March 2023

Hello and Happy Spring!

Can you smell some of these plants from the photo? I can…almost. I definitely do on my morning runs around the Mesa. There are 2 plants that I stop at to smell (really to catch my breath) and I run my fingers through their petals and breathe deeply. Their intoxicating scents are enough to keep me going for a few more miles. One (not pictured) lives on Shoreline Drive and is a honeysuckle jasmine…(probably not its proper name but that’s what it smells like). The other is this yellow flower on the top right that just delights my nose! I especially like this little unassuming yellow beauty when it has rained and there is some dew on the petals…I also love a good run in the rain! Does anyone know what this yellow one is called?

Our town is vibrantly green right now and happily, Lake Cachuma is filled.
Being a local, I recall many years when we were not this fortunate in the rain department and think that we should all practice water-saving and drought-tolerant choices in our everyday lives. Please scroll down a bit more for more about Lake Cahcuma.

Real estate has been a bit slower as of late, which happens! After 20+ years in this business, I have learned to weather the ups and downs of economic cycles and the market. Inventory here in Santa Barbara is always tight with limited geographic space and stringent building codes. Interest rates are still historically low, yet now as low as a few years ago which has definitely thrown a wrench into the buying power of many and paused the plans to sell for many homeowners; creating almost a stalemate. In the meantime with some time on my hands, I have been brushing up on my continuing education designations. I have also decided to pursue some international coaching and will write more about that program in the months to come. I love to learn!

I have recently studied for and passed several real estate designations.  The first was the Probate Specialist that I wrote about last newsletter (basically all the tips on how to assist my clients with never getting into a probate situation and if I end up listing a property that is in probate I now know exactly what to do).

The second designation was the most interesting and relevant to the majority of my clientele. I am now a certified Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES). As you can imagine, this comprehensive course delves into the many ways that I can be a resource for my senior clientele as well as their adult children that oftentimes help their aging parents with many important life decisions. I learned so much in this course and feel a lot more qualified to be a valued resource for the generations (boomer and silent) who own the most amount of real estate in our nation. Let’s chat.

Next up I reference below…the Accredited Buyer’s Representative…why not refresh my memory and learn the newest laws and data about representing buyers? More next month as I have one more class that I have signed up for and will begin reviewing after I get this newsletter sent off!

Thank you all for reading and see you next month.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Wagner

(The Broker, GRI, EcoBroker, Green, Probate, ABR, SRES and soon-to-be RENE designated agent!)