BUSINESS OF THE MONTH: MoveGreen Moving Services

Kat Hitchcock interviews Nick Jacobson the General Manager of Movegreen

Kat: Movegreen has been established for 9 years? I’m surprised it has been that long, it feels like such a young company.

Nick: Yes, young, but it grew pretty quick - it’s grown 23% each year.

Kat: That’s amazing! I know Movegreen helps a lot with Junior League of Santa Barbara’s Rummage Event every year. You do so much with keeping our rummage items stored and then all the man power the weekend of the event. Does Movegreen do any other non-profit work?

Nick: Yes- Teacher’s fund is a big one

Kat: Nice! I know that golf tournament is a big event every year. 

Nick: So that's the biggest one…we also do tree’s for humanity - so for every move we partner with a company that will plant ten trees. 

Kat: That’s amazing! Is there a specific place they plant them?

Nick: They are mostly third world locations.

Kat: Very cool!

So my next question will be good for our clients, what’s the best tip you could give someone who is going to be moving?

Nick:  Organization, planning ahead, and to relax! 

Kat: I know we just got done working together on one of my Montecito listings. If I remember correctly your process is first come to the home and go over everything that needs to be moved. Then from there you break it down by time, labor and materials? 

Nick: Yep, that's how we do it.

Kat: So how many guys are on a job for, let’s say… a 1,500 square foot house?

Nick: About 3.

Kat: Is it all day pack and move? Or….

Nick: So a 1,500 square foot house pack and move would take 3 guys and 10-12 hours over 2 days. Pack one day, move the next day.

Kat: So what would be the average cost?

Nick: $68 per man/per hour. So around $2,000. 

Kat: Not that bad for not having to move yourself!

Nick: I would never move myself again-it’s horrible.

Kat: I totally agree! Before I married my husband I moved every year for 6 years straight here in Santa Barbara. Its absolutely exhausting trying to move by yourself. 

Do you have any other moving locations other than Santa Barbara? 

Nick: We are in Ventura too!

Kat: No way, that’s huge! I feel like Ventura is a good market to be in. 

Nick: Absolutely. 

Next question is Kylie’s (assistant) question what do you love most about your job?

Nick:  The location is amazing. I love living in Santa Barbara and our employees are great- the guys we work with make it fun. 

Kat:  Everyone from Movegreen that helped with the Junior League of Santa Barbara Rummage event were such great guys to work with and sweet to give us their time.  

Nick: We are pretty picky about the guys we hire so they make it fun - and then I love dealing with the customers too. 

Kat: That’s awesome. Well thank you for meeting with me!

For any of our clients you will receive 10% off your move with MoveGreen services when you mention Ralston and Hitchcock!!!

Sold 🍾 Spanish style condo near Downtown Santa Barbara

620 W Carrillo Street Unit A

Our favorite part of the job! Just closed on this charming Spanish style 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo near Downtown Santa Barbara and the Mesa! 

SB Independent: Best of Santa Barbara 2016

It's that time again...

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Voting for the annual Santa Barbara Independent Best Of Santa Barbara Issue has begun!

You can vote for jake ralston & kat hitchcock by voting "Ralston & Hitchcock real estate" in the category “Best Real Estate Team” 

& "Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices" in the category “Best Real Estate Company”

VOTE NOW

Employment, Housing Market Point to Solid Santa Barbara County Economy

Rental market remains very tight, according to report by UCSB Economic Forecast ProjectBy Noozhawk, Tom Bolton

Santa Barbara County’s economy is doing fairly well in 2016. Employment is strong, the housing market has stabilized and wages are up.

That was the assessment offered Thursday during the annual Economic Summit presented by the UCSB Economic Forecast Project.

Several hundred people turned out at the Granada Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara for the morning-long program, which focused primarily on national and macro-economic trends.

But the annual report issued to coincide with the event included a trove of economic information about Santa Barbara County’s economy.

Of note was an increase in overall employment in the county in 2015 of 5,558 jobs, a gain of 2.8 percent and the largest rise since 2012.

The county’s unemployment rate declined to 5.1 percent, and statistical forecasts suggest it will drop further — to 4.9 percent by the end of the year.

The city of Goleta had the county’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent, while Lompoc had the highest, at 6.6 percent.

Other unemployment rates included Buellton, 3.2 percent; Santa Barbara, 4.0 percent; Carpinteria, 4.4 percent; Guadalupe, 4.8 percent; Santa Maria, 6.1 percent; and Solvang, 6.2 percent.

On the real estate front, the median home price for the county increased 17.5 percent from the previous year, to $676,494.

That growth rate was considerably larger than for the state (5.7 percent).

As prices rose, affordability fell in the county.

Only 23 percent of Santa Barbara County residents were able to afford the median-priced house, compared with 30 percent of residents statewide, and 58 percent nationally.

The surge in the housing market has made an already-tight rental-housing market that much more difficult, what the report’s authors called “not for the faint of heart.”

A vacancy rate of less than 1 percent contributed to an 8.7-percent spike in rents in 2015.

