Dax Nollenberger

- 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...

- Dax Nollenberger

Let’s talk SB9

November 8, 2022https://youtu.be/aNZBrDuanow You have probably heard about a magical bill that allows more flexibility in usage for your lot and potentially provides more available housing for California residents looking to rent. That bill, of course, is Senate Bill 9 or SB9 for short. In 2021, Governor Newsom signed the bill into law to help address California’s housing shortage. The goal was to streamline the process of lot splits and/or develop two primary units on one parcel.  The opposition of the bill argued it would be the...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Down Payment, The Great Mortgage Rate Equalizer

October 14, 2022Interest rates have had a substantial impact on the overall affordability of a home. With mortgage rates on the continual rise, it’s time to think creatively about how we can minimize our long-term costs and make our homes more affordable in the short term. Did you know that a 1% interest increase adds a little over $600 a month in cost on a $1M loan? From a lender's perspective, there are a variety of ways to lower the impact of mortgage rates like rate buydown...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: The Monetary Benefit of Homeownership

September 2, 2022Searching the internet for whether homeownership is actually valuable will leave your head in a daze. Major players in the real estate investing space will argue that you shouldn’t own a primary home, others will argue that you shouldn’t take on any debt, and many more will encourage you to accumulate as much real estate as possible. So many varied opinions pulling in every conceivable direction only adds to an already overwhelming decision and leads to the inevitable buyer thinking “am I making the right...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: How Recessions Impact Real Estate

August 4, 2022The dreaded big R. No, R doesn’t stand for Real Estate, it stands for Recession and as you’ll read below, one doesn’t always impact the other. The big R-word has been thrown around quite frequently of late and it’s got people spooked. Spooked that this real estate market is going to take a turn for the worse. Some buyers have even used the term “crash”. While people are rightfully cautious because of our last significant recession, recency bias is playing a major role in how...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: 2022 First Half Review

July 14, 2022From all-time real estate highs to a significant regression and fears of a recession, what a wild year 2022 has been. The uncertainty and ever-changing landscape of national and local real estate create unfamiliar fears on both the buyer and seller side. Fears that create inaction for buyers and panic for sellers. The market has certainly changed in the last 6 months. The days of ever-increasing prices and almost guaranteed over-asking bids are, temporarily, over. Replaced by a landscape of increased buyer leverage and more...

- Dax Nollenberger

Rating Santa Cruz Schools- High School

July 11, 2022How are the schools? As a Realtor, this is a question I get almost daily. Frankly, the answer isn’t all that clear. You could ask 100 different students at the school and get 100 different answers because our opinions are shaped by our own experiences. Asking Realtors would produce similar results. So how do we rate schools? It’s a subjective question that is very difficult to quantify. The state of California as well as many internet startups have been trying to answer this question for...

- Dax Nollenberger

Dax’s Data: Yes, The Market Is Changing!

June 2, 2022You may have heard; the real estate market is changing. The feds interest rate hikes have had their intended effect of slowing the market. Rising interest rates mean less buying power and fewer interested buyers. It may also mean that buyers have an opportunity that hasn’t been present in two-plus years; increased leverage.  While more inventory feels like a sign of change, an increase in inventory exclusively doesn’t necessarily mean a change in the market. It is normal in our seasonal real estate market to...