Graph is between Aug 2011 and Jan 2012
Property Class includes- 'Single Family Residential', 'Townhouse/Condo’
Area is '44 Capitola'
Results calculated from approximately 130 Listings

Capitola Real Estate Market Update - For the last 6 months, the Capitola Real Estate market held under 7 months of unsold inventory indicating a strong seller’s market. In January 2012 the inventory increased to 57 single family homes with only 2 sold units. This sky-rocketed the unsold inventory to 28.5 months from December’s 6.2 months, indicating a transition to a strong buyer’s market.

So what does months of unsold inventory mean and why is it important to follow? To understand Capitola’s unsold inventory, we take the total number of listed homes available and divide by the number of homes sold per month in the area. This is the best determinant of a real estate market’s health. A stable market maintains a 7-9 month supply of available homes. Under 7 months indicates a seller’s market while over 9 months indicates a buyer’s market.

We won’t know until next month if this is the sign of an unhealthy market or a numerical anomaly caused by the end of the calendar year. A 28.5 month’s supply of real estate inventory for Capitola could drop prices further and open up more opportunity for home buyers in Capitola, CA.

Month Months of Unsold Inventory
Aug 2011 4.5
Sep 2011 6.0
Oct 2011 4.1
Nov 2011 6.5
Dec 2011 6.2
Jan 2012 28.5

Santa Cruz Short Sales

Santa Cruz Short Sales—What is next now that HAFA is out the door?

The HAFA Short Sale program sunsets at the end of 2012 for Santa Cruz County and the rest of the United States and I will not be sorry to see it go. Introduced on April 5th, 2010, the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative (HAFA Program) was a process intended to reduce the complications and long waiting periods that were plaguing the old short sale program. Instead of simplifying a complex process, HAFA created several additional layers of bureaucracy. More short sale bureaucracy meant more challenges for the REALTORS® and distressed homeowners which ultimately translated into more foreclosures in Santa Cruz Count and probably your hometown as well.

HAFA, like many other government programs, was all red tape and bank compliance while still giving the lending bank the ability to interpret the guidelines independently. Each bank got to devise its own requirements and change those requirements at will. This made for a bureaucratic game of Whack-a-Mole.

My concern with the complexity of HAFA was not about the extra work it dumped and continues to dump on REALTORS, my real concern was how many unnecessary foreclosed homes HAFA might have caused. According to the MLSListings, 400 underwater homeowners in Santa Cruz County sold their homes short in 2011 and an additional 318 short sale listings expired, were canceled or withdrawn. If HAFA was responsible for even 20% (and 20% is conservative) of those failed short sales in Santa Cruz County, 64 local families were unnecessarily forced into foreclosure by HAFA in 2011. If you think I'm wrong, ask yourself why they are canning the program.

As long as there are underwater homes the Short Sale Conversation will continue. With HAFA out the door, let's hope the next available options to distressed homeowners offer a better solution to the dilemma that is Santa Cruz Short Sales.

Capitola Real Estate is in high demand. As the real estate market continues to stabilize in 2012, people are searching for coastal homes for sale. With the prime Monterey Bay location, Mediterranean-styled esplanade of shops and restaurants along Capitola Beach, and the bevy of annual community events Capitola is a special place to call home.

While Capitola Village remains the heart of Capitola with summer movies on the beach, free concerts at the Esplanade, and the famous Begonia Parade; there are a variety of events put on by The Capitola Chamber and the City of Capitola that encompass the entire city including the Capitola Mall, where a new Target will be opening in 2012.

Here are the dates for some of the best 2012 Capitola Events to put on your calendar:

• Jan 6^th 6-9pm
  First Friday Art Tour in Capitola Village
  Art, appetizers, wine & music await you at various shops in Capitola Village.
• Jan 19^th 5-7pm
  Capitola-Soquel Chamber holds an after-hours mixer, hosted by the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter, at 2960 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz
• Feb 23^rd 3:30-7pm
  Aptos & Capitola-Soquel Chambers of Commerce Business Showcase at the Capitola Mall - 1855 41st Avenue
• Apr 7^th 11:00am
  Capitola Village Easter Egg Hunt
  A Treasure hunt on the beach and lagoon behind the Capitola Venetian Hotel
• May 5^th 11:00am registration
  For all ages and skill levels. Fly a kite or just watch the sky fill with colors.
  Capitola Village Main Beach

• June 9^th & 10^th Sat 9am-5pm & Sun 9am-2pm
  7th Annual Capitola Rod & Custom Classic Car Show
  On the Esplanade in Capitola Village
  300+ Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Coupes, Roadsters, Customs and Classics - vintage to 1972; Vendor Booths, Music, Silent Auction, Raffle, Trophies and more.
  
