March 20, 2023
Quote of the Day
The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.
– Arnold Glasow
This Day in History
March 20, 1965: LBJ sends federal troops to Alabama to protect civil rights march. On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson notifies Alabama’s Governor George Wallace that he will use federal authority to call up the Alabama National Guard in order to supervise a planned civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery.
Intimidation and discrimination had earlier prevented Selma’s Black population – over half the city – from registering and voting. On Sunday, March 7, 1965, a group of 600 demonstrators marched on the capital city of Montgomery to protest this disenfranchisement and the earlier killing of a Black man, Jimmie Lee Jackson, by a state trooper. In brutal scenes that were later broadcast on television, state and local police attacked the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas. TV viewers far and wide were outraged by the images, and a protest march was organized just two days after “Bloody Sunday” by Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). King turned the marchers around, however, rather than carry out the march without federal judicial approval.
After an Alabama federal judge ruled on March 18 that a third march could go ahead, President Johnson and his advisers worked quickly to find a way to ensure the safety of King and his demonstrators on their way from Selma to Montgomery. The most powerful obstacle in their way was Governor Wallace, an outspoken segregationist who was reluctant to spend any state funds on protecting the demonstrators. Hours after promising Johnson – in telephone calls recorded by the White House – that he would call out the Alabama National Guard to maintain order, Wallace went on television and demanded that Johnson send in federal troops instead.
Furious, Johnson told Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach to write a press release stating that because Wallace refused to use the 10,000 available guardsmen to preserve order in his state, Johnson himself was calling the guard up and giving them all necessary support. Several days later, 50,000 marchers followed King some 54 miles, under the watchful eyes of state and federal troops.
Arriving safely in Montgomery on March 25, they watched King deliver his famous “How Long, Not Long” speech from the steps of the Capitol building. The clash between Johnson and Wallace – and Johnson’s decisive action – was an important turning point in the civil rights movement. Within five months, Congress had passed the Voting Rights Act, which Johnson proudly signed into law on August 6, 1965.
Ojai Weather
Mostly cloudy, rainy – High 58 / Low 42
Total rainfall for the season – 41.72 inches
Lake Casitas water capacity – 59.8% (up from 58.0%)
Monday, March 20, 2023
6:40 a.m.
One new listing has come to the market since Friday:
1975 Maricopa Highway #90 – $259,000
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 17, 2023
6:35 a.m.
No new listings for today. Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai. Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 16, 2023
1:55 p.m.
There is one new listing on the market:
384 W. Oak View Avenue – $749,000
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
11:50 a.m.
No new listings have come to the market since Monday.
Although not Ojai-related, congrats to our client/buyer who closed on their new home at 1130 Cliff Drive in Santa Paula! We beat out competing offers to secure this beautiful Spanish-style home in one of Santa Paula’s most coveted neighborhoods.
Call me easily amused, but I get a thrill waking up in the morning to find that my rain gauge registered an additional inch and a half of rain while I slept. (Ok, perhaps I need to get out more.) This recent batch of rain brought us to nearly double the average yearly rainfall in the Ojai valley. With more rain predicted from this Saturday through next Tuesday, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Lake Casitas at 65% by the time the rainy season is over.
Pic of the Day
Monday, March 13, 2023
11:55 a.m.
There are two new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
2027 Los Encinos Road – $1,450,000
711 Country Drive – $1,100,000 (coming soon, 3/17)
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 10, 2023
10:40 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
3298 Maricopa Highway – $980,000
In addition to the current rain event, it looks like we have another one coming up next Monday through Wednesday. It’s unfortunate that so much weather brings varying levels of destruction, as it does tend to dampen any enthusiasm for more rain. (I have had to deal with an issue or two myself, as has family here in town.) As usual, I’ll give you the rain totals after the current system passes through, but by all accounts we’ve had about an inch of rain thus far.
Regardless, I hope you have a pleasant weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 9, 2023
9:15 a.m.
No new listings on the market yet for today.
Pic of the Day
Docent: “This art installation is titled ‘Man’s Struggle with Femininity’ – wherein the race car counterbalances
the bouquet of flowers beneath, illustrating the conflict between the feminine and the masculine.”
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
9:05 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
828 Foothill Lane – $4,200,000
Prior “coming soon” listings now on the market:
Pic of the Day
After foraging for food, the cell tower technician promptly regurgitated breakfast for his young
Monday, March 6, 2023
1:45 p.m.
Here’s your real estate market update for Ojai valley listings, including sales that occurred in February 2023:
~ 27 new listings came to the market in February, compared to 28 in January.
~ 13 residential properties sold in February, compared to 19 in January (does not include land parcels, commercial properties, or mobile homes).
~ Of the 13 properties that sold in February, 1 sold above list price, 1 sold at list price, and the remaining properties sold below list price. For comparison, in January, 5 of the 19 listings sold over full price, and the remaining below list price. The average number of days on the market for properties sold in February was 68 days (54 days in January). (Note: For purposes of these statistics, “list price” is the original list price of the home and does not take into account any subsequent price reductions or increases after the home was initially listed on the market.)
~ The average sales price for homes in February was $1,270,115 while the median sales price was $942,000 ($1,120,000 in January). The lowest sales price for a home in February was $646,000 while the highest sales price was $3,025,000.
~ As of today there are 40 single-family residential homes available on the market – three of which are “coming soon” (does not include land, commercial property or mobile homes). For comparison, there were 31 active listings on the market on February 6th (the date of our last market update). Of the 40 active listings on the market at this time, 8 of them are listed under $1,000,000 (there were 8 such listings on February 6th). If I remove the outlier listing in upper Ojai that’s listed at $65,000,000, the average list price for homes on the market today is $2,415,972 ($2,556,367 in February), while the median listed home price is $1,424,990 ($1,424,500 in February).
~ During the month of February there were 17 price reductions on listings (14 in January). Note: For this metric, price reductions include ALL types of listings (residential, land, mobile home, commercial) so that you have an overall view of what the entire market is doing.
11:20 a.m.
There are six new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
1273 S. Rice Road #90 – $315,000
405 W. Ojai Avenue – $1,395,000
1131 Anita Avenue – $1,250,000 (coming soon, 3/7)
601 Foothill Road – $2,399,000 (coming soon, 3/7)
1214 N. Gregory Street – $769,000 (coming soon, 3/8)
Prior “coming soon” listings now on the market:
I’ll be back later today with the Ojai Market update for February…
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 3, 2023
11:25 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
1961 S. Rice Road – $1,200,000
410 Church Road #55 – $598,000
Here’s an update on interest rates (it ain’t pretty):
30-yr fixed: 6.97%
15-yr fixed: 6.43%
30-yr Jumbo: 6.45%
30-yr FHA: 6.39%
30-yr VA: 6.45%
The ‘things to do” list hasn’t yet been updated from the Ojai Hub. Once it’s been updated, I’ll come back and link it for you. Have a nice weekend! (EDIT: The list has been updated.)
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 2, 2023
10:45 a.m.
I’m sure you heard about it briefly snowing on the East End of town yesterday. Well, did you hear it snowed at the beach a few days ago as well? Hollywood Beach (in Oxnard), to be precise. I have proof:
(Special thanks to Kris LaBelle for the photos)
Moving on to actual real estate; there are four new listings on the market:
413 Oriole Street – $1,819,000
1975 Maricopa Highway #7 – $289,000
410 S. Padre Juan Avenue – $820,000
Prior “coming soon” listings now on the market:
Pic of the Day
