San Diego Real Estate Blog

3603 Union Street, Mission HIlls Open House

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome Mission Hills Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, May 18th & 19th, 1 to 3 pm

3603 Union Street, San Diego CA 92103

3128 Grim Avenue, North Park Open House

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Thursday May 16th, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Saturday May 18th, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

3128 Grim Avenue, San Diego CA 92104

North Park 2 Units on 1 Lot, 3721 Mississippi Street

Sat, 11 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

North Park Contemporary Estate • 3428 Juniper Street • San Diego CA 92104

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This delightful home is the epitome of urban sophistication. With 3360 square feet of living space, an additional 1211 square feet of garage and garage/studio space, all on a 40,000 square foot lot, you’ll only find a home like this in North Park once in a lifetime.

2934 29th Street, North Park Open House

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, May 4th & 5th, 1 to 3 pm

2934 29th Street, San Diego CA 92104

Home Buyers, Get Your Offer Accepted!

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I know that I have given you pointers before on how to get your offer accepted, but as our market in San Diego gets tighter, I will include other tips to help you even further.

In todays housing market, we are receiving multiple offers on most of the listings that we are putting on the market. With that being said, we are able to see just why one offer stands out above the rest and ultimately why our sellers pick that one great offer.

With San Diego's low inventory, when a home comes on the market, and you really want it, the first thing that you should have in place is good representation. Not only is a good Realtor important but a great Lender is crucial as well. Your Realtor should guide you and suggest to your lender that you get a lender underwriter approval. What this means is that you have filled out your application for your loan with your lender and you have been fully approved, not just a Pre- approval. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and will make your offer stand out! With this in place, you will be able to cut your loan contingency dates down from the customary 17 days to 12-14 days.

When writing an offer, another thing to cut down are the days of your home inspection contingency. In this market, your agent should be able to get this done with in 5-7 days, removing the inspection contingency in 7-8 days. Your Realtor should have a relationship with a few home inspectors and be able to get one to accommodate them rather quickly. Another thing to consider is to not ask for the seller to do termite work.

Of course let us not forget about list price. Just because you write an offer at list price does not mean that you are in the playing field. We are receiving offers 10-50 thousand over list price, depending on the price points. If you write you offer under list price, you are probably going to write a lot of offers without being successful.

If you are considering buying a home in San Diego, feel free to contact us. We are here to help.

4367 Idaho Street, North Park Open House

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, April 27th & 28th, 1 to 3 pm

4367 Idaho Street, San Diego CA 92104

Preparing Your Kids for the Sale of Your Home

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When preparing your home for sale, one of the hardest things to do is keeping it organized and spotless. This becomes more challenging when there are children around.

Here are some Clever Storage for Kid's Rooms:

If your child's room is on the small side, think about adding vertical storage.

Wall hangers that have pockets are great for holding small toys and shoes.
Tiered organizers hanging from the closet rod are great for holding shoes, small toys or shoes.
Hooks placed on the wall at the height of your child; easy access to reach jackets, clothing, etc.

Containers:

Containers are great for keeping toys in one condensed area. By labeling the outside with pictures or words so that your child knows exactly where to put each its.
Plastic storage bins are great for larger toys, also great for clothes not being used for the season. Finding bins that fit under the bed or on shelves are also great.
Baskets do not weigh a lot and may have handles, making it easier for the child to remove and place back.

Have some fun with it:

Add Velcro strips on your child's toys and walls. Your kids will really have a great time sticking their toys to the walls.
Have the child decorate a flower pot and then keep all pens, pencils and markers there

Below I found a great website with wonderful examples of what I mean.

3205 Nile Street, North Park Open House

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, April 20th & 21st, 1 to 3 pm

3205 Nile Street, San Diego CA 92104

San Diego Housing is Back!

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

San Diego Housing is Back!

What does this all mean? Well, I found a couple of visual charts so you can see what is going on in our housing market and many other places in the U.S.

For the last couple of years, buyers would come see the homes for sale that we had listed and basically took their time to decide if they really wanted to buy the home and/or the neighborhood. There were plenty homes to choose from and so there was no big hurry, and there were many demands when they did decide to write an offer. Prices were dropping and buyers felt as if though they waited a little, they would most likely get "a deal". With interested rates dropping at the time as well as price; buyers had no fear about finding a home. I actually remember many buyers calling us and saying that they wanted to buy but they wanted "a deal. Waiting actually helped some buyers over the last several years. Well, this is definitely not the case at this present time.

If buyers move at the same pace that they did several years ago, find a home that they believe they will love but wait another 4-6 months so that they can look at a few more before they decide; that home will be gone and other similar homes in that same area will most likely come at a higher sale price and higher interest rate.

