With another turn of the calendar page we are once again getting to experience the fun evening that is Frist Friday in Santa Cruz. For those who do not know, First Friday occurs on, you guessed it, the first friday of every month in Santa Cruz. First Friday is an excellent chance for locals and visitors alike to experience what Santa Cruz has to offer. Various locations around town play host to events ranging from poetry, current trends in hardware design, as well as art galleries of various forms.  Up first, the Museum of Modern Art & History (MAH) will be once again be opening their doors free to the public. The theme of this First Friday will explore the issues of open space in Downtown Santa Cruz. The MAH invites patrons to come and experience what an open space downtown may look li... 02/06/2015

The National Association of Realtors has released some new data on the demographics of homebuyers since 2006. Despite fluctuations in the market, the general demographics of first time homebuyers have remained relatively unchanged. There is data that some may find suprising or new. In terms of household composition, married couples still lead the pack making up 52% of first time buyers. Of interest, single female first time home buyers make up 22% of buyers while single males make up only 12% of buyers, a margin of almost two to one.  The average age of first time homebuyers has also remained in a constant range since 2006, from about 30 to 32. It will be interesting to see how this number may shift as millenials begin considering or not considering buying their first home.  If you are ... 01/30/2015

Santa Cruz Beach Home for Sale 750 24th Avenue, Santa Cruz *Welcome home to your Santa Cruz Beach Getaway!  This Mediterranean style home is located walking distance to the beach in Santa Cruz.  Enjoy barbecues and hot tubs in your sunny backyard and the Santa Cruz lifestyle.  This home was originally built in 1949 and has a real charm and character to it.   The kitchen in this Santa Cruz beach home is clean and bright and features corian countertops, gas stove, window above the sink.   Beautiful hardwood floors and plaster walls add to the ambiance of the home.  The living room has a gas fireplace and large windows that let in the light. This home by the beach in Santa Cruz has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The backyard has a stamped concrete patio and is fully fenced.  There is a bonus s... 01/26/2015

When it comes to selling your home the open house tour is a natural way of enticing buyers to check out your property and hopefully make a sale. In the infographic below you will find many useful tips and reminders on how to make sure your home and belongings are safe while your are out and about during an open tour of your home.  If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With such great growth coming to Santa Cruz, now is the time to make this amazing place your new home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website!  01/17/2015

  No Speed Limit in California by Robert Vegas Bob Swetz 1-6-2015   Vegas Bob just heard the craziest news in the state of California. The state of California has been talking about getting rid of the Speed Limit through out the whole state.   Now for some reason Vegas Bob is really having a tough time believing this latest breaking news. Since Vegas Bob has been back driving around the Bay Area, he is wondering "Why" the state of California even has a Speed Limit. What Vegas Bob has noticed while driving in California is ... If the Speed Limit is 30 mph, then the Californians are driving 40 to 45. And if the Speed Limit is 45 mph, they are driving 55 to 60. And if the Speed Limit is 65 mph, they are driving 75 to 80 ;o/     So the only thing Vegas Bob can think about Californians driv... 01/06/2015

The California Association of Realtors has released new data on some of the tech trends among home hunters. Those surveyed reported that not only had technology made them smarter buyers but also enabled them to better interact with realtors. Check out the infographic below to see all the tech trends CAR discovered.  If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With such great growth coming to Santa Cruz, now is the time to make this amazing place your new home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website!  01/03/2015

The California Association of Realtors has released new information on what millenails are looking for in their agents when looking for homes. The number one attribute that millenials are looking for in their agents is responsiveness, likely in the form of timely email response.  For the full rundown of the CAR survery on millenails check out ther infographic below.  If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With such great growth coming to Santa Cruz, now is the time to make this amazing place your new home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website!    12/20/2014

Santa Cruz Art League: Small Wonders Santa Cruz Art League  will be hosting their newest exhibit Small Wonders from December 12th until January 4th. Small Wonders will feature the works of several local artists as they each submit up to three pieces of art for the exhibit. This will be a great chance to come out and see the local work of the talented artists that call Santa Cruz home. If you are looking for a unique gift for theis holiday season this is also an excellent chance to purchase a one of kind artwork. To view the exhibit and learn more about the Santa Cruz Art League checkout their locatio at 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz.  The Santa Cruz Art League was founded in 1919 by eleven artists looking to share their art and motivate one another in their artistic goals. The art league now... 12/13/2014

As the holidays approach and the festivities increase there are numerous events taking place in the runup to the end of the year. The Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train is one such event occuring this weekend, December 7th and many other weekends through December.   The Holiday Lights Train is a staple of the winter events in Santa Cruz as the train winds its way from the beach in Santa Cruz up to the mountains of Felton. Along the way the train passes many of the historic Victorian homes that line Chestnut street as residents put forth their best holiday efforts with light decorations. The Holiday Train is a great opportunity to take your family out to enjoy the cool winter weather and experience one of the unique events that Santa Cruz has to offer. The cost for the train ride will run b... 12/07/2014

Most people would probably not drive 3 to 4 hours to Santa Cruz to catch the Aimee Mann Christmas Show but what are you gonna do when she doesn't come to Sacramento and you would love to see her? Then again, if you've never thought of Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime as a torture song, you haven't been to see Aimee Mann and Ted Leo perform it in the manner they used the material last night at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. Yes, people will confess to just about anything if they are forced to listen to the song thrust upon them in a violent manner. It is an ultimate instrument of torture. You can see the photos and read more in my personal blog today about Aimee Mann and Ted Leo at the Rio in Santa Cruz. 12/07/2014

