Thinking of doing some additions to your home that might make great returns on investment when you decide to sell your home? Make sure to check out this list of some projects to avoid if you plan on selling your home in the next year or two. Of note the California Association of Realtors cautions creating expensive over-the-top landscaping projects as the cost of such projects rarely will make a difference in the asking price for yout home. If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com.  Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website! 12/17/2013

  Westside Santa Cruz Homes for Sale and Sold Report for November 2013   Westside Santa Cruz, CA 95060 homes for sale have seen steady price improvement month to month as well as year to yearas inventory levels remain at all-time lows. The Numbers Month to Month and Year to Year The median sales price for Westside Santa Cruz, Ca homes for sale was $757,500 in November 2013 compared up from $587,500 from November of 2012! The number of homes for sale on the Westside of Santa Cruz that sold (closed escrow) was 13 in November 2013 vs. 18 in October 2013 and 14 that sold November 2012. A few highlights of the current Westside Santa Cruz Homes for sale are shown below and represent a nice cross section of properties available, in contract and that have sold. This Months Most Expensive The mo... 12/15/2013

The California Association of Realtors has released a web graphic showing the top 10 cities who are leading the housing recovery. The Association came up with their metric for measuring which cities were leading the recovery based on a number of factors including median price and days on the market along with a few other factors. Of this list of 10, two bay area cities are in the top 5 with Oakland taking the number one spot. Take a look at the graphic and see if your city or region made the list.      If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please contact me at pete@petecullen.com so I can show you why you will Love Livin' in Santa Cruz. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website! 12/06/2013

Starting on November 15th and running through December the 8th, Shakespeare Santa Cruz will be performing their yearly holiday show. This years show will feature nine actors playing dozens of your favorite Bedford Falls characters. The holiday show will be in the styling of a live 1940's radio broadcast as play goers are turned into a live studio audience, becoming part of the performance. The show will feature many amusing holiday jingles that are perfect for the entire family. The Shakespeare Santa Cruz holiday show has become a favoriite amongst community members here in Santa Cruz and should not be missed.  The cost of the event depends on the kind of seating you wish to have, with ticket prices ranging from  $18 to $40. The event will have accessible seating available to those who ... 11/22/2013

HOMES FOR SALE NEAR WESTLAKE ELEMENTARY IN SANTA CRUZ Westlake Elementary School is a K-5th grade school located on the Upper Westside of Santa Cruz at 1000 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060.  Westlake Elementary has a beautiful campus and is also located near the University of California in Santa Cruz (UCSC) Homes near Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz can be anything from a traditional rancher style home to a Craftsman style home to a gorgeous ocean view home, there is usually something for everyone and taste in Santa Cruz.   For the most up to date information visit here to see all Homes for Sale near Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz, Ca Great Schools To see more information about Santa Cruz area schools and ratings check out Santa Cruz, CA Schools on my website. Ideal Sa... 11/21/2013

Are you selling a home? Trying to figure out why that townhome with two elevators and an outdoor kitchen with laminate countertops just can't seem to find a buyer? Why that beach front condo with an included wet bar has been sitting on the market for months with no interested buyers? The California Association of Realtors might just have the answers. According to a new survey, when asked, buyers listed the things they were not looking for in a home. 70% said they were not looking for an elevator in their home, 51% did not want only a shower stall for their master bedroom bath and 30% did not want ceramic tile countertops in their prefered home. Some of the items on the list seem apparent while others might be some features you might have believed were in demand. As the California Associ... 11/08/2013

This weekend the 2013 Santa Cruz Sea Glass Festival will be taking place at the Cocaonut Grove building located at the Santa Beach Boardwalk. Running the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of November only, the event will run on both days from 10:00am to 5pm. The cost to attend the event will be 5 dollars, cash only. The cost of attendance will aslo entitle you to one entry in a prize raffle that will be held during the final day of the event on November 3rd. Winners of the raffle drawing will split a prize of $1000 with the first place winner getting $500 dollars and all other winners receiving $100 each. There will also be winners for other prizes that will include hats and t-shirts. In addition to the potential raffle prizes, there will also be a drawing for a signed guitar by Taylor Swift. ... 11/02/2013

