Buying San Diego Real Estate
Money for Mortgages is Available
October 22nd, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Mortgage Banks and Loans Info, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
Kenneth Harney a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post wrote an article that appeared recently in our Union Tribune and condensed all the known information about mortgage money and loan availability for todays Buyers of residential real estate.
The essence of the article was about the lack of shortage of money and the credit available to buy homes. He makes a very strong point that it is because the government has backed these loans and there is much less risk, at least for now.
Now, it is acknowledged that attaining credit today is certainly not as easy as it once was but if you have a good credit score and at least some money to put down, you stand a very good chance of getting your loan request approved.
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Seawater to Drinking Water Soon to Be A Realty In San Diego County !
September 17th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, Local San Diego News You Can Use, San Diego Beach Communities, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
Hoping to break ground in 2009, The Poseidon Resources received its final approval from the California State Lands Commission and now has all the permits needed too proceed with construction of its desalination plant on the grounds of the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon in 2009. With it’s final favorable vote by the state Lands Commission, Poseidon may now proceed to co-lease the Encina Power Plant’s intake of seawater.
The Encina Power plant currently uses the seawater for it’s power plant’s cooling system but will be soon be converting to an air cooled system. The Poseidon’s Desalination Proposal of using the seawater intake had stirred opposition from environmentalists and a recent legal opposition by environmentalists was dismissed against one of the permits this past week.
All Systems Go! Poseidon expects to deliver drinking water to nine local San Diego water agencies by 2011 and in a statement by Poseidon Resources, it rightfully claims this is a historic day for California as the desalinated water will now be a measurable component of the State of California’s water resources.
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Home Warranty and What You Could Learn With One
September 16th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate, Selling San Diego Real Estate
As a Buyer of property in San Diego, the California Association of REALTORS Standard form provides that you may seek from the seller an agreement to provide Home Warranty coverage on the basic mechanism of the home you are purchasing . While this home warranty should give you some comfort of the the coverage it provides, it is not a panacea for all that is or may go wrong in home.
With the contract that most Buyers don’t read very carefully, there is specific language for the items and issues that warranty does not cover. Your experience with home maintenance and the breakdowns that naturally occur as systems wear out over time might surprise you that many of these are not covered within the scope of your agreement.
Thinking logically about what is not covered ( which you will find in the contract ) and then the reality of facing some of these repairs, you may question the usefulness of the coverage in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »
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Taking a More Environmentally Sensitive Approach to Pest Management
September 16th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate, William's Life in San Diego Musings
IPM, Integrated Pest Management takes advantage of the appropriate pest management options by being more judicious in the use of pesticides. By using less risky pest control as a first line of defense, such as microwaving and the use of natural orange oil and other natural resources, they can control pests more effectively, at less cost and with less damage to the environment.
Pesticides produced from natural sources such as the oil from oranges, hasproven to be as effective as other synthetic chemicals with the added advantage that they do not harm the eco-system. Oil of chrysanthemum is a natural pest deterrent.
We have been discovering that the synthetic chemicals which do not break down have found there way into our water supplies as they leach through the soils into the underground water.
Overtime, synthesized chemical treatments become less effective as the pests build a natural defense to them, requiring even more harmful chemical substances to be used. Employing the methods and research of Integrated Pest Management or IPM along with the numerous natural sources of remedies, pest treatment remains effective and assures of us of no further harm to any part of our entire eco-system.
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California Dreamin……….alive in Pacific Beach, ‘PB’
September 11th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Beach Communities, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Relocation, Selling San Diego Real Estate
Pacific Beach, San Diego’s most popular beach community is located just south La Jolla. It is bounded to the south by Mission Beach , Interstate 5 and Clairemont to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Pacific Beach has miles of shoreline and beaches along the Pacific Ocean to the west and Mission Bay to the South.
In this marvelous coastal community of Pacific Beach,you’ll find that the stereotypical ‘ California Dream ‘ popularized by the California Beach Boys, alive and well. One of the more fascinating aspects about this beach community is its amazing diversity. It draws its citizens from the world over.
Enjoy this the wonderful look back in musical history that helped popularize all of Southern California Beaches and Pacific Beach “PB” was no exception. For many this became more than a dream, it is now their new California Lifestyle.
Yes, Pacific Beach has become one of America’s favorite surfing destinations but it is so much more. It is a beach community that has become a real ‘Mecca’ for it’s night life, known throughout the country and beyond, From it’s many coffee houses, nightclubs, and late-night restaurants that are clustered mainly along Garnet Avenue and Mission Boulevard, PB is practically a phenomenon enjoyed by nearly everyone living in San Diego county.
