Recreation

While Aptos is a small town in comparison to the adjoining areas of Santa Cruz County it offers a plentiful amount of recreational activities for local residents and traveling tourists alike. Historically, Aptos focuses closely on ranching, hunting, logging and apple farming, whereas in recent times the community has formed a more tourist-orientated community with the Seascape Resort, Cement Ship and Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center. With two California state parks, The Forest of Nisene Marks State ark and Seacliff State Beach, and numerous sandy public and private beaches Aptos is a popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers, surfers, body boarders, bird watchers, fishers and family beach goers. Nisene Marks also contains the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989.

Tourism

In-spite of all the tourists and beach goers from over the summit Aptos, Ca has remained a true “mom and pop shop” town with local business’ such as the Aptos Cinemas, Brittania Arms, Manuel’s Restaurant, Ma Masion, Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine and Snow Whites. Aptos offers a wide range of educational opportunities for all ages from private schools such as Santa Cruz Montessori, Twin Lakes Christian School and Aptos Academy to the public schools of Mar Vista Elementary, Rio Del Mar Elementary, Aptos Junior High, Aptos High School and Cabrillo Community College.

While the local surf spots of Aptos are not as popular as those in the neighboring areas of Capitola and Santa Cruz, locals of the Aptos community frequently visit  “Platforms” and “Beer Can” beach. Aptos Village hosts two popular events every year; the annual Fourth of July “World’s Shortest Parade” which is about one-fourth of a mile long and the Aptos Blues Festival where performers such as Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, Robert Cray, Coco Montoyo and an arrangement of others have performed.

Real estate

Homes in Los Gatos differ from century-old one million-dollar cottages in the downtown area to 10–30+ million-dollar large custom homes in the surrounding hills. The town is noted for its small, pedestrian-friendly downtown, with boutique shops, upscale restaurants, and thriving arts community. It is also a preferred destination for antique shopping.

Activities

There are several community parks throughout Los Gatos which draw adjoining communities to the area. Vasona Lake County Park is open for non-power boating year round. Paddle boats and row boats are available for rental from early spring through early fall. The lake also offers fishing. Oak Meadow Park is the home of the one-third-scale steam engine locomotive Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and the Bill Mason Carousel. The park has a large play area and ample areas for picnicking. Lexington Reservoir County Park is a scenic 960-acre park and reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Santa Clara County. The reservoir can be traversed in rowboats, sailboards or electric powered boats. Fishing is permitted.

Whether you have a specific destination in mind, or a few hours to wander through downtown, you’ll find fun and relaxation. If shopping is on your agenda, Los Gatos has everything you would want. Several wineries throughout the Los Gatos area are a perfect weekend with friend’s destination before or after lunch. Charming shops line the streets, inviting visitors and locals to browse beautiful antiques, fine clothing, art galleries, and treasures for the home and garden.

Several years later Frederick Hihn agreed to lease the land near the wharf at Soquel Landing for ten years to a pioneer and former contractor, Samuel Alonzo Hall. The ocean fog and sandy beaches appealed to settlers and vacationers who were eager to escape the heat over the summit of the San Jose Area so in 1874 S.A. Hall’s daughter, Lulu Hall Wolbach, suggested that her father set up a campground along the beach for the summer.  On the Fourth of July that year Camp Capitola welcomed its first guests to sleep on the beach. Camp Capitola continued for fives summers before increasing costs forced the Hall family to give up their ten-year lease. Over the years other tenants continued and improved the camp, by 1883 Capitola had become a summer destination for thousands of tourist looking to escape the inland heat.

Eventually Hihn took control over the progress of Capitola, creating a subdivision map, selling parcels of land for $100-$300 to settlers and allowing residential construction only. Frederick Hihn died in 1913, at age 84, and left the land to his daughter, Katherine Henderson, who sold it in 1919 to Henry Allen Rispin , a man from San Francisco who dreamt of renovating Capitola to be appealing to vacationers from the city. Rispin spent his money modernizing the area until he went bankrupt in 1929 and left the business community and residential population of Capitola, CA to grow and fend for themselves.

