The annual Holiday Parade will be happening in downtown Santa Cruz, CA Saturday, December 4th for a day packed full of family fun. The parade will go on from 10:00 am until noon on Pacific Avenue, with a special appearance by Santa Claus, who will be at Marini's Candies from 2:00-6:00pm. Antique cars, dancers, and various bands will be performing during the parade, with those among them being Mountain Community Theater, Santa Cruz High Cardinal Regiment, and Save Our Shores being a few of the groups participating. Visit www.downtownsantacruz.com for more information about this holiday event.   Also, this coming Thursday, December 9th, the street will be filled with snow for kids to frolick to raise food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Just for a small monetary donation or non perishab... 12/03/2010

Downtown Santa Cruz - Holiday Carriage Rides December Carriage Rides$5 Tickets available at Hat Company (1346 Pacific Ave.)Schedule:Friday Dec. 10th & 175h 5-8:30pmSaturday Dec. 11th & 18th 3-7pmSunday Dec. 5th, 12th, & 19th 1-5pmPlus Dec. 21st, 22nd, & 23rd from 4-7pm Downtown Santa Cruz Holiday Parade Pacific Ave.Downtown Santa CruzVIEW MAPPhone: 831.429.8433downtownsantacruz.comJoin us Downtown this Saturday, December 4th from 10am-12pm along Pacific Avenue for our Annual Holiday Parade!  See antique cars, dancers, Santa and more!!!After the parade, stay downtown for additional winter holiday events and activities!!! FREEDate: December 04, 2010Time: 10am - noon   Snow Night - December 9, 2010 Join in the fun on December 9! A favorite with the little ones, each year the street gets f... 11/29/2010

Two Important Statistics DeterminingMarket Momentum Sales momentum for single-family, re-sale homes in Santa Cruz County dipped into negative territory in September for the first time since January 2009. This trend continued in October. We calculate... sales momentum by using a 12-month moving average to eliminate seasonality. By comparing this year's 12-month moving average to last year's, we get a percentage showing market momentum. In the chart below... are two of the most important statistics determining market momentum. The blue shows momentum for home sales while the red line shows momentum for pending home sales. Sales momentum peaked in July and has been trending down ever since. Pending sales, which normally track closed sales closely, have jumped out of the norm due to the lar... 11/12/2010

"Mixed Nutz!" The Nutcracker Re-Mixed Theater Arts Mainstage Presented by:  Theater Arts Dept Event Date Range:  Friday, November 19, 2010 - Sunday, December 5, 2010 Division Home Page Listing Placement:  Right Column "Tandy Beal's astonishing and gorgeous staged spectacle 'Mixed Nutz! is the ideal holiday experience."- Wallace Baine, Santa Cruz Sentinel TICKETS on sale now! Mixed Nutz! playfully maintains the true spirit and basic story of the traditional Nutcracker: festively dressed party-goers enter for an evening of holiday merriment, young Clara receives a toy nutcracker as a special gift, and magic starts to unfold... with entertaining side trips in Candyland, a visit by the Sugar Plum Fairy, a Waltz of the Flowers, and much more. Mixed Nutz! is a co-production of Tandy Beal & Co... 11/07/2010

Via: Online Colleges and Universities 10/28/2010

THE TASTE OF SANTA CRUZ - A FAVORITE NOVEMBER EVENT! The Taste of Santa Cruz is almost here - November 3rd from 5:30-9 at the Coconut Grove at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The Taste of Santa Cruz is very popular annual event that benefits the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Housing Foundation.  The Housing Foundation gives out grants to First Time Home Buyers for closing costs assistance when buying a home.  These closing costs grants can also be used in conjunction with some of the Santa Cruz First Time Home Buyer Assistance programs. The Taste of Santa Cruz features local restaurants and wines for attendees to sample.  There is always a ton of delicious food and drink and it is a great place to meet other local Santa Cruz business owners.  The Taste of Santa Cruz features a silent ... 10/23/2010

The 6th annual “A Taste of Santa Cruz” will be November 4, 2010 at the Coconut Grove Grand Ballroom. Host by the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Housing Foundation, “A Taste of Santa Cruz” invites the best of local restaurants and wineries to offer samplings of delicious food and excellent wine. This event brings the community together to raise funds for the SCAOR Housing Foundation’s Housing Cost Assistant Grant Program. The grant provides financial aid for first time, low income home buyers in Santa Cruz County pay for closing cost. 100% of the proceeds from the event go towards funding the Closing Cost Grant Program.   In the past five years, “A Taste of Santa Cruz” has raised over $240,000 that directly helped over 100 families throughout Santa Cruz County achieve their dream of... 10/21/2010

