Edible Santa Barbara

We have a new quarterly publication called Edible Santa Barbara in town which I am very excited about since I like the idea of creating awareness around the food we eat (go to http://www.ediblesantabarbara.com). I heard about the publication from a friend who is writing an article for them for one of their next issues, and then while I was holding a Sunday public open house, I saw the first issue on the table and said, "Oh, look .. there's that new magazine .. how fun that I have the chance to check it out!"

In between new clients coming in the door to have a look at the open house, I flipped through most of the articles and found a lot of useful tips, ideas, and even great clips you could pull out of the magazine to save (like charts showing which things are currently in season, which types of seafood are a great choice and which to avoid, etc.). The idea for the magazine arose from the editor who read the book Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I read that book last year while spending some time in New York, and I haven't been able to look at food quite the same way since. If you haven't read it, it's worth the time.

My friend's article will be on a 'locavore' diet, meaning, he'll write about only eating food from Santa Barbara County. It's obvious how to find local wine, honey, olive oil, fruit, veggies, etc. We live in a very abundant area. But what about butter? Grains? Rice? Do we have these items, and if so, where can we find them? He'll be giving us answers on all these questions, along with some yummy recipes with local finds. Stay tuned and I'll add a link to the article once it's up.

Edible Santa Barbara is $28 per year for a subscription.

Painting In Progress -- Not Quite Finished

Sometimes it requires hitting bottom before standing up, taking shape, having a clear path, gaining momentum, and becoming beautiful.

-- Emily McBride

Tinta Latina Magazine Article

I found a link to an article I wrote for Tinta Latina Magazine a long time ago:

http://www.tintalatina.net/issues/tinta_35/real_estate.html

Eco-Friendly Tips for the Home
By Emily McBride

Lately we hear a lot about "going green." You might have wondered how you can go green or if there are simple things that you can do in your own home to lessen your impact on the environment and help your wallet at the same time. If so, you are not alone.

Here are just a few tips for going green:

Visit websites like www.carboncounter.org or www.carbonfootprint.com to use their calculators and find out the size of your carbon footprint and how you can offset this! It's easy - you can make a donation and even help plant trees.

Another resource is www.plant-a-tree-today.org.

Make sure your appliances, windows and light bulbs are energy-efficient. Energy-saving, compact-fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than standard light bulbs while producing about the same light output. They also last 6 to 10 times longer (per www.topbulb.com ).

You may want to consider using or installing solar electricity or solar heating. Be sure to speak with different contractors and take a look at the different systems and models to see what will best suit your needs.

Installing or improving the insulation in your home can help to save you money on your heating and cooling bills. One of the easiest and most effective places to install insulation is in your attic. Be sure to get bids from at least three contractors.

Use daylight when possible, and be sure to turn off lights and electronics in parts of your home that you are not using.

When buying a home or remodeling, hire a Realtor who is a licensed EcoBroker (this is a certification obtained after an agent has gone through a series of classes) to help you with tips on alternative materials that are durable, long lasting, renewable and/or environmentally friendly and how to properly deal with issues like mold or radon.

Old toilets can use more than 3.5 gallons per flush (GPF). By using a water-saving toilet, you can save 1.9 to 2.7 GPF. The same is true with your showerhead. Three billion gallons of water flow through showerheads every day in this country, and about half of that water is unnecessary. Convert your showerhead to a low-flow model.

Emily McBride with Village Properties,
Christie's Great Estates can be reached at 805.252.2773.

March 2009 Statistics - Santa Barbara Real Estate Market

January 31 - March 31, 2009 Statistics

(Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch & Goleta)

For starters, March ’09 had approximately the same number of Home Estate/PUD sales as February ‘09. Generally by this time in the year, there is an increase in closed sales, but ’09 has not shown this yet, although I do expect to see this in the coming months. There is a new energy in the Santa Barbara real estate market ... something in the air. It seems to be the perfect storm of low interest rates and some great values to be had. Open houses are much busier than they have been in recent months, and we're even seeing multiple offers again (except not quite like 2003 and 2004, so don't worry). The median sales price rose in March to the mid to low $800,000s from the low $700,000s of the previous month.

Pending listings rose in March '09 to about 15% above the numbers for the same time last year. The properties that went into escrow in March of this year covered a wide spectrum of prices with a substantial number coming in above $1 million and even some above $5 million, but the median list price for homes that went into escrow in March was in the mid $800,000 range, which means that the median sold price of $850,000 should remain about the same for the next month or so. Even with a lower price point, more homes entering escrow means more homes closing escrow in the next few months than what we've seen so far this year, so prospects are starting to brighten for the Home Estate/PUD market in the Santa Barbara area.

On Thursday of last week, an economic forecast was held in town, and Santa Barbara was referred to as 'a virtual island of stability' and sales are expected to go up at least 5% this year.

There were almost 200 new listings that came on the market in March, which was about 25% higher than the same time period last year, but the median list price at which they came on was about 50% higher than the median sold price of the homes that closed escrow. At the end of March, there were about 600 Homes available for purchase from Carpinteria through Goleta, and because a substantial number of homes which came on the market were in Montecito, Hope Ranch, and the higher end sections of Santa Barbara, the median list price for the overall inventory is about $1.9 million with an average list price of about $3.8 million.

A lot of the inventory that was priced from $500,000 to $800,000 has been purchased, so if the market is going to continue forward, the impetus needs to come from the $1 to $2 million buyers. Money is available at great rates for well qualified buyers, and inventory is in place, so we’ll see whether there is sufficient confidence from the $1+ million buyer to start the local Real Estate market moving forward again.

The condo market in the Santa Barbara area is seeing sales numbers beginning to move forward, but very incrementally. The median sales price for the month continues to hover around $500,000, which is a drop of about $62,000 from March ’08, but remaining stable for both years is the Sales Price to Original List Price Ratio which has been holding right around 90%. Pendings have gone up quite a bit compared to last year (30 this year for March compared to about half that amount last year).

We do not have a rise in the number of new listings compared to last year. The numbers have stayed about the same, and we have seen a slight rise in the median list price for the condos that came on the market this year. The overall inventory for condos is holding at about 200 for the month of March with a median list price of about $629,000 and an average list price of right around $900,000.

I’m optimistic about the number of escrows opened in March ’09 for both Home Estate/PUDs and Condos. Although our price point is a bit lower than where it was last year at this time, the buyers are starting to show new confidence in the market and this could impact the statistics for the rest of the year.

--Emily K. McBride, Village Properties, Christie's Great Estates