Charming home on a double lot in the sought-after Pismo Beach Heights! First time on the market and just minutes from downtown Pismo Beach, the pier, and restaurants... the location can't be beat! This 3-bedroom home includes an attached 1-bedroom apartment above the garage with its own private entrance, plus and an additional 576 sq ft enclosed sunroom. Oceans views can be seen from the living room in the main home and the ADU! Inside the main home you'll find the living room just off the entryway, with large front windows, a brick fireplace, plus, hardwood floors under the carpet! The dining room and kitchen both have access to the large sunroom at the rear of the house. This space lends itself to so many possibilities. The large windows and skylights make this a lovely spot for entertaining or simply relaxing in the evenings. The kitchen has a nice large center island and a built-in desk, plus tons of cabinet storage. Off the hallway are all 3 bedrooms, all nice sized and with large closets. The upstairs apartment features rustic wood paneling throughout, plus beautiful views of the ocean and neighborhood. Don't forget about the large, usable, and landscaped backyard. There's also an attached 2-car garage plus parking in the driveway- rare for this neighborhood. This special home is waiting for new owners to put their touch on it and make it their own!

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

>REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

Make this charming 2 bedroom, 2 bath PUD your own! Ideally located just 6 blocks to the beach, you will love this nice open floor plan in the living room and dining area, with lots of light coming through the windows and sliding glass doors. A private patio is located off the first-floor bedroom - which is perfect for animals, gardening or relaxing in the Jacuzzi. Head upstairs to find a gas fireplace and an oversized balcony with nice OCEAN and Dune views, Additional features include a large kitchen pantry, lots of closet space and an attached 2-car garage. With essentially two master suites this property is ideally laid out to maximize privacy . Would make a great starter home or a great lock and leave beach getaway. Priced to sell! An interest rate reduction of 1% for one year is currently available to buyers for this property through a preferred lender program.

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

>REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

Beautiful Spanish style home surrounded by mature trees in the private Stoneridge community ideally located near the South Hills. This spacious, turn-key home has a light & bright open feel. You'll love cooking in the kitchen which features stainless-steel appliances, a spacious dedicated pantry, island with seating, and a view of the backyard. Two sliding glass doors lead to the backyard and deck which offers tons of privacy and has tons of flat usable yard for playing. The garden-like setting is wonderful for relaxing or entertaining guests. A half bathroom can also be found downstairs along with the living room, dining room and kitchen. Head upstairs to find 2 large guest bedrooms, the guest bathroom, and the master bedroom. All the bathrooms have been renovated with modern finishes to give a day-spa feel. A lovely feature of the home is the large private balcony located in the master suite, from which you can enjoy views of the surrounding hills. The attached 2-car garage and large driveway offer lots of parking. Close to restaurants, hiking trails, shopping and downtown SLO.

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

>REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

Christie's International Real Estate Sereno Welcomes Lindsey Harn
to San Luis Obispo Office

Christie's International Real Estate Sereno, the largest locally owned and operated independent real estate brokerage leader in Northern California, announced that Lindsey Harn, the number one agent in San Luis Obispo in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, has joined Christie's International Real Estate Sereno.

LOS GATOS, CALIF. (PRWEB) DECEMBER 28, 2022

Christie's International Real Estate Sereno, the largest locally owned and operated independent real estate brokerage leader in Northern California, announced that Lindsey Harn, the number one agent in San Luis Obispo in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, has joined Christie's International Real Estate Sereno. 

"I am beyond excited about this new chapter in my real estate career. Chris, Ryan, and I share a long history and love for Cal Poly and the Central Coast. Uniting with Christie's Sereno, one of the largest and most productive firms in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area, in addition to our affiliations with Christie's global luxury network, adds many benefits to my clients through further expansion of my marketing and networking opportunities," shared Harn. 

Harn has personally successfully managed over 1,100 transactions throughout her career and was recently recognized as one of the top 1% of real estate professionals in the United States by RealTrends 2022. 

She was also ranked 19 out of 191,000 California real estate agents for transactions and 195 out of 1.4 million real estate agents nationwide for sales volume in RealTrends 2020 The Thousand. 

"Words can't express how honored we are to have Lindsey as part of the Christie's International Real Estate Sereno family. I have come to know and admire Lindsey over the past ten years and have always been inspired by her dedication to serving her clients and the local Central Coast community," said Chris Trapani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Christie's International Real Estate Sereno. 

