I'm back!

I’m back! March-June has been a whirlwind as we all can attest! Unfortunately writing my blog has fallen by the wayside as I’ve been keeping up with all the updates Covid 19 has had on the real estate market and how we operate, helping my existing clients and trying to navigate homeschooling and working from home at the same time. These are crazy times but my family and I are fortunate to be healthy and safe as I hope you are as well. While things have changed so much over the last few months, here’s a snapshot of what I’m seeing out there:

There’s still an inventory shortage and properties are selling. Well priced properties are continuing to see multiple offers as the had before the pandemic. The buyers that are looking right now are serious.

While there is activity out there, many sellers and buyers that would ordinarily be in the spring market are waiting things out. I anticipate that once everything settles we’ll see a lot of activity.

Lending has gotten much more stringent, and this is one area that has been a bit of a roller coaster over these last few weeks. Jumbo loans have gotten increasingly difficult, if not impossible to obtain. Processing times have increased but loans are still closing. Underwriting is looking very closely at the borrower’s line of work and requiring more recent paystubs.

Real estate has gone virtual and my partner, Tom Farmer and I have updated our processes and are pleased to support our clients during this time through virtual consultations, paperless contracts and offers, livestream open houses, virtual property tours, remote closing and much more!

Let’s go for a walk!

A particularly pungent resident with an aversion to bathing used to regularly come to our corporate office to complain about the on-site staff and the property’s portfolio manager. He would arrive and our VP would drop everything, practically sprint down the hallway saying “Let’s go for a walk!…”. Rain or shine (this was in Portland, so it was usually raining) they would go on long walks getting as far away from the office as possible while the office flooded with the aromas of citrus, pine, whatever air fresheners could be drummed up.

Parking Lot Mix-up

I used to manage a small commercial parking lot where spaces were rented out on a monthly basis to individuals that lived or worked nearby. My clients were developers that had converted a nearby apartment into condos, retaining the parking lot as a separate entity. The parking lot was providing a space for people to park and that was it. It really needed to be repaved and re-striped. One day one of the parking tenants called me, absolutely irate. “How could you repave the parking lot without telling anyone?!” Confused, I asked for more information. “XYZ company is out there repaving the parking lot right now! I saw them from my unit and came rushing down!”. XYZ company had in fact been hired to repave another parking lot. They saw a parking lot in need and got to work! Friends of mine had something similar happen at their rental property. They knew they needed to replace the roof soon and then one day, roofers showed up and reroofed the wrong house!

Ojai Coffee Shop Review

Beacon Coffee Company

I’m a tea drinker through and through so I’m admittedly not the best person to review a coffee shop, but here it goes!

Beacon Coffee has locations in Ventura and Ojai but I’ve only been to the Ojai location which took over the old Carrows at 211 W Ojai Avenue, sharing the space the restaurant used to occupy with Cattywampus Crafts. My son gives Beacon a 5 star rating. it’s his favorite spot to grab vegan, gluten free treats (courtesy of Ojai business Sun Oven Bakery), and I have to admit the donuts, cinnamon roll and scones are delicious. The meat eater in him is fond of the bacon, egg and cheese croissant. Having recently perfected the pronunciation of “croissant”, should he follow his mother’s footsteps and study French, I’m pretty sure it will be inspired by the pastries served at Beacon. Their iced coffees to go come with a paper straw. I like their cappuccino as much as I like any coffee. It usually takes a little while to get your drink order but the ambience is very sleek and the people watching is top notch! My husband recommends the coffee of the day. My mother says it’s “the fanciest coffee shop” she’s ever been to. Pay them a visit and let me know what you think!

https://www.beaconcoffee.com

Tales From Ainsley's Property Management Days

Not Afraid of Heights

A construction company once invited me and a handful of other managers to get a first hand look at a building re-skin. The building had failing EIFS (synthetic stucco) and I was thrilled to be able to learn about the project both because I find the construction of building envelope systems fascinating, but also because I was managing a building with failing EIFS (hence the invite!). In the lobby we donned hard hats and headed for the 10th floor where we proceeded to climb onto scaffolding to walk the perimeter. This building was on a hill so we were literally above the city, walking on scaffolding. The manager in front of me’s phone started to ring in his back pocket. Did he let it ring…put it in silent? Of course not, property managers are busy. He took the call!

