July Sales are up for the Santa Barbara Area Our area has been running about 64-107 sales a month so far this year and July came in at 99 sales we are a little slower than last year July with 132 sales.  Although sales are a bit slower our market is still very healthy.

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When I started my Neighborhood Safety Program one year ago I never imagined that it would be needed so soon! On July 1st when the Gap fire began, the San Antonio Creek/Park Highland Neighborhood Safety group jumped into action. There were constant updates to the neighbors via Walkie-Talkie and email. We were communicating regarding the location of the fire and our evacuation status. Many of us could see it from out our windows and with no electricity the Walkie-Talkies were very helpful. We were under evacuation warning, which, thanks to our extensive preparation, was very calm and organized. Thankfully we were never forced to evacuate but we were certainly prepared to do so. We live in an area where we should always be prepared for a possible fire, I encourage every neighborhood to join together and create a neighborhood safety program.

“I GUESS WE ALL LIKE TO BE RECOGNIZED NOT FOR ONE PIECE OF FIREWORKS, BUT FOR THE LEDGER OF OUR DAILY WORK.” Neil Armstrong. And while the summer’s fireworks started in full force on the July 4th holiday, they continued daily last week in the financial markets as Bonds and home loan rates ignited and began the week by improving sharply. This early-week rally was sparked by a speech made by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who said that the Fed may continue to provide emergency loans to investment banks to help them overcome credit problems. This led to improvement in the Bond market because the markets saw this as a sign that the Fed is willing to take action to maintain stability and counter any turbulence or explosions that may occur.

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Because of the rash of media stories regarding the rampant number of foreclosures across the country, I am often approached by prospective buyers interested in purchasing bank owned properties along the South Coast.  The first thing that I tell everyone is that there are not many foreclosed properties in our area.  So far this year, through June 17th, there have only been 46 properties taken back by lenders from Carpinteria through Goleta.  This is in sharp contrast to North County where there have been 465 foreclosures during the same time period.

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If you or someone you know has a home being threatened by fire you may want to learn more about this product or something similar.  For people living in a high risk fire area, which seems to be almost anywhere in CA or the Western United State, it might be worth investing in and keeping it on hand. What I am talking about is a fire retardant gel that can be sprayed on your house if it is in eminent danger. This company says it protects for a matter of hours up to 3 days.
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This year Village Properties is proud to be the Title Sponsor for the 2008 Santa Barbara Triathlon! Even better, the beneficiaries for this year are Computer for Families and the Teacher’s Fund.

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“THERE IS NO BARRIER TOO HIGH, NO VALLEY TOO DEEP… NO DREAM TOO EXTREME, NO CHALLENGE TOO GREAT” ~ Charles Swindoll and that motivating phrase was a great motto for last week, as both Bonds and home loan rates ended up being greatly challenged as they dreamed of breaking through technical barriers to attempt some improvement. Lots of intra-week action ensued - but when the dust settled, Bonds and home loan rates rallied in the face of challenges and ended the week very close to where they began.

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Our San Antonio Creek neighborhood safety program started out with the goal of collectively preparing for a possible emergency/natural disaster. In doing so we accomplished something equally important, a closer community.

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The Santa Barbara real estate climate remains uncertain. On the one hand, there are many signs that indicate our market is improving: home sales have increased; residential loan activity has increased; property inventory has decreased since its high in late ’07; and the median sales price for South County continues to climb (thanks to robust activity in the $5 million + market). On the other hand, certain segments of the market are experiencing price declines to 2005 and, in some cases, even 2004 levels.

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Many Santa Barbara homeowners that want to upgrade their present home are putting a move on hold because of the soft housing market.  However, the current “buyer’s market” is actually the best time to trade your current home for a better one. Here’s why:

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