April 26, 2024
Quote of the Day
Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.
– Martin Buxbaum
This Day in History
April 26, 1983: Soviet leader writes letter to U.S. fifth-grader. On this day in 1983, the Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country. Andropov’s letter came in response to a note Smith had sent him in December 1982, asking if the Soviets were planning to start a nuclear war. At the time, the United States and Soviet Union were Cold War enemies.
President Ronald Reagan, a passionate anti-communist, had dubbed the Soviet Union the “evil empire” and called for massive increases in U.S. defense spending to meet the perceived Soviet threat. In his public relations duel with Reagan, known as the “Great Communicator,” Andropov, who had succeeded longtime Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, assumed a folksy, almost grandfatherly approach that was incongruous with the negative image most Americans had of the Soviets.
Andropov’s letter said that Russian people wanted to “live in peace, to trade and cooperate with all our neighbors on the globe, no matter how close or far away they are, and, certainly, with such a great country as the United States of America.” In response to Smith’s question about whether the Soviet Union wished to prevent nuclear war, Andropov declared, “Yes, Samantha, we in the Soviet Union are endeavoring and doing everything so that there will be no war between our two countries, so that there will be no war at all on earth.” Andropov also complimented Smith, comparing her to the spunky character Becky Thatcher from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
Smith, born June 29, 1972, accepted Andropov’s invitation and flew to the Soviet Union with her parents for a visit. Afterward, she became an international celebrity and peace ambassador, making speeches, writing a book and even landing a role on an American television series. In February 1984, Yuri Andropov died from kidney failure and was succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko. The following year, in August 1985, Samantha Smith died in a plane crash at age 13.
Ojai Weather
Mostly sunny – High 71 / Low 46
Total rainfall for the season – 36.20
Lake Casitas water capacity – 100.0%
(Currently overflowing at 0.6 Cubic Feet per Second, or about 269 gallons per minute)
Friday, April 26, 2024
2:10 p.m.
Happy Friday! There are six new listings on the market:
2187 Woodland Avenue – $1,200,000
1205 Country Club Drive – $2,950,000
10484-10480 Creek Road – $8,199,000
(This is already under contract)
10980 Ventura Avenue – $2,600,000
1202 Loma Drive #102 – $177,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as new:
- 4239 Grand Avenue – $3,790,000 (recently expired on 4/24)
The Open House list has been updated, as has the Things to Do in Ojai page. Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, April 25, 2024
10:10 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
12717 Blue Heron Circle – $4,175,000 (coming soon, 4/26)
257 N. Arnaz Street – $990,000 (coming soon, 4/29)
(This property is already under contract)
Pic of the Day
I’m flying, Jack!
[I don’t know who is doing this, but you’re defacing public property]
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
11:45 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
(Note: this is “coming soon” but will be officially on the market tomorrow)
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
11:50 a.m.
There are two new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
680-1/2 W. Lomita Avenue – $425,000
11100 Sulphur Mountain Road – $9,250,000 (coming soon, 4/26)
Prior “coming soon” listings, now on the market:
Pic of the Day
Monday, April 22, 2024
10:40 a.m.
There are two new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
940 Hackamore Street – $885,000
3627 Thacher Road – $3,890,000 (coming soon, 4/29)
Prior “coming soon” listings, now on the market:
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 1204 Gregory Street – $975,000 (this was last listed on 3/16; it had been cancelled and off market since that time).
Just a couple of notes about Lake Casitas, now at 100% capacity:
- The lowest water level that Lake Casitas reached (at least in my 19 years living here) was 29.2% on 11/28/22. In the span of roughly one year (from 11/28/22 to 11/21/23), the lake level increased 41.8%.
- From 11/21/23 to today, the lake level has increased an additional 29% – leading to our current lake level at 100%.
- Based solely on the last 4 years (the only data I have), the average amount the lake recedes from May to December is about 5 to 6%. So even with our usual, warm summers, we should still see Lake Casitas near 94-95% by the time the next rainy season starts.