Harn's list of achievements also includes being an elite member of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Christie's International Real Estate Masters Circle – one of 180 high-performing luxury agents worldwide selected for this honor. 

"We are so grateful that Lindsey has joined us. She definitely embodies the heart and soul of Sereno in how she shows for her team, clients, and community," expressed Ryan Iwanaga, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer. 

Harn will be based out of the Christie's International Real Estate Sereno office located in San Luis Obispo at 968 Toro Street and will continue to serve clients throughout the region. 

About Christie's International Real Estate Sereno 
Founded in 2006, Christie's International Real Estate Sereno is the largest locally-owned and operated independent real estate company in Northern California, with 18 offices and 580 agents in Silicon Valley, the SF Peninsula, Santa Cruz, the East Bay, Lake Tahoe, Sierra Foothills and the Central Coast, producing over $6.8 Billion in annual sales volume. Christie's International Real Estate Sereno is ranked among the top five brokerages in the nation for both per-agent productivity and the highest average sales price. 

The company offers a highly curated support platform and provides agents with concierge services to strengthen client relationships and world-class technology for well-executed transactions. Its agent-driven Sereno 1% For Good Charitable Foundation is changing lives in local communities and, to date, has generated over $5.2 million in charitable donations given to 300 local organizations.

Stunning one-of-kind luxury property in the heart of Avila Valley! First time on the market, this single level home has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and has been fully remodeled from top to bottom. The beautiful estate features lush mature landscaping, a private spa with a pergola, seating on the back hill to take in the views, a horseshoe pit, a large covered patio, owned solar panels, and that's just the outside! Head inside to find designer finishes in every room, including a floor to ceiling stone fireplace, 10-foot ceilings, a cook's kitchen with Wolf appliances, a breakfast nook with bay windows, an office with built-ins, and a luxurious master suite. The master bathroom has a day spa feel you'll be sure to love. Private access to the backyard can be found through the master bedroom as well as the family room, living room and kitchen. The layout of this home truly represents Central Coast Living at its finest! Don't miss the oversized 850 sq ft 3-car garage with storage. The large 1.46-acre lot offers so many possibilities such as, a private vineyard, pool, or ADU and is zoned for horse facilities. This amazing home is situated in one of the most highly sought after gated neighborhoods just a short walk down the Bob Jones trail to the beach. The exclusive 14 lot enclave of custom homes is located within the rich agricultural Avila Valley micro-climate and is adjacent to one of the most desired schools in the county (Bellevue Santa Fe Charter School). First time on the market – this home will sell fast!

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

>REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

Charming home on private 2-acre lot in Atascadero! This is truly a special property that won't last long! Single-level, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home with a separate family and living room. Tucked off the main road for additional privacy! You'll fall in love with additional features like the covered front porch, wood-burning fireplace that takes center stage in the living room, large backyard deck with beautiful views, wood floors throughout the main living, the covered patio with private spa that's right off the master, the large enclosed garden space, plus, views of the back acreage and/or animals from the kitchen window! There are so many lovely spots around the property to enjoy a glass in the evenings or for entertaining. Plenty of room to add additional structures, ADU, animal pens etc. Too many details to mention, you need to see it for yourself! Enjoy tons of privacy while still being close to downtown, restaurants, wine tasting, and only 15-minutes to SLO.

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

>REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

New December Listings Hot Off the Press!

Click here to view our December Newsletter!

Welcome to 2792 Indigo Circle, a stunning single-level craftsman's home that's only seconds to the beach. Enjoy top of the line finishes and details throughout, plus multiple private patios for entertaining or watching the evening sunset. Featuring 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms on a corner lot. When you enter the home, you'll notice all the warmth from the wood beam ceilings and wide trim around the large windows and French doors. The built-in bookshelves and tile fireplace make the front living room and dining room an inviting place to hang out. Around the corner is the gourmet cook's kitchen featuring Viking appliances, dual dishwashers, large center island with a prep sink, a wine fridge, tons of storage, and a large bay window. The family room flows from the kitchen and features 2 sets of French doors with a view of the iconic Morro rock and leads to a cozy patio, the large driveway and 2-car garage. Down the center hallway you'll find the large laundry room, built-in office space, a half bathroom, and three ensuite bedrooms. The elegant master bathroom features a large tub . The low maintenance landscaping with wrap-around stone walkways is all accented with solar lighting. The Cloisters is a coveted small neighborhood, offering privacy while being close to the beach and restaurants. This property truly stands out and is beach living at its finest!

