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

August 28, 2026

Quote of the Day

Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.

~ David Rossi

This Day in History

August 28, 1917: President Wilson picketed by women suffragists. On this day in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson is picketed by suffragists in front of the White House, who demand that he support an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee women the right to vote.

Wilson had a history of lukewarm support for women’s suffrage, although he paid lip service to suffragists’ demands during political campaigns and greeted previously peaceful suffrage demonstrators at the White House with decorum. He was also a former teacher at a women’s college and the father of two daughters who considered themselves “suffragettes.” During the 1912 presidential campaign against Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson and his opponent agreed on many reform measures such as child-labor laws and pro-union legislation. They differed, however, on the subject of women’s suffrage, as Roosevelt was in favor of giving women the vote.

According to the Library of Congress’ American Memory archives, Wilson rode out of the White House gates on the morning of August 28 with his wife at his side and tipped his hat toward the protestors as usual. By this time, though, the suffragists had become increasingly disruptive and brandished anti-World War I slogans on their placards in addition to pleas for the vote and later that day the protestors and outraged bystanders who supported the war clashed. Many of the women were arrested and thrown in jail. Some of the jailed suffragists went on a hunger strike and were force-fed by their captors. Wilson, appalled by the hunger strikes and worried about negative publicity for his administration, finally agreed to a suffrage amendment in January 1918. One year later, Congress passed the 19th Amendment. One year after that, in August 1920, it was ratified, finally giving women the right to vote.

Ojai Weather

Mostly sunny – High 100 / Low 63

Lake Casitas water capacity – 96.2%

Friday, August 28, 2026

1:15 p.m.

There are three(ish) new listings on the market:

107 Alto Drive – $1,995,000

211 Shady Lane – $1,649,000

489 Cruzero Street – $1,393,765

(This property sold and closed before it was listed.)

Pic of the Day

Thursday, August 27, 2026

9:45 a.m.

There are three new listings on the market:

11013 Creek Road – $2,750,000

609 Canada Street #H – $650,000

511 E. Aliso Street – $1,795,000

One of the embedded programs I’ve used for over 10 years to run this website is outdated and needs to be replaced. I am going to attempt to upgrade it after today’s update, but I never know how something “new” is going to affect the layout. So, just a warning – things might get weird in here!

Pic of the Day

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

12:00 p.m.

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

921 Shokat Drive – $2,250,000

1975 Maricopa Highway #23 – $399,000

314 Descanso Avenue – $829,000 (coming soon, 8/26)

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

182 Mountain View Street – $495,000 (this had recently been withdrawn on 6/12)

Pic of the Day

Captain Ramius: “We will pass through American patrols, past their sonar nets, and lay off their largest city and listen to their rock and roll…while we conduct missile drills.”

Picnickers: “Look, it’s a manatee!””

Friday, August 21, 2026

10:15 a.m.

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

569 Tico Road – $1,500,000

418 Descanso Avenue – $922,000

575 E. Thomas Street – $880,000

233 El Plano Drive – $1,149,000 (coming soon, 8/27)

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

365 Encino Drive – $1,995,000 (this had recently been cancelled on 8/14).
16825 Maricopa Highway – $2,995,000 (this had recently expired on 7/2).

Have a great weekend!

Pic of the Day

Realtor humor

Thursday, August 20, 2026

1:55 p.m.

There are no new listings on the market, but here’s a quick market update: Normally, I would include the graphs from Altos Market Data – but upon further investigation, I find their statistics to be off by quite a large margin. So, I have done the research myself on a few of the basic metrics we watch as Realtors & Brokers – including days on market, average and median sales prices, and the average list-to-sales price percentage.

These statistics include Ojai and Oak View only, and only residential homes (no commercial, mobile home, or land parcels):

Last quarter of 2025 – 10/1/25 through 12/31/25

Average Days On Market – 89

Average Sales Price – $1,388,668

Average Price Per Square Foot: $768.00

Median Sales Price – $1,175,000

Highest Sales Price – $3,848,000

Last quarter up to today – 5/20/2026 through 8/20/2026

Average Days On Market: 49

Average Sales Price: $1,541,926

Average Price Per SF: $766.00

Median Sales Price: $1,330,000

Highest Sales Price: $5,500,000

Overall, I would say (mostly from “feel”) that there’s a slight buyer’s edge in the market – allowing buyer’s to negotiate a little more effectively to secure a lower purchase price on their home. The large difference in Days On Market is likely seasonal – spring to summer are typically more active months than fall to winter.

Pic of the Day

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

2:50 p.m.

There is one new listing on the market:

1225 S. Rice Road #36 – $429,000

Pic (video) of the Day

(Click on the photo below)

“Yes, it was very sad when the guy stopped…drawing the deer.”

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

12:40 p.m.

One new listing has come to the market since Friday:

259 Prospect Street – $890,000

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

203 N. Fulton Street – $919,000 (this had recently expired on 7/27).

Pic of the Day

I can’t wait to see your Pong-inspired bathroom

Friday, August 14, 2026

11:35 a.m.

There are two new listings on the market:

160 N. Encinal Avenue – $939,000

306 E. Matilija Street – $2,200,000

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

16096 Maricopa Highway – $1,449,000 (this had recently been cancelled on 7/10).

Have a great weekend!

Pic of the Day

Amazon driver, arriving at Charolotte’s place:

“Aw, hell no!”

Thursday, August 13, 2026

10:00 a.m.

There is a new “coming soon” listing on the market:

125 Oak Drive – $835,000 (coming soon, 8/14)

Pic of the Day

Actual listing photo – what kind of orgy house is this?

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

10:55 a.m.

One new listing hit the market in the last five days, but it’s already a pending sale:

11374 Oakcrest Avenue – $850,000 (already under contract)

I just returned from a 10 day trip to visit my family in Chicago. It was a combination of sadness and joy – the sadness consisted of saying “goodbye” to our family home that the Deckerts had owned for 52 years. My younger brother – who bought the home from my father 15 years ago – made the move to a new home just 20 minutes away. We went through the last of the older family photos, letters, notes, and other memorabilia between my mother and father, combined their ashes and put them in smaller urns that all the kids could take with them (I received a minor inquisition from the O’hare TSA when I carried it with my on-board luggage), held a vinyl album lottery of my dad’s 1,500 or so records; sawed open an old safe that belonged to my younger sister (with her approval, of course) – hoping for a more exciting reveal than that of Al Capone’s vault; and my brother’s mother-in-law made throw pillows out of several of my father’s old work uniforms – complete with his name patch, as well as the company’s logo. Indeed, tears were shed.

But there was much joy as well: The six of my younger siblings and myself, goofing on each other during the album lottery; the last Deckert family baseball game to be held in the side yard; one of my younger brothers – who stopped playing sports by the time he was 10 years old – hitting a home run over the house; seeing my little sister, who only a year ago first signed up with the School of Rock adult band in order to learn to sing, then watching her perform live in front of a room of 200 people and absolutely nailing “You Got Today” (by Maggie Rose) – causing me to get the chills and tears to form in my eyes; watching my sister’s kids also perform live on that same stage; stopping at Portllo’s twice to get the famous Chicago-style hot dog (which I would pick over steak and lobster any day); and staying up until 2:00 a.m. just shootin’ the breeze with my brother.

All great and cherished memories of my former home – but it’s good to be back home in Ojai, my “forever” place to be!