July 7, 2020
Quote of the Day
In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
– Viktor Frankl
This Day in History
July 7, 1983: 11-year-old Samantha Smith leaves for visit to USSR. Samantha Smith, an 11-year-old American girl, begins a two-week visit to the Soviet Union at the invitation of Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. Some American observers believed that Smith was merely being used by the Soviets for their own propaganda purposes, while others saw her visit as a positive step toward improving U.S.-Russian relations.
In April 1983, the Soviet government released a letter written by Smith to Andropov as part of a school project. In the letter, Smith asked Andropov about his country and whether he wanted peace with the United States. Surprisingly, Andropov answered the letter personally, assuring Smith that he had the greatest friendliness toward America and wished only for peace and mutual understanding. He ended by inviting Smith to come see the Soviet Union for herself. The fifth grader accepted Andropov’s offer and the trip was set for July 1983.
Almost immediately, Smith’s family was flooded with letters from Americans, most of whom supported Samantha’s decision. Many, however, sharply criticized her upcoming visit, claiming that it was merely a propaganda ploy by the communists. To some extent, they were right: Andropov clearly saw the Smith visit as an opportunity to try to dispel some negative impressions of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Andropov also was clear about wanting closer relations with the West, and his invitation to the small girl was one way of indicating this desire.
During her two weeks in Russia, Smith was treated as a VIP and given a carefully arranged tour of the Soviet Union. However, she also found time to speak to groups of Soviet citizens who made no attempt to hide some of the problems facing their nation, particularly food shortages. For her part, Smith absolutely charmed her hosts and became a famous figure almost overnight. Arriving back in the United States two weeks later, she indicated that she firmly believed that the Soviets “want no harm to the world, just like us.” When asked whether she would like to live in Russia, she praised her communist hosts but declared that she would “rather live in my own country.”
Ojai Weather
Sunny – High 89 / Low 57
Lake Casitas Water Capacity – 43.4%
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
5:00 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 225 Santa Ana Blvd. – reduced from $619,000 to $609,000.
- 447 Burnham Road – sale pending.
- 214 Descanso Avenue – sale pending.
- 308 Golden West Avenue – sold for $489,000 (originally listed for $489,000).
- 89 Willey Street – sold for $645,000 (originally listed for $650,000).
- 937 El Camino Corto – sold for $518,000 (originally listed for $530,000).
- 7750 Sulphur Mountain Road – this listing has been withdrawn from the market.
9:25 a.m.
There are four new listings on the market:
- 7750 Sulphur Mountain Road – $1,299,000. This is our newest listing; it’s a 138 acre land parcel with both Ojai Valley and Channel Island views. There is a functioning in-ground pool on the property, as well as water and electric at the home building site.
- 13100 Ojai Road – $2,895,000.
- 65 W. Catalina Drive – $665,000.
- 28 Reposo Drive – $1,069,000 (this is already a pending sale).
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 12412 Linda Flora Drive – sold for $475,000 (originally listed for $699,500).
- 10700 Sulphur Mountain Road – this listing has been cancelled.
Pic of the Day
Monday, July 6, 2020
1:10 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 1744 Country Drive – back on the market (had been in a “hold” status).
- 2100 Valley Meadow Drive – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
- 1151 Woodland Avenue – sale pending.
- 950 Woodland Avenue #3 – sale pending.
Pic of the Day
Friday, July 3, 2020
4:10 p.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 283 Carne Road – back on the market (had been cancelled) and reduced from $5,500,000 to $5,499,000.
Here’s hoping you have a splendid 4th of July!
9:40 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 12150 Mountain Lion Road – sale pending.
- 731 Fairview Road – sold for $575,000 (originally listed for $629,000).
- 1437 San Gabriel Street – this listing has been withdrawn from the market.
Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, July 2, 2020
3:45 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
- 4424 Thacher Road – $14,000,000.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 203 N. Ventura Street – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
- 413 Vallerio Avenue – sold for $659,000 (originally listed for $659,000).
- 407 Park Road – sold for $995,000 (originally listed for $995,000).
- 283 Carne Road – this listing has been cancelled.
9:15 a.m.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 12980 Ojai Santa Paula Road – sale pending.
- 1207 Foothill Road – sold for $1,865,000 (originally listed for $1,839,000).
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
12:25 p.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
- 447 Burnham Road – $629,500.
- 1201 Rains Court – $1,399,000.
- 1202 Loma Drive #48 – $279,900.
Changes to the All Listings page:
- 291 Larmier Avenue – back on the market (had been a pending sale).
- 10864 Creek Road – sale pending.
- 179 Baldwin Road – sale pending.
- 233 S. Montgomery Street – sale pending.
- 10934 Alto Court – sold for $1,716,654 (originally listed for $1,890,000).
- 2939 Matilija Canyon Road – sold for $565,000 (originally listed for $579,000). The link still reads as “pending,” but considering the buyer on this one was our own client (and congrats to him), we know this has indeed closed.
- 910 Ventura Avenue – this listing has expired. (The Ventura/Flex MLS link will show this as “unavailable.”)
On a completely unrelated-to-real-estate note; I was recently watching the classic 1960 movie, “The Time Machine.” This is one of the first movies I recall watching with my parents when I was young. I know it’s one of my father’s favorites, and it’s on my list as well. But during this recent viewing I noted that it has the most hilariously over-dramatic music in seemingly the wrong places (see 50 minutes, 30 seconds into the movie for an example). Still, I love the movie. I also noted the film score sounds a lot like Khachaturian’s Symphony No. 3 (it’s even in the same key). Not to impugn Russell Garcia’s work on the movie score, but Khachaturian’s symphony came out 13 years earlier, in 1947. Just sayin’. To me, the piece is equivalent to classical heavy metal, especially with the monstrous pipe organ sound – it’s worth a listen! And that is about as far away from real estate jabber as one can get. (WEENA!!!!)
Pic of the Day
