Coastrealestateinsandiego

Here is the San Diego High Tide Schedule... Hopefully it will warm up soon so we can go enjoy our beautiful beaches!

2010-08-03T16:06:00.001-07:00

JULY'S MARKET SHARE REPORT - INTERESTING INFORMATION ON WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE SAN DIEGO MARKET!

2010-07-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

la Jolla Concerts by the Sea are back! Click the link below for the line up....

2010-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

LaJollaLight.com Summer concerts are on, movies aren't

New Website & Blog Coming!

2010-06-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

In a couple of weeks I will be debuing my new and improved website and blog! Be sure to check it out!

Here is the Del Mar Race Track schedule...Summer in San Diego is here!

2010-06-17T15:21:00.001-07:00

Brightening our future!

2010-06-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Howel Foundation is doing great things in the area of education. As a Howel Foundation Board Member I was the first to fund an undergraduate research scholarship to some students at UCSD. Here is to our future researchers!

Put yourself on the "do not call" list of you want to avoid unwanted calls!

2010-05-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

www.donotcall.gov/

See how staging your home can really help sell it....

2010-05-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

Million Dollar Market in La Jolla!

2010-04-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a helpful list of city numbers for any of your needs:

2010-03-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

2010 Traffic Ticket Fines...These are getting expensive!

2010-02-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

"Don't wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait." T. Harv Eker

2010-02-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

AMAZING OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY the 21st FROM 1-4PM!

8070 La Jolla Scenic Drive North, 92037

Here is this week's La Jolla Market Share Report...Interesting information!

2010-02-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Interesting Data on the Average House Price in La Jolla over the Last 20 Years!

2010-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

San Diego Restaurant Week is Here!

2010-01-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

In its sixth year as San Diego County's largest and most successful dining event, held twice annually, this beloved culinary tradition features more than 180 of San Diego's best restaurants offering fixed price, three-course meals for $20, $30 or $40. There are no tickets or passes required. Visit http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/ for all the details.

Check out this San Diego Comparative Forclosure List from 2008-2009...Very Interesting!

2010-01-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

San Diego Housing Picture Not All Gloomy!

2010-01-07T14:53:00.001-08:00

For all the talk of the housing bust, San Diego County’s median price ended the decade up 48.4 percent from 2000.
If in January 2000 you bought a home at the median price of $219,000 and went to sleep like Rip Van Winkle, you awoke at the end of 2009 to see your home worth $325,000.

This means that many longtime homeowners are still sitting on big gains even after seeing the market skyrocket to a peak of $517,500 in November 2005 before plummeting....

By Roger Showley, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 12:02 a.m.

For the rest of this positive and interesting article visit signonsandiego.com

Interesting La Jolla Inventory Comparison

2009-12-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

In La Jolla you are seeing season change with one notable difference in that this year (BLACK) we’ve seen a trending dip in inventory since October versus an trending rise in inventory last year… There is still more inventory in La Jolla than there was this time last year but the trends are completely different.

Preview my AMAZING New listings at the La Jolla Seville...not in the MLS yet!

2009-12-10T12:58:00.002-08:00

1001 Genter #10F (Penthouse)

3 Bedrooms / 2Bathrooms

$2,630,000

More Listing Information:

http://www.postlets.com/res/3125789

Virtual Tour:

http://www.previewfirst.com/mls/flash_video/22859

Mortgage Rates at a Historic Low! Union Tribune Article

2009-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Mortgage rates at record low
4.71% is attractive for refinancing
By Roger Showley, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, December 4, 2009 at midnight