The median housing price for a home in Santa Cruz was at $639,000 for the month of September, which is now jsut a tad off the highest peak in prices for the year. This median price while not as high as the year peak is still well above the median price for homes just a year ago which was $560,000.  The number of homes sold for the month of September stood at 161 which is the second highest number of homes sold for September since 2005 but is still down from a high of 193 homes sold last September.  While the number of homes that have been sold has fallen and the median price is slightly off from the yearly high of $640,000 there is good news in these numbers. The housing market appears to be holding steady, with prices and sales remaining at stable levels without large swings that chara... 10/25/2013

The Santa Cruz Wharf turns 100 years old this weekend. To celebrate the Wharf reaching the century mark there will be many events that will be put on through the course of 2014. As a kickoff for the events scheduled for next year the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History will be hosting a pop-up museum at the wharf. This pop-up museum will allow visitors to interact with historical objects, such as photographs of the wharf's history. Community members are also encouraged to bring their own photographs and their stories of their time spent at the wharf to be included in the exhibit. Interested parties will be able to have their favorite photo scanned by Bay Photo in order to preserve them for years to come, this service is free! The event will happen this Saturday, October 12th and start ... 10/11/2013

TOP 5 REASONS TO LIVE IN PLEASURE POINT - SANTA CRUZ  There are plenty more that 5 reasons to live in Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz but we will get started with the top 5 here.  Pleasure Point is a classic beach neighborhood in Santa Cruz located between 41st Avenue and about 26th Avenue along the coast. 1.  Pleasure Point is a surf mecca - for those who want to learn to surf or experienced surfers, Pleasure Point offers surfing for everyone.  You can learn to surf at 38th or Sharks and enjoy the long rolling waves or try your luck at Pleasure Point or Rockview if you are a bit more experienced. 2. Leave your car in the garage - you can walk or bike anywhere!  Stroll to restaurants, beaches, surf shops, coffeeshops, Capitola Village, 41st Ave Mall . . . 3.  Pleasure Point homes are very un... 09/24/2013

VILLA SANTA CRUZ 55+ SENIOR PARK - HOME FOR SALE 2435 FELT ST #41, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95062 Welcome home to this beautiful 2006 Karsten model home in the Villa Santa Cruz senior mobile home park.  Villa Santa Cruz 55+ Park is immaculately maintained, Cooperatively Owned park in the heart of Santa Cruz.  You can walk to the beach, library, shopping and public transportation.  Villa Santa Cruz Park features a pool, clubhouse, spa, exercise room and fun activities like poker, water aerobics and communal dinners. This 55+ Mobile Home Park in Santa Cruz is a great place to retire and enjoy to easy life by the beach.  This home for sale in Villa Santa Cruz is in one of the best locations in the park.  It is a corner lot with lots of light and a wide carport with room for a few cars. The home is a... 09/16/2013

August's housing numbers seem to suggest a reversal in the increasing number of home sales in the Silicon Valley area housing markets. According to MLS Listings the housing data for August is down when compared to this point last year as well as down from even July of this year. This would seem to suggest a stablizing trend in the single family housing market. There are less multiple offers for homes then in past months but the availablility of housing still remains relatively thin.  Of note for us in Santa Cruz county the sale of single family homes from this time last year is down 3% and from July 2013 the sale of single famiily homes is down about 4%. This decline in sales is attributed to the increase in interest rates for home loans as well as a thinning out of the supply of homes ... 09/14/2013

Santa Cruz County Fair Coming up next week is the Santa Cruz County Fair. The fair begins on Tuesday, September 10th and will run through Sunday the 15th of September.  The fair will be located at 2601 East Lake Ave in Watsonville.  Ticket for those who are 13 to 62 years of age if bought in advance online will cost $9.00 and will cost $10.00 if purchased at the door. Those who are 62 and older will be able to purchase tickets in advance for $7.00 online and will be charged $8.00 at the door. There is also the optiion of buying a ticket to the fairs opening gala event on the 10th. This package can be purchased for $75.00 and will include 2 tickets for the fair along with a voucher for valet parking at the event as well as access to the Heritage Hall event where beer and wine along with ... 09/06/2013

There are many great benefits to home ownership, many extending to your children as well. Below is a chart put together by the California Association of Realtors about these benefits. With many great public and charter K-12 schools in Santa Cruz as well as a major research University in UCSC, Santa Cruz demonstrates its commitment to education.      If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With the benefits of homeownsership clear, coupled with the great schools that Santa Cruz has to offer, now is the time to consider making Santa Cruz your next home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website! 09/01/2013

