January 19, 2019
Quote of the Day
Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live. – Margaret Fuller
This Day in History
January 19, 1809: Edgar Allan Poe is born. On this day in 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe is born in Boston, Massachusetts. By the time he was three years old, both of Poe’s parents had died, leaving him in the care of his godfather, John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant. After attending school in England, Poe entered the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1826. After fighting with Allan over his heavy gambling debts, he was forced to leave UVA after only eight months. Poe then served two years in the U.S. Army and won an appointment to West Point. After another falling-out, Allan cut him off completely and he got himself dismissed from the academy for rules infractions.
Dark, handsome and brooding, Poe had published three works of poetry by that time, none of which had received much attention. In 1836, while working as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He also completed his first full-length work of fiction, Arthur Gordon Pym, published in 1838. Poe lost his job at the Messenger due to his heavy drinking, and the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Poe worked as an editor at Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and Graham’s Magazine. He became known for his direct and incisive criticism, as well as for dark horror stories like “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Also around this time, Poe began writing mystery stories, including “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter” – works that would earn him a reputation as the father of the modern detective story.
In 1844, the Poes moved to New York City. He scored a spectacular success the following year with his poem “The Raven.” While Poe was working to launch The Broadway Journal – which soon failed – his wife Virginia fell ill and died of tuberculosis in early 1847. His wife’s death drove Poe even deeper into alcoholism and drug abuse. After becoming involved with several women, Poe returned to Richmond in 1849 and got engaged to an old flame. Before the wedding, however, Poe died suddenly. Though circumstances are somewhat unclear, it appeared he began drinking at a party in Baltimore and disappeared, only to be found incoherent in a gutter three days later. Taken to the hospital, he died on October 7, 1849, at age 40.
Ojai Weather
Mostly sunny – High 75 / Low 45
Total rainfall for the season – 11.54 inches
Saturday, January 19, 2019
12:50 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 457 Burnham Road – we’ve added this listing as an Honorable Mention.
- 135 N. Lomita Avenue – we’ve added this listing as an Honorable Mention.
The open house list has been updated! Looks like it’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day; have a great weekend!
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Friday, January 18, 2019
2:35 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1975 Maricopa Highway #32 – back on the market (had been expired).
- 263 E. Villanova Road – reduced from $1,300,000 to $1,130,500.
- 950 Woodland Avenue #28 – reduced from $238,000 to $215,000.
- 950 Fairview Road – sale pending.
We have two new Honorable Mentions for you, but I won’t be able to tell you about them until tomorrow morning – when I do the open house update. Have a great weekend!
~ Ray
9:40 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 2661 Ladera Road – reduced from $6,995,000 to $5,995,000.
We’ve added a new BBIO video; it’s teammate Paul Johnsen interviewing Mike Iandolo from Topa Topa Brewing Company. Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai as well. We’re heading out with the group to take a look at some new properties today, then we have a listing presentation later this afternoon. I’ll try to shoehorn an afternoon update in before the end of the day!
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Thursday, January 17, 2019
4:40 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 457 Burnham Road – $495,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 381 Avenida De La Vereda – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
~ Ray
1:40 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 950 Fairview Road – $600,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 263 E. Villanova Road – back on the market (had been expired) and reduced from $1,493,500 to $1,300,000.
- 135 N. Lomita Avenue – back on the market (had been a cancelled listing).
- 902 Sunset Place – reduced from $539,000 to $529,000.
- 539 Del Oro Drive – this Best Buy is now a pending sale.
- 295 Burnham Road – sale pending.
- 10572 Ojai Santa Paula Road – this listing has been cancelled (the Ventura MLS link with show as “unavailable”).
~ Ray
Pic (& Video) of the Day
I took a couple of short videos of the Ventura river, as viewed from Santa Ana Blvd. in Oak View. The photo below the video is the crowd that was gathering on the Baldwin Road bridge in order to take a gander at the river as well. I tell my family back in the Midwest about this and they crack up: “They flock to watch the water running under a bridge?” “Yep…we do that here.” Growing up in the Midwest, I never actually looked forward to rain. There was always plenty of it, so it became an annoyance whenever it did rain. You could always count on it to rain when you had a planned picnic, wedding, or a day at the ballpark. It’s nice to be able to look forward to it for a change! Here’s hoping you’re all safe and sound.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
4:10 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- Sulphur Mountain Road land – reduced from $475,000 to $425,000.