Mortgage rates have reached a historic low of 4.71 percent and set off another miniboom among homebuyers and owners wanting to refinance.
The rates, reported yesterday in the weekly Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, were down from last week’s 4.78 percent, which ties a record low set in April for 30-year, fixed-rate loans with a 20 percent down payment. The survey dates to 1971.
For a $300,000 loan, the latest rate would yield a principal and interest payment of $1,558, down from $1,570 last week, not counting origination fees and other expenses like taxes and insurance, according to an online mortgage calculator.
A year ago, the rate stood at 5.53 percent, yielding a monthly payment of $1,709.
“There are no guarantees that mortgage rates are going to stay at these low levels,” said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com .
In fact, they have inched up in recent days by about an eighth to a quarter of a percentage point after concerns eased about financial trouble in Dubai that had driven investors to safer markets.
The Federal Reserve is pumping $1.25 trillion into mortgage-backed securities to try to bring down mortgage rates, but that money is set to run out next spring.
The goal of the program is to make home buying more affordable and prop up the housing market.
Despite the government support, qualifying for a loan is still tough.
Lenders have tightened their standards dramatically, so the best rates are available to those with solid credit and a 20 percent down payment.
Millions of American families have not been able to take advantage of them, particularly in the areas where home prices have fallen the most.
About 11 million households, or 23 percent of homeowners with a mortgage, owe more on their home loans than their house is currently worth, according to real estate information company First American CoreLogic.
That makes refinancing difficult.
Dave McDonald, president of the local chapter of the California Mortgage Brokers Association, said that with lenders’ rule changes going into effect next month to tighten underwriting standards, those who wait for rates to drop again may not be able to qualify for the best loans at all. The additional problem this month is to get lenders to act on loan applications, since many lenders are short-staffed due to the holidays.
“If they are on the fence waiting for rates to go back down, they could be shooting themselves in the foot,” McDonald said.
Gabe del Rio, senior vice president of Community HousingWorks, a nonprofit housing advocacy group, said the low interest rates, even if they fluctuate a bit, mean more affordability to would-be buyers who have the necessary good credit, down payments and income security.
“I think it’s going to mean a whole wave of stable owners,” he said.
But del Rio did not see any reason to panic at the thought that rates might rise rapidly and push housing out of reach.
“It’s going to hover in this neighborhood for some time, and it needs to,” he said. “It’s the only way we’re going to slowly dig ourselves out of this (recessionary) hole.”
While many homebuyers are in trouble financially for having purchased at the heights of the boom and then seeing their values drop, others continue to have substantial equity in their properties and can save some money by refinancing. McDonald said he has one customer who is swapping his 30-year, fixed-rate loan at 6 percent into a 15-year loan at a lower rate so he pay it off early without raising his monthly costs.
Buyers and homeowners who want to refinance are picking up their phones. Mortgage applications rose 2 percent last week from a week earlier, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday, driven by a more than 4 percent increase in purchase applications and a nearly 2 percent increase in applications to refinance existing loans.
Erik Weichelt, president of the San Diego Association of Realtors, said low rates, still-low prices and quicker action on short sales — selling for less than the outstanding mortgage balance — are providing added stimulus to the housing market.
“Every time good news happens in the marketplace, we see people still sitting on the fence and coming off, wanting to get involved,” he said.

New Architectural Art Exhibit at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art!

2009-12-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Automatic Cities: The Architectural Imaginary in Contemporary Art

This Exhibit explores the myriad influences of architecture on contemporary art production. The architectural imaginary comprising images of sites and cities built and unbuilt, rising from collective experience and imagination.

For more information visit the website at:

http://mcasd.com/exhibitions/

Timing the housing market

2008-02-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

You want to buy a home but are scared to take the plunge in a crumbling market.

Here's how to think it through.

Please read this article Walter Updegrave of CNNMoney.com wrote:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/26/pf/expert/expert.moneymag/index.htm?postversion=2007122711

Tax Benefits of Homeownership

2008-02-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

The tax deductions you’re eligible to take for mortgage interest and property taxes greatly increase the financial benefits of homeownership.

Here’s how it works.