Most homes on the market today are receiving multiple offers. We are letting our buyers know that if they really love the home they are bidding on, they should just raise their offer to there absolute highest that they feel comfortable with, making it their very best, as they may not have a second chance. In many cases, the listing agent has put in the MLS to put in your highest in best. This language means that you may not receive a counter back. Make it your best!

Since November of 2011 up to January of 2013, prices have actually gone up nationally 5.1 percent. What 118 leading analyst think, is that between 2013 through 2017, we are going to have approximately a 4.1 percent annual appreciation. So, for the next 5 years it seems like the prices will be going up. We won't see the crazy numbers of 2004-2006 but simply catch - up numbers.

With all of this being said. Homes that go on the market priced relative with what is happening in the market are having multiple offers and being sold. In this current market, with all of the media hoopla, some sellers have become a little unreasonable and these homes do sit on the market, until the price comes down to a reasonable listing price. Unfortunately as this happens, the home stays on the market, becoming stale and if and when it does get an offer, it will be a lot less had the seller priced it at market value,

and let the buyers escalate the price indicating what the price should be and what they are willing to pay for it.

If you are looking for a home in the San Diego Area and need help doing so, please reach out and call, email or text. We are here to help.

2013 Crime Mapping in San Deigo

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There are so many things to consider when looking to buy a home in San Diego. One thing to really look at besides the type of home that you are about to invest in is what is the crime rate. What is the crime rate and more specifically, what types of crimes have been or are being committed.

I just found this Crime Mapping site that I thought was very important and wanted to share. The default here is for 92104 but you can change it to any zip code that you are considering.

3 WAYS TO TURN OFF THE HOME SELLER IN 2013

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

3 WAYS TO TURN OFF THE HOME SELLER IN 2013

Today the San Diego Real Estate market has definitely changed from a couple of years ago. We went from the HIGH up in the mountain in 2005-06 to the way DOWN in the valley in 2008-09. Currently in 2013 we are experiencing a very strong sellers market. Home sellers who bought homes in 2005 and were trying to sell a few years later were having to hold on if they could or either going the Short Sale route out of necessity. Home Buyers were in the drivers seat for a while and it was a difficult time for Home Sellers trying to sell their homes as a traditional sale.

In certain neighborhoods in San Diego, such as North Park, South Park, University Heights, Normal Heights, Mission Hills, Hillcrest and Kensington, homebuyers are having a difficult time getting their offer accepted. Not necessarily because their Real Estate agent wrote a weak or bad offer in some cases; it's just because there were a lot better ones to choose from.

There are certain ways to turn off the Home Seller when writing up an offer and/or once your offer has been accepted.

1- Lowballing (writing an offer less than list price; especially if the home

just came on the market).

2-Low Earnest Funds(Good Faith) with offer.

3- After completing Inspections, trying to beat up the sellers into doing

every little minor repair. Remember, if you are buying a home in the

metro neighborhoods in San Diego, then you are not buying a new

home. Most homes are 1900-1950's. Although some may be

remodeled and look pretty, they are still older homes and have

partially updated plumbing, electric, foundations, ext..They are not

newly built homes. If there are safety or hazard issues going on

with the home, these should be addressed and nothing else.

Remember, with most properties today, there are multiple offers being submitted and people in back up position waiting for you to fall out of Escrow. A good Listing Agent will cut down contingency time frames so that if the Buyer becomes difficult during the transaction, they will be booted out and another buyer will be glad to step in their place.

With all this being said, if you are trying to buy a home in San Diego, write your strongest offer. Do not write low offer expecting to get a counter back. You may not have that opportunity.

If you are not having luck currently feel free to contact us. We specialize in the Metro Area of San Diego and are here to help.

4159 Idaho St, #1, University Heights Open House

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome University Heights Open House!

Saturday, March 30th, 1 to 3 pm

4519 Idaho Street, #1, San Diego CA 92116

7 Homebuyer Tips for 2013

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The San Diego Real Estate Market has definitely bounced back with-in the last year. Here in the first quarter of 2013, we have put together a few tips to help homebuyers offers get accepted in todays market.. Home buyers have finally figured out that it is not a Buyers Market anymore and if they want to take advantage of the current low interest rates, and buy a home that just hit the market, they really need to be prepared and ready to move quickly. What I mean by this is, make sure that you have been pre-approved. If possible, you can go even further. You can have your application filled out and get underwriter approval from your lender. This will make you, the buyer, a stronger contender when submitting your offer. These days we are receiving multiple offers on some of our listings her in San Diego and if someone has an underwriter approval, that offer will definitely be put on the top of the list.

When writing an offer something else to consider is to cutting down your inspection contingency days from the standard 17 days to 7 days. You may even consider not including termite work as part of the contract. Here in the San Diego metro neighborhoods, a termite inspection will typically show that our homes may have anywhere from 1000-2500. If you were to not include this in the contract, this would definitely look very attractive to a seller when getting ready to accept an offer.

