BUSINESS OF THE MONTH: Bartlett & Herrington

Stefanie Herrington

I was extremely excited to interview Stefanie Herrington, Estate Planning Attorney for Bartlett & Herrington, because not only does she do amazing work for our mutual clients but has a heart of gold and really makes a huge impact in our community. 

How long have you been practicing law?
I graduated from law school seven years ago and I spent my first year clerking for a judge in Denver at the Colorado Court of Appeal. Then I spent a year practicing complex business litigation in Portland, Oregon - and I have been here (Carpinteria) for five years now - We just celebrated the 5 year anniversary of our law firm, Bartlett & Herrington.

Rotary Club of Carpinteria Sunset 

Can you tell me a little more about your role as an Estate Planning Attorney? 
I do everything from trusts and probates, trust administration after clients pass away, I do a lot of veteran planning for veterans who have low income and high medical needs, I do special needs planning for our clients, I do a lot of agricultural planning because of where we live in the Carpinteria Valley, so a lot of sub specialties but it all falls under estate planning.

Girls Inc of Carpinteria 

Why did you get into law and what do you enjoy most about it?
I was a newspaper editor and I loved it. I loved reading articles and getting breaking news and finding errors. But after awhile I had done it for ten years and I wanted more of a challenge so I decided law school would be a great education - and I didn’t think I wanted to be a lawyer until I started doing it. What I love about my job is I get to do a lot of hands on work with my clients, and often times I get to work with multiple generations so I enjoy the whole family aspect and connecting people with other resources, like Realtors!

What is the toughest part of your job?
The toughest part is also the most rewarding part which is really just delving into family dynamics and learning individual goals and their challenges and the things that worry them at night, so sometimes you get to see the worst of people and more often than not you get to see the best of people.

Do you only handle cases locally?
The vast majority of our clients are in the local area so Carpinteria, Ventura, Goleta, Santa Barbara but certainly I have clients in the Bay Area and elsewhere that are referrals for other clients. But most of our work is here.

We know you are heavily involved in the community, tell us more about your amazing community service in Carpinteria.
Mainly right now the things that I am enjoying the most and spending most of my time with are: I am serving on the board of Girls Inc in Carpinteria, so that’s an amazing organization that really impacts the lives of young girls in our community. And I have been a member of Rotary for 5 years since I moved to Carpinteria and last summer I started a new Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Carpinteria’s Sunset, and I invited all of my friends to join it - so even though I am not the president of that club I am just the secretary - I play a big role. So those are my two big projects that I spend nights, weekends and sometimes part of the day on.

Rotary Club of Carpinteria Sunset 

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH: CDB Group

Kat Hitchcock’s Interview with Brandon Arlington owner of CDB Group

Santa Barbara home design by the CDB Group

Kat: What does CDB stand for?

Brandon: Consult. Design. Build. We do all of those things, and it is more of a business model than just a name. Which is why I chose it. 

Kat: Awesome! I love that. Okay, so what does your team at CDB Group consist of?

Brandon: We have field personnel, office administration, project managers, carpenters and laborers.

Kat:  What is the biggest project that CDB Group has completed in Santa Barbara?

Brandon: Planning, design, permitting and development of a 4,000 sq ft residential custom new build project in Mission Canyon. Project is currently in the construction planning phase. The residence has features such as media room, private office, steam shower & a double two car garage.

Kat: What has been your favorite project?

Jamie Slone Wines 

Brandon: It would be hard to pick one because we have has so many great projects, and they all bring something different to the table. Jamie Slone Wines is one that comes to mind immediately when talking about commercial projects. It was really fun being able to work with great clients, Jamie and Kym, as well as putting something together that’s in good taste and design, and is enjoyed by the Santa Barbara community.  Residential is hard because our remodels are so great and there’s so many. 

Kat: How many years have you been doing construction?

Brandon:  I started in construction when I was 13 years old, so that’s 20 years. I worked for my father’s construction development company for a while which is where I started. I used to work at an architecture firm where I was their errand boy while I was doing some CAD (computer-aided design) and drafting courses at Santa Barbara City College. 

Kat: What’s your favorite part about doing what you do?