Assume:
$9,877 = Mortgage interest paid (a loan of $150,000 for 30 years, at 7 percent, using year-five interest) $2,700 = Property taxes (at 1.5 percent on $180,000 assessed value)______$12,577 = Total deduction
Then, multiply your total deduction by your tax rate.

For example, at a 28 percent tax rate: 12,577 x 0.28 = $3,521.56
$3,521.56 = Amount you have lowered your federal income tax (at 28 percent tax rate) Note: Mortgage interest may not be deductible on loans over $1.1 million. In addition, deductions are decreased when total income reaches a certain level.

-Realtor.org

7 Reasons to Own Your Home

2008-02-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home.

2. Appreciation. Real estate has long-term, stable growth in value. While year-to-year fluctuations are normal, median existing-home sale prices have increased on average 6.5 percent each year from 1972 through 2005, and increased 88.5 percent over the last 10 years, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. In addition, the number of U.S. households is expected to rise 15 percent over the next decade, creating continued high demand for housing.

3. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

5. Predictability. Unlike rent, your fixed-mortgage payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will increase.

6. Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.

7. Stability. Remaining in one neighborhood for several years gives you a chance to participate in community activities, lets you and your family establish lasting friendships, and offers your children the benefit of educational continuity.

-Realtor.org

Questions About Refinancing

2008-02-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

1. The Federal dropped interest rates 1.25% over the last 10 days, does that mean mortgage rates dropped by 1.25%?

The answer is a definitive no. When the Federal Reserve (the Fed) drops interest rates, they are dropping interest rates on what is called an overnight lending rate. That means the rates will drop for short-term loans. Since a mortgage is typically a 30-year instrument it does not drop in lockstep with the Fed rates. In fact yesterday, when the fed dropped the rate 0.5% the mortgage rates were up about 0.125%. Today they are back down about 0.125%.

2. Is there a better indicator of what mortgage rates are doing?

If you track stock prices or anything like that online, you can also track the 10-year Treasure Note yield (See the link below). If you add 2.125% to whatever yield that is, you should be close to today's 30-year fixed interest rate. Note that the $2.125% add-on is what is has been for the last few months, but a year ago it was more like 1.5%. The higher margin is due to the fact that mortgages are seen as much riskier to lenders than they were a year ago.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=%5ETNX

3. My Assoc's friend got 5.25% last week on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Why can't I get that today if the Fed lowered rates?

If your friend locked that rate in on the day (or part of the day) the market got that low last week, he/she was very lucky because the mortgage rates jumped up almost as fast as they dropped. See the chart for the last month on the link above and it will become very clear.

4. So is this a good time to refinance?

Every situation is different and the rules have changed dramatically over the last months (and still change every day!) over the types of programs that you can use based on your credit, downpayment amount (or current equity in your home) and the value of your home. I suggest calling your mortgage broker to discuss this as well.

Last week an Assoc. of mine locked in a rate for an investment property that was 1% lower than the rate they got in the fall when they purchased the property. So they are refinancing to save $120 per month. They are using a slightly higher rate so that they will avoid closing costs in case rates go down more and they want to refinance again. However, they are still sticking with the 5-year ARM that they have that readjusts in April 2009 because the rate is still much lower than what they can get in the market today.

50 Fun Things To Do In San Diego

2007-11-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

1. Go ape at The San Diego Zoo
619.234.3153

2. Venture on a Safarie at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
619.231.0251

3. Meet your favoirte Marine Mammal at Sea World.
619.226.3901

4. Create a Lego sculpture at the LegoLand
760.918.LEGO

5. Have a ball at the San Diego Padres
619.881.6500

6. Have a ball at the San Diego Chargers
858.874.4500

7. Visit the Stephen Birch Aquarium Museum
858.534.3474

8. Discover the wonders of science at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center & take in their 360 - degree Omnimx film.
619.238.1233