Pic of the Day
Friday, April 19, 2024
1:40 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
The open house list for this weekend has been updated, as has the “Things to Do in Ojai” list, and the 2024 Libbey Bowl concert schedule. There are 24 concerts currently booked between now and October 12th! Enjoy the weekend…
Pic of the Day
Looks like the Windex (SC Johnson) executives can go ahead and buy that yacht
Thursday, April 18, 2024
11:40 a.m.
There are five new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
2835 Hermitage Road – $15,000,000
502 Vista Hermosa Road – $4,325,000 (coming soon, 4/20)
293 McAndrew Road – $2,795,000 (coming soon, 4/20)
37 Taormina Lane – $950,000 (coming soon, 4/23)
Mortgage Rate Update
Mortgage rates finally moved a bit lower yesterday after hitting their highest levels since mid-November on Tuesday. Rates improved about an eighth of a percent, which is on the bigger side for a day-over-day change for conventional 30-yr fixed rates. As nice as it is to see a big improvement, it’s important to understand the nature of the move. Even when rates are spiking consistently higher, its direction is invariably punctuated by brief moments of reprieve. And although recently seen, it’s very rare for a rate spike to play out with each successive day being higher than the last.
In other words, as of today, it’s not safe to view this improvement as anything other than a token bounce that exists as a normal byproduct of what came before it. Whether mortgage rates continue to chart a higher course, or ease back, as they are expected to do before the year’s end, it will depend on the economic data coming out in May. The jobs report, to be released on May 3rd, will be an important tone setter for the month. However, the number one mortgage rate mover is likely to be the April inflation data, which will be released May 15th.
30-yr fixed: 7.43%
15-yr fixed: 6.84%
30-yr Jumbo: 7.62%
30-yr FHA: 6.90%
30-yr VA: 6.92%
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
1:45 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
309 N. Fulton Street – $1,198,000
(This was recently on the market in November at $1,225,000. It did not sell at that time.)
Pic of the Day
Monday April 15, 2024
2:00 p.m.
There are no new listings today, but here is a prior “coming soon” listing that is now on the market:
Pic of the Day
Friday, April 12, 2024
2:45 p.m.
There are two new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
410 Church Road #12 – $949,000
417 W. Matilija Street – $2,879,000 (coming soon, 4/15)
Here’s the updated Open House list for this weekend, as well as the updated list of Things to Do in Ojai. Have a great day!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, April 11, 2024
11:35 a.m.
There are four new listings on the market:
12617 Koenigstein Road – $2,400,000
2267 Burnham Road – $1,375,000
417 McAndrew Road – $6,550,000
Pic of the Day
Pac-Man gets rabies
(Following up on yesterday’s pic…)
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
12:00 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
302 N. Montgomery Street – $1,695,000
(This is a commercial property)
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
12:40 p.m.
There are no new listings for today.
Pic of the Day
Monday, April 8, 2024
2:55 p.m.
Two new listings have come to the market since Friday:
1084 Woodland Avenue – $1,319,000
Pic of the Day
Friday, April 5, 2024
1:20 p.m.
There are no new listings today, however, the open house list for this weekend, as well as the list of Things to Do in Ojai have been updated. Have an enjoyable weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, April 4, 2024
1:40 p.m.
There are no new listings today.
Pic (video) of the Day
Darth Realtor
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
2:55 p.m.
Two new listings have come to the market since Monday:
124 Done Felipe Way – $259,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as new:
- 12101 MacDonald Drive – $3,850,000 (this recently expired on 3/31)
Pic of the Day
If anyone actually considers manufacturing these – I’m customer #1
Monday, April 1, 2024
10:45 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as new:
- 12246 Sisar Road – $1,900,000 (this expired earlier today).
Here’s a check-in on current mortgage interest rates:
30-yr fixed: 7.05%
15-yr fixed: 6.50%
30-yr Jumbo: 7.35%
30-yr FHA: 6.46%
30-yr VA: 6.49%
Pic of the Day