Santa Cruz Median Home Prices Rising Great news! As many of you have noticed the real estate market is making a comeback in Santa Cruz county. July saw the largest increase in sales for that month in the last nine years, an amazing change from just a few years ago. There were 210 single family home sales which is an increase of 33 percent from last year. Of thesee sales only 17 percent involved short sales which, at the time after the housing crash, made up more then 50 percent of sales.    The median price for homes in Santa Cruz has risen sharply since the beginning of just this year. In January of this year the median price of a home was $483,000 and now in July the median price is up 30 percent to a median price of $601,000. And if this news was not good enough for home sellers, mul... 08/23/2013

128 Peach Terrace San Jose, Ca 95060 Just In Time For The New UC Santa Cruz School Year Home   Virtual Tour   Photo Gallery   Property Map   Financing   Request Showing   Contact Me   Marcy Moyer 01191194 Office: 650-619-9285: Mobile: 650-619-9285: Website: Visit Website Price : $425,000.00 Bedrooms : 3 Bathrooms : 1.5 Square Foot : 1,246 Lot Size : 1,045 sq.ft. Community : Bay Tree County : Santa Cruz Property Type : Condo, Townhome Year Built : 1977 click for more information and pictures Property Description Darling three bedroom townhome in Baytree just in time for the next school year at UC Santa Cruz. This home boasts new carpet, fresh paint, inside laundry, 2 fenced patios, and 2 parking spaces. The complex is close to the university and has easy access to the bus line on Bay St... 08/16/2013

The city of Santa Cruz, located along the Pacific Ocean at the northernmost part of Monterey Bay has been pegged by Forbes Magazine as one of the places most likely to have good job growth in the coming years. Once a quiet, sleepy town known more as a vacation destination, the town has felt the influence of nearby Silicon Valley and the high tech industries.  People who live here are generally outliers of the high pressure, ambitious culture found in San Jose.  The entreprenurial spirit is alive and well, and Santa Cruz is known for its attraction of highly creative people.   Santa Cruz is also known for the University of California, Santa Cruz which has a program dedicated to electronic gaming development.  This program is both highly popular, and highly successful.  The electronic gam... 08/11/2013

In addition to our bright and warming weather, Santa Cruz' economic climate is also beoming brighter. Santa Cruz has just been listed by Forbes as the 6th best city in the nation for future economic growth. This was due to a number of factors such as a median household income of $62,052, an unemployment rate of 9% and an annual job growth rate of 3.4% as well as booming housing market.  These great economic conditions are due in large part to the great environment for growth that the city has created in the last few years. With new businesses such as NextSpace, a space created by our former mayor for collaborative work amongst local startups and professionals as well as Cruzio, a company which has brought high speed internet and server capacity to many of the local startups and business... 08/09/2013

Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music This Friday August 2nd marks the first day of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemportary Music celebrating its rich 50 year history which will run until the 11th of August. During these two weeks audiences will be joined by famed  conductor Marin Alsop as she leads an orchestra of talented musicians. Joining Alsop will be other artists, from preeminent composers to new emerging artists.  The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music will have many ways for attendees to find pusposeful engagement with music. There will be 'Meet the Composer' events, workshops for new composers and conductors, educational programming for anyone of any age as well as a street festival to celebrate Santa Cruz artists and performers. There is something for everyone to enjoy ... 08/02/2013

VILLA SANTA CRUZ 55+ PARK - HOME FOR SALE 2435 Felt Street, #20 Welcome to your Santa Cruz beach home!   This lovely 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home was built in 2004 and is situated in one of the best senior parks in Santa Cruz - Villa Santa Cruz.  Villa Santa Cruz is a cooperatively owned park located on Felt St very close to beaches, shopping, library and public transportation.  Villa Santa Cruz 55+ Park features a pool, clubhouse, sauna, billiards, RV parking and fun activities. This home for sale in Villa Santa Cruz senior park was built in 2004 and features hardwood floors, high ceilings, sun tunnels, master suite, laundry room, open kitchen with bar, dining area, lots of light, front porch.  This single level home has a spacious fell and flow with nice sized bedrooms and bathrooms and... 07/29/2013