There's nothing like Santa Cruz County in the fall! If you have just moved here you are probably looking to find some community events to enjoy and help you get immersed in the culture of the area. These are also great events to visit if you are trying to get a feel for the area when you are interested in purchasing a Santa Cruz County home.
Fall in Santa Cruz County offers the best weather of the year and there are several fun things happening that are popular for a good reason. Here is a list of some of the most popular fall events in Santa Cruz 2023.
Wednesday night sailboat races
Let's start off the list with something fun at the Santa Cruz harbor, one of the most popular places in Santa Cruz County. This is something free to enjoy and spectate or you could make a fun night out at a waterfront restaurant on the harbor while watching the Wednesday night sailboat races. The Santa Cruz harbor is located at Fifth Avenue in Santa Cruz. It is free to watch the sailboat race and they do it weekly on Wednesday nights through the end of October.
Farm Tours
The weekend of October 7 and 8 is the Open Farm Tours Weekend. This year there are 15 Santa Cruz County farms participating. This is a chance to take a look at real working farms and see all of the interesting aspects of local healthy food production. Get in on activities like pressing apples and making...
If you are looking for a home in Santa Cruz County you could not have picked a better area of California to settle into! Okay maybe I am biased because I live in the area, but there are truly just so many reasons to love the Santa Cruz area. Trying to narrow down where you will purchase a home could be difficult because the county is full of amazing coastal towns and hidden forest oases.
Some potential Santa Cruz buyers might wonder what type of home they could get for a certain budget in different areas of the county. This is a great question that could help you decide what location you want to look for a home. I can certainly help you out with this question in many different towns in both Santa Cruz and Monterey County. Let's start with what $2M could buy you in the actual city of Santa Cruz vs. the town of Aptos.
Why are We Comparing Santa Cruz and Aptos?
When deciding to move to Santa Cruz County a majority of potential buyers are interested in purchasing a home in or just outside of the city of Santa Cruz. The town of Aptos is often considered to be the first alternative location when opening up a broader home search in the county. Let's Look at a $2M budget for both.
Buying in Aptos
Aptos is located east of Santa Cruz and is home to many of the most popular housing communities like Seascape and Seacliff, two of the most popular. Aptos is smaller than Santa...
Scotts Valley is a town inland in north Santa Cruz County that is a popular destination. It may not be right on the coastline but it offers its own desirable atmosphere of rolling hills and redwoods. It is a great location for those commuting into Silicon Valley and is also peaceful and relaxed making it a desirable spot for young families to settle. Scotts Valley is often a highly desirable location on many Santa Cruz County homebuyer's wish lists. If you are interested in Scotts Valley here is some information about some of the most popular neighborhoods of Scotts Valley
Glenwood Estates
Glenwood Estates is a smaller residential neighborhood with just a handful of properties best known for their large size and ample backyards. This is a very desirable neighborhood for families in the Scotts Valley area with very quiet streets and many other families to get to know. It is also close to the schools of Scotts Valley especially Scotts Valley High School which is just one block from the neighborhood.
Glenwood Estates is also a very quiet and peaceful setting as it is a neighbor of the Glenwood Open Space Preserve. The neighborhood is well-maintained and homes offer an impressive traditional style exterior. It is what you would expect to see from an ideal suburban community.
Granite Creek Estates...
Since 2020 the real estate market has been on a roller coaster. Currently, that roller coaster has shifted to an uphill climb for many Santa Cruz homebuyers. Facing a challenging market those looking to purchase a home in Santa Cruz or Monterey County may find themselves looking for different strategies to help them get into a home at an affordable price that they actually like.
The real estate market has been hard to navigate for many homebuyers here and across the country and understandably has caused a bit of buying anxiety. These challenges and stressful feelings can push some homebuyers to make decisions they feel are helpful but could actually be more of a mistake than a benefit to their homebuying process
Here are some of the homebuying mistakes we are seeing some Santa Cruz buyers being tempted to make.
Playing a timing game
Trying to time the market, meaning finding the perfect time to purchase a home, is like playing a losing game. Since many home buyers saw unbelievably low interest rates not too long ago some are thinking that they can wait it out and hold off for the perfect moment to come along to purchase a home. The truth is however that there is no ultimately perfect buying market condition for a home.
One of the biggest mistakes a buyer could make is to not move forward with a home purchase currently in hopes that mortgage rates will drastically come down in the near future. Instead, it is better to ask yourself questions as...
