Santa Cruz County Home & Community Information

WESTSIDE SANTA CRUZ CONDOS – Market Report 2011

The Westside of Santa Cruz is a great place to live, you are close to beaches, walks on Westcliff Dr, Santa Cruz Downtown, the Boardwalk, shopping and entertainment.  Westside Santa Cruz condos are great for first time home buyers and families of UCSC students.

Here is the Sales Activity Report for Westside Santa Cruz Condos 2011:

Westside Santa Cruz condo sale prices are down slightly in 2011 to an average of $312,000.  In 2010, the average price of a Westside Santa Cruz condo was $360,000.

The number of Westside Santa Cruz condo sales is up just a bit, there were 44 closed escrows in 2011, compared to 42 Westside condo sales in 2010.

The highest priced Westside Santa Cruz condo sale in 2011 was a 3 bedroom, ocean view condo on Beach Hill that sold for $690,000.

The lowest priced Westside Santa Cruz condo sale in 2011 was a small 435 SF, bank owned condo that sold for $170,000.

In 2011, 9 Westside Santa Cruz condo sales were short sales and 11 were REO or foreclosure condo sales.  This means that almost half of all Westside Santa Cruz condo sales were distressed sales.  This has attributed to lower sale prices for Westside Santa Cruz condos.

Buying a condo on the Westside of Santa Cruz can be a great option for first time home buyers, UCSC students and families.  Contact me for more information about condos and homes for sale in Santa Cruz.

WESTSIDE SANTA CRUZ SUMMERTIME HOME SALES REPORT 2011

Summer is winding down now in Santa Cruz and we are hoping for a sunnier Fall with less fog!  Fall can be one of the best times of year in Santa Cruz.  The Westside of Santa Cruz has some of our best weather in the County in my opinion and is also one of the stronger real estate markets in Santa Cruz.

So how did the Westside of Santa Cruz homes sales fare this summer?  Let's take a look:

In June we had 20 closed Westside Santa Cruz home sales with an median home sale price of $676,700

In July, Westside Santa Cruz saw 17 homes close escrow, with an median home sale price of $675,821

In August there were 18 Westside Santa Cruz home sales with an average price of $672,006

You can see the average Westside Santa Cruz home sale price was consistently around $675,000 throughout the summer of 2011.  This is much higher than Santa Cruz County as a whole where the median home sale price in August 2011 was $490,000.

You can tell the Westside of Santa Cruz has a stronger real estate market than other parts of the County by looking at the average days on market as well.  During the summer of 2011 the average days on market on the Westide of Santa Cruz was 65 whereas in Santa Cruz County the average days on market was 90, so homes are selling more quickly on the Westside.

The Westside of Santa Cruz offers great weather for walks on West Cliff Dr, surfing, events and dining Downtown Santa Cruz, proximity to UCSC, great commute location and more making it a popular choice for home buyers.

Go here to Search Santa Cruz homes for sale!

Contact me anytime for more information about living in Santa Cruz, schools, financing, buying a foreclosure or short sale, community events  . . . I am happy to help!

*All statistics from MLS listings . com

FREE MOVIES ON THE BEACH AT THE SANTA CRUZ BOARDWALK

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers FREE movies on the Beach in the Summertime on Wednesday nights.

Come down to Santa Cruz main beach in front of the Boardwalk with a blanket and a picnic dinner and enjoy these free movies on Wednesday nights.

Here is the lineup for the Santa Cruz Boardwalk's Free Movies on the Beach (most are 1980's classic movies!)

July 6th - The Lost Boys (as this movie was filmed in Santa Cruz this is a great movie to go to)

July 13th - Ghostbusters

July 20th - Top Gun

July 27th - ET

August 3rd - Raiders of the Lost Ark

August 10th - Back to the Future

For those of you looking to make Santa Cruz home or a second home read my article: Santa Cruz Beach Homes for sale

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BREWERY WING DING COOKOFF

The 4th annual Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery Wing Ding Cookoff is taking place this weekend, June 18th, 2011.

I have attended the past 2 years and the Wing Ding Cookoff is not to be missed by chicken wing connoisseurs or excellent organic beer lovers!

The entrance fee for the Wing Ding cookoff is $20 for all you can eat chicken wings, a souvenir Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery pint glass and 2 beers.  There will be live music this year The Down Beats and Western Skylarks.

The Wing Ding Cookoff will take place from 4 to 8 pm at the Westside Santa Cruz Farmer's market at the end of Western and Mission St.

FREE FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERTS AT THE SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK - SUMMERTIME

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk puts on FREE concerts on Friday nights during the summer.  The first concert is kicking off this weekend on June 17th!  The free Santa Cruz Boardwalk concerts take place on the beach at the Bandstand in front of the Boardwalk. 

There are 2 Free concerts at the Boardwalk every Friday night, one at 6:30 and one at 8:30pm.

