Sarah Wagner - Selling Santa Cruz

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Sarah Wagner - Selling Santa Cruz 🏠 Selling homes in Santa Cruz + beyond! Rep’ing buyers + sellers with 🤍 eXp Realty 02192423

10/08/2026

In another life I could see myself with the bigger house in the flatter part of the map, the shorter drive to everything, the easier answer to every question people ask me about living up here. And honestly? Maybe that version of me is happy too. But somewhere along the way, that shifted.

I stopped wanting the version that looks easy and started wanting the one that feels like mine. This life has real tradeoffs. The drive down Highway 9 is longer than it looks on a map. Insurance costs more than anyone wants to admit. There are bills, jobs, and a to-do list that doesn’t care that there’s fog in the trees.

But there are also neighbors who wave and mean it, mornings where you hear the birds before anything else, and a pace that finally matches the way I want to raise my family.

People who choose the mountains don’t give up the other life. They trade it, intentionally, for something quieter and more rooted. It’s not the right choice for everyone, but if that kind of life keeps calling to you, it’s worth exploring.

I’m living it here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and my DMs are open if you want a real conversation about what it would look like for you.

santacruzmountainsrealtor

10/07/2026

Ok but seriously, I never realized I drove Highway 9 this much 😆.

in the morning, school drop-off, then back down the mountain for work, a stop at , school pickup, and home again.

Somewhere in there I’m on my laptop, and after the girls are in bed I’m usually back on it (the second shift nobody films), where chocolate is definitely involved.

I used to think the commute was the cost of living in the mountains. Now I think of it as the thread that ties the day together. It’s the same road, but the light hits it differently every time, and I’ve stopped counting it as lost time.

Then I get home and feed the chickens, and the family part of the day starts, the part that all the driving is for. It’s not a perfect schedule and it isn’t meant to be. It’s a full one, and most of it is spent doing things I chose on purpose.

If you’re curious what a day like this would look like for your family, send me a DM. No pressure, just a real conversation about what you’d be trading and what you’d be getting here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 🏡

10/06/2026

I think I’m finally coming back to myself.

Somewhere along the way, getting ready for the day became something I stopped doing.

Hair thrown up. Whatever was clean. Running out the door with snacks, water bottles, school stuff, work stuff… making sure everyone else had what they needed before I even thought about myself and lately I’ve been working on changing that.

I’ve been putting on the outfit. Doing my makeup. Putting on the jewelry. Taking the extra few minutes to actually feel put together before I walk out the door.

I like how I feel when I take care of myself. And we should!

Motherhood has taken up so much beautiful space in my life, but I don’t want becoming a mom to mean slowly disappearing from my own.

So this season looks like school drop-offs, workouts, showings and driving Highway 9 with coffee in the cupholder… but with a little more intention.

My go tos for this season:
- skincare and simple makeup combined (yes I was influenced 😆) from
- doing my hair and making a point to see every 6-8 weeks.
- Putting on my jewelry before I head out the door. I’ve been wearing the their earrings for the better part of 4 years and I just added rings to my collection.

They are little things, but they make me feel like me. I’m also adjusting my wardrobe a bit and trying to wear more than just workout gear. I haven’t quite figured that out yet though.

This is normal Santa Cruz Mountains life looks like, from a regular mom, just a little more put together.

10/05/2026

Three weeks ago, her kids closed on a new home. Today my buyer got clear to close on the one right next door, and I’m still sitting with how rare that is.

A house next to the people you love has to come up at the right moment, at a price that makes sense, with everyone ready to move when it does and usually at least one of those pieces is missing.

For this buyer, the location was the whole point. Square footage and finishes mattered, but what she was really choosing was the kind of closeness where dinner doesn’t need a plan and checking in means walking across the yard.

That’s the part of this work I don’t think gets talked about enough. A home is the life that happens around it, and sometimes that life is the people next door.

If you’ve been quietly wondering whether you could build something like this for your own family here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, send me a message. I’d love to hear what you have in mind.

10/04/2026

My life didn’t get simpler when we moved up here. I still have a business to run, buyers to negotiate for, escrows to keep on track, and two girls who need their mom fully present. The responsibilities are all still there. What changed is how the days feel.

School drop-off means driving through the redwoods with the fog still sitting in the trees. I get to the gym, come home, get ready without rushing, and by the time I sit down to work I’ve already had a morning that felt like mine.

Life up here just feels more purposeful.

I’m more intentional with my time, with my family, and with the choices I make about what actually deserves my energy. Nature is part of our routine instead of a weekend plan, and that has a way of clarifying what matters. It’s not the right choice for everyone.

The drive to the beach takes longer, insurance costs more, and the power goes out when it wants to. But for our family, those tradeoffs bought us something I didn’t know I was missing.

If you’ve been feeling that pull toward a life that feels a little more yours, you’re not crazy. I felt it too, and I’d love to help you find your way here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

10/03/2026

Welcome to the Santa Cruz Mountains. 🌲

There’s something about living here that makes ordinary life feel a little more romantic.

