Why Diversifying Your Concentrated Portfolio Is A Smart Move

Aptos Multigen SFH or Rental | Aptos, Santa Cruz County Home Tour [VIDEO]

‘Sheltering in Place’ has created many changes to people’s living situation. It has allowed employees of many Bay Area companies to work remotely, and it’s now very common to see people move out of state and take early retirement. Employees with corporate jobs have also been able to expand their commute travel radius (1-2 hrs away), as work policies now allow employees to come in to office with less frequency. Families look for more space to live, work, play and teach and they’re finding that this new remote “work from home” is an excellent opportunity to love where they live and that means with more room and yard space!
In previous videos, I have discussed the fact that Santa Cruz County is gaining wealth from neighboring counties, such as from Santa Clara, Alameda, and San Mateo. With much reluctancy from laid back beach locals, those that wish to take their equity and move are grateful that their little Santa Cruz beach bungalows are catching a pretty penny for retirement this high equity growth is across the country!) Here’s another example of a Santa Cruz multigenerational home and why they’re terrific options. Click here
In this strong sellers market with record low inventory, many smart homeowners are preparing their home to sell this year to take advantage of the opportunity.
Here’s a home I toured yesterday in Aptos, perfect for multigenerational family or someone who’s wishing for a downstairs rental for passive income. Cabrillo College is only 9 mins away and a 1BD/1BA would fetch average $2K/month.
Aptos is a great community – good schools, variety of shops and restaurants and only 8 minutes away from one of my favorite beach, Beer Can Beach!

This is a secret path to Beer Can beach from Via Palo Alto
I hope you enjoy my quick YouTube video tour of 129 Lyle Ct Aptos.
If you’re interested in learning more about multigenerational homes or looking for a beach community, ask me, I’d love to help you find your next home!
Call quickly for more information
I’ll help you write up a winning offer.
https://lnkd.in/gdvvXe2C
Strong Demand for Housing Continues Despite COVID

Here’s the latest from MLSListings Silicon Valley and Coastal Regions
– Single-Family Homes Market Overview
The SF Bay Area real estate market continued to show its strength during July, even in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.
Median prices again rose across all five MLSListings counties compared to July 2019; the lowest gain was 7% in Santa Clara County, and the highest increase in median price was 19% in San Benito County.
Closed sales remained robust across the board, both month-over-month and year-over year.
Further displaying this resilience, median days on market dropped in every county except for San Benito and new listings coming on the market grew versus last year in all counties except for Santa Cruz.
Inventory stayed problematic in all counties, with 4 out of five counties showing year-over-year decreases.
Santa Clara’s inventory is 1/3 less than this time last year and Santa Cruz inventory is down by 35%.
While San Mateo showed a modest 12% gain in inventory, it is still at historically low levels.
Even with the strong demand, premiums paid (amount paid over asking) is close to 100% in all counties and steady with both last month and last year in all counties except for San Mateo, which saw a 4% drop in average premium paid, from 105% of list last year to 101% of list this year.
Where Are People Coming From in Santa Cruz County?

Do you wonder where the people are coming from when they move to Santa Cruz County?
- Santa Clara County
- Alameda County
- San Mateo County
- Los Angeles County
- Contra Costa County
Q4 2019 Market Overview of Santa Cruz County – from MLS Listings

Q4 2019 Santa Cruz County Market
• Median sales prices for single-family homes in Santa Cruz County hit the highest Q4 level ever at $888,725.
• Overall, the market is a bit tighter than it was at this time last year, with fewer new listings and less inventory. The number of sales decreased just slightly and, surprisingly, median days on market increased to 40 days from 29.
• “Notwithstanding the increase in median days on market, it’s clear that traveling down the freeway may get you lower prices but it certainly doesn’t get you an easier market.” – Eliot Eisenberg, PhD, MLSListings Partner Economist
• Although median sales prices eased just a bit from last year, most other metrics show that the common interest market in Santa Cruz County is still very tight.
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Single Family Homes in Santa Cruz (MLSLISTINGS) – Feb 4, 2020
For private tours & buyer consultation meeting, contact Lynne MacFarlane, Realtor
DRE #02066698
(831) 346-2743 text/voice
Silicon Valley & Coastal Regions Market Report (for Single Family Homes)