Tales From Ainsley's Property Management Days

Breaking for Tea…

One of the properties in my portfolio was having a lot of plumbing problems…backups in particular when I went to the break room to make tea and was overwhelmed by the smell of sewage. I went straight to our Director of Maintenance “There’s a serious plumbing problem in the building”. We got to the kitchen just as another coworker was removing Brussels sprouts from the microwave…

Meiners Oaks Restaurant Review

The Ranch House

Confession: I skipped last night’s water meeting with Ventura’s attorneys and went to The Ranch House instead!

Background: Homeowners in the Ojai Valley (and parts of Ventura) are being sued by the City of Ventura over groundwater. Seriously. As a homeowner that’s being sued and a Realtor, I’m very interested in learning everything I can about this. My husband is an interested homeowner that designs small scale desalination technology (in his free time) so water issues are very important to him as well. We lined up a babysitter and set off for Matilija auditorium half an hour before the meeting was supposed to start last night. We should have walked. The streets were an absolute zoo and after 20 minutes looking for a parking spot we realized we would be parking so far away that by the time we got to the auditorium we’d be lucky to find a spot inside! I’d much rather attend this sort of meeting in real life than watch a recording after the fact but we decided we’d be better off trying to get a table at The Ranch House and let me tell you, that was the best decision!

We’ve casually tried to get reservations for The Ranch House in the past but it has never worked out. With so many people at the water meeting last night we had no problem walking in. The ambiance was very quiet and charming, it was a little chilly but there was plenty of patio heating to keep us comfortable. The Ranch House offers a 3 course or 5 course option and we opted for the 3 course because neither of us thought the soups sounded great and with it being an unexpected date night, we weren’t very hungry. The menu varies seasonally and of last night’s options I choose the New York Steak with gratin potatoes and broccolini. It was SO GOOD. The potatoes were a little heavy but had just the right amount of rosemary. The steak was the best I’ve had in awhile! My husband went with the lamb shank, risotto and asparagus and he was happy with his meal as well. We both got the Ranch House salad, and for desert I opted for a spice cake and he got the chocolate mousse. Everything was delicious! We’ll be making a greater effort to get reservations here going forward! While I’m bummed that we missed the meeting last night we had a much more enjoyable, relaxing evening than we would have had at Matilija auditorium! If you also missed the meeting you can join me in getting up to speed by viewing the video on Ojai Valley News’ Facebook page.

Tales from Ainsley's Property Management days

The Maintenance Truck

When we lived in Portland my husband drove my car to California one time when I wasn’t able to make it. He left me with his less than reliable 1988 truck. While he and my car were gone I had to go to a property I was managing in Washington state and wouldn’t be getting home until 10pm or so. Rather than gamble that our truck would get me there and back without incident I asked if I could use one of the company maintenance trucks. I was able to take one of the trucks and it came complete with all of the information that you would expect to see on a work truck. Additionally, the name of a former maintenance tech was prominently etched on the driver’s side door. I got home late that night. The next morning as I walked out to the truck I wondered if the neighbors had jumped to any conclusions overnight…

Oak View Restaurant Review

Carmelita’s Authentic Mexican Food

The first time I went to Carmelita’s it was under new ownership and what struck me the most was not the food so much as the new owner’s clear effort to rebrand with care.

I’m going to digress for a bit here. I don’t know much about the restaurant industry but I’ve learned a bit from property management, of all things. Years ago a commercial building I worked with had a restaurant tenant change ownership. The tenant had a percentage lease which means they paid a base rental amount and then a percentage of revenue. When the new owner took over, the revenues took a dive. I felt like I was watching a sinking ship from my office looking at the decreasing revenue each month. What happened?! Before it changed ownership the restaurant was dated and had a simple menu but they did a good business. When the new owner came in they spruced things up. New paint, new furniture, new signage, new menu. The restaurant looked much better, the menu got fancier and arguably more “Portland” but the sales decreased, rapidly. It wasn’t long before the new owner was out of business. All the changes alienated the regular customers. They didn’t come to this restaurant for sleek decor or fancy food, they were charmed by the restaurant’s simplicity. Even though the menu had only expanded and the food the previous regulars came for was still offered, the vibe changed and they lost the customer loyalty that the original owners had built up. The new owner was never able to turn things around and it wasn’t long before the restaurant went out of business.