Heavy rain is headed our way tonight, so please be careful if you’re going to be driving out there!
~ Ray
10:20 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
- 164 Ashby Court – $599,000.
- 11827 Mirror Lake Avenue – $549,900.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 410 Church Road #20 – sale pending.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
6:00 p.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
- 163-165 N. Pueblo Avenue – $650,000.
- 283 Carne Road – $5,700,000.
- 110 Park Road – $695,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1075 Loma Drive #5 – back on the market (had been an expired listing).
- 1109 Del Prado Court – reduced from $912,500 to $899,950.
- 16026 Maricopa Highway – reduced from $299,000 to $260,000.
- 616 Alomar Street – this listing has been cancelled.
~ Ray
9:00 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 196 Mahoney Avenue – reduced from $495,000 to $469,000.
- 704 Daly Road – this listing has been cancelled.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Monday, January 14, 2019
5:25 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1310 Daly Road – sold for $720,000 (originally listed for $749,000). (Note: This was not our listing, however, the Santa Barbara MLS links are different than Ojai and Ventura. This property was listed with Berkshire Hathaway.)
~ Ray
11:05 a.m.
There are five new listings on the market:
- 422 Descanso Avenue – $645,000.
- 3558 Thacher Road – $1,700,000.
- 108 S. Montgomery Street – $2,200,000.
- 98 Calle Cinco De Mayo – $524,900.
- 950 Woodland Avenue #9 – $215,000.
We’ve had a good start to the year, with 20 new listings coming on the market thus far!
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 128-140 S. La Luna Avenue – sale pending.
- 526 Pleasant Avenue – sold for $745,000 (originally listed for $764,000).
- 413 Buena Vista Drive – sold for $755,000 (originally listed for $799,000).
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Saturday, January 12, 2019
10:10 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 804 N. Montgomery Street – reduced from $1,349,000 to $1,299,000.
The open house list has been updated! We’ll be holding our listing at 1003 N. Drown Avenue open on Sunday from 12:00 to 3:00. It’s advisable that you give the listing agent a call on any other properties you want to see this weekend, as some homeowners cancel their open house whenever it rains.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Friday, January 11, 2019
3:25 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 715 Sunset Place – back on the market (had been expired) and reduced from $799,000 to $779,000.
- 1122 Paseo Del Robles Court – this listing has been added as an Honorable Mention.
- 539 Del Oro Drive – this listing has been added as a Best Buy.
That’s all for today; have a great weekend. It looks like we’re in store for quite a bit of rain over the next week, so be prepared for that. See you tomorrow morning with the updated open house list!
~ Ray
9:15 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 539 Del Oro Drive – $1,195,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1445 S. Rice Road – back on the market (had been withdrawn).
- 96 Valley Ridge Street – reduced from $695,000 to $685,000.
Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai. Also, we’ve added new BBIO video; it’s teammate Rob Perron interviewing Melissa of NoSo Vita in Ojai. (For desktop computer users, the video is found at the top of the right side panel; if you’re viewing this via your smart phone, the video will be located at the bottom of the page.)
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Thursday, January 10, 2019
5:30 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 3677 Thacher Road – this listing has been cancelled.
~ Ray
12:25 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1142 N. Ventura Avenue – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
- 257 N. Encinal Avenue – reduced from $670,000 to $649,000.
- Ventura Avenue land parcel – reduced from $70,0000 to $59,000.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
4:40 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 1694 S. Rice Road – $840,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 513 Oak Creek Lane – sale pending.
~ Ray
10:15 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 13500 E. Sulphur Mountain Road – reduced from $3,600,000 to $3,400,000.
- 1213 Anita Avenue – reduced from $439,500 to $417,500.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
7:20 p.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
- 669 Telsa Street – $675,000. (Do you realize how hard it is to not type “Tesla?”)
- 975 Loma Drive – $679,000.
Yee haa! Here’s your Best of 2018 wrap-up; I had a lot of fun with this one, so go ahead and check it out!
~ Ray
10:20 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 950 Woodland Avenue #31 – $205,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 94 Don Antonio Way – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
- 1203 Daly Road – sold for $1,190,000 (originally listed for $1,195,000).
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Monday, January 7, 2019
5:35 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 410 Church Road #20 – $540,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 407 W. Aliso Street – sale pending.
