Category: Column: MC Dwyer

Today’s housing market is facing a “triple threat” — rising prices + insurance premiums + interest rates By M.C. Dwyer From the rural Santa Cruz & Los Gatos Mountains through Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, my review of May’s MLS single family home sales in our micro-region revealed a telling trend: 70% of the 74 homes that sold, sold for… Read More

Fresh Momentum, but Lingering Questions By M.C. Dwyer The market is waking up. Here in the Santa Cruz mountains, the shift feels tangible. Buyers are re-emerging from their winter hibernation. Homes with character, cared-for land, or irresistible “mountain charm” are drawing interest. Recently, a home in Boulder Creek sold for about $200,000 over asking – but that’s not typical. Make… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer As economic policy changes continue to be announced, the resulting gyrations in financial markets suggest that the latest strategies from the Administration have introduced economic risks and uncertainty.  “There’s so much uncertainty; things can quickly change,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®. “Once conditions improve for mortgage rates and inventory, pent-up demand… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer Last month, there were 14 single family home sales in the San Lorenzo Valley – about the same as January, about 8% more than in February 2024. The number of sales is too small to be statistically accurate, but it seems clear prices rose (3% for the month and 13% for the year). Yet, a full 25%… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer Septic Disclosure Update Santa Cruz County just extended the acceptable timeframe for home sellers’ Septic Point of Sale Disclosure from 6 months to one year. The point of sale requirements include leach field flow tests on their ability to absorb a brief plumbing problem.  The new form still allows a seller to transfer repairs to a buyer.… Read More

Economists are Cautiously Optimistic  By M.C. Dwyer The 2025 economic and housing outlook for California and the U.S. is a mixed bag: forecasts predict modest price growth and a slight rebound in the number of sales.     But costs constrain home buyers — California’s affordability just dropped to a depressingly low 14%, about half the rate of 30% back in 2020… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer The housing market tends to slow in November as people begin to plan for winter holidays, and home touring activity is affected by the weather. This year, home buyers and sellers are also contending with war in the Middle East, political uncertainty in the US, and higher mortgage rates. As California retains the #1 position with the… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer Unable to sleep the other night, I wandered outside to enjoy the crickets. A mesmerizing mist drifted through the redwoods and across the sky, intermittently floating across the moon. A bright circle with hints of rainbows shimmered around the moon, and I remembered that, as a child, I’d heard farmers predict a change in weather after a… Read More

By MC Dwyer Consumer sentiment recently improved on two fronts: about 80% of consumers expressed improved job security while 66% feel it’s a good time to sell, but only 25% thought mortgage rates would decrease. After reaching a peak of 7.8% in October of ’23, 30 year fixed mortgage rates have settled into a range between 6.75% and 7.25%, rising… Read More