Here is the 2011 Summertime Free Friday Night Concert Schedule:

June 17th - Starship featuring Mickey Thomas

June 24th - Eric Burdon and the Animals

July 1st - The Family Stone

July 8th - Great White

July 15th - Loverboy

July 22nd - Average White Band

July 29th - The Edgar Winter Band

August 5th - Gin Blossoms

August 12th - Berlin

August 19th - Santana featuring original singer Gregg Rolie

August 26th - Eddie Money (always a crowd favorite)

September 2nd - Papa Doo Run Run

For those of you looking to make Santa Cruz home or a second home read my post:  Santa Cruz beach homes for sale

WESTSIDE SANTA CRUZ HOME SALES - MID YEAR REPORT 2011

It has been a busy year for Westside Santa Cruz Home sales so far.  The Westside of Santa Cruz is a highly desireable area because it has great weather (less fog than other coastal neighborhoods), it is located close to UCSC making the Westside of Santa Cruz a great rental market.  Also for those who commute from Santa Cruz, the Westside is a good location because it takes out the Fishhook and Highway 1 traffic.

So we are half way through 2011 and there have been 45 home sales on the Westside of Santa Cruz (closed escrows)

The average home sale price on the Westside is about $650,000.  This is much higher than Santa Cruz County as a whole, where the median home sales price in April was $445,000, according to a recent article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

The highest priced Westside Santa Cruz home sale for the first part of 2011 was a beautifully restored 1920's home on Green St, it sold for $2,100,000.

The lowest priced Westside Santa Cruz home sale was small 1 bedroom home on Miles St with a large lot, it sold for $321,000.  Quite a range!

Homes for sale on the Westside of Santa Cruz offer everything from Ocean View Vacation homes on Westcliff Dr to quaint Craftsman bungalows and Victorian homes.  If you like to be able to walk or ride your bike to beaches, shopping, restaurants, the Westside of Santa Cruz is a great location.

Contact me for a current list of Westside Santa Cruz home for sale and further information about the Westside Santa Cruz Real Estate Market.

WESTSIDE SANTA CRUZ CONDOS - BAY TREE CONDOS BY UCSC

The upper Westside of Santa Cruz, CA is arguably one of the best places to live in Santa Cruz with the sunny climate and pleasant neighborhoods.  Westside Santa Cruz Homes and Condos tend to be higher on average than other parts of Santa Cruz County because there is a demand here; many people want to own homes or rent homes on the Westside of Santa Cruz. 

UCSC (University of California at Santa Cruz) is located on the upper Westside of Santa Cruz.  There almost 20,000 students at UCSC and this creates a huge demand for housing during the school year.  Rents on the Westside of Santa Cruz remain some of the highest in the nation because of the influx of students as well as many others that just want to live near the beach.

For some parents of UCSC students, buying a home or condo near UCSC & Santa Cruz Westside can make sense.  Their child/student can have a secure place to live and avoid the mad housing search.  Read my related article:  Buying a Home or Condo for your UCSC Student.  Typically Westside Santa Cruz real estate prices have remained steady or climbed over a 4-5 year period so parents will ideally sell for a profit when their student graduates.  With homes and condos in Santa Cruz at record low prices, for many families of UCSC students now many be a good time to invest locally.  

The average price in of a Westside Santa Cruz Condo in 2011 was $312,000 which is down from 2010 when the average price was $360,000. 

One option for lower priced real estate on the Westside of Santa Cruz is a small condo or townhome.  The Bay Tree Condo Complex off Bay St in Santa Cruz has great little condos, mostly 2 bedroom units and some 3 bedroom units.

The Bay Tree condo complex includes Peach Terrace, Castillion Terrace, Torrey Pine Terrace.  The Bay Tree Santa Cruz Condos are clean, secure and easy to maintain.  From these Santa Cruz condos one can walk to UCSC, bus lines, hiking, mountain biking trails, dog park. 

Bay Tree Condos in Santa Cruz are a great option for UCSC Students & First Time Home Buyers.

For a list of Westside Santa Cruz Condos and homes for sale please contact me, I am happy to help!

WESTSIDE SANTA CRUZ 2 BEDROOM HOME FOR SALE IN FANTASTIC NEIGHBORHOOD!

*This home SOLD in July 2010 *  For information about other Santa Cruz Homes for sale or to see what your home is worth call Jessica at (831) 419-9345 or email cjess4homes@yahoo.com

Westside Santa Cruz 2 bedroom Home for sale is located in an excellent neighborhood on the Upper Westside of Santa Cruz close to UCSC.  Mira Vista Dr is a quiet street with lovely properties, this would be a great family home with the nice backyard and there is room to expand up or out.  Expanding up would have potential ocean views! and increase the home's value.

This Westside Santa Cruz Home for sale features 2 bedrooms, 1 recently updated bathroom, 2 car garage and a great backyard with fruit trees.  This is a classic clean home built in the 1950's on a large lot of 6,621 SF that allows for easy expansion.  

Westside Santa Cruz 2 bedroom home for sale is close to shopping, we have a new Safeway on the Westside of Santa Cruz as well as a new branch of New Leaf Market, a Santa Cruz favorite.  There are some great restaurants nearby like Ristoranti Avanti, Sushi Totoro, Hawgs as well as fun places to grab a quick drink and chat with friends like Bonny Doon Vineyard Tasting Room & Cafe and the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery.

   I call Westside Santa Cruz home myself & I love living here.  There are so many great activities and  amenities all within walking distance of your home!  Feel free to contact me anytime for information about the area and schools and start here to

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