Recreation

Situated between Aptos and Live Oak, is the beautiful, Mediterranean like Capitola Village. With a population of about 10,000 people and a friendly coastal community Capitola, CA. is a perfect, scenic seaside village.  Capitola has become a popular tourist attraction with its ocean front restaurants, sandy shore and chic shops. Nestled between two cliffs Capitola Village is the perfect getaway on a warm, sunny day to sit out on the patio’s of Margaritaville or The Paradise Beach Grill then indulge in a variety of shopping from playful swimsuits at Nubia’s Swimwear, beautiful artwork at the Thomas Kinkade Gallery, fragrant smells and lotions at Panache Bath & Body Shop, a sweet snack at Candyland or Carousel Taffy or all your surfing & beach accessories at the Capitola Beach Company.

Capitola takes pride it being an eventful, family orientated destination for all ages year round.  Every Saturday before Easter the Capitola community invites families to bring their little ones down to the beach for an “Easter Egg Hunt on the Beach” to search for Easter eggs on the beach and lagoon behind the historical Capitola Venetian Hotel.  In June and July as the weather warms up you can enjoy in a range of daytime activities such as the Annual Capitola Rod & Custom Classic Car show featuring over 300 custom cars and great music, the scenic six-mile Wharf to Wharf Race or the Art & Jazz at the Beach displays every Sunday afternoon from June to August. If you’re looking for a way to wind down on a warm summer night after a savory meal on the Esplanade check out the Twilight Concerts every Wednesday night to enjoy in an array of musical styles from jazz, western, latin. Swing, orchestra and rock and roll or catch a movie on the beach!

Scotts Valley’s most famous resident was film director Alfred Hitchcock, who lived in a mountaintop estate above the Vine Hill area from 1940 to 1972. From its early years as a stop on the stage route across the mountains, the Scotts Valley area has provided services to travelers. With the growing popularity of the automobile in the early 20th century, the area became commercialized and tourism developed as a local industry, thanks to the temperate year round weather and proximity to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Two hotels operate in Scotts Valley: a Best Western hotel is located near the Granite Creek entrance to Highway 17 and a Hilton hotel is located near the Mount Hermon junction with Highway 17.

Scotts Valley is home to Bethany University, a four-year private Christian university, operated by Olivet University since 2011. The school enrolls about 500 students each year. The Scotts Valley Unified School District operates four high ranking public schools: Scotts Valley High School (grades 9-12), Scotts Valley Middle School (grades 6-8), and two elementary schools: Vine Hill School and Brook Knoll School (grades K-5). A single private school, Baymonte Christian School, serves students from pre-Kindergarten through eighth grades. Baymonte is a non-denominational Bible school that was founded in 1968. Recreational sites in Scotts Valley include Camp Evers Fishing Park; Siltanen Park with its pool, barbeque pits, softball and soccer fields; Valley Gardens 9-Hole Golf Course and a relatively large municipal skateboard park.  Close by are found Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and Roaring Camp Railroads.

Popular cultural festivities include the Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival and the Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks show. Wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountain area are a popular attraction. Roudon Smith Winery  and Skov Winery are in Scotts Valley itself and, in nearby areas are located Bonny Doon Vineyard, Byington Vineyard and Winery, David Bruce Winery, and Hallcrest Vineyard, among others. With its easy access to excellent shopping centers and restaurants, both in Scotts Valley and in the larger communities of Santa Cruz County, Scott Valley make an ideal location for vacationing or in which to settle.

This country like setting in rural Santa Cruz County has been a popular area for home buyers looking for a close proximity to Capitola and its waterfront village without the hefty price tag. Soquel is also a small community without the heavy traffic congestion that the Downtown and Westside area of Santa Cruz tends to have. One of the top Jr. Colleges in the United States, Cabrillo College is located just outside city limits. The culinary, nursing and administration of justice programs are a key factor the placing this school in its ranking status.

The name Soquel is still somewhat of a mystery depending on who you ask. While in actuality it belongs to its first settlers the Soquel Indians; others tend to hang on to what is most likely an urban legend of a bar tender way back in the early beginnings of this settlement yelling “Soak Hell” at a bar patron. With the population slightly over 5,000 people, Soquel has the small town appeal, close to Monterey Bay, and just minutes from Santa Cruz.

Our team understands in great detail what it takes to find an investment property to maximize your returns. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate in South Florida we will provide the cutting edge technology, friendly personalized service and unparallel knowledge of the local market.

Our research shows that buying property in the US is a lot less complicated than anywhere else in the world. Here in US there are usually two licensed realtors involved, one for the seller and one for the buyer. Buyers do not pay any real estate commissions, the commissions are paid by the sellers. The US and Florida Property Laws are created to protect the buyer and buyers money which are held in a Trust or Escrow account to further protect the buyer.

