December 5, 2025
Quote of the Day
Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.
~ Sarah Bernhardt
This Day in History
December 5, 1933: Prohibition ends. The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states’ approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day.
The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for national liquor abstinence. Several states outlawed the manufacture or sale of alcohol within their own borders. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment was ratified by the states. Prohibition went into effect the next year, on January 17, 1920.
In the meantime, Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, including the creation of a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. In its first six months, the unit destroyed thousands of illicit stills run by bootleggers. However, federal agents and police did little more than slow the flow of booze, and organized crime flourished in America. Large-scale bootleggers like Al Capone of Chicago built criminal empires out of illegal distribution efforts, and federal and state governments lost billions in tax revenue. In most urban areas, the individual consumption of alcohol was largely tolerated and drinkers gathered at “speakeasies,” the Prohibition-era term for saloons.
Prohibition, failing fully to enforce sobriety and costing billions, rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended Prohibition in 1966.
Ojai Weather
Mostly sunny – High 70 / 36
Total rainfall for the season – 9.95 inches
Lake Casitas water capacity – 91.5%
Friday, December 5, 2025
8:00 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
1708 Orchard Drive – $1,525,000
358 Sunset Court – $3,100,000
3450 Thacher Road – $3,325,000
(This was recently on the market in July, listed at the same price)
We’ll be holding a broker preview (where all agents in the area come to check out the newest listings) today from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 for our newest listing at 12752 Sisar Road. The general public is encouraged to get a jump on everyone else before the official open houses this weekend (Saturday & Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.). This property has had quite the makeover since it was last listed – it’s worth a look!
Pic of the Day
Here’s another historic Ojai photo. It’s the back side of the Arcade, of what is now “The Hub” cocktail bar. Date of photo is unknown.
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
11:45 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
201 Drown Avenue – $775,000
950 Woodland Avenue #53 – $439,000
9097 N. Ventura Avenue #1 – $269,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 2835 Hermitage Road – $6,998,000 (this was recently cancelled on 9/11 and was listed at $8,998,000).
- 3490 E. Ojai Avenue – $2,195,000 (this was recently cancelled on 9/8 at the same price).
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
10:15 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
1122 Camille Drive – $1,100,000
110 Drown Avenue – $998,000
I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
9:15 a.m.
Two new listings have come to the market since Friday:
445 W. El Roblar Drive – $1,195,000
40 Don Antonio Way – $265,000
Pic of the Day
And thus, Buns of Steel was born
Friday, November 21, 2025
11:45 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
12750 MacDonald Drive – $3,750,000
1600 S. Rice Road – $789,000
Pic of the Day
I found this fantastic shot of downtown Ojai in 1962. (Note: I didn’t find it in 1962, the photo was taken in 1962. ☺) There’s a terrific website that has all kinds of historical photos and documents located here.
Thursday, November 20, 2025
3:05 p.m.
There are no new listings on the market.
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 16026 Maricopa Highway – $699,000 (this had recently been withdrawn from the market on 11/6).
- 16840 Maricopa Highway – $750,000 (this had recently been withdrawn from the market on 10/11).
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
9:00 a.m.
There are no new listings for today. Since it’s been in the news lately, here’s the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) opinion on the proposed 50-year mortgages:
The opportunity: lower monthly payments, broader access
There is no doubt that the 50-year mortgage does what it promises. It makes monthly payments smaller. But, how much smaller?
For a $420,000 home with 20% down and a 6.3% interest rate, the 30-year mortgage payment (principal and interest) is about $2,080. What would the payment be with a 50-year mortgage? Because longer loans usually have higher rates, let’s assume 6.8% for a 50-year term. In that case, the monthly payment drops to around $1,970 . This saves about $110 per month.
That difference might not seem substantial, but for families just below the qualifying threshold, it’s significant. The required income to buy the median-priced home falls from $99,840 to $94,560. That shift makes home ownership achievable for approximately 3.4 million additional U.S. households. This is about the number of households in the Dallas metro area. In today’s market, this is a meaningful difference.
The trade-off: slower payoff, higher lifetime cost
Of course, everything in life comes with a trade-off, and that’s also true when a mortgage is spread over half a century. The buyer saves money each month but pays much more over time. Over 50 years, the total cost of the home would rise to roughly $1.2 million, with nearly $850,000 in interest. This is about $433,530 more than the 30-year loan. And because the principal decreases more slowly, it takes almost 40 years to pay off half the loan balance.
Thus, the 50-year mortgage simply reshapes the timeline of home ownership, reducing the financial strain in the early years while extending the repayment horizon. For younger buyers or households expecting higher income, it can serve as a stepping stone to ownership, providing time to stabilize financially, build credit, and eventually refinance into a shorter-term loan.
See the table below to understand how the numbers change at a $750,000 price point.
The long view: building equity over time
While it’s true that the early years of a 50-year loan build equity slowly, that doesn’t mean homeowners can’t accumulate meaningful wealth. Over time, home price appreciation can become the main driver of equity gains.
Returning to our previous example, assuming a 6.8% rate for a $420,000 home with a 20% down payment, the homeowner begins with $84,000 in equity, their initial investment. Because the loan amortizes very slowly, only about $14,000 of principal would be paid down after the first 10 years.
