Seabright Beach Cottages and Homes

For over a century now, the charming Seabright beach cottages, stately Victorian houses and sprawling beach properties have been considered excellent real estate investments, mainly because of the attraction of the laid back spirit that Seabright has conserved since it was settled in the late 1800s. The founders realized that the natural beauty and tranquil setting made the area an ideal getaway from the hubbub of the rapidly growing neighboring communities, and laid plans early to make it the Seabright beach cottages accessible to visitors. The took pride, however, in maintaining their quaint architectural style. Even contemporary Seabright beach cottages and businesses continue to reflect a turn of the century ambiance that still appeals to modern tastes.

Many of the original Seabright Victorian houses remain as fascinating glimpses of the kind of elegance that shaped the Seabright area and most have been kept in excellent repair through the years. Even the new Seabright beach cottages have retained the echoes of this elegant style developed in the 1920s, but have been upgraded to include all the modern conveniences. For those who want to build a brand new Seabright home, there are still plenty of Santa Cruz homes that can be remodeled to suit any taste.

Seabright vacation properties are ideal real estate investments because attractions like the nearby Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and Santa Cruz Boardwalk consistently attracts guests year round. Some of the Seabright Victorians are converted into bed and breakfast establishments, restaurants or retail stores. Since the Seabright beach is a popular place for weddings and receptions, large beach houses are frequently rented at top dollar to accommodate the wedding parties. The inventory for Seabright cottages and condominiums is extensive, and cover a range of prices and features.

The cliffs over looking the Seabright beach cottages still feature large estates with rambling grounds and stately, elegant homes that reflect the quieter days of yesteryear. Old timers still refer to Seabright beach as Castle Beach because the main entrance was once the location of the stately Scholl-Mar Castle from 1928-1967. Many Seabright beach houses have retained hints of the kind of wildly romantic architecture have shaped Seabright's quirky character through the years.

Beach houses in Santa Cruz come in all different sizes and costs. Depending on how much you can invest in a Santa Cruz beach house,be it for a rental you use some times, or a place you intend to live full time, will determine the amount you can get for rental income.

See an example of a Santa Cruz beach house that would be located at 3054 Pleasure Point Drive in Santa Cruz. This home is ocean front, as opposed to bluff top. Homes like this will generally run $2-3000 per week to rent, which is not too bad. They will vary in size and thus the number of people that they can sleep. As this home sleeps 6 there are limitations to what people will pay versus a hotel. If you were to rent a home or Santa Cruz beach cottage a few blocks back, you will find they are in the $200 dollar per night range.

As with anything, you need to consider if you are going to have it professionlly managed by a Santa Cruz property management firm or do it yourself. The majority of Monterey Bay property management firms also do monthly rentals and not weekly. That is a whole different specialization and you will find the fees for such, are different. There is alot more administration and management involved and as such the fees are about 3-8 times higher on the weekly management side. Now if you can self manage, that cuts the costs down.

One of the other factors to consider is do you buy a Santa Cruz home instead of and Aptos beach front home? Once again, there is a different cost factor versus and buying a Rio Del Mar ocean view condo. Generally one can find oceanview condos that you can rent weekly there above Rio Del Mar beach. Most condos, even Capitola ocean view condos do not allow for weekly renting. Those in Rio Del Mar and those Seascape Resort condos can be rented weekly or daily.

So consider an ocean front Santa Cruz home or a beach front Rio Del Mar home will depending on newness, size, time of year, sleeping accommodations run anywhere from $2000-5000 per week. If you were to get a condo, those would be more in the $1500-2000 per week, depending on the factors mentioned above.If you are thinking of making a purchase of a home in Santa Cruz, consider the factors above. You can find homes in Carmel or other areas at CaCoastalhome dot that may give you ideas on candidates.

You have viewed all the Carmel homes for sale at least twice and have settled on the one that suits most of your requirements. Now it's time to make an offer. Most people get stuck at this stage because they already know the asking price but are uncertain how much they should offer. However, there is a way to come up with an offer price without having to ask everyone, including the mailman, their opinion on your offer.

First, you need to check for any other Carmel homes for sale that have been purchased recently. You need to find properties similar in size and condition to the one you are offering for. This way you can come up with a price range that is fair to both you and the seller. Remember, though, that you shouldn't put an exceedingly high price in your offer. You need some room for negotiation and if your offer is too close to your maximum budget, you won’t have where to go. On the other hand, don't make the offer too low or the seller will discard it immediately.

Information on comparable sales can be found in a number of places but you will need to ask your agent to check them. Accessing these resources is easier for your agent in comparison to a member of the public. The first of these is the public record, where all deed transfers, i.e. property sales, are registered. The local county recorder's office has all sales data and property information because they use it to determine property taxes. The problem with this information, though, is that the sale appears around six to eight weeks after its completion and in a volatile market can amount to a large difference.