THE CORE FALL BALL - SANTA CRUZ YOUTH ORGANIZATION FUNDRAISER The CORE is a local non-profit youth organization in Santa Cruz.  The CORE has been around since 2002, mentoring the youth of Santa Cruz and providing positive experiences for teens.  It is a great youth organization to support and this year they are hosting their first Fall Ball. The Core's Fall Ball will take place on Saturday October 30th at the Hollins House in Scotts Valley at the Pasatiempo Golf Club.  It is a black-tie event - so no flip-flops!  (We in Santa Cruz tend to have a pretty relaxed dress style) Those who attend the Core's Fall Ball will be treated to a 5 star dinner, entertained by the stand up comedy of Michael Mancini and be able to dance to Island Breeze and the Hula Dancers. Tickets to the Core's Fall Ba... 10/20/2010

Visionary Cash Buyer Turns Dump To Lovely Duplex on Seabright Ave One of my specialties as a Realtor is finding a property that generates good cash flows for investors. The property shown here is an example.  I can find you a great property too.  go to Foreclosures, fixers, and Short Sales and there I will help you find homes available now and that have not even hit the market yet. More about Seabright neighborhood and the big fixer upper that was turned into a very profitable, positive cash generating income property. This is the before and after story that will amaze you on how well it has turned out. This went from the "Mystery House" to the hip beach duplex that is for rent in Seabright. You can watch the before the remodel videos and look at the before and after photos.  They tell... 10/20/2010

Oct. 1, 2010 -- After near stasis for the past six weeks, mortgage rates again managed a bit of a decline amid mixed economic messages. Increasing speculation that the Fed will initiate substantial purchases of Treasury bonds (so-called "quantitative easing") to kick-start the economy from its bare expansion helped to drive interest rates a bit lower. HSH's overall mortgage monitor -- our weekly Fixed-Rate Mortgage Indicator (FRMI) -- saw the average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages shed five basis points to begin October at 4.70%. Important to first time homebuyers and low-equity refinancers alike, 30-year FHA-backed mortgages sported an average of 4.40% for the week. The overall average for Hybrid 5/1 ARMs declined by six basis points (.06%), finishing our national survey at 3.61... 10/16/2010

Local Farmers Markets A farmer's market is one in which farmers, growers, or producers from a defined local area sell their own produce directly to the public. They are usually held out-of-doors, in public spaces, and all products sold have been grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed by the farmers. In addition, farmers' markets often feature produce that is grown naturally or organically, meats that are raised humanely on pasture, handmade farmstead cheeses, eggs and poultry from free-range fowl, as well as heirloom produce and heritage breeds of meat and fowl. Farmers markets have continued to rise in popularity, mostly due to the growing consumer interest in obtaining fresh products directly from the farm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural ... 10/16/2010

Statistics: Two Principles to Follow  Knowing how the market is trending is important in making astute decisions whether one is a buyer or a seller. For instance, if prices are trending upward, a buyer may decide to accelerate the purchase, while a potential seller may decide to delay.  With the proliferation of real estate statistics on the Internet, the "noise" level is increasing making it more difficult to know which statistics are important and which are irrelevant. In this month's report, we are going to start a primer on real estate statistics to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. The first two principles of real estate statistics are: 1. Know the source of the raw data used, and 2. Understand the methodology used to crunch the raw data. There are only two accurate sourc... 10/16/2010

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SCHOOLS - INFORMATION ABOUT SANTA CRUZ SCHOOL DISTRICTS For families relocating to the Santa Cruz County area the topic of the quality of local Santa Cruz County Schools is paramount.  Your child's education is very important and doing research on Santa Cruz schools and deciding where to buy a home based on the schools is understandable.  While some Santa Cruz County schools might be better than others they are more alike than they are different in my opinion.  I am a local Santa Cruzian and attended Santa Cruz public schools ( Soquel Elementary, New Brighton Middle School and Soquel High School)  I received a great education and went on to graduate from UC Davis. Finding accurate information on the web about Santa Cruz County schools is sometimes difficult.  I recomme... 10/06/2010

Mortgage Rate Outlook Sep. 3, 2010 -- The economic news has certainly been nothing to cheer about over the last month or two, but at least some important indicators don't suggest that any double-dip recession is imminent. HSH's overall mortgage monitor -- our weekly Fixed-Rate Mortgage Indicator (FRMI) -- dipped back by another two basis points, closing our survey at an average 4.76%, a new low. The FRMI includes rates for conforming, jumbo, and most recently the GSE's "high-limit" conforming products and so covers much of the mortgage-borrowing public. For borrowers who don't need a long-term, fixed rate mortgages, a viable choice might be a Hybrid 5/1 ARM, which ended the week at an unchanged average rate of 3.73%. The Federal Reserve released the minutes of its August 10 meeting, and... 10/05/2010

