The city of Santa Cruz has plans for expanding the downtown area of Santa Cruz and is beginning its planning by seeking input from those who live in Santa Cruz. They have begun their efforts by conducting an online survey and study to ask people in Santa Cruz what they think of the proposed plans for expanding the downtown area.
This initial downtown expansion project has plans of taking 29 acres south of Laurel Street and restructuring to make room for a 4-acre sports arena and an unspecified number of high-rise apartment buildings. This would displace the current businesses and homes that are already in the area. Without the projected revenue from the proposed new residential high-rise apartments building a new arena would not be economically feasible. The city is asking for insight from community members and is asking for opinions about the redevelopment of this area of downtown Santa Cruz.
Currently, the survey is only open until September 1 and is available in English and Spanish taking about 15 minutes to complete. The city says it plans to take the input gathered from this survey as well as hold a public community meeting about project plans later in September or October. They will use these insights as they make their decisions for restructuring this area of Santa Cruz.
Last year there was a proposal for the construction of 175-foot-high residential buildings which would be roughly 16 stories. When this plan was originally proposed there was pushback from the public which has led to the city Council attempting to scale back the original plans to include residential buildings with a height of 12 stories. These plans were amended and reconfigured at the beginning of...
As mortgage rates continue to remain higher than many expected or predicted some potential Santa Cruz County and Monterey County homebuyers might be searching for ways to find a home for a lesser price. Many of the most googled real estate searches have to do with finding homes at a lesser price such as how to find home auctions or what is the process of a home auction. If you are shopping for a Santa Cruz home, or Monterey County home, and are hoping to find something you truly love within an affordable budget there is good news. There are some strategies for purchasing a Santa Cruz home that can help you find the best deal.
Shop for more than one mortgage
It may be surprising but a majority of homebuyers still do not shop around for the best mortgage available to them. Or maybe you are one of the majority who might not be aware that you have the freedom to look into several different mortgage providers and types before deciding on the mortgage you will use to purchase your Santa Cruz home.
Your mortgage can greatly impact the overall payment and cost of your home purchase. Shopping around for more than one mortgage can find you better terms and a more affordable purchase price or interest rate. One of the easiest ways to shop around for mortgage options is to work with a mortgage broker. A mortgage broker does the shopping for their client and looks at...
Santa Cruz County offers a vast array of different geographical climates and cultural atmospheres. Many people are aware of the amazing beach towns and surf culture of Santa Cruz itself as well as going just a bit inward into the hills and the redwood forests. What some people may not realize is that there is a hidden gem of wine country in the Aptos and Corralitos areas of Santa Cruz County.
A local hotel in Aptos has recently started offering a new program to showcase the many wineries in the area offering discounts and monthly events. This hotel is the Seacliff Inn. The Seacliff Inn operates under Hilton's collection of tapestry hotels which is an upscale collection of luxury accommodations. It is a great place for a staycation if you live in the Santa Cruz area or to encourage friends and family to come visit and stay. Every Thursday the inn offers a program called Wine30 which gives a 30% discount on 30 different wines on Thursdays. This is available at Sevy's Bar and Kitchen in the hotel and every third Thursday there is a Sip and Stroll event with outdoor dining live music vendors and wine served by a different local winery every month.
How Wine30 came to be
The Wine 30 program was created by the Sea Cliff Inn Director of Food and Beverage Steven Miller. He has been at the hotel for almost a...
Monterey Bay is located on the central coastline of the state of California. This coastal area offers some of the most amazing views and beautiful beaches in California. And just a little inland you will find some of the most gorgeous forested areas full of towering redwood trees and amazing hiking trails that bring you back to views of the beach.
We may be biased but this is quite possibly the best spot to settle into in the entire state of California. Who wouldn't want to be able to wake up with the sound of the crashing waves and the sun kissing their face? Even if you were just a few minutes inland from the shore you can be at the beach in minutes. The Monterey Bay area of California has some of the most amazing beach towns to settle into. Here are some of our favorites.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is possibly the most notable town on California's Monterey Bay coastline. Is most notable for its surfing culture when it comes to the water and is the spot of one of the most iconic and longest-standing boardwalks in America. If you love to surf this is the place to settle into as the surf culture in Santa Cruz earned it the name of the original "Surf City" in America. Santa Cruz is home to many point breaks and short breaks and is what some would say is the best surfing spot in America.
Taking a trip into the quaint downtown area of Santa Cruz will bring you...
The real estate market in Santa Cruz and pretty much everywhere for that matter has been interesting, to say the least, for the last few years. And while the market has calmed down a bit from the craziness we saw there are still quite a few things that keep the market at a challenging rate to navigate for some. This is because the inventory of homes for sale across the country remains low.
While this is still a seller's market in Santa Cruz it is important for a Santa Cruz home seller to price their home just right in order to have a successful home sale even as there are more buyers looking for homes than there are homes for sale. The best way to make sure you are properly pricing your home and set up for a successful home sale is to utilize the expertise of a local real estate agent.
Reasons why it is so important to list your home at the right price in Santa Cruz even in a seller's market
It sends a message to interested Santa Cruz buyers
Where the price of a home is set automatically leads potential Santa Cruz homebuyers to think things about the property. A home priced too low automatically raises questions about something being wrong with the home, or that something is too good to be true. If you price the home too high it can turn off buyers thinking you are being greedy as more buyers are savvy about the real estate market today than they were about a decade ago. And if...
