March Home Sale Results in Santa Cruz

Only 4 homes closed escrow in March over the $1,000,000 mark, but 13 went pending, or are under contract, a great gain. 102 properties under the $1,000,000 market are under contract in March, another solid gain.

The statistics are skewed in the media because so many sales are short sales which can be 60-180 days under contract, but the buyers are making offers quickly and the best properties are in escrow in under 20 days in the $400,000-$650,000 market. That market is moving quickly.

If you are in distress, don't wait too long to market your property. Interest rates are starting to climb, and that inflationary cycle that has been looming is still out there. While distressed families often go into paralysis, you must keep your wits about you and reach out to your mortgage lender and your creditors. Make a realistic estimate of your chances for fiscal recovery and decide whether to hold 'em or fold 'em. Often the relief from the pressure gives you renewed energy for a do over.

Our society is struggling with a huge demographic shift right now. Countless workers are reviewing their opportunities, rethinking their options, and determining what the next chapter is going to look like. It won't look like the past, that ship has sailed. So much has changed, gone is the pay phone, film, video rental outlets, music stores, hotel keys, (remember those big plastic tags, "Drop in any mailbox, postage guaranteed"), letters, and countless other changes to our social fabric. Also, America is finally the salad bowl it always claimed to be with diversity in all sectors of the work force. The Baby Boomers are moving en mass to the golden years, leaving behind a generation much smaller and then comes the swell of the Boomlett kids, or Millennials.

This is a time to think creatively, don't be constrained by the past, look forward to what makes you feel valuable, what makes you feel like a contributor. Unshackle yourself from pre-conception, and look at the world as it is now. Find new ways, forge new trails. If you have to let your home go, so be it. It's sticks and mortar. The real value is the memories which are yours to keep. Go out and forge new ones. You are you, regardless of conditions.