In case I haven’t mentioned it here before, one of the common themes in my real estate practice, in challenging moments the words of my original managing broker echo from back in the day midway through an early transaction—I asked her which agent is expected to do the majority of the work once you are in escrow, and her two-word response came back, “It’s you.” With the advent of AI, we were told that we would be able to streamline our workflows, automate our systems and gain access to expert...

To much of the world, Santa Cruz is primarily known as a beach town, but the lifestyles of those who visit, live, work and play here are more varied than the title of Surf City might suggest. Indeed, many of those who populate our beaches never go into the ocean, preferring instead to enjoy our attractions like the boardwalk and the trains, hang out and play on the sand, explore the tidepools, or walk along the scenic bluffs, with friends of the two- and four-legged variety. And even among...

It is one of the more challenging aspects of the business to be in the position of representing both sides in a transaction, and yet when it works well it is also one of the most rewarding. Most real estate contracts begin with the Agency Disclosure form, which outlines the three basic types of agency relationships that exist between the agent and the client, namely as a Seller’s Agent, a Buyer’s Agent, and as an Agent Representing the Buyer and Seller. During their professional interactions,...