Santa Barbara Real Estate Blog

The Zia Group has another exciting new listing to announce this week located at 2624 Orella Street which is located where the Upper Westside and the Samarkand neighborhoods meet. This unique property boasts two charming cottages on one lot, so it can be used as an income property for an investor or an end-user. This property is conveniently located near Cottage Hospital, Oak Park, Trader Joe’s, and State street shopping and dining. The front house has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom,  fireplace, laminate floors, private deck, and in-unit laundry. The back house has one bedroom and one bath, wood floors, private yard, patio, and in-unit laundry as well. Great opportunity for two buyers, investor, or a buyer that needs a place for the in-laws. The asking price for this Santa Barbara home is $785,000.

The Zia Group is excited to announce the listing of a beautiful view home in Mission Canyon. This remodeled four-bedroom, three-bathroom home combines old world charm and modern convenience. Some property highlights include a 900 square foot master bedroom with walk in closet, jacuzzi, and panoramic views, as well as a downstairs guest apartment, 3 view patios, a two-car garage, and a nice sized yard. This home is also within walking distance to the beautiful Santa Barbara Mission (2/3 of a mile), Rocky Nook Park, and State street (1 1/4 of a mile). This stunning home is located at 832 Cheltenham Road and is aggressively priced to sell at  $1,175,000.

832 Cheltenham Rd

Dining Nook

Floor Plan

For more details and photos of this Santa Barbara home please click here.

If you are interested in this property or if you have more specific questions please contact Santa Barbara Realtor Daniel Zia. Daniel and the rest of the Zia Group team are ready to assist you in your Santa Barbara home search. You may also visit our website www.theziagroup.com for detailed information on Santa Barbara Neighborhoods as well as many helpful resources such as Automatic Email Home Finder. Thanks for visiting the Santa Barbara Real Estate Blog.

This new Mesa REO (Bank-owned property) just came on the market and it is a great value for any Santa Barbara home buyer looking for something affordable and close to the beach. This turn-key home is only 1 block from beach access and popular Shoreline park, and the entire house has been updated with features like granite counters, stainless steel appliances, a recent bathroom remodel, and lush tropical landscaping.  The garage also appears to have been finished out as additional living space at one time complete with drywall, electricity, new windows, trim, etc. This property was last listed for sale in 2009 for $1.049 million and is currently listed at $748,680. To demonstrate the value of this property, no homes have sold on Shoreline Drive for under $1 million in the last 5 years and many of the bluff-front homes have ranged all the way up to $4.5 million: Shoreline Drive Sales for past five years.

Mesa REO

Please Click here for the full MLS listing details and photos for 1514 Shoreline Drive.

Thanks for visiting the Santa Barbara Real Estate Blog. Visit www.TheZiaGroup.com for your comprehensive Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, and Carpinteria resource. If you have any questions regarding this property or other Santa Barbara homes, contact Daniel Zia today at 805-679-7148 or Daniel@ZiaGroup.com.

Our buyer clients typically intend to make at least a few changes to the Santa Barbara home they purchase and top among them is landscaping. If you are thinking about having some landscaping done on your property, here is important information  on ways to save water and money with the “Smart Landscape Rebate Program” in Santa Barbara and Goleta.

Cash for Making Your Garden More Water Wise!

The Smart Landscape Rebate Program offers rebates on approved irrigation equipment and landscape materials including:

·         Irrigation Equipment: 50% of the cost of drip irrigation parts, sprinkler system efficiency retrofits, MP Rotator sprinkler nozzles, and equipment for a laundry to landscape graywater system.

·         Water-wise Plants and Mulch: 50% of the cost of water-wise plants and mulch. Planted areas must be covered with a 3-inch layer of mulch.

·         Smart Irrigation Controller: 50% of the cost of the smart irrigation controller. Smart irrigation controllers work on a simple principle: provide the appropriate watering schedule; automatically adjust for weather changes; irrigate based on the needs of your plants.

Any combination of irrigation equipment and planting costs may qualify for a one-time rebate and the maximum amount varies by water provider and customer type.

The City of Santa Barbara and the Goleta Water District are offering rebates up to $1,000 for single family homes and up to $2,000 per account serving irrigated area ($4,000 per site) for commercial, multi-family, and HOAs.

Green Landscape Design

Projects must be approved in advance and landscapes for new construction are not eligible. Remember to save your sales receipts and/or contractor invoices, as they are required for all rebates. Ask us for a referral if you are in need of a quality Santa Barbara or Goleta contractor.

Many water providers county-wide offer this rebate program, so contact your local water provider for more information or go to www.sbwater.org/LandscapeRebates.htm

Thanks for visiting the Santa Barbara Real Estate Blog. Visit www.TheZiaGroup.com for your comprehensive Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, and Carpinteria resource.

Q: If I can afford to buy a property in Santa Barbara up to $600,000 should I focus on a house or a condo?

Daniel Zia

My recommendation to clients is to not rule anything out when you are first starting your search. It’s important to start broad and really get a feel of what your money will buy in different areas. Buying real estate in Santa Barbara is usually a series of trade-offs between location, lot size, home size, condition, amenities, etc. Comparing single family homes versus Condos/Townhomes or even PUD’s (Planned unit development) is just one aspect of the equation.

As to whether one will appreciate in value more quickly or more significantly than the other, if you look closely at our LOCAL market statistics, interestingly enough in most cases it is a “wash” as they both tend to appreciate around the same levels and pace given the limited real estate options that buyers sometimes have in these under $1 million price ranges. Given how the market has adjusted since the peak in August, 2005, buyers now have fairly good selection in this price range, which actually has made it probably the most active price range (as far as number of sales) than any price range available. If you are focused on the ability to resell the property, the often quoted “location, location, location” is a better criteria to focus on than whether or not the home is technically a condo or a single family home.

Here are a selection of 30 homes, PUD’s and condos currently available in the greater Santa Barbara area: http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?rnmc687cx8e,1,1 . Hopefully, that gives you a fairly good idea of what your money can buy. I would be happy to talk to you further about the pros and cons of different types of properties, as well as neighborhoods, school information, and a host of other criteria often important in your search. Here are some good resources as well:

My website with great information on schools, neighborhood prices, up-to-date market statistics, etc: http://www.TheZiaGroup.com

My blog that I update usually several days a week with the best deals on the market that may sell quickly, market updates, bank-owned foreclosures, and some answers to questions like these: http://blog.theziagroup.com/

If you know anyone interested in learning more of the luxury real estate market in Santa Barbara and Montecito, you can have them look at my luxury blog as well:http://montecitorealestateblog.theziagroup.com/

If you have any further questions about the Santa Barbara Real Estate Market please feel free to give me a call at (805-637-7148) or you can send me an email at daniel@theziagroup.com. Thanks for visiting the Santa Barbara Real Estate Blog.