Amesti Elementary Students Unveil Mural

Ruth Bates

831.359.2212

ruthbates1@gmail.com

CalBRE#01799929

NEW LOAN LIMITS

The Feds announced new conforming loan limits on 11/30/21 which are also nicely increased in High CostAreas. The new conforming loan limit for 2022 is $647,200 up from $548,250 and the new loan limit for high-costs areas including Santa Cruz County is $970,800 up from $822,375.

REDFIN ECONOMIC PREDICTIONS - 2022

Redfi n’s chief economist predicts a more balanced Housing Market in 2022 and that: 1) Mortgage rates will rise to 3.6% which will end double-digit price growth and bring pricing more down to earth. 2) New Listings will hit a 10-year high, which still won’t make much of a dent in the ongoing national supply shortage 3) Rents will increase by 7% by end of 2022, more than double expected overall home price increase nationwide of 3%.

The end of mortgage forbearance will cause many homeowners to sell and rent instead. Rental vacancy rates are at all-time lows. 4) Homeowners will relocate to aff ordable cities like Columbus, OH, Indianapolis,

PA over the sun-belt cities like Austin,

Atlanta, and Phoenix. 5) People will move to places that align with their politics….this will play with newly drawn electoral maps in swing states like Georgia, Texas, and North

Carolina. 6) Condo demand will take off . Buyers are opening up their home searches to condos and townhomes as viable, aff ordable options. But/and – the new infrastructure plan will bring improved access to remoter areas which will increase demand for single-family homes.

ZILLOW 95003 STATS

Zillow’s 95003 report shows $1,334,347 as “Typical Home Value” last month vs. $1,065,604 a year ago (25% increase), and a 16.2% increase is forecast for the next year. There were 24 homes for sale on 36 homes sold which is a 2/3 month inventory, still a huge Seller’s market!

HOMES FOR SALE IN APTOS

There are only 13 homes on the market in Aptos <$3M as of 12/06/21. The Average List Price is $1,626,692 and the Median List price is $1,495,000. The Avg Days on Market is 27, and that is only because 4/13 homes have been on over 30 days. 80+% of listings are selling in the fi rst 10 days. ——— December in Aptos is lovely.

Try to shop local whenever you can. Happy Holidays to all!

COMMUNITY NEWS Amesti Elementary Students Unveil Mural

With the help of teachers and community volunteers, the students at Amesti Elementary School created a three-dimensional mural, “My Community, Our Community.”

This mural, three years in the making, was unveiled Dec. 7, becoming a permanent part of the Amesti elementary campus in Watsonville.

“Every kid made their own house,” said project leader and teacher Lucia Herrera, “and a special group of kids worked on community venues like stores, the hospital, and the library.”

She added, “The kids are very proud and love to show it off.”

The mural featuring buildings made of clay gave the students an opportunity to work with materials they’ve never used before and resulted in a work of art that will last for years to come.

“During this process, the students were asked to become aware of what community meant,” Herrera said.“They saw how individual elements form a common whole and appreciated everything that belonging to a community brings to us.”

Alexander Pajaro CDC

They worked with local stores, churches and the fire department to learn what constitutes a community and how it operates.

Students first created drawings of their homes and community buildings, followed by cardboard mockups before crafting their final pieces of ceramic clay.

The installation required putting all

Lucero

Santa Cruz Schools Plus Foundation

the pieces together with help from teachers and community volunteers.

“The individual ceramic pieces were mounted onto a cement relief painted with acrylic paint in the form of a great city, representing our community,” Herrera said. n

Cover Photo: Alexander: Watsonville Community Hospital

Luna Arts Council Santa Cruz County

Sebastian

PVUSD

Kathy

Elizabeth

San Patricio Church

Alexandra

Santa Cruz County Office of Education