- Tom Brezsny

“They aren’t going to bury us with all our stuff”

October 25, 2021Resuming our ongoing conversation with Richard and Rachel, a local couple who’ve been wrestling with their downsizing demons and talking openly about insights they’ve gleaned from the experience….  Tom:  Rachel,  you said: “They aren’t going to bury us with all our stuff,”  what did you mean by that? Rachel: Honestly, the hardest part of this whole process and the one thing that has taken the biggest physical and emotional toll on us has been trying to figure out what to do with all our stuff....

- Tom Brezsny

Downsizing being one of those proverbial “first world problems.”

October 19, 2021Continuing the series of columns following Richard and Rachel, a local Santa Cruz couple who’ve been sharing some of the trials and tribulations of their own downsizing process. If you want to share your own insights, call me at 831-818- 1431 or email getreal@sereno.com Tom: Richard you were talking about downsizing being one of those proverbial “first world problems.” Richard: We are fortunate. We actually do have quite a few choices about how to live the last third of our lives. Sometimes people lose sight...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data- What About The Condo Market?

October 13, 2021What about the Condo/Townhome market? As the single-family residence market continues its record pace, I frequently get inquiries about how the Condo/Townhome market in Santa Cruz County compares. Those that own want to know what it’s worth now and those that have gotten buyer fatigue in the single-family space are starting to consider Condo’s or Townhomes as an truly viable alternative. Let’s dig deeper into the Condo/Townhome market.  Note: You may see the abbreviation of C/T and SFR throughout this blog, that stands for Condo’s/Townhomes...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data- Signs of a Slow Down?

October 13, 2021The question everyone is dying to know:  Q. Are we finally seeing signs of a slowdown in the Santa Cruz County real estate market? A. There are some encouraging trends but let’s dig deeper: The first thing to note is Days on Market. DOM saw an increase from August when the average was 19 to September when the average was 26. What that means is that homes listed in September took a week longer to sell, on average. For the overall balance of the market...

- Tom Brezsny

Local couple trying to navigate the challenges of DownSizing

October 11, 2021Picking up the thread... of our local couple trying to navigate the challenges of DownSizing and the difficult questions that come with it. Anyone interested reading the series of columns devoted to Richard and Rachel’s conversation can email me at getreal@sereno.com Tom: Rachel you were talking about imagining the future as a fun exercise… Rachel: At one point, we noticed we were eliminating possibilities before we even talked about them. Like we had programmed ourselves to reject the thought of anything new even though we...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: The Seasonal Trends of Santa Cruz Real Estate

October 8, 2021A common seller question: When is the best time of year to sell? The short answer of course is “right now!” I’m sure you have heard but we are in an all-time sellers’ market. In Santa Cruz County, the average single-family home in 2021 is $1.321MM, up a whopping 17.57% from last year’s average of $1.123MM. In this market with these conditions, attempting to time the correct part of the year is both unnecessary and unadvised. We can’t say for certain that the market won’t...

- Tom Brezsny

More of the conversation with Richard and Rachel

October 4, 2021More of the conversation with Richard and Rachel...our local couple trying to navigate the challenges of DownSizing and the age-old, old-age questions that come with it… Tom: When you said “control is an illusion,” what did you mean? Rachel: It’s the myth our culture promotes. Work hard and eventually you get to a place where life is dialed in. You can settle into a retirement cocoon and live forever in a comfortable ‘goldilocks zone’ where everything is just right all the time. Richard: As we’re...