Listing Agent: Lindsey Harn

REALTOR® | License #01868098

Christie's International Real Estate, Sereno DRE #02101181

It’s getting more expensive to live on the Central Coast, prompting some homeowners to maximize the use of their property - creating another source of income.

In this Price of Paradise segment, we take a closer look at accessory dwelling units - also known as ADUs - and how you may soon see more of these popping up in your neighborhood.

Take a look at some trends in recent years.

The City of Santa Barbara has seen a steady rise of ADUs being built since 2019. The numbers taper off a bit this year. According to the city planner, this could be due to a combination of factors - from supply costs, limited labor and other post-pandemic issues.

In Santa Maria, there has also been a steady increase in ADU permit applications since 2018. Over the last five years, more than 1000 permits were issued for ADUs. Last year alone, nearly 400 permits were issued and already this year - 300 have been issued. City leaders say - Santa Maria is on pace to meet or exceed last year’s total.

In San Luis Obispo, the number is staying pretty consistent. The city is averaging 70 permits per year over the past three years.

Paso Robles is also seeing an increase. Last year, the city pulled 26 permits for accessory dwelling units. So far this year - they have about 16 permitted - with more in the works - the city anticipates passing last year's total.

City leaders say the permitting process is becoming easier for homeowners, largely due to more lenient state laws.

The state is making an effort to keep up with housing demand - sometimes overriding city policies for ADUs.

“State laws requires the city to have an expedited permit process for accessory dwelling units," said Michael Codron, City of San Luis Obispo Community Development Director. "We are able to turn around our plan checks very quickly.”

“They keep over the years, making things even easier so providing even more ways that people can permit ADUs and sort of overriding in some cities own regulations,” said Rosie Dyste, City of Santa Barbara Community Development Project Planner.

“The intent with the accessory dwelling unit is that it gives existing properties the ability to provide homes and hopefully in a manner that is affordable for people to be able to rent,” said Darren Nash, City of Paso Robles City Planner.

While some local homeowners praise the benefits, other residents hesitate to jump on board with the trend.

“We’re seeing more and more people take advantage of this opportunity whether it’s for family - or a way to afford a property.”

Lindsey Harn bought a home in San Luis Obispo back in 2017. Back then it was a two=bedroom, one-bathroom house.

She then added two legal bedrooms - bathroom drywall and a kitchenette - turning her attached two-car garage into a separate living space.

“I was able to create an affordable space for people who live and work here,” said Harn.

“If I were to have purchased this property as a four bedroom, two bath I would have had to pay a significantly higher price than buying a two bedroom one bath," said Harn. "The cost to convert this space was very affordable.”

The rise in popularity of ADUs is seen throughout Central Coast neighborhoods and now even new home developers are catching on.

Bryn Britton recently scooped up a brand new home in the San Luis Ranch community - with an ADU already attached.

“You’re just providing more opportunities in a community where it can be expensive to live,” said Britton.

She says homes with her floorplan are sprinkled throughout the development - something that’s more common in recent years.

“We have the opportunity to rent it out and offset some of the mortgage payments,” said Britton. “A few years ago, the state of California instituted some policies where they are encouraging ADUs and being able to provide more housing so it offsets the cost of housing since it is really expensive.”

While ADUs can help alleviate a tight rental market - or some breathing room for a homeowner - not all neighbors are jumping on board.

“While helping the shortage of housing - for ya know - granny units and ADUs - it’s just increasing the property values and making it harder for someone like me to buy a house in this area,” said Justin White, San Luis Obispo resident and Publicis Senior Software Engineer.

“These cars have to go somewhere. ADUs are not required to provide parking," said Allan Roy Cooper, Save Our Downtown Secretary. "We are beginning to confront a situation in the city where there’s less parking available. ”

By: Genelle Padilla

Posted at 10:39 AM, Oct 24, 2022 and last updated 11:58 AM, Oct 24, 2022

‘Mild’ recession could lower California home prices in 2023. What about SLO County?

Home prices, mortgage rates and the number of homes sold are all predicted to decline in California in 2023, according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors (CAR).

The decreases follow two years of coronavirus pandemic-related spikes in the statewide housing market, and before what CAR predicts to be a “mild” recession.

While would-be home buyers will likely welcome the shift in housing costs, the Realtors group also predicted a slight drop in overall home affordability.

How could that affect San Luis Obispo County’s real estate market?

“Housing is most people’s No. 1 expense, so if the housing expense stays high ... it’s going to cause people to either rethink their housing payments or rethink their spending habits,” local Realtor Lindsey Harn said.