Another source is the Multiple Listing Service, which is only available to realtors. The Multiple Listing Service includes both current Carmel homes for sale as well as sold properties, complete with sales price. This listing service has become a valuable database of information on home sales.

The most valuable information comes from pending transactions, as it is the most current and up to date. Unfortunately, it is not registered anywhere. However, your realtor can sometimes find out this information by speaking to the agent handling the transaction. The latter may reveal the details as a professional courtesy.

Analyzing all this information will help you come up with a realistic offer that matches what other Carmel homes for sale are currently fetching on the market. Even if some of the information is slightly old, it is still valuable in presenting a complete picture of the evolution of property values. It is very useful in creating forecasts based on past events.

Many other factors can affect the offer price. However, by keeping your finger on the pulse of the market, you can get a realistic idea of the property’s value compared to other Carmel homes for sale.

You have probably heard the phrase “location, location, location” so often that you are sick and tired of it. However, if you are buying a home, any good Carmel real estate agent will tell you that the resale value of the property is a vital factor when making your decision. This is because, at some point, you will want to buy something bigger, better and maybe even in a prime location, so the more you can get for your current home the better.

How does location affect the resale value of a property? Your focus should be on finding an area that will appeal to the widest range of potential future buyers. You can improve a property but you cannot change its location.

First, you need to decide in which town or city you want to live and analyze the potential of the area. You need to consider the economic stability of the area as you are making a decision that will affect you in ten to fifteen years, when you sell. The property must maintain its current value, at the very least. In short, its value must exhibit growth equal to the annual inflation rate. If it has greater growth potential, that is even better as you could walk away with a profit

You can establish the economic viability of an area by checking out the mix of business, commercial and residential areas and how well neighborhoods are maintained. The former implies plenty of jobs are available for the residents of the area. This in turn leads to income and tax generation, which means more funding to maintain public services, roads and the like. Clean neighborhoods with manicured lawns and nice looking homes shows a prosperous area where people can focus on creating a nice environment. For example, a quick drive around Carmel will exhibit all the qualities you should be looking for in a prosperous community, which is why Carmel real estate has not dropped as much in value as other areas of the country.

Some other important factors that can influence your decision are local government services, schools and property taxes. In terms of services, you will need to check everything from the availability of a public library to the effectiveness of the police force and fire department. Schooling can affect the resale value because the closer you are to a school the more valuable the house will be for any future owner. Property taxes are also a critical factor because it is harder to make a sale in an area with high taxes, even if it means better services and infrastructure.

Your Carmel real estate agent should be able to answer all of these questions for you as well as take you on a drive to judge the situation yourself. You may feel you are getting too far ahead of yourself, because you haven't even bought a property yet, never mind trying to sell it. However, if you make the wrong decision now and have to sell at a lower price later on, you may find yourself regretting your lack of foresight.

In most cases, buyers end up with a Carmel real estate agent by accident when they call to inquire about a listing. They talk to the realtor and go to see the house in question but decide it isn’t for them. Consequently, they fall into the routine of calling the same realtor. However, this is a mistake because the ad for that property tells you nothing of the agent and their competence.

There are two categories of Carmel real estate agents, those specializing in representing sellers, or listing agents, and agents specializing in representing buyers known as selling agents or buyer's agents. This does not mean that they exclusively represent one side or the other, just that they focus more on their preference. Of course, some agents adopt an exclusive approach, representing either only buyers or sellers.

Therefore, your first step as a buyer, before looking for a property, is to find a Carmel real estate agent to represent you. You should adopt the same strategy you use when looking for a doctor, a plumber or a mechanic. You can use the internet to search for realtors as well as opinions from others who have used their services. Carmel real estate forums are a great place to do this because you can also ask questions about a specific person or company if nothing turns up on a search. You should also speak to family and friends. You never know if someone in your circle has used a realtor and it is a great way to find a good agent because the recommendation will be honest.

You should also interview any Carmel real estate agents just as if you were hiring someone, because essentially you are. Remember, they are there to provide you with a service so you need to gauge their knowledge of the market. In other words, if you ask a question and they say they will have to call you back after they check their records then you may want to look elsewhere. A sign of a good agent is one that asks many questions and exhibits a real interest in your needs, desires and expectations from a new home. You should be happy if they ask many personal questions about your family and income because they are trying to determine what price range is suitable.

The best Carmel real estate agent is one who will be honest with you and not tell you just what you want to hear. For example, if your budget is $200,000 but you want a beachfront mansion, a good agent will tell you it’s impossible. On the other hand, if he says he can get you anything you need then find another agent or you will be wasting a lot of time.

Buying a home is a major decision and a massive investment, so the last thing you need is a Carmel real estate agent who is more interested in his commission than in helping you. However, there are plenty of good real estate agents and they are worth their weight in gold.