The report’s authors gave this assessment:

“As the prospect of owning a home becomes a fantasy, many local residents will remain renters indefinitely…Additional demand for high-quality rental housing is being generated by empty-nest Baby Boomers seek to simplify their lives by trading in the family home for a luxury apartment in a fun urban setting.”

Peter Rupert, executive director of the Forecast Project, discussed the ramifications of what he called income “unequality,” as opposed to inequality.

The county’s per-capita income gained 1.3 percent to $45,795 in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available.

The gains, he pointed out, were experienced more strongly by higher earners than those at the lower end of the economic scale.

Perhaps not surprisingly, northern Santa Barbara County has more people in the lower-income brackets, while the South Coast has more in the upper brackets.

This is due, in part, to the fact that the North County has vastly more agricultural workers, while the South Coast leads in governmental, professional and business services employees.

Thursday’s keynote speaker was James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who discussed U.S. monetary policy.

“U.S. labor markets are at or possibly well beyond reasonable conceptions of full employment,” he said.

He also noted that interest rates have remained low for the last several years, and global concerns — including the strong U.S. dollar — seem to be waning.

Inflation rates have remained below the target set by the Fed, he said, adding that “a gradual pace of rate increases over the next several years” is likely.

Read the full article at Noozhawk by Tom Bolton.

Join us for Santa Day at BHHS!

Join us for Santa Day this Saturday, December 5th! Visit our Santa Barbara office at 3868 State Street between 9am and 3pm for free professional photos with Santa and holiday cheer. Professional photography by Valeria Villa. Please RSVP to 805.687.2666.

We hope to see you and your families there!

Annual Santa Barbara Beer Fest Returns Saturday, October 17

It's time for the annual Santa Barbara Beer Festival! Experience some of the best brews on the West Coast on Saturday, October 17 at Elings Park from 12-4pm. Featuring live music, fresh fare, and over 20 different microbrews from breweries both local and (foreign), the yearly event is Santa Barbara's oldest festival honoring beer. For the cost of a ticket, you get a tasting glass and access to all of the fun the festival has to offer. Plus, 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go towards promoting two local nonprofits: Elings Park and the Santa Barbara Rugby Association. Sound like a fun time? Head to http://www.sbbeerfestival.com/default.php for tickets and get ready to drink for a cause!

#ButterfliesAlive Exhibit

• May 17, 2014 - September 07, 2014
• Recurrence: Recurring daily
• Address: 2559 Puesta Del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
• Phone: 805-682-4711
• Venue: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
• http://www.sbnature.org/

Experience the magic of Butterflies Alive! as you stroll through a beautiful garden filled with flowers, luscious greenery, and hundreds of free-flying butterflies. See one of nature's most beautiful ambassadors and reconnect with nature.

#BackstagePasses at the #SantaBarbaraZoo

• March 17, 2014 - May 31, 2014
• Recurrence: Recurring daily
• Times: 1:30-3:30PM (weekdays only) dates are subject to availability
• Address: 500 Niños Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
• Admission: Adults: $200, Children $75 (includes cost of admission and parking)
• Phone: 805-962-5339 x 151
• Visit Website

Ideal for kids, this is a fun and interactive, up-close and personal experience which allows guests ages five and up to work alongside an experienced zookeeper for 1½ hours as part of one of four Backstage Pass packages:

Barnyard:  Guests enter the barnyard and learn first-hand the ins and outs of caring for three heritage breeds that played a part in California ranching history: Guinea hogs, Navajo-Churro sheep, and San Clemente Island goats.

Feathered Friends:  Guests join the flock – and a bird keeper – to care for Humboldt penguins, Chilean flamingos and other feathered friends residing at different exhibits around the Zoo.

Eeeww!  This Backstage Pass goes deep into the bowels of the Eeeww! Exhibit to encounter reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates – each one with fascinating diets and needs. Perfect for lovers of creepy crawlers.

Small Mammals: Crested porcupines, Channel Island foxes, and slender-tailed meerkats are the focus on this popular package in which guests get up-close and personal with these charismatic creatures.

Minimum age is five, maximum group size is four. Admission and parking included. Offered weekdays. $200 for adults ($150 for Santa Barbara Zoo members); $75 for children aged 5 to 17. Minors must be accompanied by a paying parent/guardian.

2014 #SantaYnezValley Restaurant Week

#ArchitecturalWalkingTours of #HistoricSantaBarbara

• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Saturday
• Times: 10AM on Saturdays at De La Guerra Plaza and 10AM on Sundays at Public Library
• Location: Downtown Santa Barbara
• Address: De La Guerra St. (Sat) and Anapamu St. (Sun), Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• Admission: $10 donation per person

Experience the significant architecture and history of Santa Barbara with walking tours of the downtown area.  Join knowledgeable docents from the Architectural Foundation for an exploration of our architectural and landscape design heritage, and the events and people that shaped it.

http://www.afsb.org/

Photo Sharing Time - Fall Festival of Trees!

Local Artisans Market

Every Friday afternoon at La Cumbre Plaza and every Saturday at the Goleta Valley Community Center, local artisans gather to sell hand-crafted, gourmet artisan foods, including fresh breads, baked treats, jams, snacks, and more.