RECESSION COULD MAKE HOUSING CHEAPER, BUT LESS ACCESSIBLE

According to the CAR report, the median home price in California is forecast to decrease by around 8% to $758,600 in 2023.

In 2022, statewide home prices increased by 5.7% to $831,460.

Housing affordability is projected to take a small hit next year, dropping from 19% in 2022 to 18% in 2023, the report said.

Harn said these housing market changes will likely impact SLO County to a lesser extent than the rest of the state, but added that there will be noticeable changes for home buyers and sellers.

“I think San Luis (Obispo) County will always outperform California on the average, because of the fact that we’ve just got so many variables that bring people to the area,” Harn said. “I stand with my belief that if there’s an overall decline, yes, we will feel it.

“But are we going to feel it as intensely as some of the less desirable counties in the state? I don’t think we’re going to feel it to the same extent.“

Harn said SLO County’s “rock bottom” looks different from other California counties’ low points from a housing perspective, based on the 2008 economic recession.

SLO County has more jobs now than it did in 2008, Harn said, “so it gives me hope that we will actually outperform what we did in ‘08 and ‘09.”

On top of improved job performance across SLO County, Harn said there are fewer bad mortgages, thanks to lessons learned from the 2008 housing market crisis.

In today’s tighter lending environment, there’s less chance of the bottom falling out of the real estate market and causing a true collapse, she said.

As of Thursday, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages have reached 7.08%.

With minimal declines in 30-year mortgage rates forecast in 2023, Harn said mortgages more than price could be the determining factor for prospective buyers.

Harn said if inflation becomes more manageable and stops forcing mortgage rates so high, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages could settle closer to 4% or 5%, which she said is “much healthier and affordable” for buyers and sellers.

If the stock market’s performance makes a dramatic fall, Harn said home values will follow, which is why the CAR report mentioned the coming recession.

According to the CAR report, the U.S. gross domestic product will dip by 0.5% in 2023, after a projected uptick of 0.9% in 2022.

The report also predicted a slight increase in unemployment.

“With California’s 2023 non-farm job growth rate at 1.0 percent, up from a projected increase of 4.9 percent in 2022, the state’s unemployment rate will edge up to 4.7 percent in 2023 from 2022’s projected rate of 4.4 percent,” the report said.

WHAT HOME BUYERS CAN LEARN FROM NEXT YEAR’S FORECAST

Barry Brown, an Arroyo Grande Realtor with 19 years’ experience in South County, said the Five Cities area of SLO County faces slightly different real estate challenges from the rest of the county.

“I think we are a little bit of a bedroom community for San Luis Obispo, because it is a little less expensive to live in Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach and Oceano, than in San Luis Obispo proper,” Brown said.

The market in the South County area, he said, tends to be more stable than other parts of SLO County, which are more sensitive to the state’s market shifts.

However, there are market factors that transcend these local differences in home prices and transactions, Brown said.

He said the biggest one driving the market in SLO County is the Fed’s current 7.08% mortgage rate.

“It doesn’t take a lot of math to figure out what that does to affordability,” Brown said.

Someone who bought a home for around $875,000, the median home price in the city of San Luis Obispo, would have had a monthly mortgage payment of $3,000 last year, when mortgage rates sat around 3%, Brown said.

Now, with rates around 7%, that person’s monthly payments are closer to $4,500 before taxes.

Those rate changes represent a “huge impact on the entire market,” Brown said.

The number of real estate transactions in SLO County, Brown said, are down 27% compared to this time in 2021.

That allows for an increased stock of unpurchased inventory on the market, which he said is up 47%.

“We say a balanced market is somewhere between six and seven months worth of inventory on hand,” Brown said. “That’s if no other homes came on the market, the supply would exhausted in six to seven months. We (have) probably about two to two and a half months worth of supply right now.”

Like Harn, Brown said the current lack of bad loans like the ones that contributed to the 2008 recession means the housing market is better protected against major economic shifts.

He thinks the California housing market will slow less than CAR’s forecast envisions.

Going into the next year, Brown said people are still better off buying homes even in a volatile real estate market than renting.

“I don’t think anybody has a crystal ball to be able to predict exactly what’s going to happen,” Brown said. “But if you’re going to live in the home, and you’re not going to treat it as a piggy bank, then I think that there’s still going to be plenty of people that want to buy homes.”

BY JOHN LYNCH
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 9:00 AM