Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate Water 

New Septic Regulations Taking Effect July 2023

By M.C. Dwyer The Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS recently held an educational event about point-of-sale septic regulations taking effect in Santa Cruz County in July 2023. Mark Kinder of Affordable Septic, who’s installed thousands of systems, explained everything we need to know about septic system repair and the new regulations.     The State Water Resources Control Board oversees all California… Read More
Real estate san lorenzo valley Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate 

Real Estate by the Numbers

By M.C. Dwyer 2022’s home price gains are getting erased as prices dropped compared to last January: around 10% in Santa Cruz County, 6% in Santa Clara County, and 13% in San Lorenzo Valley. Although the SLV figure isn’t statistically reliable because only 10 homes sold in January, it illustrates the trend. The Mercury News reports home prices across the… Read More
1200 Rebecca Dr Boulder Creek Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate 

Bright Spots in the Real Estate Outlook

By M.C. Dwyer We Santa Cruz Mountains residents are still recovering from this winter’s brutal onslaught of back-to-back atmospheric river storms. We’ve been through evacuations, multiple road closures (some of which will last for years), fallen trees and branches, slides, floods, property and electronics damage*, intermittent loss of internet and cell phone coverage, and frequent/lengthy power outages across the County.… Read More
Santa Cruz County septic regulations LAMP Column: MC Dwyer Local News Real Estate 

Supervisors Amend Septic Regulations

By M.C. Dwyer Last month I discussed the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors’ (BOS) intent to pass potentially disastrous point-of-sale (POS) septic regulations as part of their answer to the state-mandated Local Area Management Plan (LAMP) for septic systems. The BOS’s plan as written was poised to add more pain and suffering to the CZU fire-damaged property owners who… Read More
Local Agency Management Program (LAMP) Column: MC Dwyer Local News Real Estate 

Question Authority: County’s Local Agency Management Program Impacts Homeowners

By M.C. Dwyer Did you know that, on August 23, our elected Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BOS) adopted a Local Agency Management Plan (LAMP) to completely change the way our septic systems can operate? This cleared the way for the BOS to simply vote approval on September 13…which could have resulted in insufficiently developed regulations being implemented starting… Read More
CZU fire burn zone Column: MC Dwyer Fire Recovery Local News 

CZU Fire Rebuilding by the Numbers

By M.C. Dwyer As we approach the two year anniversary of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, I submitted questions to Santa Cruz County’s Recovery Permit Center at the Planning Department regarding the pace of rebuilding in the CZU zone. The following responses were provided via email from Carolyn Burke, Assistant Director at the Permit Center.  Is it true that out… Read More