• June 15^th through August 24^th, Each Wednesday 6-8pm
  Night Twilight Concerts
  The Art & Cultural Commission invite you to bring a picnic, sit in the park or on the beach, dance to live music on Capitola's bandstand in Esplanade Park.
  
• July 22^nd 8:30am
  Wharf-To-Wharf Race
  A scenic six-mile race with forty live bands and throngs of festive spectators.
• June 24^th 9am-4pm
  Bikes on the Bay
  Capitola Mall Parking Lot
  Admission is free to this vintage motorcycles, scooters and vendors show.
• August 1^st-September 30^th, Each Friday 6:30pm
  Movies at the Beach in Capitola Village
  Enjoy a movie and free popcorn on a summer night. Come early, have dinner in the village, bring the family, bring friends, flashlights, beach chairs, and blankets.
• Aug 31^st - Sept 3^rd
  Capitola Begonia Festival - 60th Anniversary!
  Theme: My Favorite Year - a Retrospective
• Sept 8^th & 9^th 10am- 6am
  30th Annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival
  Enjoy 150+ artists, 21 Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries, gourmet food, children's art area, and entertainment in the beautiful, beach-side setting of Capitola Village-by-the-Sea.
• Oct 28^th 1:30pm
  Capitola Village Children's Halloween Parade
  Enjoy a parade, refreshments, entertainment, pumpkin painting, trick-or-treat bags, balloons, and trick-or-treating at Village merchants. This is a free and family-friendly event.
• Nov 24^th 12pm
  Surfing Santa
  Santa arrives at the Main Beach in Capitola Village to start the California Christmas season.
• December 10^th
  Capitola Village Christmas Caroling

If, after attending any of these events, you want to see learn more about living in Capitola, contact John Flaniken for a private viewing of available Capitola Listings or to learn more about Capitola Real Estate visit http://sellsantacruz.com/capitola-real-estate.

CAPITOLA HOMES FOR SALE – MARKET REPORT 2011

Capitola is a small beach town located in Santa Cruz County and is one of the most desirable places to live on the West Coast. Capitola attracts second home and vacation home buyers with its quaint atmosphere and easy beach living. Capitola is a great place to live full-time and raise a family as well. Capitola is a great community with many events and fun things to do like the Capitola Art & Wine Festival and Capitola Begonia Festival. Let’s take a look at Capitola homes for sale and the sales activity in 2011.

Capitola Homes for Sale – Market Report 2011:

There were 43 homes sold in Capitola in 2011, this number is down slightly from 2010 when 50 Capitola homes sold.

The average price of a Capitola home for sale in 2011 was $728,000 down from 2010 when the average home price in Capitola was $834,000. Capitola homes sell for much higher than Santa Cruz county as a whole where the current average home sale price hovers around $450,000.

The highest priced Capitola home for sale in 2011 was an oceanfront lot in Depot Hill that sold for $2,200,000.

The lowest priced Capitola home for sale was a small 2 bedroom near 41st Avenue Mall that was a short sale home, it sold for $350,000.

You can find homes priced under $500,000 in Capitola and you will find short sale and foreclosures in Capitola along with multi-million dollar beach homes. Capitola has some wonderful neighborhoods like the Jewel Box, Depot Hill and Cliffwood Heights.

Contact me for more information about Capitola homes for sale and Capitola community information.

Capitola Villas, Capitola CA – Condos for Sale Capitola

Hi, I’m Christine and I’m a Realtor with American Dream Realty - Real Estate in Santa Cruz for over 14 years. During my career I’ve represented either the buyer or the seller in many of the transactions at the Villas in Capitola. I’ve got some very useful information for a person searching for Condo’s in Capitola for Sale

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2593112/villas-of-capitola

I have been fond of the Villas of Capitola since I found out about them about 15 years ago. They’re a fantastic property for retirement, student rental, second home or first time buyer. The landscaped grounds have always been meticulously maintained and the 2 pools were just resurfaced a few years ago. This property looks very well maintained and the location is fantastic – Near the Capitola Village, The Capitola Mall, Public Transportation, Movies, Groceries, Banks, and more

. My Team and I specialize in Capitola Real Estate, Live Oak Real Estate, Pleasure Point and the surrounding areas. I’ve got resources for Capitola Short Sales, Live Oak Short Sales, and Bank Owned Homes, Foreclosures.

Visit my website for searches on Homes for Sale in Santa Cruz County, Short Sales in Santa Cruz County and Foreclosures in Santa Cruz, or call me. I can fine-tune your search to get specifically what you’re looking for.