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

May 14, 2021

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Quote of the Day

People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.

– Blaise Pascal

This Day in History

May 14, 1904: First American Olympiad opens in St. Louis. The Third Olympiad of the modern era, and the first Olympic Games to be held in the United States, opens in St. Louis, Missouri. The 1904 Games were actually initially awarded to Chicago, Illinois, but were later given to St. Louis to be staged in connection with the St. Louis World Exposition. Like the Second Olympiad, held in Paris in 1900, the St. Louis Games were poorly organized and overshadowed by the world’s fair.

There were few entrants other than Americans in the various events, and, expectedly, U.S. athletes won a majority of the competitions and the unofficial team championship. In the field events, the Americans made a near-perfect sweep, winning everything but lifting the bar and throwing the 56-pound weight. Twenty years later, the first truly successful Olympic Games were held in Paris, and since then, with increasing popularity, the games have been held in various cities around the globe.

Ojai Weather

Partly cloudy – High 74 / Low 50

Lake Casitas Water Capacity – 37.7%

Friday, May 14, 2021

9:35 a.m.

In case you haven’t read or heard; the “open house” is making a comeback! Technically, open houses can begin immediately, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a slow progression to getting back to where we were pre-Covid. I just checked the Ojai MLS and there are no open houses scheduled for this weekend. Social distancing will still be in place during open houses, as well as other previous protocols, but at least you won’t have to strictly schedule an appointment in order to see a home. Hopefully, the Friday broker preview (where agents see new listings that have come on the market) will also be part of our lives again.

Congrats to our client/buyer, who closed on their new home at 190 Monte Via!

Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai.

There are three new listings on the market:

1620 Foothill Road – $8,400,000

12490 MacDonald Drive – $3,390,000

1975 Maricopa Highway #65 – $220,000

Pic of the Day

The moment you realize you’ve turned on a lamp for the last time

Thursday, May 13, 2021

11:20 a.m.

There are six new listings on (or coming soon) to the market:

1434 Foothill Road – $2,195,000

11195 N. Ventura Avenue #7 – $99,000

1273 S. Rice Road #74 – $295,000 (coming soon, 6/2, no link available)

1422 Foothill Road – $3,200,000

8434 Ojai Santa Paula Road – $100,000,000

90 Rio Via – $639,000

Pic of the Day

Actual listing photo – I’d say the blades are too close to the light fixture

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

12:05 p.m.

There are five new listings on the market:

415 Tico Road – $2,950,000

39 Taormina Lane – $750,000

1273 S. Rice Road #57 – $299,000

884 S. La Luna Avenue – $979,000

1008 Creekside Way #E – $600,000

Pic of the Day

…because it’s good to be clean, even during an apocalypse

Monday, May 10, 2021

10:20 a.m.

There are five new listings on the market:

135 S. Encinal Avenue – $750,000

9905 Ojai Santa Paula Road – $1,795,000 (land parcel)

1202 Loma Drive #58 – $169,000

252 N. Padre Juan Avenue – $630,000

309 N. Montgomery Street – $995,000

Pic of the Day

Impress your dinner guests with the world’s largest thermometer!

Friday, May 7, 2021

12:45 p.m.

Here’s the list of things to do in Ojai.
Congrats to our client/buyer who closed on their new home at 1925 Ginger Street in Oxnard! Congrats also go out to teammate Rob Perron, who helped to make it happen!

Once a year, the Ojai Valley News runs an insert titled “Women of the Ojai Valley.” About a month ago I decided to write a full-page article/tribute to Cheryl. The paper and article went out today; you can find the digital version of it here.

While I am grateful to have been able to include her with so many other wonderful Ojai women, I was absolutely mortified to find that the printed newspaper version includes our team real estate banner at the bottom of the page. This was not an advertisement. When I submitted the article, I explicitly directed that this wasn’t about advertising for the team or for myself. Even though the article mentions Chery’s real estate career (it was such a big part of her life), there’s no mention of a company or team name in the article. Obviously it’s out in print, so there’s nothing I can do about it. At least the digital version linked above has been corrected to remove it. But I fear the optics of it are just plain terrible. Am I making too big a deal of it? In either case, last night was a sleepless one.

And another thing…since I’m on my first-ever BBIO rant, I may as well throw this one in as well: What does it take for a business to return a freaking phone call? I don’t want to call out anyone specifically, but let’s just say I’m looking for monthly service for something personal/home-related. I’ve called three different businesses this week – nothing. While I certainly understand not picking up the phone for a number you don’t recognize (especially with all the junk calls these days), I don’t understand a business that doesn’t return a phone call from a detailed and friendly voicemail.

Now that the edge has worn off a bit I can take a breath and say – here’s hoping you have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Mother’s Day!