Introducing the Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan Program
The dream of owning a home is still alive for many individuals and families, especially for those who live in Santa Barbara. However, the high cost of housing can be a major obstacle to achieving this goal. Fortunately, the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) just launched a new program that can help first-time homebuyers overcome…
Buyer & Seller Perks in Santa Barbara’s Real Estate Market
Right now, the housing market is full of outstanding opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Whether you’re thinking of buying your first home, moving up to a bigger one, or selling so you can downsize this spring, there are perks today that are powering big moves for residents of Santa Barbara. Here are the top…
The 2021 Santa Barbara Housing Market Continues To Boom
2020 will be known for a lot of things, and a record-breaking year for real estate will certainly be one of its more unexpected legacies,” prominent economist Daryl Fairweather said. And he’s right: most of us would have expected the housing market to suffer from circumstances like a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic and historic inventory shortages. But,…
Can You Buy a House in Santa Barbara with Bad Credit?
Some people are under the impression that you must have impeccable credit in order to buy a house in Santa Barbara. That’s truly not the case — there are plenty of opportunities for people with poor credit to start on the journey toward homeownership and end with a set of keys to their very own home…
How to Buy a House in Santa Barbara
Buying a home in Santa Barbara is one of the most rewarding — and expensive — decisions any of us will make. Before you put out the welcome mat declaring “Home Sweet Home,” you’ll want to ensure that your home and your home loan, are sound both legally and financially. This article covers the basic…
5 Ways You Can “Give Back” in Santa Barbara This Christmas
It is the season of giving here in Santa Barbara, and this year our community has more needs than ever. With Santa Barbara now entering yet another mandatory lockdown, we felt this was a good time to highlight 5 organizations that are making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable residents. Each of…
How To Buy a Foreclosure in Santa Barbara
Many buyers are understandably nervous about buying a foreclosed home in Santa Barbara, also known as a distressed sale. There are many horror stories about people purchasing a foreclosure and regretting it, but buying a foreclosure isn’t necessarily the nightmare that some people portray it to be. However, there are some things you need to…
Beachfront Homes for Sale in Santa Barbara
The city of Santa Barbara and its surrounding residential neighborhoods from Carpinteria to Goleta are located along one of the most breathtaking and pristine stretches of coastline in California. Nestled between the rugged foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the vast expanse of the glittering Pacific Ocean, these oceanfront communities are sustained year-round by…
Santa Barbara Experiencing Major Influx of Out-of-town Homebuyers
As you have been hearing from Zia Group recently, the Santa Barbara real estate market continues to be extremely active. As of now, most Zia Group listings are generating multiple offers and extraordinary results for home sellers. In part, this has to do with an ever-increasing number of “work from home” buyers leave urban cities…
4 Reasons the Presidential Election Won’t Impact Santa Barbara Real Estate
This week, Americans will decide our President for the next four years. That decision will have a major impact on many aspects of life in this country, but the residential real estate market will not be one of them. Analysts will try to measure the impact feasible changes in regulations might have on housing, the…
2 Ways Home Equity Grows Your Net Worth
Equity continues to rise, helping Santa Barbara homeowners secure a much more stable financial future. According to the most recent data from CoreLogic, the average homeowner (nationally) gained $9,800 in equity over the past year. In addition, experts project 2021 home prices to continue rising. With prices going up, equity gains will also keep accelerating.…
3 Reasons Why This Is Not a Housing Crisis
In times of uncertainty, one of the best things we can do to ease our fears is to educate ourselves with research, facts, and data. Digging into past experiences by reviewing historical trends and understanding the peaks and valleys of what’s come before us is one of the many ways we can confidently evaluate any…
Surprising Real Estate Predictions for 2020 from Industry Leaders
This will be an interesting year for residential real estate. With a presidential election taking place this fall and talk of a possible recession occurring before the end of the year, predicting what will happen in the 2020 U.S. housing market can be challenging. As a result, taking a look at the combined projections from…
Is This Really The Best Week To Buy a House in Santa Barbara?
The week of Sept. 22, which marks the beginning of fall, is the best time of year to buy a home, according to a new realtor.com analysis. Buyers tend to find less competition, more inventory, and the biggest reductions on list price during that week, according to the study, which evaluated housing data in 53…
14 Tips for Deep Cleaning Your New Home in Santa Barbara
If you’ve never owned a house before, then it’s entirely possible that you’ve never deep-cleaned a house. (Hey, no shame in that game.) But when the house is yours, the desire to see it as clean and sparkling as it can possibly be is strong — and you might have no idea where to start…
Buying a Fixer Upper in Santa Barbara? Read This First!
Fixing up a house — either to live in or to flip — has become an increasingly popular dream, and it makes sense: Who doesn’t love watching all those shows on HGTV while you ponder how much money you could make on your own flip (or how nice it would be to live in a…
Renting vs Buying: Is it better to rent or own a home?
