There’s something magical about a night at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Maybe it’s the way the sun dips behind the Santa Ynez Mountains just as the first guitar riff echoes through the canyon. Or maybe it’s the Bowl’s legacy—nearly 90 years of hosting legends, locals, and unforgettable moments.
Whatever it is, 2025 is proving once again why the Bowl is the crown jewel of California’s outdoor venues.
Click Read More below for more information
Viva La Fiesta! Celebrate Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara – July 30 to August 3, 2025
Santa Barbara’s most iconic celebration is back—and it’s bursting with color, culture, and community spirit. Old Spanish Days Fiesta, now in its 101st year, returns from Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 3, transforming our coastal town into a vibrant showcase of heritage, music, dance, and delicious food.
Whether you’re a longtime local or a first-time visitor, Fiesta is more than a party—it’s a living tribute to Santa Barbara’s Spanish, Mexican, and Native American roots. And if you’re thinking about making Santa Barbara your home, there’s no better time to experience the soul of the city.
Click Read More Below for you insider’s guide to key events!
If you’ve been waiting for a window to open in the Santa Barbara real estate market, this might just be it — and it’s not a drafty one. With interest rates dipping to their lowest level since early April and inventory on the rise, buyers are finally seeing some breathing room.
Click Read More below for the entire post.
Every July 4th, Americans gather to celebrate more than just fireworks and hot dogs—we honor the birth of a nation. On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, severing ties with Great Britain and launching a bold experiment in democracy.. Though the vote for independence happened two days earlier, July 4th became the symbolic birthday of the United States, a tradition that’s stuck for nearly 250 years.
Why Fireworks? Founding Father John Adams envisioned future celebrations filled with “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations”. And so, fireworks became a staple—first launched in 1777 over Boston and Philadelphia, and now lighting up skies from coast to coast.🌴 Santa Barbara’s Fourth of July Festivities If you’re lucky enough to be in Santa Barbara this Independence Day, the city’s waterfront is the place to be.
Click Read More below to see what’s happening: and SB Fireworks video.
Home prices in Santa Barbara continue to fluctuate, presenting a mixed picture for buyers and sellers. While the median listing home price currently averages around $2.6 million, data from Zillow indicates that home values have increased overall by 7.2% over the past year. This rise, however, comes with neighborhood variations in values. Prime neighborhoods with homes in excellent condition, priced realistically, are moving. Homebuyers taking part in this market should brace themselves for possible bidding wars, particularly in the better neighborhoods. August sales in 2024 were up from the same time in 2023.
For more detailed information click Read More below.
The Santa Barbara real estate market trends for 2024 have been admirable. In the first half of the year, there were 625 sales, a 12% increase compared to last year. While single-family detached homes accounted for 446 homes sold, reflecting a 15% increase over the same period as last year, condominiums and townhomes accounted for 179 homes sold, a 7% increase.
The average sales price for single-family detached homes rose by 14% to $3,714,928 while the median price rose by 7% to $2,250,000.
The average sales price for condominiums decreased by 3% to $1,135,143 and the median price rose 5% to $975,000.
In the second quarter of this year, all cash sales made up 42% of all sales, a 2% increase from the same period last year.
Inventory supply has picked up. The inventory supply has climbed to its highest level since 2020. Sitting at just over 3 months. Source: Fidelity National Title Company.
Click Read More below for charts, graphs, and video
Santa Barbara’s rich heritage comes alive during the first week in August with the music, dance, and pageantry of Old...
It’s a fact of life: homes come with far more emotional weight than any other investment we make…Ever wonder how our emotions influence the homes we choose and the prices we pay? A home is a refuge from the world, a place to raise a family and, for some people, an investment they hope will go up in value down the road. We fall in love with houses in a way that we never fall in love with a portfolio of stocks and bonds.
All too often, though, we don’t realize that how we feel about homes blinds us when it comes time to buy or sell. We let our emotions blind us to cold facts about the market or the realities of ownership. Or we prioritize one set of emotional needs over others that are just strong but may not be evident at first. And ignoring them can lead us to make bad financial decisions that can affect us for decades to come.
The home-selling side of the equation brings its own set of thorny issues. Homeowners often have an overly rosy view of their home and expect it to increase in value far beyond reasonable expectations. And when they put it on the market, they often stubbornly cling to their asking price—even if it means leaving it up for sale far longer than they planned and risking the possibility of not selling it at all. Here’s a closer look at some psychological missteps that buyers and sellers often make as they wade into the housing market.
Click Read More below for the whole post.
The Santa Barbara Film Festival brings together the best of film in a picturesque coastal setting. The Festival began in 1986 and has grown into an internationally recognized event for its showcasing of Independent and International Cinema, and the high-profile celebrities that attend.
The 2024 Film Festival is an eleven-day event held February 7th through the 17th. The Festival is proud to present a diverse slate of more than 200 films to over 100,000 film enthusiasts. The audience is a unique combination of film industry professionals, local, regional, and International attendees, and a large student population.
Click Read More below for more information about the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
WISHING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A HOLIDAY SEASON FILLED WITH WARMTH, JOY, AND LAUGHTER.
MAY THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS BRING YOU PEACE
AND THE COMING YEAR BE FILLED WITH PROSPERITY, GOOD HEALTH, AND BOUNDLESS SUCCESS.