Real Estate in Santa Cruz County

19/06/2026

Applications to refinance a home loan dropped 5% for the week and were 17% higher than the same week one year ago. Last year at this time mortgage rates were nearly a quarter of a percentage point higher.

A mixed week for mortgage rates resulted in less demand from both current homeowners and potential homebuyers.

18/06/2026

June is Homeownership Month, a time to raise awareness about the benefits of owning a home and the importance of making homeownership more attainable for all Americans. It’s a time to highlight the vital role homeownership plays in strengthening families, building communities, and creating opportunities for generational wealth.

15/06/2026

So far, that fight has centered on fairness and market factors: whether sellers deserve more privacy, whether buyers are being shut out, and whether homes sold off-market really get the best price.

In nondisclosure states, high-end sales can vanish from public records and the MLS—leaving assessors with less data and taxpayers exposed.

10/06/2026

“When Americans look for ways to cut costs and lower their monthly bills, they shouldn’t have to worry about being targeted by mortgage scammers,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “When scammers try to take advantage of ordinary consumers, the FTC will act swiftly and decisively to stop such scams.”

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S.

08/06/2026

For existing homeowners, particularly those with significant equity or higher incomes, the latest numbers offer cautious encouragement. But for renters, middle-class buyers and younger Californians trying to enter the market, the reality remains far less reassuring.

California’s housing market is showing signs of life again, but only if you squint a little. The latest figures from the California Association of Realtors (CAR) paint a picture of a market that has stabilized enough to avoid panic, yet remains deeply uneven depending on where you stand on the eco...

01/06/2026

The FBI report outlines how just about anyone, at any age and real estate experience level, can fall victim to these crimes, with persons in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s submitting an equal amount of real estate-related fraud reports last year.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 12,000 real estate fraud complaints last year.

29/05/2026

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) plans to update its policy concerning federal requirements that landlords accept tenants with disabilities having service animals or emotional support animals in otherwise animal-free properties.

A new policy change from the Trump administration has raised fears that thousands of people with disabilities, and the animals with which they live, may be forced out of their homes. The tightened grip of service animal restrictions is poised to disqualify many animals that landlords had been requir...

26/05/2026

Feeling cramped and living in clutter and hating that you don't have a space of your own or even a minute to yourself? That can create stress and leave you feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Ask yourself if "your quality of life is suffering"?

The starter home. It was so cute and quaint and sweet when you bought it, right? But, that was before kids and dogs and overnight quests and holiday dinner...

25/05/2026

Latest inflation number according to C.A.R.....

21/05/2026

Figuring out the fair market value is something real estate agents are experts at, which is one of the reasons people opt to hire them rather than trying to sell their homes independently. It’s important to have knowledge of the facts of the property itself but also what’s happening in the local real estate market and even what’s happening on a larger level in the economy.

There’s a term in real estate that’s relevant to buyers and sellers alike, which is fair market value. Fair market value lets you know how much a home woul...