The Home Page: Swinging Into Spring

On Green Thumb Guides & Aid to Ukraine

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on March 20, 2022. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

INSIDE & OUT

Today marks the vernal equinox here in the southern hemisphere, meaning that winter is officially over, and spring is in the air. While we hold out hope for some rain in the coming months, this is also the time of year that we celebrate our indoor/outdoor lifestyle in earnest. The gorgeous home above is a perfect example of the way our climate invites us to blend our indoor living spaces right outside, even sporting a putting green, bocce ball, fire pit & spa. Offered by Gregg Leach of Village Properties, check out more pics and details here.

A NEW WAY TO MOVE YOU

I ran into my friend Jermaine Brown this week who told me about an almost-too-good-to-be-true sounding new program that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties is offering that allows you to buy your next home before they sell your current property. It works something like this: they buy your home with an initial payment of up to 80 percent of its value, so you can pay off any loans and make a down payment so that you can close on your new home. Then they prep and stage your house and sell it for top dollar, so you then get a second payment for the difference. The program, called Pinnacle Forward, takes a cut of approximately 3 percent. It sure sounds like the timing and no-hassle approach could make it well worthwhile. I’m not an expert, so if you’re curious, contact Jermaine to learn all about it. Ask him about his adorable bike-riding family while you’re at it!

GREEN THUMB GUIDE

I’ve been gradually adding to my succulent garden over the past two years, giving me a growing gauge of our pandemic-induced focus on all things home right here in my front yard. Trimmings from friends, offerings from neighbors, and transplants from one place in my yard to another have all contributed to the effort. I can’t say I’ve had much of a plan, but I’m enjoying the process as the plants bloom and thrive. In contrast, check out this account of a couple who completely cleared the front yard of their craftsman style home to re landscape from scratch. To each his or her own!

LOCAL AID TO UKRAINE

The SBAOR Board of Directors voted unanimously to donate $5000 for Ukraine humanitarian relief. The funds were authorized at the March board meeting, and will be funded through Direct Relief International. DRI is working with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and other groups in the region to provide medical aid for current needs — from oxygen concentrators to critical care medicines — while preparing to offer longer-term aid as well. DRI is a humanitarian aid organization based in Santa Barbara with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay.

Q&A WITH SBAOR

The local Association of Realtors has been busy in other areas, too. The monthly members’ breakfast meeting is traditionally held in person, but we’ve been meeting via zoom for the past two years. Last week – at what was possibly the very last zoom-style meeting – the association hosted a panel of lenders discussing current market conditions. Panelists Lori Murray of American Riviera Bank, Steve Boelter of Draper and Kramer Mortgage, and Jeff Bochsler of Guaranteed Rate Mortgage fielded questions from moderator Todd Shea and audience members. A lively discussion was enjoyed by all.

Make sure you check out the compelling coverage in this week’s Independent. And no matter how you’re spending this first day of Spring, enjoy!

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