“Not everything that counts can be counted.”
                        — Albert Einstein

If you’ve been reading real estate headlines this week, you’d think sellers have vanished and the market has fallen off a cliff.

National reports are filled with talk of new listings “tanking,” buyer demand pulling back, and a slowdown rippling across the country from starter homes to luxury estates languishing on the market. Well, from our vantage point that’s all a bit dramatic and exaggerated. In Montecito the last few weeks are measurably slower, but the reality is we are experiencing a seasonal pause and not a market shift.

Buyers aren’t gone; they’re planning and paying attention. What looks quiet on paper is often strategy in motion.

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

• 78 active listings (approximately 15–20% higher compared to this time in 2024)
• 9 properties currently in escrow (approximately 19% higher than this time in 2024)
• 4 closed sales since Thanksgiving (up from 3 sales during the same timeframe last year)

We’re already aware of several great listings preparing to come to market in January. Stay tuned for an exciting start to 2026.

What Happened in Montecito Last Week?

December 7th – December 13th

design spotlight

patina farm

Celebrated and admired, Patina Farm was imagined as a place where fresh air, open space and a calm, slower pace are a way of life.

Designed by Steve and Brooke Giannetti as their personal residence, the farm brings together all of the best elements of an idealized European country estate that has been in the family for generations.

Subtle and understated, Patina Farm is an over 4.5 acre country home, luxury estate, petite farm and timeless architectural statement that perfectly reflects its pastoral setting in the heart of Ojai.

That sums it up for last week!

Click here to view more of our current featured listing