Best Buys In Ojai/Team Deckert – Our daily blog spotlighting the best in Ojai Valley real estate!

July 26, 2024

Quote of the Day

People are divided into two parts: some of them look for and cannot find anything, others find but are not satisfied.

– Mihai Eminescu

This Day in History

July 26, 1948: President Truman ends segregation in the military. On this day in 1948, President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, banning racial discrimination in the military. Truman’s order ended a long-standing practice of segregating Black soldiers and relegating them to more menial jobs.

African Americans had been serving in the United States military since the Revolutionary War, but were deployed in their largest numbers during World War II. By December 31, 1945, more than 2.5 million African Americans had registered for the military draft, and with African American women volunteering in large numbers throughout the war the U.S. Armed Forces had become the number one employer of Black people. By the time WWII ended, some 900,000 African Americans had served in the Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army Nurse Corps.

President Truman established the Commission on Civil Rights which, in October 1947, issued a report calling for a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission, federal anti-lynching and anti-poll tax laws, and a bolstering of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Truman urged the U.S. Congress to move forward with the Commission’s recommendations. When Congress rejected his pleas, Truman pushed for many of the proposals on his own. One of his most significant actions was the signing of Executive Order 9981, which states: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.”

Ojai Weather

Sunny – High 92 / Low 53

Lake Casitas water capacity – 99.4%

Friday, July 26, 2024

4:30 p.m.

There are three new listings on the market:

162 S. La Luna Avenue – $1,098,000

2027 Burnham Road – $1,200,000

1202 Loma Drive #83 – $249,000

Recently cancelled, expired, or withdrawn listings – back on the market as “new:”

708 Cuyama Road – $3,995,000 (this had recently expired on 7/9).

The Open House and Things to Do in Ojai pages have been updated. Have a splendid weekend!

Pic of the Day

Thursday, July 25, 2024

12:45 p.m.

There is a new “coming soon” listing on the market:

102 Descanso Avenue – $724,999 (coming soon, 7/28)

Pic of the Day

In case of fire…you might as well leap to your death

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

1:00 p.m.

There is a new listing on the market:

156 La Plaza Way – $242,500

Prior “coming soon” listings now on the market:

121 Willey Street – $1,695,000.

Pic of the Day

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

12:10 p.m.

There is a new listing on the market:

1273 S. Rice Road #5 – $315,000

Here’s a quick check-in on current mortgage rates:

30-yr fixed: 6.87%

15-yr fixed: 6.32%

30-yr Jumbo: 7.05%

30-yr FHA: 6.33%

30-yr VA: 6.35%

Pic of the Day

Tipping the glass to get the last bits of ice stuck on the bottom

Monday, July 22, 2024

12:30 p.m.

There are two new or “coming soon” listings on the market:

17 Don Antonio Way – $265,000

121 Willey Street – $1,695,000 (coming soon, 7/26)

Pic of the Day

How am I supposed to read the newspaper?

Friday, July 19, 2024

12:30 p.m.

There are three new listings on the market:

1330 S. La Luna Avenue – $3,725,000

217 Sierra Road – $2,875,000

504 Drown Avenue – $899,000

The Open House and Things to Do in Ojai pages have been updated. Have a great weekend!

Pic of the Day

Sorta like having an iPhone – with a rotary phone as backup

Thursday, July 18, 2024

10:25 a.m.

There is a new listing on the market:

129 Don Felipe Way – $225,000

Pic of the Day

This is the weirdest “outhouse” I’ve ever seen

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

12:05 p.m.

There is a new listing on the market (technically not until tomorrow):

168 Fairway Lane – $1,900,000

Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”

708 Cuyama Road – $3,995,000 (this had previously expired on 7/9 at the same price).

Pic of the Day

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

11:25 a.m.

There are three new or “coming soon” listings on the market:

171 Burnham Road – $1,399,000

218 N. Arnaz Street – $825,000

144 Wormwood Street – $2,150,000 (coming soon, 8/4)

Pic of the Day

Friday, July 12, 2024

11:45 a.m.

Here’s a quick mortgage rate update:

The Inflation Data We Were Hoping For!

(Not to mention, the Dow is at an all-time high and mortgage interest rates are down)

With the Consumer Price Index (CPI) being the most important economic report for the bond market these days, the most important line item in yesterday’s report was the month over month core CPI, which excludes food and energy. That number was forecast to hit 0.2% but instead came in at 0.1%, rounded up from 0.065%. In layman’s terms… Inflation is showing signs of easing!

If this report were repeated for 12 months, core inflation would be under 0.8% for the year. Considering the Fed’s inflation target is 2%, after yesterday’s CPI report, it’s no surprise that bonds rallied in response. To make matters better, the most problematic component of the core CPI numbers, the one that tracks housing expenses, finally made the big downward shift that analysts have been waiting for. “Shelter” dropped to an unrounded 0.17% from 0.4% last month. That’s actually lower than most of the pre-pandemic trend.

The bond market response was immediate with 10-yr yields down to 4.2%. Fed rate cut expectations also ramped up significantly, roughly matching the drop seen after the last CPI report.