The Mission Creek Condos and Oak Creek Villas were built by local builder, Inland Pacific, who is also currently finishing up Pacific Crest in Westgate Ranch. Oak Creek and Mission Creek offer the same basic floor plans and amenities; however, there are subtle differences for buyers to consider. Oak Creek Villas condos are slightly older; they were built beginning around 2001. Mission Creek condos are slightly newer as building began around 2004. Both offer two floor plans: a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit and 3 bedroom/2 bath plan, each with room for a stackable washer dryer. The square footage of the 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom units are essentially the same, somewhere between 1100 – 1200. However, the 2 bedroom unit has a larger living space than the 3 bedroom plan. Downstairs units have patios, and upstairs units have balconies, each with an extra outside storage closet. Both condo developments offer a pool, and a community clubhouse. Oak Creek also features a tot lot.
Walkway at Oak Creek Villas in Orcutt, CA
Mission Creek Village and Oak Creek Cillas are located on the south end of Santa Maria. However, for those who want to get out and walk to restaurants and shops, the Oak Creek condos, which sit on McCoy (directly across from Arborwalk), may be preferable. Another important distinction is that the Mission Creek condos previously sat on the dividing line of the Orcutt school district. (Buyers are advised to consult with the local school district offices to determine current boundary lines for school district attendance.) There is also a slight difference in the monthly dues of each development. Oak Creek charges about $180 per month, and Mission Creek’s monthly dues are about $150. Asking prices currently range between $169,900 and $199,900 in these communities. Recent sales include a 3/2 unit in Oak Creek which sold for $168,000, and a 2/2 unit in Mission Creek which sold for $175,000.
Tot Lot at Oak Creek Villas
If you would like information or a list of available condos in the Santa Maria – Orcutt CA area, send an email to me at tni@mintprop.com. You can also search for properties on my websites: www.SantaMariaRealEstateSearch.com, www.iLoveOrcutt.com, & www.BuySantaMariaForeclosures.com (map based search), If you are considering selling and would like a list of nearby sold properties for comparison, send me a request at www.SellMySantaMariaHome.com. If you have questions about a specific property, or would like to set up an appointment to consult about a possible short sale of your property, I can be reached at (805) 878-9879.
*Based on the information from the Central Coast Regional MLS. Neither the Association, the Multiple Listing Service, or Mint Properties guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
In July 2006, Mint Properties opened an office in the Mission Creek Plaza on Santa Maria Way. Tni’s stated aim is to offer the highest quality representation and professional service to her clients. Independence affords her the ability to avoid a volume driven approach; the result is prompt, reliable, individualized service coupled with straightforward advice. Indeed, she brings the same level of professionalism to real estate as she did to the law.
There are 295 active and pending homes and condos in the Orcutt zip code of 93455. Of those 295 properties, 41 homes are foreclosures (13.8%) and 113 are short sales (38.3%). So currently, over 50% of the Orcutt market is either a bank owned property or a short sale. Average asking price overall was $337,392, asking prices for foreclosures was significantly lower at $256,678, and for short sales it was $269,678.
For those looking to buy your first rental property, or pick up an extra one now that prices make sense again, be aware that lenders have rolled back the down payment requirements for investment property. Most lenders I polled recently say that a 20% down payment is required for an investment property. Many of us remember when lenders required a 30% down payment for investment property, and I wonder how long it will be until we are back to those days. Lenders slowly but surely increased the down payment requirement for investors during the housing boom and have slowly but surely increased that obstacle again.