9. Listen to your favorite melodies at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad.
760.438.5596

10. Hands on experimenting at S.D. Children's Museum.
619.233.8792

11. Honor the legend aboard the Midway Aircraft Museum on Harbor Dr., SD.
760.438.5996

12. Log on the event calendar of the S.D. Fairgrounds.
619.702.7700

13. Have a picnic at San Dieguito Park in Solana Beach.
858.565.3600

14. See dinosaur's at S.D. Natural History Museum.
619.232.3821

15. Tunnels of fun for kids - Pirates Cove at Belmont Park in Mission Beach.
858.488.1549

16. Endelss Fun at Boomer's Fun Center, Vista.
760.945.9474

17. Try your skil at Robb Field Skateboard Park
619.525.8486

18. Explore seafaring history at the Star of India Martime Museum.
619.234.9153

19. Take a cruise on Hornblower Harbor Cruises.
888.234.9153

20. Look for a whale from the Cabrillo National Monument.
619.557.5450

21. Walk or Bike on Shelter Island - Good spot for a picnic is the Sculpture park known as "The Perill of the Pacific"

22. Take a coaster ride & stop at any of the beach cities.
800.COMMUTE

23. Walk, Rollerblade, or Bike along the Ocean Walkway in Carlsbad.

24. Make a footprints in the sand at Silver Strand State Beach in Coronado, with 4 miles bike and walking paths.

25. Take a ride on the Coronado Ferry.
619.234.4111

26. Cruise the harbor with San Diego Harbor Excursion.
619.234.4111

27. Admire Surfborads at the California Surf Museum.
760.721.6876

28. Hike or Bike Mule Hill at the San Pasqual Valley Trail.

29. Discover a garden - Quail Botanical Gardens, Encinitas.
760.436.3036

30. Chula Vista Nature Center with Marsh National Wildlife Refuge 220 species of birds.
619.409.5900

31. Take a trail at Torrey Pines Stae Nature Reserve which as over 7 miles of trails, overlooking the ocean.
858.755.2063

32. Check out the concert at Humprey's by the Bay on Shelter Island.
619.523.1010

33. Live music for you & your date at the Belly Up Tavern on S. Cedros in Solan Beach.
858.481.8140

34. Look at the public ar, bayside by the port of San Diego.

35. Voted Best Family Camp - Palomar Mountain State Park.Campground ReservationPark Information
800.444.7275760.742.3462

36. Grape Stomp & Sample wine at Orfila Vinyards & Winery.
760.738.6500

37. Make footprints in the sand at Del Mar Beaches. Enjoy sunset dining on the beach patio of the Poseidon Restaurant.
858.755.9345

38. Observe migrating whales with Morning Star Charters.
619.226.4052

39. Attend a live theater performance at the North Coast Repertory Theater in Solana Beach.
858.481.1055

40. Take a horse drawn carriage through the mountain town of Julian.

41. Explore La Jolla Cove''s tide pools during low tide, or walk through the caves entered via La Jolla Cave & Shell Shop.

42. Explore the Eglectic shops, including antiques, furniture, art, and clothing on Cedros St. in Solana Beach. Stop for lunch at the Wild Note Cafe!

43. Shop with the best Pacific Views at Plaza Del Maron on 15th & Camino Del Mar.
858.792.1555

44. Shop til you drop at Seaport Village, corner of W. Harbor and Ketttner Blvd.
619.235.4014

45. Take the trolly to Tijuana for some creative bargaining.

46. Take a Haunted Tour of Old Town, vistist Historic sites, check out retail, galleris & Restaurants.

47. Check out the frenzy of vendors at Kobey's Swap Meet at the S.D. Arena.
619.523.2700

48. Enojoy fresh cut flowers & fruit at any of the local Farmer's Market. Call your local city office for sites and tiem.

49. Explore Julian and its quaint antique shops for Frontier architecture. Stuff yourself with Julian Apple Pie.

50. Shop 'til you drop at Horton Plaza in downtown S.D.
619.239.8180