Another thing that you may want to leave out is asking for a home warranty. This is something that would typically cost the seller anywhere from 300-500 but if you leave it out of the contract, it may appeal to the seller.

In San Diego, typically the Seller pays for Title Insurance when selling their home. If you really want your offer to look stronger then someone else's, I would suggest splitting the cost 50/50. This will definitely make your offer look a lot better than your competitor.

So there you have our 7 Homebuyer tips for 2013

4155 Louisiana Street, North Park/University Heights Open House

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park/University Heights Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, March 30th & 31st, 1 to 3 pm

4155 Louisiana Street, San Diego CA 92104

2610 Montclair Street, North Park Open House

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, March 23rd & 24th, 1 to 3 pm

2610 Montclair Street, San Diego CA 92104

3427 Quince Street, North Park Open House

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, March 23rd & 24th, 1 to 3 pm

3427 Quince Street, San Diego CA 92104

3410 Grim Avenue, North Park Open House

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Do not miss this Awesome North Park Open House!

Saturday & Sunday, March 23rd & 24th, 1 to 3 pm

3410 Grim Avenue, San Diego CA 92104

Clean Your Home Naturally

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:38:00 GMT

Here in San Diego the weather is gorgeous. It is mostly 72 degrees and Sunny year round so there is not much to complain about :-). There is one thing that I have noticed and you'll notice too if you live here or are thinking of buying a home here. It does tend to get very dusting. I have found a few natural recipes that you can use instead of buying toxic chemicals to clean your home that not only will smell good but will do a great job with cleaning.

Purifying Floor & Surface Cleaner

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of unscented liquid soap
4 drops of lemon essential oil
2 drops of tea tree essential oil

Directions:

Mix liquid soap and essential oils. In a 1-gallon bucket of warm water, pour the mixture into. Dampen a mop or rag with mixture, and wipe dirt from floors and hard surfaces.

Furniture Oil

Ingredients

5 ounces of jojoba oil
13 drops of of lemon essential oil
5 drops of lemongrass essential oil

9 drops of sandalwood essential oil

Deck and Patio Spray

Patio and Deck Spray

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of grain alcohol or 1 teaspoon high-proof vodka
22 drops of lemon eucalyptus essential oil
12 drops of citronella essential oil
6 drops of grapefruit essential oil
6 drops of cedar wood and 6 drops of Texas Cedarwood
4 ounces distilled water

Directions

Place alcohol in a spray- bottle. Add all of the essential oils and shake. Add water, cap and mist the atmosphere around your outdoor activities. Make sure not to spray plants, skin or clothing. Remember that the vodka/alcohol may not feel good on your skin and may discolor your clothing.

Purifying Toilet Bowl Cleanser

Ingredients

20 ounces water
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
6 drops of lavender essential oil
5 drops of tea tree
5 drops of lemon essential oil

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a 24-ounce spray bottle. Spray toilet bowl, scrub with brush, and flush.

Purifying Tub Scrub Powder

Bathtub Scrub

Ingredients

1 cup baking soda
26 drops of tea tree essential oil
26 drops of grapefruit essential oil

Directions

Mix baking soda and essential oils. Rinse tub, sprinkle on powder, and scrub with brush. Rinse.

Window Cleaner

Ingredients

5 tablespoons vinegar
12 drops of lemon essential oil

Directions

Mix vinegar and essential oil in 32-ounce spray bottle. Fill with water and use as a window cleaner. Tip: Shake bottle before spraying. After reading your newspaper ( if hardcopy), crumple and wipe your windows clean.

Thinking of Selling Your Home in San Diego

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:39:00 GMT

If you are thinking of selling your home in San Diego and are overwhelmed with not knowing how to get it ready for sale, don't be. First things first; call your San Diego Neighborhood Real Estate Expert. See if you are a good fit for working together and then once you decide that this is the direction that you are taking, your Realtor should have a plan of action and execution. He or she should be able to take you room by room, giving you tips and ideas of what to do to spruce up your home and getting it ready for sale. This can be a little overwhelming for some home owners, especially if you have accumulated a lot of "stuff" throughout the years.

Don't feel as if you must remove all of your "stuff". Your home should simply be decluttered. If you don't need the hundreds of books and magazines laying on the bookshelves, then remove some. Organize them in size and thickness. Open up your closet. If you won't be using half of the clothes in there, then remove some of them. Color coordinate from light to dark. This will make your closet look alot bigger than it is. Here in North Park and South Park, our homes are not that large. We surely must be creative and create an illusion.

If you tend to not have much on the walls, you may want to pick up a few things or create a few things with what you already have but are things that you have sitting in the garage. Here are a few simple ideas that I found on this website that is worth looking at.

If you have any questions or are thinking of selling your home, and are overwhelmed; don't be. Give us a call. We are here to help!