2019 concluded with median sale prices up year-over-year in every MLSListings county except for Santa Cruz. The number of homes sold in December 2019 saw double-digit increases in all counties versus last December, while inventory was down compared to December 2018 (and month-to-month) across the board.New listings also fell in all five counties in comparison to both last month and last December. Meanwhile, the actual price paid versus list price hovered around 100% in every county, from a high of 102% in San Mateo to 97% in Monterey.
** If you’re interested in receiving a property analysis of your home don’t hesitate to call or email me!
LYNNE MACFARLANE, MCDM, REALTOR
DRE# 02066698
INTERO | A BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY AFFILIATE
831.346.2743
Time to Consider a Second Home or Retirement Property in Santa Cruz County [August Market Report]

Would it be ridiculous to consider a second home, a vacation rental property near the beach for your future retirement? I love living in Santa Cruz county, in August the homes were 4.6% less expensive compared to last year, and there were 7% MORE homes available for sale compared to same time last year – What does this mean? Buyers have a greater selection of homes to chose from, so if you or someone you know is considering a condo or single family home let me introduce the many great communities that I proudly call home.
Click HERE for a real-time, interactive Market Report for Condos in the Santa Cruz area
HERE for the Condos in the Capitola area
HERE for the Condos in Aptos area
Let me know if you’re interest in another areas.
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Life is good “on the other side of the hill!”
Don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss your retirement vision for your dream place in the sun!
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831.346.2743 Call or text Lynne
lmacfarlane@intero.com
Attention Home Buyers – Here’s Why It May Now Be A Good Time to Buy

