Santa Cruz Real Estate's Blog: All Categories

As I sit in front of my computer thinking of what I will be working on today, I can’t help but be thankful. In the past two hours the temperature has risen two degrees to a balmy 39 degrees. I am thankful I am inside and have shelter overhead. Today I will be working on getting things for our Adopt-a-Family. The Adopt-a-Family family is a program that our office at David Lyng Real Estate supports. I am the office representative to assist 4 families. What this program does it provide a way for a number of families to receive gifts and presents during the holidays. In a society bloated with excess, these members do not have material excess. So I am, with the help of many fine agents in my office, to bring some basic needed items and hopefully some cheer and…

The Senior Resource Council in Santa Cruz, CA is having a Wine and Cheese Idea Social for Seniors.This group of professionals assists seniors with in identifying and solving their aging concerns. The group, founded by Gregg Camp, a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and Dan Nicholas, Nicholas Financial Services, serves to promote the education and quality of life choices for seniors.

The Wine and Cheese Idea Social is to be held December 5th at Aegis of Aptos, Ca from 5:30-7:00. The topic of the event is “Taking Care of tomorrow, families growing old together.” Location is Aegis of Aptos, Ca 125 Heather Terrace. Call for RSVP or information at 831-684-2700

Families and seniors are invited to learn about some of the choices facing seniors now and…

Santa Cruz, California is once again in the news. Local charter school Pacific Collegiate School has been named the #2 high school in the nation. Second In The Nation. Pretty heady stuff for a small town school.  Pacific Collegiate School was named to the Top 100 High Schools in the nation list by U.S. News & World Reports. The magazine lists a raft of different educational levels in this issue as being the best to consider.

Part of the key to success for the 9 year old charter school is that it has 100 % participation in advances placement programs, with an amazing 93% pass rate. The school with is located on Swift Street in the old Natural Bridges Elementary school site, was also named California Charter School of the Year for 2006.

Santa Cruz has…

Surfing is one of those pursuits that is part physical, part mental and part spiritual. Sometimes, there is no good surf, but there are always pretty sites to see to soothe the mind and spirit. Surfing has the youth of Santa Cruz firmly in its grasp, as it should. With the area rich in natural beauty and consistent surf, the real pleasures come on the cheap. What was once the sport of kids, baseball or football, the youth of Santa Cruz, and the general populace, primarily go surfing. The estate of things are such, if it is free and available, people will do it.

Santa Cruz has a wide variety of real estate and topography. There are point breaks, reef breaks and shore breaks. Knowing where to find them, and when they are active, is the local knowledge.…

Driving Missy Daisy conjures up an idyllic relationship of the past with an older woman and their relationship with driving. This brings to mind the older population and their and our concern with driving. Being younger and having seen and heard many comments regarding older drivers, we all know there is something to be said regarding this issue. Driving around Santa Cruz, I see this time to time of the older population as well as the younger population. Santa Cruz is a beautiful area that has a wide variety of driving conditions, depending on where you are, and the season. You need to be vigilant even without the distractions of a cell phone!

As seniors get older, their faculties start to diminish. There are the usual aches and pains, then, there are…

Foreclosure Relief in Sight for Santa Cruz, California.

Four of the larger lenders promise to help California borrowers avoid default. They will principally maintain the loan rates when the borrower got the loan and not at the reset rate for 5 years. Many of these borrowers had sub prime loans. Our governor Schwarzenegger has been actively involved with Countrywide Financial Corp.,GMAC Financial Services,Litton Loan Servicing and HomeEq Servicing for an agreement.

Many borrowers have requested rate resets for rate relief and been given no or at times, long delayed responses. Banks have been cavalier towards their borrowers' credit plight in my opinion. In some cases it is because the loan was sold to a servicing company and the servicing company,…

UCSC Blog

University of California in Santa Cruz is now ranked 79th in the “Best Colleges” list.  US News and World Report ranked it 79th out of 124 “top schools” in the nation.  To be ranked, the university must offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees; many that strongly emphasize research.  UCSC recently had its social scientists honored for teaching and research. 

The recipients of the Division of Social Sciences 2007 Distinguished Teaching Awards are: Alan Richards, professor of environmental studies; Jack Vevea, associate professor of psychology; and Andrea Steiner, lecturer in community studies.  These faculty received $2,500 total to be split equally among them.  Psychology professor Bruce Bridgeman…

Fragile X and Autism

FAXTAS (or Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome) affects carriers of a small mutation- also called permutation – in the same gene that causes Fragile X syndrome.  The genetic mutation is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment and the leading single-gene cause of autism in children. According to the Autism Society of America, there is currently no known single cause of autism, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function.  Researchers are currently studying a link between heredity, genetics and medical problems.  In many families there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, which further supports a genetic basis to the disorder.  Researchers…