TIPS FOR A FIRST TIME HOME BUYER - BASIC OUTLINE OF THE HOME BUYING PROCESSIf you are a first time home buyer or it has been many years since you have purchased a home, the process can seem daunting.  In this post I will provide a simple outline of the steps to buying a home and what you can expect.  (Well in Real Estate I have learned to expect the unexpected but that is another story)BASICS STEPS TO BUYING A HOMEContact a local lender to find out price range you qualify to buy a home in.  Ask your local lender about what loan is the best for you, FHA, VA, FHA 203k loans, Conventional loans . . . Make sure you have the funds to cover both your downpayment (which can be as low as 3.5% with an FHA loan) and your closing costs (closing costs vary depending on loan and typical fees for you... 10/01/2010

Santa Cruz County  - September Events Dinners in the Vineyard Series! Hunter Hill Winery, 7099 Glen Haven RoadSoquelPhone: 831.465.9294 (reservations required)hunterhillwines.com/events.htmlEnjoy a beautiful table in a lovely setting -wonderful food, wines, live music & conversation. Dinners by Michaels on Main.Date: September 19, 2010Time: 5:00 p.m.   Monterey Bay Birding Festival Watsonville Civic Plaza, 275 Main StreetWatsonvilleVIEW MAPPhone: 831.600.8893montereybaybirding.orgCome see 200 species of birds in one of the world's most picturesque areas of California on the Monterey Bay.Date: September 23, 2010 - September 26, 2010Time: Thurs. - Sat. 6:30am - 9pm, Sun. 6:30am - 3pm   Farm-to-Table Dinners at Chaminade One Chaminade LaneSanta CruzPhone: 800.283.6569chaminade.comLocal fa... 09/22/2010

Figuring Out the Numbers:Not only does owning a home give you a haven for yourself and your family, it also makes great financial sense because of the tax benefits - which you can't take advantage of when paying rent. The following calculation assumes a 28 percent income tax bracket. If your bracket is higher, your savings will be, too. Based on your current rent, use this calculation to figure out how much mortgage you can afford.Rent: _________________________Multiplier: x 1.32Mortgage payment: _________________________Because of tax deductions, you can make a mortgage payment - including taxes and insurance - that is approximately one-third larger than your current rent payment and end up with the same amount of income. For more help, use Fannie Mae's online mortgage calculators.   F... 09/20/2010

SANTA CRUZ HOMES FOR SALE UNDER $500,000 Santa Cruz County is a geographically stunning place and is located near economically strong areas like Silicon Valley, San Jose and San Francisco.  This is why our home prices are higher than other areas of the Country but finding homes for sale under $500k in central Santa Cruz beach areas is now possible whereas a few years ago it was not.  Go here for a current list of SANTA CRUZ HOMES FOR SALE UNDER $500,000 The median price for a home in Santa Cruz County as of August 2010 was $517,000. The median home price of $517,000 is for ALL of Santa Cruz County.  If you are looking to buy a home in the central beach locations like Rio Del Mar, Seascape, Seacliff, Capitola, Santa Cruz City then the median price is closer to $625,000.  A few years ago ... 09/20/2010

Adding to the exceptional education system in Santa Cruz County, Cabrillo College gives students the opportunity to excel in school and the future. The state of the art campus hides among a redwood forest right off Hwy 1. This top-ranked junior college offers associate degrees and certifications in over 70 fields of study and with a student population of 17,000; the college has reached amazing heights since its establishment in 1959.   The mission statement depicts the exact goals and aspirations the college implements to its students and the Santa Cruz community. "The mission of Cabrillo College is to enhance the intellectual, cultural, and economic vitality of our diverse community by assisting all students in their quest for lifelong learning and success in an ever-changing world." W... 09/09/2010

Nicknamed as the city on the hill, University of California, Santa Cruz enriches the lives within the Santa Cruz community. It hosts some of the most excellent educational attributes that are recognized both nationally and international. Since its establishment in 1965, the student population has increased to 15,000 undergraduates and 1,500 graduates, who are led by an exceptional teaching and administration staff. Over the years, the university has contributed some of the most advanced research in various departments of biology including molecular, organic and marine. Furthermore the Astrophysics and other science departments earned many prestigious awards for research and outstanding work in other specific fields. The UC Santa Cruz campus is the largest of the UCs and praised as one o... 09/07/2010