Chuck Barberini Real Estate

“Just Thinking" We were going through some pictures before mom’s funeral, and we came across some family shots taken in Santa’s Village. If you are under 50 years old, you have no idea what I am talking about. Santa’s Village was in Scotts Valley, on the way to Santa Cruz, it was a Christmas-themed amusement park that operated from May 30, 1957, until 1979. The park featured several kiddie rides, a spinning Christmas tree, a petting zoo, buildings that looked like gingerbread houses, and a column that was known as the "North Pole." Employees dressed as elves and gnomes, adding to the immersive experience. The park even had its own freeway exit, which still bears the name Santa’s Village Road For years after it closed, the remains of Santa’s Village lingered along the highway in Scotts Valley. The whimsical buildings that once delighted families stood silent, fading, and slowly surrendering to time. Sometime in the 1980s, on my way to a job in Santa Cruz, I noticed the ex...

Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Imagine making more money than you did six years ago yet being able to afford less. That’s today’s reality for buyers across the U.S. According to a new Realtor.com report, wages are up 15.7% since 2019, yet the maximum affordable home price for a median-income household has actually fallen to $298,000, almost $30,000 less than in 2019.  Meanwhile, the median home price has surged to $439,450. That double whammy of reducing buying power and higher prices is why only 28% of homes for sale were affordable for the typical U.S. household in July.  That said, some markets have actually seen improvements in buying power.  The Mortgage Rate Math The heart of the affordability crunch is how much higher mortgage rates eat into a monthly budget. In 2019, rates sat between 3.5% and 4.5%. Today, they’re holding steady in the 6.5% to 7% range. Take a $400,000 home as an example: At a 4% rate, the monthly principal and interest payment (20% down) would b...

  “Just Thinking" I didn’t get a newsletter out last week; it was a crazy week/ month, and I wasn’t able to focus enough to get my thoughts together. For those of you that didn’t know, my mother passed away on July 28 th , she took a turn for the worse at the beginning of June, although she fought the good fight, she peacefully passed away. We held her funeral last Thursday, August 14 th  at our home parish of Our Lady of the Visitacion Church, with a well-attended celebration following the funeral. Family and friends came together to tell stories about mom, what a wonderful way to say goodbye to a wonderful woman. I started this last week on the anniversary of the beginning of Woodstock, I learned some stuff and still think that it is worth sharing.  On August 15, 1969, the Woodstock music festival opened on a patch of farmland in upstate New York. The promoters originally envisioned the festival as a way to raise funds to build a recording studio and rock-and-roll retre...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter The U.S. housing market has slowed. According to Redfin’s latest report, the typical home that went under contract in July sat on the market for 43 days. That’s up from 35 days a year earlier. And it’s the longest July span since 2015. This cooling pace reflects a mix of high homebuying costs, economic uncertainty, and a shift in seller behavior. Pending sales have fallen to a two-year low, and active listings just posted their largest monthly drop since 2023. Here’s what you need to know about the national trends, where supply and demand are headed, and how market dynamics are playing out at the metro level. For context and a full breakdown of Redfin’s report, tune in for today’s  Hot Sheet  with Byron Lazine: Homes Are Taking Longer to Sell Homes are sitting longer as buyers pull back. Pending sales fell 1.1% month over month in July, dropping to the lowest seasonally adjusted level since November 2023. Existing-home sales slipped to a ...

  “Just Thinking" Age has a way of revealing life’s harder truths, its struggles, losses, and disappointments. The road we travel is paved with lose; friends, family, heroes, and missed opportunities. These are the tests we begin learning early in life. Over the past few months, I’ve watched my grandson take his first steps, and in his small journey, I have witnessed life’s biggest lessons. At first, he propped himself up, let go, wobbled in place, then reached out to steady himself to keep from falling. Soon, those shaky moments turned into a few unsure steps before a tumble, then a few more steps before another fall. Gradually, there were more steps than falls. Each time he went down, he got back up and walking on, stronger and more confident. Life is much the same, we all stumble, we all face setbacks. the choice that we make when we fall defines us, stay down, or get up and keep moving forward. As Lou Holtz once said, show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Most buyers don’t walk away from a home purchase remembering your pre-approval timelines or market absorption rates.  What sticks with them is the moment you showed up when the process got quiet.  The follow-up that landed just as they started to second-guess everything. The check-in that made them feel like they weren’t doing this alone. According to Cotality’s from House to Home report, that kind of timing is what separates agents that buyers trust from the ones they don’t call back. Buyers Say Guidance Matters, But Only When It’s Timed Right Nearly 75% of recent buyers said their agent provided helpful guidance. But what they remembered wasn’t the pitch. It was the presence. What mattered most: A short, clear reminder about next steps when things got overwhelming A plain-language explanation of legal or financial documents A check-in timed around an offer, appraisal, or moment of doubt A heads-up about closing costs or insurance before...

  “Just Thinking" The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine, we were discussing the current housing market, interest rates and buyer hesitancy. The opinions of the different generations with regards to home ownership and how their opinions affect the housing market. Mike said that he went back and check out the interest rates and what there effect was on the market. I thought that it would be interesting to see the excuses for not buying and the results of the market subsequently. First of all, an overview of the generations, their opinions on homeownership and the market effects. Baby Boomers consider homeownership as an essential and tend to hold on to homes, thereby limiting inventory. GenX tend to see homes as a combination of investment and lifestyle they are the largest group of move up buyers. Millennials still desire homeownership but face multiple barriers: student debt, high prices, tight inventory. They have delayed home buying but are now largest segment of firs...