Sold In Ojai

Homes Sold Last Month

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RECENT HOME SALES

380 Monte Via, Oak View, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1,098 sf, $657,000

11763 Mirror Lake Avenue, 3 bed, 1.75 bath, 1,544 sf, $680,000

1099 Granito Drive, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,544 sf, $770,000

300 Grande Vista Drive, Oak View, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,516 sf, $782,000 View, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,645 sf, $1,200,000

12437 Sisar Road, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,560 sf, $1,500,000

1600 Foothill Road, 3 bed, 3 bath, 1,956 sf, $1,730,000

465 Gridley Road, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,346 sf, $1,987,000

10580 Creek Road, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,808 sf, $1,990,000

82 Arnaz, Oak View, 3 bed, 1.75 bath, 2,637 sf, $830,000

501 Crestview Drive, Oak View, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, $895,000

554 South La Luna Avenue, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,584 sf, $965,000

501 North Fulton Street, 2 bed, 1 bath, 864 sf, $965,000

928 Devereaux Drive, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1,297 sf, $1,014,000

305 West Oak Street, 2 bed, 1.75 bath, 1,206 sf, $1,020,000

488 South Rice Road, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2,350 sf, $1,105,000

95 Pathelen Avenue, Oak View, 3 bed, 3 bath, 2,382 sf, $1,125,000

165 Canterbury Court, Oak 13684 MacDonald Drive, 6 bed, 5 bath, 4,425 sf, $2,250,000

12386 Linda Flora Drive, 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 4,351 sf, $2,450,000

1573 Happy Lane, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2,500 sf, $2,800,000

704 Palomar Road, 3 bed, 4 bath, 3,746 sf, $2,900,000

4158 Grand Avenue, 5 bed, 6 bath, 5,009 sf, $3,010,000

9342 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, 2 bed, 2 bath, 1,400 sf, $3,500,000

Dale Hanson

Ojai Valley Real Estate

(805)646-7229 B.R.E. 01229522 Notary Public dale@ojaivalleyrealestate.com

Call me for your real estate needs. Residential, commercial, or business opportunity.

Great location for commercial business or restaurant. Large parking in back. The building is updated and very clean. Forced air and heating, 3 private offices. A bath room and small wet kitchen. Separate attached unit with 3/4 bath and private entrance and address. $775,000

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dream home v. fixer-uppers Thinking of Buying a Restoration Project?

By Therese A. Hartmann

We Hartmanns are born to work and love restoring old homes. This is precisely the reason my brother and sister-in-law recently bought the Acacia Mansion in Meiners Oaks. Its past charm had begun to wear thin as the decades passed and the amount of deferred maintenance was, to be frank, daunting. Even in a hot real estate market, the property sat just waiting for a buyer who had vision and the patience to bring it back to life.

To be fair, buying a fixer isn’t for everyone. It takes grit, determination, a specific skill set (especially if you’re making repairs yourself), and deep pockets. Sometimes VERY deep pockets and if you’ve ever seen the movie “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

But for those who do have the qualities it takes; you’ll often see some wonderful benefits including: • Getting to personalize the house to your own liking • Building sweat equity • Having a lower property tax basis • Having quality work done to elevate the property

My nephew and his sweet wife also bought a fixer recently. The two of them have done most of the work themselves, taking a run-down property built in 1947 and have brought it back to life. Because of a reasonable purchase price, they have been able to completely upgrade everything in the house. What was almost a teardown is now something that you might see in a magazine. And the landscaping is still to come!

But, is fixing and/or flipping a house as easy as what you see on shows like “The Property Brothers”? Oh, HECK no! And this is why you will notice that homes that are manicured, kept up and staged well are always the first to sell. Without vision and determination, you might be best off to buy something that has been completed and then just add charm by furnishing.

In some cases, and according to The National Association of Home Builders, it’s actually less expensive to buy a move-in ready home. However, if you’ve decided buying a fixer is for you, you should always pay for a complete home inspection. You’ll want to avoid homes that have structural issues like a faulty foundation. You might also order more specific inspections like an engineering report, soil report, electrical check, etc. At the very least, if you find more problems than what have been disclosed, you’ll have an opportunity to negotiate.

Whether buying a fixer or movein ready home, you’ll always want to save money by having a good loan. An extra $20k in repairs is small change compared to the savings you might enjoy when locking in a low rate.

So, be sure to wave when passing the Acacia Mansion and be certain to check with me if you want to get a solid plan of action in place. Talking it over helps!

Therese A. Hartmann has 20 years’ lending experience. She is a Licensed Broker, California Dept. of Real Estate #01048403, NMLS # 298291, affiliated with C2 Financial Corporation. For a free consultation, call Therese today at (805) 798-2158.