Best Buys In Ojai/Team Deckert – Our daily blog spotlighting the best in Ojai Valley real estate!

July 11, 2025

Quote of the Day

Don’t ask for an easier life; ask to be a stronger person.

– Kristen Goeser

This Day in History

July 11, 1972: Honda introduces the first Civic automobile. On this day in 1972, Honda introduces its first Civic, a new breed of subcompact, fuel-saving car. It arrives just in time for the energy crisis of 1973, which brings higher gas prices, long lines and occasional fistfights at the pump.

There’s no denying Honda’s lofty position as one of Japan’s automotive big three. In fact, Honda sold around 3.8 million cars and crossovers in 2022, and nearly a million of that was in the US alone. But Honda’s automotive empire wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for one model; the Civic. While the Civic isn’t Honda’s first car, it was the brand’s breakthrough in the global market. It arrived just in time too as the first oil crisis hit the world and the demand for a small, fuel efficient vehicle spiked in the West. The first-generation Civic became a massive success in the US and helped the brand penetrate the largest car market at the time.

Over the decades, the Civic grew in size, got larger and more powerful engines, and received more tech and safety innovations. The Civic of today has between 150 and 200 horsepower (the 1972 model had 59 horsepower) and heaps more torque over the first generation model, along with features previously unimaginable from over 50 years ago. Today, the Civic comes standard with six airbags, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and lane keeping assist, just to name a few.

Ojai Weather

Sunny – High 86 / Low 53

Lake Casitas water capacity – 94.9%

Friday, July 11, 2025

12:55 p.m.

Second update for today – here’s a bit of a community heads-up: If you frequent Vons supermarket from the west side of town (like I do), there is an entrance to the shopping center off Ojai Avenue as you’re heading east into town. Since they’ve recently re-paved and re-painted the lane lines, there is now a double set of double yellows at this entrance, meaning you can no longer legally turn left into the shopping plaza from the eastbound lanes. You’ll need to go to the traffic light, make a left, then make a left into the parking lot.

I bring this to your attention because word is that people are being ticketed for making this now-illegal left turn. I don’t know the veracity of this rumor, but I would hope that warnings would be issued for a few weeks. At the least, some sort of signage that indicates you can’t make a left would be helpful, as they did when additional stop signs were installed on North Signal Street and Grand Avenue. I’ve probably turned into the lot from this entrance a thousand times, so I’m lucky that someone brought it to my attention.

11:20 a.m.

There are three new or “coming soon” listings on the market:

1687 Kenewa Street – $1,595,000

407 Bryant Circle #A – $1,349,000

310 N. Poli Street – $949,000 (coming soon, 7/14)

Have a great weekend!

Pic of the Day

Who is this bathroom for…The Thing?

Thursday, July 10, 2025

10:05 a.m.

There are three new listings on the market:

1104 Mariano Drive – $980,000

4530 Hendrickson Road – $3,250,000

950 Woodland Avenue #123 – $392,500

Pic of the Day

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

11:40 a.m.

There is a new listing on the market:

16825 Maricopa Highway – $3,250,000

Pic of the Day

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

11:25 a.m.

There are two new listings on the market:

2100 Valley Meadow Drive – $1,249,500

1075 Loma Drive #66 – $137,000

Pic of the Day

When the city planner has been hitting the sauce

Monday, July 7, 2025

4:05 p.m.

Two new listings have come to the market since last Thursday:

276 Burnham Road – $1,199,000

313 E. Villanova Road – $3,795,000

(There is no link available at this time. This is a 4 bed/4 bath, 2,672 sf home on 2.50 acres.)

Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”

410 Bryant Circle “A” – $995,000 (this had recently expired on 6/30).
410 Bryant Circle “K” – $650,000 (this had recently expired on 6/30).

I hope you had a great Independence Day weekend! I attended the parade, as usual, with a group of friends and front-row seats in front of Heritage Financial (thanks to Emily and her team)! There were a couple of new/interesting displays in the parade this year, though not as many prancing horses as there usually are. I finally got a decent picture of the fly-over, though I would guess my hope that I’d see a P51 Mustang was probably unwarranted.