Welcome to Spring 2019 and if you were out shopping for your dream home but failed to win in a multiple offer situation now’s the time to reconsider coming back and shopping again!
Here’s why…
From the California Association of Realtors.
Here in California we are experiencing the weakest growth of home prices in 7 years. Take advantage of this if you’re a buyer. And if this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, be prepared! Yes, even with all the talk of the market softening, SF Bay Area counties (Silicon Valley/ Santa Cruz County) are still in a strong Seller’s Market, so talk to your lender, and if you don’t have one I can recommend a couple, so you know how much house you can afford prior to your search. When you have a “pre-qual.” letter from a lender it demonstrates to the seller that you are serious about their home and ready to move forward with an offer.
If you would like to discuss your real estate goals (first time buyer/ investment property), text or email me today!
831.346.2743 cell
Condos and townhomes are great for all buyers but especially for first time buyers, it can be a starting point for new home ownership. After 5-7 years usually one of two things occur: 1) buyers out grow the condos and move-up to a larger condo or single family home 2) buyers keep the condo and rent it out; good for passive income. Buyers can buy another home in a different city or a completely different state yet still have that revenue generating from their original condo purchase.
Condos and townhomes usually do have a lower price point in communities making it more attractive for new buyers or investors. An additional advantage of a condo is that they are often easier to maintain for the individual because Home Owner’s Association (HOA) often take care of the shared community & external sites of the properties. As a buyer it’s important to make note of the HOA dues , what the association costs cover, and consider the expense to the entire cost the property. (There are more pros and cons to condo vs. single family home which I’ll save for another post.)
Great news for home buyers! Home prices are softening – a good time for buyers to come back from years past, even comparatively so from last year, and we’re seeing offers now with contingencies and increased property inventory. We are still seeing multiple offers at our brokerage (Intero) but those that are good properties that are well-priced at the start of listing.
We are seeing cooling from a super hot market in Santa Clara County at (-10.6%) which does not reflect a crash but just a readjustment. Sonoma County has decline at (-7.5%) sadly due to the 2017 fires.
Call/Text for a free market report of Santa Clara county condos / townhouses / single family homes today!
831.346.2743
Interesting to note that the Central Valley is still growing in places such as Kern (7.5%), Merced (6.8%), Fresno (5.7%), San Benito (4%), Stanislaus (3.9%) and Glenn (2.2%).
Many buyers are wisely looking inland to Kern, Merced and Fresno counties to find affordable homes.
Call me if you need assistance and information in any of these counties!
831.346.2743 cell
Places such as Santa Barbara (-20%) and Monterey county(-7%) is cooling off, but local communities in Santa Cruz county (up a modest .9%) and San Luis Obispo (3.2%) are being ‘discovered’ by Silicon Valley remote workers & retirees wanting to keep the casual and coastal lifestyle. In other words, we are seeing money shift from over heated markets to secondary markets. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and other tech companies are now using buses to shuttle their employees from their headquarters to farther communities such as Los Gatos, Scotts Valley, and Santa Cruz.
On a more personal note, my husband and I enjoy living in Capitola for the community, the outdoor lifestyle and relative proximity to work in Santa Clara county. I expect to see these homes by the sea to appreciate as they are great investments and good frequently bought as homes for retirement or weekend vacation properties.
Text me if you’d like a list of single family homes or condos in the
Santa Cruz County today!
831.346.2743 mobile
. We are seeing more supply than a year ago which gives greater options for buyers.
This is an interesting slide demonstrating the discrepancy between the seller’s listing price and the sales.
. Notice the difference between March 2018 & March 2019.
We are seeing more active listings compared to last year, meaning there’s more selection for buyers.
Rates are still historically low and compared to foreign countries, those buyers feel we are extremely fortunate. It isn’t necessary to put 20% downpayment and there are many loans to consider that might suit your requirements.
No other economy is as diverse and dynamic as California. California is the 5th largest economy in the world, beating the U.K. It’s the opportunity that attracts millions of newcomers to live and start businesses here. Most tech startups for instance launch in the Bay Area despite the high cost. Employment and wages have grown and that has put pressure on the California housing market.
The good news for buyers is that buyers will get an opportunity to negotiate again and, with fingers crossed, the interest rates will remain low for the end of the year. For sellers this all means we need to keep expectations in check and notice the list price difference to the actual solds in specific markets. If you live in the Santa Clara county and want to cash out now, don’t be greedy. If you’ve owned your home for over 5 years, you’ve got a lot of equity in your home and this might be a time to sell. In Santa Clara and Santa Cruz county we’re still experiencing a sellers market, but many properties are not listed appropriately will sit for longer days on market and with more properties on the market to choose from this is great news for new buyers who were a little spooked from past real estate markets.
If you’d like to further discuss the experience of first time homeownership or real estate investment locations, text me and we can meet at your favorite coffee shop. These are exciting times ahead for you, now’s the time to be pro-active and start your new life, call me today and let’s take that first step together.
Call/Text me and let’s discuss your real estate goals for 2019 today
over coffee and a snack! 🙂
Lynne Watanabe MacFarlane, Realtor
831.346.2743 mobile
Need an excuse to move to Santa Cruz County?

“City life stresses us out psychologically and physically, but an occasional retreat to the sea can help us avoid stress-related health problems, researchers say. In a survey of over 1000 California beachgoers, Hipp and his team found those who experienced the most stress in daily life found the beach the most psychologically restorative.” (See article scroll below)
Whether if you’re a mountain biker, a weekend paddle boarder, a beachcomber or a sunshine worshiper, there’s a lifestyle waiting for you and more versions of yourself to newly discover. Life is good and it’s healthy to unwind!
Here are the markets of Santa Cruz County sold single family homes for 2/23/2019 to 01/24/2019.
SiliconValley RealEstate Lifestyleliving mentalhealthisimportant workhardPlayhard