Category: Real Estate

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

By M.C. Dwyer As the bigleaf maple leaves turn yellow and brown, one by one they break loose, spinning and swirling down onto the ground. And so it goes with home prices: we are reminded that what goes up, often comes down.      In their determined fight against inflation, the Federal Reserve has been putting the brakes on our economy. Based… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer Did you know the unemployment rate is down to just 3.5% — tied for the lowest rate since 1969? This helped push wages about 5% higher than this time last year and may reduce chances of recession. Meanwhile, the stock market (a source of buyers’ down payments) recovered to about a 10% loss for the year, a… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer For the past few years, home sellers drove the market. Many homes sold for profitable premiums, leaving home buyers frustrated and battered by competition. In just the past few months, the pendulum is swinging back towards the center due to rapid economic changes: higher inflation and mortgage rates, and recession concerns. After the cost of home ownership… Read More

Real Estate News You Can Use By M.C. Dwyer The biggest real estate news happened mid-June when the Federal Reserve raised its lending rate by a stunning 0.75% for the first time in nearly 30 years. Usually rates adjust in 0.25% and 0.5% increments. Fed policy members agree another 0.75% increase will follow: the goal is reducing runaway inflation of… Read More

By M.C. Dwyer Summer weather is here — Boulder Creek recorded a high of 99 recently, Scotts Valley hit 95 — even if the season doesn’t officially start until June 21st. Right now we’re at the height of the home selling season, and home prices are sizzling like a summer bar-b-que. But the average 30-year mortgage rate is 2% higher… Read More