Dax Nollenberger

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Is Airbnb Still a Worthy Investment in Santa Cruz County?

September 14, 2023You may have heard the phrase “Airbnbust” circulating through social media. The exciting luster of an affordable hotel alternative took the world by storm and only accelerated as we began to escape the lockdowns of COVID-19. Since then, the drawbacks in fees and rules had many pushing back, creating a roar of discontent amongst outspoken social media participants.  While I realize that short-term rentals (STRs) are a touchy subject for many concerned about housing affordability (trust me… I get it!). Those concerned will be happy...

- Dax Nollenberger

Rating Santa Cruz Elementary Schools: A Comprehensive Guide to Quality Education in Santa Cruz County

August 10, 2023Elementary school is a critical time in the development of a child. Picking the right school in Santa Cruz County can be both daunting and unclear. As a local Realtor deeply involved in our community, I understand the importance of schools in shaping families' home-buying decisions. In this guide, I'll analyze Santa Cruz elementary schools using key metrics like test scores, enrollment numbers, student-to-teacher ratios, and online rankings. This is the second in a series of blogs that will address Santa Cruz schools at various...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: How Shockingly Low Supply Will Impact Real Estate Prices

June 1, 2023“The real estate market is going to crash.” If you keep up with US housing, you have probably thought this or heard this within the last 12 months. You’re not alone, the Google searches for the phrase “real estate market crash” exploded to its highest total in Google Trends history in September 2022 (and has seen 5 abnormally large spikes since the start of 2022). It’s not surprising this rhetoric is out there as we have seen stubbornly high inflation numbers, seemingly ever-rising mortgage rates,...

- Dax Nollenberger

Monterey County Short-Term Rental Regulations

May 4, 2023Short term rental, Airbnb, and vacation rental are all words to describe homes that are rented for a period of less than 30-days. Whatever you want to call it, if you’ve explored Monterey County, you’ve probably thought about the idea of owning one of these rentals. For many though, that’s where it stops. If you read my article “What about a Short Term Rental?” then you know just how complicated short term rental ordinances can be. Well, Santa Cruz County makes Monterey County feel like...

- Dax Nollenberger

Prop 19: A Game-Changer for California Homeowners and Heirs

April 3, 2023Are you a senior citizen in California looking to downsize or move closer to family members? Or maybe you're a homeowner with investment properties that you're planning to pass down to your children or grandchildren? In either case, Proposition 19, a bill passed in November 2020, is a significant change to California's property tax laws that you need to be aware of. https://youtu.be/tkr63gcYPTE Let’s start with a hypothetical, let’s say that you bought your Santa Cruz home in 1980 for $150k and have owned it...

- Dax Nollenberger

Step-by-Step Guide to Owning a Santa Cruz Airbnb

March 6, 2023Creativity is often the name of the game when it comes to owning Santa Cruz real estate. I’m constantly brainstorming ways that I can help my clients own this super valuable appreciating asset. Many traditional investment strategies don’t quite pencil with our housing prices. Breakeven is considered a win, especially in the short term. The highly profitable rentals- short, mid, and long- are those that have been owned for a long time (and therefore have lower costs).  https://youtu.be/a_NkB6gZsWI The curiosity/desire to know more about owning...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Homeowners Strike Gold With Appreciation on the California Coast

February 27, 2023Experts will tell you “Never count on appreciation”. While generally a good rule of thumb, as you’ll read below, certain markets buck this rule. Appreciation is the single biggest wealth-building mechanism in real estate. Far greater than the tax benefits, equity pay down, or even rental income that you receive from owning a property. It has the potential to set you and future generations up for a life of abundance… if you pick the right market.  From a real estate investor’s perspective, cash flow opportunity...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Was 2022 the Year of Doom & Gloom?

January 23, 2023Much can change in 12 months, can’t it? 2022 was a wild year. From a global (news) perspective, this year brought much pain. From a war in Ukraine to financial strains to record-breaking heat waves and a continuation of a global pandemic. The impacts of COVID and the fiscal policy that followed it were felt in the form of inflation surges throughout the world. Nationally, tightening interest rates by the Federal Reserve has slammed the breaks on a previously overheated economy and resulted in continuous...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Determining who Santa Cruzans are thru Census Data

December 9, 2022Keep Santa Cruz Weird… a phrase coined by locals to concisely describe our unique community. The “keep” in the phrase can be seen as a protest against change. Change is, of course, inevitable. Santa Cruz has seen an influx of change since its official inception in 1791. Presently, this change is only accelerated as more and more people discover this quiet coastal gem.  What has become increasingly apparent for those that grew up in this community is that it is becoming harder to stay. Not...