We’ve had a good start to the new year, with 10 new listings on the market already. In other news, I should be able to get to the Best of 2018 wrap-up tomorrow afternoon. Have a nice evening!
~ Ray
12:35 p.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
- 616 Alomar Street – $624,000.
- 128-140 S. La Luna Avenue – $1,299,000.
- 10999 Santa Ana Road – $8,000,000. (This listing shows as a Ventura address, but since it’s located across from Lake Casitas, I’m including it on BBIO as part of the Ojai valley.)
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1017 Ayers Avenue – reduced from $590,000 to $570,000.
- 40 Ojai Drive – sale pending.
- 307 Drown Avenue – sold for $575,000 (originally listed for $589,000).
- 1400 Loma Drive – sold for $791,000 (originally listed for $789,500). (Note: This listing actually closed on November 13th, 2018, but was not entered into the MLS as a closed sale until January 5th. This will not be included as part of the closed sales for the month of January, 2019 when I perform the Ojai Market Data update.)
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Saturday, January 5, 2019
11:00 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
- 915 Santa Ana Blvd. – $779,000.
- 13001 Koenigstein Road – $1,499,000. (Although this listing suggests that it’s located in Santa Paula, past listings on Koenigstein Road have been listed as being located in Ojai; I’m adding this one to cover all bases.)
Changes to the All Listings page:
- Ojai Avenue land parcel – this listing has expired.
The open house list has been updated! We’ll be holding two of our listings open tomorrow; 402 N. Arnaz Street from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., and 1003 N. Drown Avenue from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Friday, January 4, 2019
5:00 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 1273 S. Rice Road #7 – $164,500.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 211 Fox Street – reduced from $723,000 to $715,000.
- 138 Mountain View Street – sale pending.
- 240 France Circle – sold for $2,200,000 (originally listed for $2,979,000).
Apologies; I ran out of time today to do the Best of 2018 wrap up. I will attempt to get it done on Monday. Meanwhile, have a great weekend and I’ll update the open house list tomorrow morning.
~ Ray
11:15 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 704 Daly Road – $1,350,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 236 S. Montgomery Street – reduced from $885,000 to $849,000.
- 260 N. Poli Street – reduced from $569,000 to $549,000.
- 305 W. Aliso Street – sale pending.
Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai. Stay tuned for the Best of 2018, which I’ll have for you a bit later today!
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Thursday, January 3, 2019
4:15 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 40 Ojai Drive – reduced from $459,000 to $452,500.
- 1979 Silver Spur Circle – sold for $825,000 (originally listed for $849,000).
The Ojai Market Data update has been completed! You can check it out here. We’ve also added new BBIO video, Best Days in Ojai, where teammate Maria talks about things to do in and around Ojai. For desktop computer users, the video is found at the top of the right side panel; if you’re viewing this via your smart phone, the video will be located at the bottom of the page.
~ Ray
11:50 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 929 Devereux Drive – reduced from $600,000 to $599,000.
- 1142 N. Ventura Avenue – sale pending.
I’ll be running the numbers for the Ojai Market Data update as you read this. Check in later this afternoon to see how we closed out the year in Ojai real estate!
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
5:15 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 507 W. Aliso Street – reduced from $1,095,000 to $1,075,000.
~ Ray
11:55 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
- 181 N. Encinal Avenue – $889,000.
- 209 S. Carrillo Road – $576,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 402 N. Arnaz Street – sale pending. Congrats to our client/seller who put their home into escrow!
- 112 S. Fulton Street – sale pending.
- 261-263 E. Villanova Road – this listing has expired.
- 715 Sunset Place – this listing has expired.
- 210 N. Fulton Street – this listing has expired.
- 407 Bryant Circle #H – this listing has expired.
- 1620 S. Rice Road – this listing has expired. (The Ventura MLS link will show as “unavailable.”)
- 681 Vine Street – this listing has expired. (The Ventura MLS link will show as “unavailable.”)
- 605 E. Oak Street – this listing has expired. (The Ventura MLS link will show as “unavailable.”)
As usual, we get a lot of expired listings at the end of the year. We expect several of the above listings to come back on the market soon.
We hope you had a great New Year celebration! Later this week I’ll have the Ojai Market Data update for you, as well as the Best of 2018 (one of my favorite parts of running the website)!
~ Ray
Pic of the Day