We will be happy to arrange a suitable financial institution for your deposit and recommend an attorney who specializes in foreign investments. In addition, if a need be, we will find a licensed building inspector, interior designer, decorator, carpenter and floor installer.

Our team also offers expert mortgage brokers who specialize in obtaining a US financing for foreign buyers. We can assure that you will get the lowest US interest rate possible.

All foreign investors are subject to 10% withholding at closing unless the seller and the Realtor have planned for this ahead of time. Planning ahead of time can save you substantial amount and prevent delays. We will recommend a US tax expert attorney to minimize US taxation.

All foreign investors are required to file a US tax return and pay tax on the gain. The gain is the difference between the selling price and the seller’s cost of property. The seller’s cost basis is the original purchase price plus additional items, including, but not limited to, certain closing costs on the original purchase, commissions and other sale expenses, plus capital improvements to the property. Because the actual gain and corresponding tax is not known at the time of the sale, it was thought that withholding 10% of the sales price would encourage compliance. Sometimes, the 10% amount withheld will exceed the actual tax on gain that will be due when a return is filed.

At the closing, if the Seller provides the Buyer/closing agent with proof that the Seller has applied for a withholding certificate, the Buyer/closing agent is still required to withhold the mandatory 10% of the gross sales price, but these funds can be kept in the trust account of the closing agent pending receipt of the IRS approval or denial of the application. The IRS is supposed to make its determination within ninety (90) days of its receipt of the application. If the IRS approves a lesser amount of withholding, then within 20 days, the closing agent will send the lesser amount to the IRS and refund the balance directly to the Seller. This is a very important and advantageous procedure which should be fully considered and utilized by clients, under the guidance of a certified public accountant or tax attorney, if at all possible.

Non-residents have always been required to obtain a taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) before they can file a tax return. This is similar to a social security number, but begins with “9”, and is used to identify the taxpayer. In order to obtain a TIN, a non-resident has to complete an application (Form W-7) and send the application to Philadelphia, PA., along with proof of identification, such as a passport, birth certificate, and/or drivers license. Original or certified copies of these important documents are required, and it takes on average, 90 days for the IRS to assign a TIN and return the original documents.

Often, foreign owners are unaware of withholding requirements or the requirement to provide a TIN until immediately prior to closing, which does not give the client much opportunity to address the issue. If you represent foreign Buyers, it is a good time to make them aware of FIRPTA so that they may consult with a professional to discuss the advisability of filing for a TIN well in advance of any considerations to sell the property. There is no risk or jeopardy for the seller to obtain a TIN! If the client is a Seller, the earlier you identify these issues, the better – certainly at or before execution of the contract and preferably, upon listing of the property. The more time our clients have to consider the ramifications of FIRPTA, the more options they may have available to them. Remember that withholding under FIRPTA may seriously impact your closing, especially if the proceeds of sale are marginal. We have had incidents where, because of FIRPTA, the Seller was required to bring additional cash to closing just to satisfy the 10% withholding requirement! Please do not make this mistake, because sometimes, the Seller is not going to be able to make up the difference and it will jeopardize the closing!

Foreigners are required to file a tax return to report the sale even if no tax is due. When the sale occurs during the year may influence the seller’s decision whether or not to file an application for reduced withholding. For example, assuming the sale is late in the year, it might not be worth the effort or cost to prepare the application. But this should be a decision made by the seller only after consultation with a professional with expertise in this area!

A final consideration is what happens in the event that a Seller, or foreign Buyer, fails or refuses to provide their TIN as required by these regulations? If a foreign Buyer fails to provide a TIN to the Seller in time to allow the Seller to file for a withholding certificate before closing, the Seller might be damaged. It is conceivable that a Buyer might use the TIN filing requirement as leverage to force concessions from a Seller, especially if the Seller had to come up with extra cash at closing to comply with the FIRPTA withholding requirement. Similarly, the foreign Buyer may have exposure if the Seller fails or refuses to timely provide a TIN following closing to avoid penalties for late remittance of the withheld amount and late filing of Form 8288. The regulations do not provide sanctions for failure to provide a TIN on a timely basis. In such cases, we may have to consider inserting into our contract a clause providing a specific representation by a party to provide a TIN and possible sanctions if a party does not timely provide the TIN. This is for our clients ultimate protection.