Brandon:  I would say the task of creative thinking and trying to take a challenge that in a lot of instances the odds are slim. When you consider construction companies, and especially start ups the likelihood that they are going to be successful is pretty low. I enjoy beating the odds and the challenge of it, and being able to use creativity to come up with new approaches to problems and actually solving them.

Kat: What sets CDB Group apart from the other companies in town?

Brandon: I would say the biggest thing is that we are a one stop shop. That doesn't necessarily mean everything is done in house, but we connect people with good business people in the area. We know that in order to grow sustainably that we have to pace ourselves and there’s a lot of operations out there that come out of the gates sprinting as hard as they can and tire out. We are a company that is dedicated to not doing that and giving a top notch service to our clients and being around for the long run.

Kat: Okay, last question what should people do before starting a project on their own?

Brandon: Don’t start on your own. Consult with people and ask questions. Its about getting connected with the right people and consulting with them, and having a clear direction of the pathway that you should take to conduct the project you’re after. Also word of mouth goes a long way in this town.  All of my business I have generated over the years is word of mouth I haven’t advertised at all. After the second year in business we had a sustainable growth pattern at about 30% per year. These next oncoming years we plan on continuing that type of growth pattern

 

Free CDB Onsite Project Consultation for anyone that mentions Ralston and Hitchcock! 

 

 

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!!!

Gold is the new green 🍂

After being in consideration since September due to a predicted 300 acre-foot water shortage, the city of Santa Barbara has decided to put forth a new effort in conserving water. Starting January 1, 2017 they will enforce a lawn watering ban with limited exceptions.

The video below demonstrates how going into the sixth year of drought has effected our community, and how banning lawn watering will increase the efforts to conserve. 

Joshua Haggmark the city Water Resources Manager, states "12% of our water is still being put on turf, that is why we are focusing our attention on that." Which he goes on to explain in a time not in drought our community as a whole usually uses 20% of water on average to water our lawns. "What we're trying to really do is help the community prioritize it's landscape. What we don't want to see the community let go of is the trees and shrubs, which are a much more significant investment by the community and really kind of give Santa Barbara it's 'look'."

For more information on water supplies, drought planning, regulations, and rebates please visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Drought or call 564-5460. 

Weekly Perspective • Hope Ranch

Happy Friday everyone,

We're just finishing up our work week here at Berkshire Hathaway in Montecito. Last week we talked about Carpinteria and it's real estate market and this week we want to introduce you to the exclusive neighborhood, Hope Ranch. Hope Ranch is directly adjacent to Santa Barbara and is bordered by a spectacular private beach. That's just the start of it, you have La Cumbre country club, Laguna Blanca private school and 30 miles of equestrian riding trails. This is home to to more than one billionaire and everyone's favorite rapper, Snoop Dogg.

Snooooop

Now Hope Ranch real estate is not for the faint of heart, the average home sells for 4-5 million dollars and easily climbs up over 20 million dollars. Currently the most expensive home listed in Hope Ranch is a 25 million dollar, 10,000 square foot stunner. It's an ocean front property on almost 4 acres, with a pool, spa, home theatre, private dance studio and tennis court. This home was built by a former Apple executive so you guessed it has all the tech bells and whistles you can imagine. If this sounds like the home you've been thinking about buying, you might want to jump on this one, it has recently been reduced to 25 million dollars and supposedly costed only 30 million dollars to build.

There are more modest homes in Hope Ranch, but everybody shares the same exclusive lifestyle and privacy. Now more than ever is an opportunity to stand out from the pack and work with a real estate agent that understands your local market. Have a great weekend! We'll see you next week.

-Team Ralston + Hitchcock

Weekly Perspective • October 14

Last week we touched on Montecito's slow down of the upper end this week we want to introduce you to it's neighboring city, Carpinteria. I have lived there for the past 10 years and the locals call this town the last great beach town on the west coast. It has perfect year round weather, spectacular beaches, and home to one of the hottest surf destinations "Rincon Point." It's popular with retirees, families, and vacation home owners.

The real estate in Carpinteria is a mixed bag. You have beach front homes starting at $4,000,000, condos just right off the sand starting at $500,000, and smaller homes around $1,000,000. If you go a little further from the beach you do have a wider selection of homes starting at $700,000-$1,200,000. From there Carpinteria's spectacular foothills begin, you'll see the hills are dotted with avocado ranches and mega ranch estate. I would say on average a decent home in the foothills will sell from $1.5-$3 Million dollars.