If home prices rise modestly—for instance, 2% per year—equity can still compound significantly. After 10 years, a homeowner with a 50-year mortgage could see their home appreciate from $420,000 to over $512,000. Even with limited principal paid down, their total equity could approach $190,000; a real and significant source of wealth.
By year 20, assuming steady appreciation, that equity grows to more than $325,000. It’s slower than the 30-year path, yes, but still powerful, and still far larger than what a renter might accumulate over the same period. A 50-year mortgage delays equity growth, but it doesn’t eliminate it. Housing equity can still be built through price appreciation, even while mortgage payments add only a small amount.
When a 50-year mortgage could make sense
For some buyers, the longer term might provide exactly the flexibility they need.
- First-time buyers who are stretching to enter the market could use a 50-year mortgage to reduce early payments and refinance later once their income rises.
- Younger households might benefit most, starting with smaller payments and using appreciation to build equity that funds future moves or upgrades.
- High-cost markets could also benefit, as smaller monthly payments may help more renters to transition into home ownership.
The bigger picture: stretching payments won’t fix the shortage
Even if a 50-year mortgage broadens access, it doesn’t address the real reason affordability remains so difficult: There aren’t enough homes at the price points that most people can afford to buy. Without expanding supply to better align with people’s incomes, these longer loan terms simply increase competition for the same limited inventory. It might help individual buyers, but it won’t solve the mismatch between supply and demand that keeps prices high.
Real progress will come from building more homes, particularly in the low- and middle-price ranges, where most would-be buyers are concentrated. NAR estimates that the market currently lacks about half a million listings priced at or below $260,000 to reach a more balanced level of supply.
The takeaway: a longer path can still lead to ownership
The 50-year mortgage offers slightly smaller monthly payments for families who are otherwise priced out, while giving them a chance to participate in the wealth-building potential of home ownership. Because at the end of the day, home ownership is about security, stability, and the long game of financial growth. And the numbers clearly show that housing equity can even be built through price appreciation.
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[In my opinion, a 50-year mortgage for a $750,000 purchase – let alone the average $1,608,000 sales price in Ojai over the past year – is not a viable solution when your monthly payment is only reduced by $195, while at the same time you’d end up paying $774,154 in interest over the additional 20 years. – Ray]
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
11:30 a.m.
No new listings have come to the market since last Friday.
I spent most of yesterday pinpointing a minor leak in my roof. No small feat, as it required the use of a 16-foot A-frame ladder (which turned out to be more stable than I would have thought), plus the assistance of Rob from the team to help me set it up. Shout out to Greg Rents in Oak View for the ladder rental!
Since I’m doing local-area shout outs, one also goes to Fred’s Tire Man in Oak View, who charged me the ridiculously small amount of $25 to fix/plug a nail hole in one of my tires. Why does it seem when I get new tires – that within the first 1,000 miles I always seem to pick up nail or a screw?
Pic of the Day
Friday, November 14, 2025
10:20 a.m.
There are four new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
303 Lark Ellen Avenue – $799,000
11604 N. Ventura Avenue – $2,000,000
1202 Loma Drive #7 – $450,000
121 S. Padre Juan Avenue – $959,000
Have a great weekend, and let’s soak up this rain!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, November 13, 2025
9:30 a.m.
There is a new “coming soon” listing on the market:
211 Fox Street – $1,295,000 (coming soon, 11/19)
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
11:00 a.m.
There are no new listings for today. Have you seen the weather forecast for the next week or so? Time to batten down the hatches…
Here’s a quick check-in on mortgage rates:
30-yr fixed: 6.29%
15-yr fixed: 5.80%
30-yr Jumbo: 6.40%
30-yr FHA: 6.00%
30-yr VA: 6.02%
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
12:40 p.m.
There are four new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
First and foremost, we have a new listing coming to the market – “coming soon” and available to be shown starting December 1st. This is a beautiful 1,601 sq. ft. cabin located in a quiet location in upper Ojai. It’s had a ton of upgrades applied since it was last on the market a year ago, chief among them, an updated kitchen, bathroom, landscaping, fencing…and a host of other items (you can check out more on the listing).
12752 Sisar Road – $1,140,000 (coming soon, 12/1)
17 Don Antonio Way – $299,000
11195 N. Ventura Avenue #17 – $349,000
1225 S. Rice Road #41 – $199,000
Pic of the Day
I think it may be too late
Friday, November 7, 2025
11:50 a.m.
There are six new listings on the market:
1211 Cruzero Street – $859,000
10681 Encino Drive – $2,400,000
407 Bryant Circle #G – $995,000
920 Larmier Avenue – $1,195,000
2231 Maricopa Highway – $1,399,900
701 W. Lomita Avenue – $600,000
Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, November 6, 2025
10:30 a.m.
There are no new listings on the market as of yet today.
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 4158 Grand Avenue – $3,945,000 (this was recently cancelled on 9/24 at $4,150,000).
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
12:50 p.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
848 Woodland Avenue #24 – $565,000
Pic of the Day
Are the low prices shocking, or are they selling automobile shocks or discounted Happy Meals? Is the electricity discounted?
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
10:30 a.m.
No new listings have come to the market since Friday. But here’s a link to 16 fun real estate facts, including mail-order houses, a blurb about a man who sold his whole life on eBay, and two different ways to shout to the neighbors that you’ve paid off your mortgage (I have to admit, I’d never heard of these). Click on the photo below:
Pic of the Day
Click here for archived October, 2025 posts
