Owning The Coast

Interest rates jump, sellers blink, and suddenly Santa Cruz County looks a lot more like a buyer’s market than anyone expected. We talk through what we’re seeing on the ground, including a burst of new listings paired with even more price reductions, and why that shift changes the way you should negotiate if you’re writing offers right now. We also get honest about the math: when rates land around...

Santa Cruz doesn’t just change your zip code, it changes your pace. We sit down with Zach Velmer, touring drummer and founding member of STS9, to talk about what pulled him from Atlanta to the California coast and why, after decades of travel, he still comes back to the same conclusion: this is home. We get into the real reasons a place can feel like wealth, from time in nature to culture, communi...

The fastest way to lose money on a “perfect” rental is to assume it works like it did five years ago. With mortgage rates settling into a new normal, Santa Cruz buyers getting pickier, and insurance rules tightening up, we wanted a reality check from someone who lives in the rental trenches every day. We’re joined by Joe Heller of Streamline Property Management, a Santa Cruz County boutique proper...

Zero down up to $832,000 on an FHA loan gets your attention, but the real twist is where the conversation goes next. We start by talking mortgage rates, two loan programs we’re genuinely excited about, and a practical ADU financing option that lets homeowners tap equity for remodeling or building an accessory dwelling unit. We also tackle a very Santa Cruz reality: non-permitted additions and how...

ADUs, insurance, and mortgages sound like separate topics until a deal falls apart and you realize they are chained together. We start with what we’re seeing right now in Santa Cruz County: attached ADUs that insurers do not want, roof age and replacement cost rules that keep tightening, and the brutal reality that if you cannot secure homeowners insurance, you often cannot secure the loan. Housin...

You’ve probably heard someone say, “Santa Cruz needed a place like that.” We finally get to unpack what “that” actually means with Max Turigliatto, the Santa Cruz native behind Alley Oop, a speakeasy-inspired cocktail lounge built for real date nights, live music, and a room that feels like you could be anywhere in the world while still being unmistakably local. From the moment you step into the a...

Insurance, mortgages, real estate, branding, and marketing all collide in one very real problem: the details you ignore are the ones that cost you the deal or stall your growth. We start with what’s happening on the ground right now, a flood of homeowners insurance quote requests and the growing chaos behind the scenes. When roof age, plumbing updates, and electrical details get entered wrong, buy...

If you’ve ever wondered why some real estate videos make you lean in while others feel like a slideshow with music, this conversation nails the difference. We sit down with Reggie Trimingham from LocalShot, a Santa Cruz-based real estate videographer and marketer who’s built a reputation for making homes feel cinematic without losing the point: helping buyers and clients trust what they’re seeing....

53,000 canceled escrows nationwide and then a Santa Cruz multiple-offer sale that blows past list price, that’s the whiplash we’re all living in right now. We start with what we’re seeing on the ground, from interest rates and appraisals to the very real “tension in the air” buyers and sellers bring into every conversation, and then we pivot to a different kind of local indicator: who’s still show...

Your body is not a collection of disconnected problems, and Dr. Loki Doan makes a strong case that your care should not be disconnected either. We sit down with the founder of One Kinetic in Santa Cruz to talk about integrative medicine that blends Eastern medicine wisdom with Western tools that actually move the needle on recovery, energy, and longevity. We start with Loki’s story, from leaving V...

Your phone can show you a thousand perfect lives in a minute, but it can’t replace the feeling of locking eyes with a stranger on a dance floor. We talk with Bill on bass, Lizzie on fiddle, and Coleton on guitar and vocals about building an Americana sound in Santa Cruz that’s designed for movement, not just background listening. They share the real origin story: a Western Wednesday cover night sp...

He had four months to secure one of the best pieces of real estate in Santa Cruz, and the only way forward was a bet that could wipe him out. We talk with Chris Ellis, owner of Santa Cruz Athletic Club, about the behind-the-scenes decision to go all in, why he chose to build with Santa Cruz based architects and contractors, and what it takes to create a gym that feels premium without feeling intim...