Now more than ever is an opportunity to work with an agent (agents) who know your local area.

Thank you and see you next week!

WEEKLY PERSPECTIVE 10-17

Happy Friday everyone! Just finishing up out work week here at Berkshire Hathaway in Montecito. Last week we touched on days on market in Santa Barbara and now we want to talk about Montecito. There has been a lot of talk about the slow down of the upper end. In fact the average time to sell a home in Montecito has increased 60% over last year, to 134 days which is over 4 months on the market.

And that's a long time to sell your home, but if you are shopping in the ultra-high end, say over 10 million dollars there is a decrease in inventory right now. It is about a 36% change from 11 homes active last year and only 4 this year. Although these are both big changes we see this as a stabilization of the market and now is pretty much an opportunity to stand out from the pack. So, you need proper preparation, you need to price your home accurately, you need to stage your home, and you need to work with an agent (or agents!) that understands the value of strong marketing.

So if you are thinking of buying or selling contact us today, call or email us and we would love to give you a consultation.

Have a great weekend!

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! 

UCSB ranked #8 Nationwide

Photography: Jesse Kaplan

Not just a local's bias any more. It's official. UCSB really is in the Top 10 of the country. U.S News and Worldwide Report deemed UCSB the 8th top public university Nationwide. Read what Andrea from the UC's blog "The current" had to say:

"In its 2017 listing of the “Top 30 Public National Universities” in the country, U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Santa Barbara number 8.

Among the “Best National Universities” ranking, which includes both public and private institutions, UCSB placed number 37. Within the University of California system, only UC Berkeley and UCLA ranked above UCSB. Other UC campuses in the Top 30 include Irvine, Davis and San Diego.

In addition, UCSB placed number 13 among public universities in the “Least Debt” section of the magazine’s ranking of student debt load at graduation. UCSB’s College of Engineering is ranked number 18 among public universities on the U.S. News & World Report list of “Best Programs at Engineering Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Doctorate.”

The magazine has just released its annual college rankings online at usnews.com/colleges. The print edition of “Best Colleges 2017” guidebook can be purchased online beginning today or in stores Oct. 4.

“We are proud of this national recognition, which places us at No. 8 among the country’s top public universities and further emphasizes our leading role in higher education,” said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. “A reflection of the preeminent stature of UC Santa Barbara, this ranking is the result of the dedication and enormous efforts of our world-class faculty, and the academic distinction of our diverse student body.

“Our greatness,” Yang added, “is the sum of the combined commitment of our students, faculty and staff to academic excellence, diversity, access and affordability.”

To rank colleges and universities for the Best Colleges 2017 guidebook, U.S. News & World Report assigns institutions to categories developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UCSB’s category of national universities includes only institutions that emphasize faculty research and offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s degrees and doctoral programs.

UCSB, which this year experienced the most competitive admissions process in campus history, continues to attract the best of the best. Among prospective freshmen and undergraduate transfer students, academic qualifications and diversity remain exceptionally high. For the 2016-17 academic year, the average high school grade-point average of applicants admitted is 4.21, and the average total score achieved on the required SATR test is 1994 out of a possible 2400.

Of the admitted freshmen, 30 percent are members of underrepresented minority groups (African-American, American Indian and Chicano and Latino students). In addition, 30 percent of admitted freshmen are first-generation college students.

The rankings in the Best Colleges 2017 guidebook are based on data U.S. News & World Report collects directly from colleges and universities, as well as from other sources. This year, the magazine reported that 93.5 percent of the 1,374 colleges and universities it surveyed responded to its request for statistical information. Additional data was obtained from the American Association of University Professors, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Council for Aid to Education and the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The magazine evaluates and analyzes data on various indicators of academic quality and assigns a weight to each factor based on its relative importance. It then tabulates composite scores and ranks institutions against others in the same peer group.

Complete U.S. News & World Report rankings are available at www.usnews.com/colleges.

