COMMUNITY NEWS
Bidding For Homes: Up To $200,000 Over Asking
H
By Jondi Gumz
ome prices are going crazy in Santa Cruz County, according to Gary Gangnes of Real Options Realty in Aptos, as wouldbe buyers bid $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 over the asking price. In March, the median price for single-family homes — the midpoint of what sold — set a new record: $1,125,000. Gangnes said overbidding locally reached the highest percentages ever: • 41% of the homes sold for more than $50,000 over asking price. • 26% of the homes sold for more than $100,000 over asking price. • 12% of the homes sold for more than $200,000 over asking price.
In Aptos, sale prices are 109 percent of the list price, according to Paul Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Properties. The median home price in Santa Cruz County crossed the $1 million mark in September before the holiday surge in COVID-19 cases and hasn’t looked back. The number of homes available for sale topped 500 in the summer of 2018 and 2019, then during the pandemic of 2020, fell far below that. As of the first week of April, there were 283 listings, an all-time low for that month, according to Gangnes, reporting that over the
past 25 years, that week saw an average of 721 listings. Only 175 of the 283 listings are active, as the other 108 are under contract with a buyer, he said. “Compare 175 active listings to 147 closed sales in March, and the intense supply and demand relationship is clear,” he said. Compare this March to March a year ago, when there were 102 sales — again, a sign of intense demand. Overbids Are Persisting 1,540-square-foot home on Redwood Drive listed for $789,000 sold on April 27 for $887,500.
A
“Overbidding” page 10
Photo Courtesy of Bailey Properties
Asking price for this 4-bed, 4-bath, 3,272-sq.ft. home at 135 Seabreeze Place is $1.95M.
COMMUNITY BRIEFS Erika Zavaleta Gets State Appointment ov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission. Zavaleta will be one of five members of the commission, which sets policies and regulations implemented and enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This position requires Senate confirmation. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Zavaleta is a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and Erika Zavaleta the Ecological Society of America. She directs the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program mentoring future leaders in ecology at UCSC and the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities (CAMINO), a program to increase student access to research-based field courses and internships at UCSC. Her research focuses on terrestrial ecosystems and plant communities, links between biodiversity and human well-being, and the implications of interacting global and regional environmental changes. She coauthored the award-winning textbook Ecosystems of California. Zavaleta earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology and a doctorate in biological sciences at Stanford University. She joined UCSC in 2003. “Historically, there has not been strong science or diversity representation on the commission, and Erika’s appointment represents a
G
marked change in the composition of the commission,” said Mark Carr, UCSC professor and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology. ••• Cruzio Hiring ruzio Internet in downtown Santa Cruz expects to hire up to 20 field technicians and technical service representatives this year. The Equal Access Santa Cruz project has connected more than 200 students and their families during the pandemic and more are expected to connect in 2021. The project has expanded to more school districts, low-income housing units, UC Santa Cruz student programs, and senior living facilities. Cruzio seeks entrylevel applicants with an interest in gaining installation, technical, and customer service skills and is scheduling appointments for a Zoom Interview Hiring Fair. Email cruzio. com/careers with times you are available for a Zoom interview. ••• Commuters Rewards To Bike, Carpool he GO Santa Cruz program, which has 1,100 people getting to work downtown via walking, biking, carpooling, skateboarding or riding the bus to win prizes, is expanding countywide. The program, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, is free. It’s partly funded by voter-approved Measure D to improve the county’s transportation network. To sign up, visit https://my.cruz511.org and join the GO Santa Cruz County network.
C
T
To earn points that can be redeemed for electronic gift cards, log in. Participants also can enter for chances to win in quarterly drawings. Participating employees and employers can participate in a series of free online educational workshops on topics such as urban cycling, eBikes and bike commuting basics. The countywide expansion came in connection with Earth Day. The GO Santa Cruz pilot program, launched in 2019 by the City of Santa Cruz, reports workers have logged 23,000 alternative trips and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 26.9 metric tons. ••• Val Miranda to Head PV Arts ajaro Valley Arts Board of Directors announces Valéria “Val” Miranda as the new executive director, succeeding Linda Martin in the part-time position. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she has a master’s degree in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, worked as a consultant since 2008 and has been the executive director at the Santa Cruz Art League since 2016. Her artistic practice is in dance and visual arts. She has lived in Santa Cruz County since 2001. A board Valeria Miranda member with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, she was the director of education at the San Jose Museum of Art and at the Monterey Museum of Art.
P
Her experience includes fundraising, curatorial practices, program development, management, and evaluation, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Miranda has worked in and with arts organizations since 1992. She is passionate about the power of the arts and culture to change individuals, communities, and society. While this last year was lost to many, Pajaro Valley Arts turned the negatives of the pandemic into a positive movement for change and growth. ••• Santa Cruz County Jobs March Unemployment 8.1% Change from Sector March 2021 a year ago Government 19,100 Down 3,700 Leisure & Hospitality 8,300 Down 5,300 Pvt. Ed. & Health 16,600 Down 1,400 Manufacturing 7,000 Unchanged Other Services 4,400 Down 800 Trade/Transportation/ Utilities 16,200 Down 300 Prof. & Biz. Services 10,500 Down 300 Information 500 Down 200 Construction 4,400 Down 100 Financial 3,100 Down 100 Nonfarm 90,100 Down 12,200 Farm 5,700 Up 1,100 Total 95,800 Down 11,100 Labor Force 129,800 Down 7% Employment* 119,200 Down 8% Unemployment 10,600 Up 3% *Includes commuting to jobs outside county Count is on the 12th of the month. Sources: California Employment Development Department n
www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 7
