Skip to content

Jon Riddell Realtor

Your Trusted Guide to Living in Ojai

  • Home
  • Featured Listings
  • Sold Properties
  • Bio
  • Communities
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Terms Explained
  • Buyer Questionnaire
  • First-Time Buyer in Ojai? Start Here: The 7-Step Roadmap

    The short version: Buying your first home in the Ojai Valley is a sequence, not a leap: roadmap, offer, contingencies, cash to close, inspections, financing, insurance. Jon’s First-Time Buyer Series breaks it into seven one-page guides — all free in Terms Explained with downloadable PDFs. Here’s the map, and the highlights most first-time buyers get…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    CalHFA, down payment help, first-time buyer, Ojai home buying
  • Prop 13 and Prop 19, Explained: How California Property Taxes Work When You Buy, Move, or Inherit

    The short version: Prop 13 sets your property tax at purchase and caps how fast it can rise — the longer you own, the bigger the benefit. Prop 19 changed two things: it lets eligible owners (55+, severely disabled, disaster victims) carry that low tax base to a new home anywhere in California, and it…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    California property taxes, Prop 13, Prop 19, Ventura County
  • 1031 Exchange in California: The Rules, Deadlines, and Mistakes to Avoid

    In one sentence: A 1031 exchange lets you sell an investment property and roll the proceeds into another one without paying capital gains tax at the time of the sale — the tax is deferred, not forgiven — as long as you follow strict deadlines and use a Qualified Intermediary. It’s one of the most…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    1031 exchange, California real estate taxes, investment property, Ojai investors
  • Selling an Architectural Home in Ojai: Lessons from a 1959 Mid-Century in the East End

    The short version: Architectural homes don’t sell like ordinary listings, because their buyers aren’t ordinary buyers. When Jon marketed 4210 Grand Ave — a restored 1959 mid-century on about an acre of oaks in Ojai’s East End, listed at $1,775,000 — the strategy was built for the design-minded buyer pool that actually pays a premium…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    architectural homes, mid-century homes, Ojai East End, selling in Ojai
  • Mortgage Rates Just Eased. What Does That Mean for Ojai Buyers?

    The headline: Freddie Mac’s weekly survey (released October 29, 2026) put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% — down from 7.32% the week before and off the 7.40% peak of mid-October. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.60%. It’s the lowest reading of the month, not a return to cheap money: a year ago the same…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    buying in Ojai, Freddie Mac, mortgage rates, Ojai home buyers
  • Moving to Ojai from Los Angeles: What Actually Changes

    The short version: Moving to Ojai from Los Angeles trades freeways and options for quiet, dark skies, and a town that runs on a farmers-market calendar. It’s about 90 minutes from LA without traffic — close enough for work trips and family, far enough that daily life genuinely changes. Most people who thrive here came…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate, Relocation
    Los Angeles to Ojai, moving to Ojai, Ojai neighborhoods, Ojai relocation
  • Can You Airbnb a House in Ojai? Short-Term Rental Rules Buyers Need to Know

    Short answer: No — not inside the City of Ojai. Renting a home, or any part of one, for 30 days or less for compensation is prohibited across the city, and advertising it is prohibited too. Outside city limits, in unincorporated Ventura County, the rules are different and permit-based. If rental income is part of…

    Jonathan Riddell

    October 31, 2026
    Ojai Real Estate
    Airbnb Ojai, buying in Ojai, Ojai real estate rules, Ojai short-term rentals

Location

727 W Ojai Ave

Ojai, CA 93023

Appointments

By appointment

Contact

Jon@JonRiddell.com

805.798.3001

Cal DRE #01997142

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    Jon Riddell Realtor

    Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

  • Jon Riddell Realtor
    View site in Reader
    Manage subscriptionsSign upLog in
    Report this content
    Collapse this bar