When is it time to stop renting a home and seriously consider buying your own place? That’s a personal question and a very personal decision — it really depends on your lifestyle, your finances, your employment plans, and many other factors that could make buying a house a really good idea, or an absolutely terrible…
7 Steps To Buying Your First Home In Santa Barbara
1. Get prequalified for a loan Before you begin the home buying process, it is essential to know how much you can pay for a home. Your lender can make this easy for you, by pre-qualifying you before you and your real estate agent begin looking for a home. A prequalification is free and can…
10 Things Homebuyers Should Know About The Closing Process
If you’re reading this, you’re probably entering the home stretch. Hang in there! The closing process, or settlement, transfers ownership of your new home from the seller to you. Yes, there’s a lot going on, and a lot of money is going to change hands. But when you know what to expect and plan well,…
The Millennial’s Guide to Buying a Home in Santa Barbara
Millennials who want to invest in real estate have it harder than many other generations. Real estate prices are at record or near-record highs in just about every major market in the country, and even though employment is good, wages still haven’t kept up with the home price increases, making it tougher than ever to…
9 Common Types of Mortgage Loans for Homebuyers in Santa Barbara
If you’ve never bought a home before, the sheer number of mortgage loan options can be overwhelming. What’s the difference between a conventional loan and a government loan, and should you go with an adjustable-rate or fixed-rate mortgage? Even if you have bought a home before, if it’s been several years, then you might not…
13 Things Santa Barbara Homebuyers Should Know About Inspections
If you’re not familiar with home inspections, then you might have a lot of questions about what gets inspected, how thorough the inspectors are, why you even need one, and what you can expect if you’re walking with an inspector through the house you’re hoping to buy in santa barbara. There’s a lot to know…
21 Telltale Signs of a Good Real Estate Agent
Just like in any other profession, there are good real estate agents … and there are, unfortunately, subpar real estate agents, too. But how do you know if you’ve got a dreamboat or a dud handling your real estate transaction? One way to know whether you’ve got a good agent (or not) is to consider…
10 Tax Breaks for Santa Barbara Home Owners
Being a homeowner definitely has its advantages, and saving money on your taxes each year just might be at the top of the list. Make sure you’re taking advantage of these common tax perks as a homeowner: 1) Mortgage interest One of the most common tax perks, you can deduct mortgage interest for your primary…
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a House in Santa Barbara
Buying a home can be an anxiety-ridden process, and that potential anxiety gets amplified for anyone who’s embarking on homeownership for the very first time. There’s so much to do and so much you don’t know that “being overwhelmed” hardly seems like an appropriate description of how it feels. And even though you don’t want…
11 Questions To Ask When Interviewing A Realtor in Santa Barbara
If you’re in the market to sell your Santa Barbara home, OR purchase a home, there’s something you should know… all Realtors are NOT the same! Your decision to place your home for sale involves more than simply running an ad, holding a few open houses, and waiting for the sales proceeds check. And your…
5 Reasons to Invest in Multifamily Real Estate in Santa Barbara
Investing in small multifamily real estate is one of the best investment strategies for building lucrative and consistent cash flow on a monthly basis. That alone makes small multifamily real estate a smart investment, but this merely scratches the surface. In this article, I will outline just five of the MANY reasons to invest in…
1031 Exchange Rules for Real Estate Investors in Santa Barbara
As an active real estate investor, there will come a time where you need to sell one investment property and buy another. Perhaps the market has appreciated and it’s time to cash out and reinvest your earnings in another deal. Great! But what do you do about the hefty Capital Gains tax you’ll face with…
The Ultimate Guide to Buying & Selling Off-Market Homes in Santa Barbara
You have probably hearing a lot about off-market listings lately. There seems to be some confusion about whether they’re a good idea or a bad idea, so we wanted to clear this up for you. An off-market property is a home that is not listed on the MLS. Both buyers and sellers may prefer an…
How To Choose The Best Neighborhood When Buying A Home
There are many factors to consider when selecting a neighborhood that is right for you. Below are just a few of the many factors — you may think of others that are important to you. Neighborhoods have characteristic personalities designed to best suit single people, growing families, two-career couples, or retirees. Scout the Neighborhood It…
12 Benefits of Owning a Home in Santa Barbara
Every family has a list of important dates. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, pet adoptions…and the list goes on. For 64.4 percent of households in the United States, this list includes the day they became a homeowner for the first time! Why is this date important? Homeownership is not just a roof over your head! It represents shelter,…
8 Questions to Answer Before Buying a Second Home
1) How much will a second home cost? Besides sale price, you should factor in mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance fees—and some of those expenses are probably higher than you think—plus up to 1.25 percent of the purchase price to cover annual maintenance and unexpected repairs. You’ll also need to budget 20 percent…
4 Reasons Real Estate is One of the Best Ways to Build Generational Wealth
Recently, David Greene, co-host of the BiggerPockets podcast and a nationally renowned author and speaker, wrote an article in Forbes explaining how investing in real estate could help build wealth. Many of the points he made also apply to a family owning their own home. Here are a few: 1. Real Estate Appreciates In Value “The rising of home prices…
7 Steps to Take If Your Appraisal Comes In Low
Appraisals that come in below the agreed-upon purchase price can kill a sale. Having a response plan can save you from losing out on all the hard work you’ve undertaken to find your dream home. Why does the appraisal matter? Mortgage lenders will only fund transactions up to a certain percentage of the appraised value…
3 Myths About Today’s Real Estate Market
There are many conflicting headlines when it comes to describing today’s real estate market. Some are making comparisons to the market we experienced 10 years ago and are starting to believe that we may be doomed to repeat ourselves. Others are just plain wrong when it comes to what it takes to qualify for a…
Should I Buy a Home or Continue Renting?
There are some people who have not purchased homes because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize, however, that unless you are living with your parents rent-free, you are paying a mortgage – either yours or your landlord’s. It’s either your mortgage or your landlord’s As Entrepreneur Magazine, a premier source…
Handy Moving Checklist For A Smooth Move in Santa Barbara
Moving can be a very overwhelming experience because there’s always plenty to do! But this Santa Barbara moving checklist helps you stay organized and on top of your move. Enjoy! 6-8 Weeks Before Moving Request quotes & hire a local moving company Reserve a storage unit, if required Organize belongings and set aside anything you…
Competition is Coming for Home Sellers
The number of building permits issued for single-family homes is the best indicator of how many newly built homes will rise over the next few months. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Residential Sales Report, the number of these permits were up 7.4% over last year. How will this impact…