple events is returning for its newest season! Santa Cruz Shakespeare will be begin their 2014 play season starting next month. This seasons plays will include As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor and an additional Shakesperian inspired play called The Fringe Show: The Beard of Avon. As You Like It  is a play about love at first sight, a wrestling match, some cross-dressing and a fool. This delightful romantic comedy boasts all four of these, cleverly intertwined with the trials and triumphs of love. The Merry Wives of Windsor marks the return of audience favorite Sir John Falstaff once again down on both luck and cash. In dire need he schemes to fatten his wallet by seducing Mistresses Ford and Page in an attempt to swindle their husbands' money. The Fringe... 06/23/2014

Looking for some activities to take your Father out to this weekend? Are you a young father looking for events that would be great for your entire family? Look no further, here are some suggestions for things you can do this weekend in Santa Cruz county and beyond.  Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton will be hosting two events this weekend that are perfect for those Fathers with young children. Great Train Robberies is one of the events being held this weekend at Roaring Camp, here guests will be able to witness famous shootouts and notorious outlaws as the trains make their way though the Redwoods up to Bear Mountain. The second event will be Hats Off to Dad where Fathers can be treated to a trip up to Bear Mountain as well as have a dinner from Chucks Wagon BBQ. As part of this dinner p... 06/13/2014

With a new month it is once again First Friday in Santa Cruz. With events all over the city, now is the time to come out and enjoy the beautiful June weather as well as see what local and regional artists have been working on.  The Tannery in Santa Cruz will once again be hosting events in their galleries this First Friday. UnDressed, an exhibit taking place at the Tanneries Radius Gallery, will focus on the various new ways in which technology and fabric can come together. The gallery will showcase the works of artists who are combining traditional garmet creation techniques with new tools and methods to create narrative garmets that will give exhibit goers a thought provoking experience. The Radius Gallery will also play host to AMPHORA, an art vehicle from Oakland, that will allow vi... 06/06/2014

Looking for a fun event celebrating good design while at the same time helping those in need in our local area? This Saturday, May 17th, The Architects Association of Santa Cruz will be hosting their 19th annual Open Architecture Tour. Come see and appreciate good design around Santa Cruz. The tour will take place from 10AM until 4PM with a post tour gathering occuring at La Posta restaraunt on the East Side of Santa Cruz. The cost of the event is $36 which will admit two people to the tour. Tickets may be purchased at several locations around Santa Cruz county including Bookshop Santa Cruz, they may also be purchased online at Habitat for Humanity Santa Cruz. Funds from the sale of tickets will benefit Habitat For Humanity Santa Cruz making this an excellent event to not only learn mor... 05/16/2014

A short video introduction on the passion that drives my work in real estate as well as some of the reasons why Santa Cruz is a great place to call home.    Want to make Santa Cruz your next home? Email me at pete@petecullen.com to find out how you too can love living in Santa Cruz.  05/13/2014

With the warming weather and the arrival of the month of May, it is once again First Friday in Santa Cruz. First Friday gives residents of Santa Cruz to enjoy the great artistic and culinary talents that are on offer in the city. From Downtown to the Westside and up through the Tannery onto Felton, the creative talents of Santa Cruz's are out in full force tonight. Some of the gallerys and exhibits that one can visit include Doug Ross' Other Mothers artwork. In honor of Mother's Day, Ross has created several prints of the non-human mothers that inhabit our world. This gallery is located at 1368 Pacific Ave. in Downtown Santa Cruz beginning at 6PM until 8PM. In case you do not catch the exhibit tonight, the gallery will be shown throughout the month of May. The Felix Kulpa and Sculpture ... 05/02/2014

This weekend the University of California, Santa Cruz will be holding its Alumni Weekend series of events running until Sunday night. The alumni event is an excellent time for graduates to come see the changes and current research that have happened in the time since they graduated. Come see old professors and friends who had a major impact on your life and reconnect with them. Some of the events that will be taking place during the Alumni Weekend include the SOMeCA 25th anniversary dinner where current and former student group organizers and current community leaders will come together to celebrate 25 years of SOAR at UC Santa Cruz. This event will be taking place Saturday from 6 to 9 PM at the Cowell Dining Hall.  Saturday night will also feature the Lick Observatory History and Teles... 04/26/2014

This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the Santa Cruz Yacht harbor, a fixture of the Santa Cruz community. To mark the occasion the Santa Cruz Port District will be hosting a re-dedication event Friday and will also place a community pop-up museum for those interested in learning more about the history of the harbor this Saturday.  In addition to the 50th anniversay of the Santa Cruz Yacht harbor, Wednesday night Sailboat racing has returned for the 2014 season. The races will run on Wednesdays through the end of Daylight Savings time. These races offer attendees the chance to check out some of the local restaraunts at the harbor as these offer some of the best viewing spots for the races.  Surrounding the harbor are some of Santa Cruz' best restaraunts that not only take advantage... 04/18/2014

With demand increasing and supply of existing homes staying flat, it is becoming more common for most home sellers to receive multiple bids on their home. The California Association of Realtors has released a new infographic on how those who received multiple offers on their homes handled the situation. According to CAR, in 2013, 98% of home sellers received multiple offers on their home, with the average number of offers hover around three each. Certainly fantastic news to those who are looking to sell in the coming year.    Not surprisingly 77% of those who received multiple offers choose to go with the highest bid on their home, but some 47% also choose to go with the offer that had the best mortage qualified buyer. Make sure to check the CAR infographic for all the ways in which sel... 04/11/2014

