April 25, 2024
Quote of the Day
Life has three rules: Paradox, Humor, and Change:
– Paradox: Life is a mystery; don’t waste your time trying to figure it out.
– Humor: Keep a sense of humor, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.
– Change: Know that nothing ever stays the same.
– Dan Millman
This Day in History
April 25, 1719: “Robinson Crusoe” is published. Daniel Defoe’s fictional work The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is published. The book, about a shipwrecked sailor who spends 28 years on a deserted island, is based on the experiences of shipwreck victims and of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who spent four years on a small island off the coast of South America in the early 1700s.
Like his hero Crusoe, Daniel Defoe was an ordinary, middle-class Englishman, not an educated member of the nobility like most writers at the time. Defoe established himself as a small merchant but went bankrupt in 1692 and turned to political pamphleteering to support himself. A pamphlet he published in 1702 satirizing members of the High Church led to his arrest and trial for seditious libel in 1703. He appealed to powerful politician Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford, who had him freed from Newgate prison and who hired him as a political writer and spy to support his own views.
To this end, Defoe set up the Review, which he edited and wrote from 1704 to 1713. It wasn’t until he was nearly 60 that he began writing fiction. His other works include Moll Flanders (1722) and Roxana (1724). He died in London in 1731, one day before the 12th anniversary of Robinson Crusoe’s publication.
Ojai Weather
Mostly cloudy – High 66 / Low 44
Total rainfall for the season – 36.20
Lake Casitas water capacity – 100.0%
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
