Santa Cruz County Home & Community Information

SANTA CRUZ HOMES IN COMMUTE LOCATION TO SAN JOSE, SILICON VALLEY

There are some great commute location homes in Santa Cruz to San Jose and the Silicon Valley areas.  While some people might have 'sticker shock' when shopping for homes in Santa Cruz, compared to real estate prices in certain places 'over the hill' (homes in Los Gatos, San Jose, Los Altos, Saratoga, San Mateo . . .) Santa Cruz home prices can seem quite reasonable.  Not only are the home prices in Santa Cruz sometimes less costly, you are also living in the beautiful and diverse Santa Cruz County area.

Why would one want to work in San Jose, Silicon Valley and commute from Santa Cruz?  You can escape the 'rat race' type mentality and live in a Santa Cruz home in a commute location to San Jose or Silicon Valley.  There are many workers that choose to do this.  One factor is home prices in Santa Cruz can be less than San Jose/Silicon Valley.  Another reason is that you can live in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains surrounded by nature and immersed in peace and serenity.  If you have a high pressure job, this environment can really be helpful.  Just by commuting to a location into the Santa Cruz Mountains you can find wonderful settings and properties with land to enjoy instead of the standard suburban lots that are common in more metropolitan areas.   

Santa Cruz homes in a commute location to San Jose, Silcon Valley are located in several different areas on Santa Cruz County.  Where the best commute location for you will depend on exactly where you are working.  Scotts Valley is a great commute location for those going to Santa Clara, San Jose.  There are many commuters that live in Scotts Valley as it is the first stop in Santa Cruz County off highway 17.

Some areas of Bonny Doon are great commute locations as well.  Your drive to work in San Jose may be 40 - 45 minutes but you are not in bumper to bumper traffic but driving beautiful, uncrowded mountain roads.  You can buy a fantastic property like this home for sale in Bonny Doon and really get a great value for your money.  This Corralitos home for sale is also in a good commute location, less than 15 minutes to Highway 1.

If you would like to live in a Santa Cruz home in a commute location to San Jose, Silicon Valley and be near the beach, the best spot is the Westside of Santa Cruz.  Living on the Westside of Santa Cruz you miss the 'fishhook' and traffic on Highway 1.  There are many ocean view homes for sale in Santa Cruz in various price ranges.

There are several ideal Santa Cruz homes in commute locations to San Jose, Silicon Valley.  Contact me to discuss where the best area for you would be and the best home prices. 

BONNY DOON HOME FOR SALE - SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN ESTATE PROPERTY

Robles Dr, Bonny Doon, Santa Cruz*

Incredible Bonny Doon Home for Sale in Santa Cruz County!  This park-like Santa Cruz Mountain estate property is 3.5 acres and is truly a paradise!  2 acres of this Bonny Doon home for sale are fully deer fenced and filled with fruit trees, landscaping, grape/rose arbor, gazebo, stream & waterfall, greenhouse and much more!  This Bonny Doon home for sale is in a good commute location to San Jose/Silicon Valley, about 45 minutes along beautiful mountain roads - no traffic!

The Victorian inspired 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home was built in 1990 and is in immaculate condition.  Features a central forced air heat, wood burning fireplaces, dining area, porches, decks, views.

The country-style kitchen has a large center island with gas stove.  Pantry, tile floors and breakfast table area.

The recently remodeled bathroom in this Bonny Doon home for sale  is gorgeous!  Features marble, granite, jacuzzi tub, windows that let in light and views.

Bonny Doon home for sale - Santa Cruz Mountain Estate Property also has 2 detached bonus rooms that would be ideal for a home office, guest quarters, yoga/meditation rooms.  One has a shaded deck while the other boasts a quaint free standing fireplace and is made of redwood harvested from the property.

This magical Bonny Doon home for sale - Santa Cruz Mountain Estate is a nature lovers paradise with many hidden gems, it is must see!  You also have an end of the road location for total privacy.

Other features of this Bonny Doon home for sale are - private well with ozone filtration system, 5000 KW generator hooked up to home's electrical box, flat area for potential granny unit/ADU, San Vincente creek and waterfall on property with picturesque granite boulders.  This is also a potential horse property.

The grounds feature many fruit trees including apples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, persimmons and apricots as well as edible herbs in several locations.  There is also 12 circuit sprinkler system

Contact me for more details about this incredible Bonny Doon Home for Sale - Santa Cruz Mountain Estate Property- this is a great value at $629,000!

*This home was listed and SOLD in just 21 DAYS by Jessica Wallace & Dan Maloney.  Call us for help selling your home quickly!

Read the testamonial from our Happy Sellers:

"Dan and Jessica were nothing short of miracle realtors. After listing our home for nearly a year with several agents, we were able to sell our home in just 21 days with their expertise and representation. Their friendly, positive and professional demeanor were pivotal traits which sealed a great deal for us. I would recommend them to anyone serious about selling property of any sort and completely trust that they are the right team to handle any and all issues that may arise in the sale of real estate."

SANTA CRUZ HOMES SALES - REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT

Looking back at Santa Cruz County Homes Sales over the past 2 years we have seen some changes, both good and bad.  Comparing 2009 to 2010 in the Santa Cruz Real Estate Market may tell us a bit about where we are heading for 2011.