UCSB has performed exceptionally well in a variety of other recent national and international rankings. It remains one of the world’s top 10 universities worldwide in terms of research impact, as listed by the 2016 Leiden Rankings. In addition, on Washington Monthly magazine’s list of the nation’s top universities, UCSB placed number 9 among public institutions and number 17 overall. Also, UCSB came in at number 25 among schools with 10,000 or more undergraduates in Teach for America’s 2016 Teaching Corps."

Source: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/017115/excellence-affirmed

🔥The Sixth day of the Rey Fire

If you are keeping up with the Rey Fire happenings you may have seen many photos or videos taken by eye witnesses. We saw our friend and videographer Matthew Hawk captured this eerie, heart-wrenching - yet beautiful sight of the fire blazing from the Santa Barbara Mission and wanted to share. Even when paradise is in trouble, we are reminded of her beauty.

For frequent updates on the Rey Fire and containment visit: http://www.independent.com/news/2016/aug/23/update-five-days-rey-fire/

Finished up with the edit on a time lapse from the Mission last night. Smoke from the Rey fire can be seen billowing over the mission and mountains. This was made from 500 images and took 2.5 hours onsite and another 3 in post production with Lightroom Timelapse. This stuff is time consuming 🤔😊. Hope you like 👍🏼 #Timelapse #lightroomtimelapse #lrtl #lightroomcc #canon7d #mefoto #mefototripods #vixenpolarie #200iso #seesb #santabarbara #santabarbaralife #santabarbarastyle #santabarbaramission #sbindy #new #dynamicperception #longexposure

A video posted by Matthew Hawk (@matthewhawk) on Aug 22, 2016 at 1:04pm PDT

Rancho San Carlos Montecito Estate | Suzanne Perkins

Record breaking• Rancho San Carlos Montecito Estate

Source: www.SuzannePerkins.com Listed by Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby's International

Montecito is known for being home to the county's most famous residents, understandably. This town has a laid back charm unlike any other. Locals and visitor's alike can wander Coast Village Road, Upper Village and the most stunning, Butterfly Beach. Go for a scenic drive or bike ride along the tree-lined streets, and do what the locals do: hang out on a sun-kissed patio, and read the Montecito Journal. Amongst many other stand-out qualities, this town doesn't fall short when it comes to the Real Estate. From California cottages to opulent estates there's something everyone can dream about.

On the current market the median sales price in Montecito is $3.7 Million dollars, down from last years $4.3 million dollars.

However, there is a once in a lifetime opportunity that sits secluded at the top of East Valley Road that sets an all time record high for sales prices in the entire county offered at $125 million dollars. 12 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms on 237 acres...

“ The magnificent Rancho San Carlos, a 237 acre estate property that for nearly 100 years has been under the ownership of one family. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a unique property of unprecedented grand scale, exceptional architecture, and prestigious historical significance. The sprawling hilltop Monterey Colonial manor was designed by noted architect Reginald Johnson in 1931 with an approx. 29,483 sq. ft. exquisite main residence comprised of over thirty rooms. Infused with an atmosphere of sophistication and refinement, the grand home is astutely sited on two natural terraces, and by planning the formal living rooms around a central courtyard and placing the Master and family bedroom wings on the upper terrace, he effectively created a spatial separation that afforded privacy, calm and exceptional views. Additional features include 10 residential cottages, an office, producing orchards, and extensive equestrian facilities.”

— Suzanne Perkins

Sold 🔑 Modern Living Downtown Carpinteria

Sold 🔑 Modern Living Downtown Carpinteria

Another home sold to a satisfied buyer!  We are happy to have represented the sellers in the sale of this modern 2 bedroom, 2 bath Berkus designed townhome only a short distance to the beach.  Remodeled throughout featuring cathedral ceilings, large master suites on each level, spacious living/entertaining areas, pool and large 2-car garage.

Modern living in downtown Carpinteria only a short distance to the beach! Stunning Barry Berkus designed 2-story town home features soaring cathedral ceilings and a flexible floor plan with large master suites on each level. Spacious living/entertaining areas offer potential to create a third bedroom. Features fresh paint and new carpets throughout, crown molding, smooth ceilings, new stainless steel refrigerator, washer/dryer included, granite counters, claw foot tub, wainscoting, gas fireplace and a large finished attic. Enjoy private patios off both the master bedroom and the dining room. Heated pool. Oversized 2-car garage + excellent guest parking.