Santa Cruz to bypass housing woes
SantaCruzSentinel.com – Top Stories
Santa Cruz County is expected to bypass the statewide housing trends in 2008.Alan Nevin, economist for the California Building Industry Association, said his statewide prediction for smaller homes and lower prices might come true in San Luis Obispo but not in Santa Cruz.
“The problem in Santa Cruz is supply,” said Jeff Becker of DMB Associates in Hollister and association chairman. “You’re not going to see smaller homes there at lower prices. Builders can build larger and always have a buyer.”
Thanks to Burbed reader Scott for sending this in.
Personally, there was never a doubt in my mind that Santa Cruz would buck the housing woes trend. After all, it’s got the Mystery Spot and the world famous beaches – foreigners of all stripes with their powerful currencies are flocking here to buy up second homes and villas to retire to.
Congrats Santa Cruz on these great prognostications from those in the RE business!
January 5th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I actually, well, like everyone else, have warm fuzzy feelings about Santa Cruz. There’s good farming country all around, ocean, something like 3 branches of the river running through town, and it’s all walkable or bikeable. Will RE crash there? Of course! All those tanning salons, RE offices, dog-grooming-parlours and various hippy karmic-realignment garages will go out of biz. A bunch of hucksters will not be able to make it in a farming and fishing community with much less tourism – after the Depression really gets underway. But because it’s such a NICE place, and because Boomers are retiring and not all of them spent all their hard-earned Boomer dollars on hookers and blow, I’d wait a bit before I’d expect to see SC crash.
If you’re ever by, say hi to Twister for me!
January 5th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Do people in Santa Cruz mostly live off some inherited money? There is hardly any big industry offering jobs over there. Bay area transplants cannot sustain the commute over a long run.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
A lot do commute, but I think there’s a lot of inherited money involved. And the 420 economy.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
The commute to San Jose on 17 is about equivalent to coming from Gilroy.. except it’s a lot more dangerous. But people like Santa Cruz better than they like the garlic capitol of the world apparently.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I work with a guy who commutes from Snta Cruz to Sunnyvale. He bitches from soup to nuts about the commute. I asked him why he hadn’t bought a house closer to work, and he looked at me like I was an idiot.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Density – Yep that’s the mindset. And the commute is dangerous, but when has a Real Red-Blooded American ever backed away from danger on the road?
50,000 a year plus several times that maimed and people complain about guns…. grumble mutter mutter….
January 5th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I do that commute every day, actually. It’s not so bad. …when you leave at 2:30pm and come home at midnight.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Surf’s up!
January 6th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Soli so you’re working 2nd shift, that can work out well.
And what’s what, an extra 2-3 hours a day of work (driving)? It’s the American Way.