The fog moving through the redwoods in the morning. Coffee in the car with the windows down on Highway 9. Kids barefoot in the yard, neighbors walking their dogs past the fence, and that familiar little wave from someone you’ve probably passed a hundred times.

It’s slower here. A little wilder. A little less convenient.

The power goes out sometimes. The redwoods drop absolutely everything everywhere. Someone will inevitably start a leaf blower at 7am. And yes, it takes longer to get pretty much anywhere.

But somehow, I’ve stopped minding so much.

Because even on the mornings when I’m running late, looking for a missing shoe and trying to get everyone out the door, I’ll look up and see the sun coming through the trees and think… we get to live here.

Mountain living doesn’t make life perfect. It just has a way of making the ordinary parts feel a little more beautiful.

And maybe that’s what I love most about it.

It’s not for everyone. But if you’ve been feeling that little pull toward the redwoods, more space, quieter mornings and a life that feels a little closer to nature… I know the feeling.

It’s what brought me here, too. 🤍

If you’re thinking about making the Santa Cruz Mountains home, send me a DM. No sales pitch. Just a real conversation about what it’s actually like to live here.

10/02/2026

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone who’s been feeling a little stuck lately, it would be this: move to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

And I say that as someone who actually lives here, so I know it’s not all redwoods and slow mornings.

The commute takes longer. Insurance requires some homework. Our canyon is damp enough that the dehumidifier is basically a member of the family. And I’d still choose it again tomorrow.

Because somewhere between dropping the girls off, getting a workout in at , grabbing something from one of our favorite local spots, working on our house and stopping by , showing houses, and coming home to kids running around outside… this became the life I actually wanted. It’s definitely not a perfect life. Just one that feels more like me.

Mountain living doesn’t magically fix the chaos. There’s still laundry and work and schedules and a million things to do. But somehow the chaos feels a little better surrounded by redwoods. 🌲

It’s definitely not for everyone. But if you’ve been feeling that pull toward something a little quieter, a little more rooted, and a little more yours… I get it.

And if you ever want to know what it actually takes to live up here, the good, the weird, the insurance, the commute, all of it, send me a DM. I’m always happy to talk Santa Cruz Mountains life ❤️

10/02/2026

Our life up here isn’t complicated, and that’s exactly why it’s so special. 🌲

I just got back from a retreat with a group of moms, and at some point the conversation turned to schools. I mentioned that from the blacktop at Juniper’s school, you can see the ocean.

The whole table went quiet. And that’s when I realized I’d stopped noticing it.

Somewhere along the way, the redwoods, the ocean views, the foggy mornings that turn into sunny afternoons, and having endless little adventures right outside our door just became normal.

Yesterday we popped into the for literally an hour, and it reminded me how much I love that place. Nothing elaborate or planned, just an hour letting the girls explore and play before heading home to the mountains.

Other days it’s playing with the chickens, wandering through the redwoods, finding somewhere new to explore, or sitting outside with a book while the girls play.

It’s not a complicated life. And it’s definitely not always as peaceful as a 7-second reel makes it look. But man, it’s special.

Sometimes it takes leaving for a few days, and talking to people who don’t live here, to remember just how lucky we are to call this place home.

And if this kind of life sounds pretty good to you too, you know where to find me. 🏡

09/30/2026

Four days in Tahoe for a work retreat, and it’s easy to see why people plan whole vacations around this place, the lake so blue it looks staged, snow still sitting on the peaks in September, the air thin and cold at altitude. I’m not knocking it. But somewhere around day two I caught myself thinking about home in a way that surprised me.

Not the big stuff, the redwoods or the quiet. The specific stuff. The way my phone drops a bar right at the top of my driveway. The neighbor’s generator kicking on down the hill like clockwork. The drive to get groceries that takes longer than it should. None of that sounds like something to miss, and yet it’s exactly the thing that makes a place feel like yours instead of somewhere you’re just passing through.

Tahoe is beautiful. Ben Lomond is mine. I’ll be back this weekend, happy to trade the view for the version of mountain life that actually knows me. If home has been on your mind lately, in whatever shape that takes, I’d love to help you find yours here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

You don’t have to be ready to buy a home to start preparing for one. 🏡In fact, starting a few months early can make the ...
09/30/2026

You don’t have to be ready to buy a home to start preparing for one. 🏡

In fact, starting a few months early can make the whole process feel a LOT less overwhelming.

Before you start saving listings and booking showings, there are a few things worth figuring out:

→ What payment actually feels comfortable
→ What your financing could look like
→ Which areas fit your lifestyle
→ Your must-haves vs. nice-to-haves
→ What you can realistically accomplish before you buy

And no, talking to a real estate agent early doesn’t mean you’re committing to buy tomorrow.

It means you have time to make a plan without feeling rushed.

If buying in the next 3–12 months is on your radar, send me READY and let’s figure out what your next step should be.

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1360 41st Avenue
Capitola, CA
95010

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