A legendary Santa Cruz noodle spot isn’t just built on recipes. It’s built on how you treat people, how you source your food, and what you believe a meal is actually for. We sit down with Carolyn Rudolph, the owner of Charlie Hong Kong, and follow the path from the Summer of Love and early organic food movement to a restaurant that many locals treat like an institution. Along the way, we talk abou...

Santa Cruz has entered that awkward phase where the market still moves fast, but only if you get the details right. We talk through what we’re seeing right now, from interest rate whiplash to why “price it high and negotiate down” can backfire hard. If you’re a homeowner, buyer, or agent watching days on market, this conversation puts words to what the data is already saying: the forgiving market...

A coastal market wakes up, wildfire insurance cracks open long-stuck doors, and a Santa Cruz chef proves that comfort food can be both soulful and smart. We kick things off with a frank look at February’s housing heat: listings that sat for months are suddenly pending in two weeks, multiple offers are back, and buyers are testing the waters after a long winter lull. Then comes the twist that could...

Sea turtles off Santa Cruz, a renewed push for offshore drilling, and a grassroots “blue wall” that can actually stop it—this conversation with Save Our Shores executive director Katie Thompson is a masterclass in how local action shapes ocean destiny. We go from childhood dolphin obsessions to data sets that topple bad policy, and the ride never loses steam. We dig into the hard stuff first: clim...

A falling mortgage rate brings energy back to the coast, but the real story lives at a neighborhood table. We sit down with Suda’s co-owner, realtor, and wake-surf competitor Cole Kerby and general manager Mel Lashbrook to explore how a Santa Cruz favorite became the spot you can love twice a week. From leadership and systems to cocktails and comfort food, this is a tour through culture, consisten...

A Santa Cruz kid sketches a drum in kindergarten, stands before Steven Tyler at 22, fronts Quiet Riot, and then decides what matters most isn’t fame, but the life built around the songs. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with James Durbin—raw, funny, and unguarded—about chasing the spotlight without losing your voice. We dig into the unglamorous truth of American Idol: 30-hour lines, adrena...

The Santa Cruz market just did a U-turn. After a sleepy January with only 56 closings, the first days of February brought 18 new pendings—many with multiple offers—reminding us how quickly momentum returns when buyers are ready and listings are sharp. We unpack what those numbers really mean, why last week’s headlines can mislead today’s decisions, and how to read pendings, days on market, and age...

What if your skin is telling the story your nervous system can’t say out loud? We sit down with master aesthetician and community leader Jennalee Dahlen of Yoso Wellness to trace a journey from corporate burnout to hands-on healing, and from personal skin cancer to oncology-safe care that restores dignity, calm, and confidence. Jennalee shares how one facial shifted her life, why giving care can f...

Hungry for proof that food can rebuild culture one bite at a time? The newest episode of Owning The Coast opens with a quick reality check on Santa Cruz County—rates, listings, insurance, and the economic pressure shaping how people live and spend—before handing the mic to Daniel J , the creator behind Double Meat Please . Daniel’s story starts with arriving in Santa Cruz in 2006 and finding belon...

A packed gym can change a city—especially when you can feel the hardwood in your chest from 15 rows up. We sat down with Chris Murphy, president of the Santa Cruz Warriors, to unpack how a G League franchise turned a 2,500-seat arena into a winter ritual, a talent pipeline, and a hub for community pride. From the first sellouts to the next arena, this is the story of choosing right-sized over over...

What if most “bad tenants” weren’t actually the problem? We bring on Anne Michelle Francis, CEO of Blueprint Evictions, to explore the hidden mechanics of landlording in California: the power of a clear lease, the limits of the Tenant Protection Act, and the practical moves that keep you out of court. Anne Michelle shares how education beats escalation, why 75% of well‑crafted notices resolve with...

A rate dip below six percent, insurance carriers tiptoeing back into California’s wildfire zones, and a gum factory reinvented as a hive of ideas—this conversation tracks momentum that actually moves lives. We bring William Ow into the studio to tell the inside story of how his family took on the largest vacant building in Santa Cruz and turned it into a curated ecosystem that powers jobs, innovat...