With the coming of a new month it is time once again for First Friday here in Santa Cruz. First Friday is an event that invites the Santa Cruz community to come out an enjoy various locations across the city and county. The downtown area of Santa Cruz offers many different types of shops and eateries that residents can come and enjoy. Many of the shops have free offerings for those coming in to their stores during First Fridays, making this a great opportunity to explore the various businesses in the downtown area.  First Friday is not only a great time to check out local businesses but to also check out the local art scene in Santa Cruz. This First Friday the Museum of Art and History(MAH), a staple of the downtown community, will have free admission to those attending for First Friday... 03/07/2014

  Schedule a Showing/Request Info Search All Santa Cruz Homes For Sale Search Santa Cruz Luxury Beach Homes Search Santa Cruz Foreclosures What is Your Home Worth?   American Dream Realty   831-429-5700 Questions?Schedule a Showing! MLS#: 81401745   Licensed In:CA License #:01280979 Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 2926 Leotar Circle Santa Cruz, CA  Description Photos Maps & Local Schools           View the Property Details, More Photos, Map & Schoolinformation here at the updated Virtual Tour!   Townhome in one of the best maintained complexes in Santa Cruz. Stunning design quality interior. Two master suites, two fireplaces, inside laundry area and attached garage. Swimming pool. Great... 03/04/2014

In recent weeks three beachfront homes in Santa Cruz have sold for more than 3 million dollars each. These sales come off the heels of a recent sale of a home in Santa Cruz near Opal Cliffs for 4.2 million dollars.  The three beachfront homes that sold more for more than 3 millions dollars were located in Seacliff, Pleasure Point and Rio Del Mar areas of Santa Cruz.  The sale of these homes seems to indicate a resurgence in the number of homes in the upper price brackets of the market as these types of home sales increase in volume. The months of December and January saw 37 homes being sold for more than 1 million dollars, an increase over the same period a year ago where only 20 homes for more than 1 million dollars were sold. Additionally more home sales are going to those buyers who ... 03/03/2014

The event of the season is upon us one again here in Santa Cruz. The Clam Chowder Cook-off and Festival is happening this Saturday, the 22nd of February at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The Clam Chowder Cook-off is a great chance to come out and enjoy the culinary talent of the wonderful people and businesses of Santa Cruz County.     Admission to the event is free and those attending may purchase tasting kits for $9 which will allow you to sample up to five chowders. Chowders are available in both the Manhattan and Boston varieties with awards being given out to the top teams in both categories. There will also be awards given out to a Peoples Choice winner as well as an award for the Most Original team. With many wonderful chowders to be tasted, going back for a second or third tasting ki... 02/21/2014

Forgot to make plans for Valentines Day? No date for tonight and wanting to do something really fun this weekend? Twisted Tasting 2014 will be taking place this Saturday, February 15th at the top of the Rittenhouse Building in downtown Santa Cruz. Twisted Tasting offers attendees the chance to sample experimental and unique beers from twenty different breweries as well as various small plate samplings. With the purchase of your ticket for Twisted Tasting you can sample all the beer and food that you would like, making this event a great deal. The cost to attend Twisted Tasting 2014 is $65.00 with the event starting at 6:30 pm and running until 9:30 pm. If you arrive earlier there is a preview session of the beers and the breweries you can sample them from starting at 4 pm and ending at ... 02/14/2014

According to the California Association of Realtors, 2013 was a great year for real estate here in California. Across all counties throughout the state median home prices were up for last year. As expected the area of the state with the highest median home prices was the Bay Area with median prices in the City coming in at around $890,000. The reigning county with this highest median home price in the state were the homes in Marin County clocking in at around $950,000. Here in Santa Cruz county the median home prices clocked in at $660,000 on the dot. Below you will find the infographic put out by the California Association of Realtors detailing the median home prices in other California counties. Please feel free to check out the infographic and see what the median prices in your area ... 01/31/2014

Last year the California Association of Realtors discussed their top home improvement projects that home owners should avoid. These were projects that not only had high costs to complete but when it would come time to sell your home you could expect only a small return on your initial investment, a one-two punch of terrible.  With the New Year CAR has released their list for the home improvement projects that home owners should do if they are looking to maximize their returns on investment when they sell their home. Want the most return for your hard earned dollars? Should your house only have one bathroom in it, then you are in luck, by adding another bathroom to your home it is estimated that you could see returns anywhere from 80 to 130% of the cost of the addition. For a complete li... 01/24/2014

It is that time of year again, the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers are once again sponsoring their first Passport Day of 2014 this Saturday, January 18th. For those of you new to the area or who have not heard of the event, Passport Days were created in order to celebrate the rich history of the wingrowers, vintners and the families that make up the tradition of winegrowing here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. These celebrations occur on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November during the course of the year.    On Passport Days guests are welcomed into over 30 different wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains where each will have their own sampling of wines and gourmet foods and entertainment. Most wineries are closed to the public on Passport Days so this is a great opportuni... 01/17/2014

When you help your clients they love you, or at least in this case they like you a whole lot. The California Association of Realtors has released a survey of the top five things that home buyers liked about the work that there realtor did in finding them their new home. With 91% of California home buyers using a realtor in 2013 to help them through the home buying process there was a lot to love.  California homebuyers overwhelming said that their realtor did an excellent job in finding them the best possible home for their needs. Respondents to the survey also said that their realtor did an excellent job in negotiating a good deal for them and with prices having risen some 24% since March of 2012, a good deal is increasingly paramount for buyers.  Check out the rest of the top reasons ... 01/10/2014