With the First Time Home Buyer tax credit last year and record low interest rates, First Time Home Buyers made up a lot of the Santa Cruz home buying market.  Even with those incentives there were still less Santa Cruz Home Sales in 2010 than in 2009.  In 2010 there were 1588 home sales in Santa Cruz County.  In 2009 there were slightly more Santa Cruz homes sales - 1754.

A positive trend in the Santa Cruz Real Estate Market comparing 2009 to 2010 is that the average days on market has gone down.  In 2009 the average days on market for a Santa Cruz home sale was 105 DOM.  In 2010 the average days on market in Santa Cruz County was down to 87 days. 

Home prices in Santa Cruz County in 2010 were slightly up on average from 2009.  In 2010 the average home price in Santa Cruz County was $576,000.  In 2009 the average Santa Cruz home sale price was less at $548,000.

So where are we heading for 2011 for Santa Cruz Homes Sales?  We will probably be seeing more foreclosures come on the market.  Many foreclosures in Santa Cruz tend to be aggressively priced, sometimes drawing multiple offers and going for over asking price.  These Santa Cruz foreclosures offer First Time Home Buyers a great opportunity to enter into home ownership at a lower price.  I predict that First Time Home Buyers will continue to make up the majority of the home buying market.

Interest rates while still historically very low have begun to creep up a bit.  This may spurn buyers who have been waiting to buy to get into the Santa Cruz Real Estate Market before interest rates go up and push their buying power down. 

With the foreclosure and short sales still making up a large portion of Santa Cruz home sales I don't see a big upswing in home prices.  Maybe a slight uptick but nothing drastic in 2011. 

For more details about Santa Cruz homes for sale or Santa Cruz Real Estate Market Trends, please feel free to contact me.

SANTA CRUZ OCEAN VIEW LUXURY FORECLOSURES HOMES FOR SALE

While the majority of foreclosures in Santa Cruz have been on the lower end of the real estate market, there have been a few ocean view luxury foreclosures that have sold recently.  These Santa Cruz ocean view foreclosures can offer a deep discount for bargain home hunters that want to buy a luxury or higher end home.  Sometimes the discount on these luxury foreclosures can be $500k + or more.

I predict that there will be more Santa Cruz ocean view foreclosures in the coming year.  For someone looking to buy an ocean view home in Santa Cruz this will be a great opportunity to buy a luxury home for much less.  For information about Santa Cruz ocean view luxury foreclosure homes for sale or ones that will be coming on the market, contact me for details.

For an example of a Santa Cruz Ocean View Foreclosure that recently sold, the home above was a foreclosure sale in 2010.  This was a new luxury ocean view home foreclosure located just steps from West Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz.  At over 3000 SF this was a larger home for the area and had high end amenities like luxury master bath, radiant heat floors, granite, marble, high ceilings . . .  This Santa Cruz ocean view foreclosure ended up selling for $1,350,000.  This is a deep discount from the original listing price of $2.3 million.

Another Santa Cruz Ocean View foreclosure that sold was a gorgeous 3300 SF+ home on the upper Westside of Santa Cruz.  This foreclosed home had panoramic ocean view and Monterey Bay Views.  Once listed for sale at $2.7 million, this ocean view foreclosure ended up selling for $1,255,000.  There were multiple offers as this was a great price for an luxury ocean view home in Santa Cruz.

These Santa Cruz ocean view foreclosures are selling at great prices for those in the market for these types of homes.  There are not a lot of ocean view foreclosures but the ones that come up tend to sell quickly.  Start here to SEARCH FOR SANTA CRUZ OCEAN VIEW FORECLOSURES FOR SALE

THE JEWEL BOX, CAPITOLA HOMES FOR SALE

The Jewel Box is one of Capitola's premier neighborhoods.  The name the Jewel Box comes from the street names, all named after Jewels like Emerald, Opal, Garnett, Crystal St  . . .  Some of the Capitola homes for sale in the Jewel Box have ocean view and views of Capitola Village.

The Jewel Box is a pleasant Capitola Neighborhood located between 41st Avenue and Capitola Village.  Capitola Homes for sale in the Jewel Box vary from tiny vacation beach cottages to older Victorians overlooking Capitola Village and Monterey Bay.  The highest priced home for sale in Capitola - the Jewel Box in 2011 was an oceanview 2 bedroom home that sold for $1,100,000.  The lowest priced home for sale in Capitola - Jewel Box in 2011 was a small 2 bedroom home that sold for $620,000.  Go here to search all current Homes for sale in Capitola or contact me for a current list, including any Capitola foreclosures.

I grew up in the Jewel Box and it is a great family neighborhood in Capitola.  You can walk to Capitola beach and Village, the shops and restaurants on 41st Avenue.  Beautiful Santa Cruz beaches and world class surfs spots like Pleasure Point, the Hook, and 38th Avenue are only a short bike ride away.  Excellent Capitola Schools are nearby, some within walking distance.

The Captiola Jewel Box is a wonderful community to live in.  For more information about Capitola homes for sale, the area, neighborhoods, schools please feel free to contact me anytime.

Read my related articles:

Pleasure Point, Capitola/Santa Cruz Homes for Sale

Depot Hill, Capitola Homes for Sale

Capitola Condos for Sale