Back to my review of Carmelita’s in Oak View. I was glad to see the new owners moving slowly with their changes and happy to support them in their endeavor, particularly after tasting the food! As the years have gone by I’ve noticed little changes here and there and can appreciate seeing a new owner putting their stamp on things in a way that isn’t going to alienate any regulars. I do have to say we call Carmelita’s the “horse restaurant” because there used to be a giant horse we would see when we ate there and anytime we drove through Highway 33 through Oak View. We still call it the “horse restaurant” even though the horse is long gone. We like to go on Taco Tuesdays. A takeout order of carne asada, rice and beans lasts a couple of meals for my family and is our inexpensive “go to” when we don’t feel like cooking. The only thing that I haven’t really liked are the enchiladas which I find to be “okay”. Like many Mexican restaurants in the Ojai Valley they serve American classics like burgers and French fries. The French fries are my favorite in the Ojai Valley because they are thin and crispy! The have a casual restaurant and patio, this isn’t the place to go for ambience but the food is delicious! Carmelita’s offers catering services as well. They do not have a liquor license.

You can visit them at 595 N Ventura Ave in Oak View. Let me know what you think!

Tales from Ainsley's Property Management Days

The City Chicken

This is a story a former coworker shared with me. She found out that a chicken was living in one of the apartments she managed. We’ll call this hen The City Chicken. After my colleague notified the resident that keeping a chicken in the apartment was in fact a violation of her rental agreement, she received a faxed response. Addressed to the portfolio manager, the fax said something along the lines of “Dear Mean Manager, This is City Chicken. Please don’t make me move! This is a great apartment. I really love it here! The amenities are some of the finest in the City!”.

Ojai Restaurant Review

Ojai Beverage Company

Ojai Beverage Company, or “OBC” is a must stop for anyone visiting Ojai, California. The restaurant is located in the back of the building, with a liquor store in front and the other half of the building occupied by an automotive store. Don’t let this fool you. Ojai Beverage is a nice, family friendly place to eat, I promise! I don’t know how to describe the liquor store portion properly, it’s the kind of place where you’ll find a wide variety to drink, but it isn’t “dive-y” in any way. It reminds me a lot of John’s Marketplace in Multnomah Village (Portland) if you’ve ever been. John’s Marketplace is the spot to find specialty beers- OBC is similar but a bit more upscale.

With a name like Ojai Beverage you would be right to assume that they have a wide selection of beverages and they live up to their name. They offer wine and beer tasting flights and have quite a few beers on tap but they also have really delicious food so teetotalers will never feel out of place here. I’ve never had a bad burger, sandwich or salad at Ojai Beverage Co. and quite enjoy their fries with aioli! The Mac and cheese is to die for. OBC is probably best known for their burgers but vegetarians and vegans will find plenty of options.

You can visit Ojai Beverage Company at 655 E Ojai Ave, on the east end of Downtown Ojai. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Tales from Ainsley’s Property Management days

Martial dispute above the city

One day I got a call from a distraught husband, let’s call him Mr. Skyscraper. “My wife is throwing my clothes out the window!”. Mr. and Mrs. Skyscraper lived on an upper floor of one of Portland’s tallest buildings. The windows in their building are floor to ceiling, but not operational. Bewildered, I said “Huh?”. “The vent! She's throwing all my clothes out of the vent!”. Some units in this building have vent windows to allow for airflow- barely noticeable but apparently just right for cramming clothing through. The call stopped Mrs. Skyscraper in her tracks, something about overhearing her husband detailing the ordeal to the manager made her dramatic gesture less appealing. Unfortunately for Mr. Skyskraper the damage was done. Sightings of his undergarments were reported in the trees for months thereafter. Every time there was a big storm something new appeared.

That’s all for today! Check back here for next week’s story and as always if you or anyone you know if looking to buy or sell in Ventura or Santa Barbara counties, give me a call!