The California Association of Realtors has released new data on just what it takes these days to secure a client for yourself and your real estate firm. Among buyers that the California Association of Realtors surveyed 30% said that the reputation of the firm and agent was one of the biggest factors in deciding who to go with. Social Media here playing a key role in managing and building ones reputation. Another 24% said that a recommendation from a family member or friend was another reason to go with a specific firm or realtor.  When surveying clients who were looking to sell a home respondents mirrored the sentiments of buyers. For a complete look at the data compiled by CAR take a look at the infographic below.  If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as loc... 12/06/2014

The California Association of Realtors has released new data on the attitudes millennials have towards their first home purchase. While many millennials are current  renting, purchasing a home is still important to a large percentage of the cohort.  Check out the infographic below for all the details regarding homeownership and purchasing gathered by CAR. If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With such great growth coming to Santa Cruz, now is the time to make this amazing place your new home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website!    11/20/2014

This past week, I took a trip to Wilder Ranch State Park, which is located just north of the city of Santa Cruz.  What  a delightful surprise.  Miles and mile of hiking trails, and the park is extremely friendly to bicyclists and horseback riders as well.  The view from the cliffs (aka "The Bluffs") are amazing.  It is a real easy hike, and is mostly flat.  Get out, enjoy some fresh air, and the park wsa not crowwded at all.  Here is a map.   The scenary is incredible. 11/19/2014

This Saturday will mark the 21th year that the Winegrowers of the Santa Cruz Mountains will be having their passport days. Passport days were created in 1993 order to celebrate the rich history of the wingrowers, vintners and families that make up the tradition of winegrowing in the Santa Cruz Mountains. These celebrations occur on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November.    On passport days guests are welcome into over 50 different wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains where each will have their own sampling of wines and gourmet foods and entertainment. Most wineries are closed to the public on passport days so this is a great opportunity to meet the winegrowers in a unique personal setting as each winery has its own theme during passport days.   For a full list of the w... 11/14/2014

The warm summer days in Santa Cruz may have passed, but for surfers around the world the crisp fall air signals the time to shred the waves at Steamer Lane. The format for this years Coldwater Classic will follow the format from 2013's competition where 16 unsponsored surfers will compete for the chance of a lifetime. The winner of the Coldwater Classic will be given a contract worth $50,000 for travel expenses and contest fees to make their World Championship dreams come closer to reality. This years competition will take place over two days of optimal surfing conditions during the window of October 28th to November 1st.   The O’Neill history is one of many aspects that contribute to the Santa Cruz surf community and lifestyle. Around the 1930’s surfers from Southern California made th... 10/24/2014

The California Association of Realtors has released some new data on the optimism of home buyers over the last few years in regards to home prices. Take a look at the infographic below to get the full details on the new data released by CAR.   If you are interested in more information about Santa Cruz, such as local events please feel free to contact me at pete@petecullen.com. With such great growth coming to Santa Cruz, now is the time to make this amazing place your new home. Feel free to email me to find your new home here in Santa Cruz and make sure to check out my website!         10/10/2014

On October 5th a special auction will be held to sell of beautiful redwood slabs from a redwood tree that fell in December of 2012 in the forests of Big Sur. The wood from this fallen behemoth has been carefully harvested and ten pieces will go up for auction to benefit the Henry Miller Memorial library, ensuring that the library will have a sustainable financial future. This is a extremely rare opportunity to own beautiful wood that has been growing for centuries here in California all while supporting a worthy cause.  To view the selected wood pieces that will be going up for sale please visit the Big Sur Redwood Wordpress page.  Even if you are not interested in participating in the auction for the ten redwood pieces you can still come out and spend a beautiful day amongst the redwoo... 09/26/2014

The California Association of Realtors has released some new data on the ways in which buyers are leveraging social media when they are looking to buy a new home. To start the number of Californians using social media to research homes has increased year over year from 2011's 52% of buyers to 2014's 77% of buyers. This is a marked increase demonstrating the importance of being active on social media, but if you are reading this blog you already know that.  Now to what exactly buyerrs are looking at when they use social media sites. Many buyers are using social media to get buying tips and advice from their friends and family. A suprising number are using social media to find their agents Facebook page as well as to see their Youtube video channel. Important information to ensure that we... 09/14/2014

Celebrating the combination for art, wine, music and food, the Capitola Art & Wine Festival fills Capitola Village with thousands people indulging in some of life’s simple pleasures with family and friends. This year on September 13 & 14, over 160 artist and 23 Santa Cruz Mountain wineries will display and share their gifts with locals and visitors alike. There is even a Children’s Art Area with ongoing craft projects is conveniently located in the center of the Festival on Lawn Way, making the event perfect for the whole family to attend. The best part? The event is free to attend, no admissions charges, no fees, just a great weekend to come out and enjoy some of the best that Santa Cruz has to offer.    Among the superb wineries to look forward to are the classic Bargetto Winery, Hall... 09/12/2014

Santa Cruz county is seeing a construction boom as more developments are being planned and built. Brooks Properties, a construction firm here in Santa Cruz, is working on a new set of homes off of De Laveaga Park Road. This new housing development consists of 13 new single family homes running near one of the creeks here in Santa Cruz. These new homes have an exterior Meditteranean design using traditional materials such as tile and stucco. The interiors of these new homes will reflect a more moden style, fitting in with the demands of the booming Bay Area economy and clientele. To see the interior floor plans of these homes check out the Brooks Properties website. These homes will be listed exclusively through Bailey Properties. Thinking of purchasing one of these new propeties? Need s... 09/05/2014