But just a block or two away from all the beach activities provides for the “much quieter” residential community. If beach front living is your preferred style, you will love the ambiance that PB provides with it’s casual, friendly, laid-back and eclectic life style. Housing opportunities from affordable condominiums to luxury homes will be sure to satisfy most any taste or budget.
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San Diego market Statistics June 1 through August 2008
September 11th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, Market and Forecast Updates For San Diego, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
These are the current market statistics for all of San Diego County from June 30, 2008 through August 27th,2008.
This report includes all residential property, Active, Pending, Sold, Expired and Off Market in all price ranges in all zip codes of San Diego County.
In each category is shown the total number of units, the average price and the total dollar volume.
Category # 0f Properties Average Price Total Dollar Volume
Active Listings 18,198 $739,774 $13,462,407.252
Pending Close 6,180 $414,659 $2,562,596,620
Sold Listings 7,219 $462,355 $3,337,740,745
Expired 2,619 $684,376 $1,774,482,468
Cancelled 2,881 $581,813 $1,676,203,252
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Point in Fact: All Real Estate Is Local
August 23rd, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate, Selling San Diego Real Estate
It is said that all real estate is local and that point is demonstrated by this story in our local newspaper. The article concerned a local dispute by a homeowners association group with a local school board district. I guess it is not all that uncommon but tax paying citizens who are assessed special taxes for designated projects in their area expect the projects to be built ( eventually at least). In this case it was a Middle School.
At a local school district board meeting recently a case where a Community Facilities District , a CFD ( Taxing Authority where bonds are generated to pay for infrastructure in a specific area. The Tax is called Mello Roos) was established to build a new middle school and the board announced that it did not now plan to build a school on the parcel that was procurred for the school. The funds from the bond are currently being used to support other nearby schools in the district.
It seems that even though residents have to pay the special add-on taxes due the school district, the school district now reports that the enrollment projections made back in the 90’s ( when the CFD was formed) for a new middle school in the area has not panned out and now there is now no need for the school.
A local homeowners association is demanding a guarantee in writing from the school district that if it ever intends to sell the land that is currently not being used that was procured for the intended Middle school, that no commercial or residential development may ever be built there.
And it wants it in writing, not just for assurance but as a legally binding restriction on the deed to the parcel. It was also reported that the school district has been paying the state of California a hefty non-use fee on the land, a policy that the state set up decades ago as a way to help recover some of the tax revenue that it might have otherwise collected had the land not been originally procured by a school district.
As a means to possibly curtail the on going fee, the school district has suggested it may consider using the land for a school lab for studying environmental and ecological subjects.
A dispute like really does make the point clear that all real estate is local and that tax payers care very much that land use that they pay for in these CFD’s should be used as it was intened and designated.
I am sure that everyone involved had the best intentions but often ” Life Happens” and gets in the way of these ‘Best Intentions’ and then as is often the case, it becomes riddled with all sorts of the possible unintended consequences.
Search San Diego MLS
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Drought Plagued San Diego Considering “Toilet to Tap” Solution
August 10th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, Local San Diego News You Can Use, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
Earlier this year San Diego in confirming its effort to move on it’s plan for indirect potable reuse ( toilet to tap), may require another rate increase of about 6.5% of the current rates to fund the pilot program.
San Diego in it’s effort to offset the diminishing supply of potable water, estimated what a toilet to tap supplementation pilot project to our our current water supply would cost using the reservoir augmentation method. This toilet to tap purifying of waste water has its share of opposition but the city council seems determined that with the drought and continually escalating costs of water ( 90% of San Diego’s water has to purchased), this is the method that seems to make the most sense to them.
This is said to be the first first system of its kind in the California. Another notable reclamation system is that of Orange County. Their system is different than what is proposed for San Diego in that it uses an aquifer system for recycling its waste water. The program San Diego is interested in is called Reservoir Augmentation.
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Desalination Plant in San Diego ( Carlsbad) Receives OK For Construction
August 7th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
The California Coastal Commission has now approved the revised plan for Poseidon Resources to construct the long awaited Desalination plant to increase the water availability in San Diego County. I wrote a post on this last year “ Is Desalination In The Cards For San Diego “ and the obstacles have now been overcome, though there is always a chance of a late court action that could delay construction again.
Environmentalists are opposed to this plant for various reasons and the Poseidon Resources rendered numerous compromises that finally got approval yesterday, pleasing the proponents of the new facility for Carlsbad. Poseidon has in mind numerous other coastal sites for desalination plants and this new approval will give them a sort of track to run on of what will be expected in any other proposals that might be being contemplated.
The one of the two major stumbling blocks that was overcome with the new agreement is to reduce its carbon debt by subtracting the current amount of energy used to pump the equivalent amount of water that the desalination would produce by the Metropolitan Water Department . But the carbon debt would be reduced even further with it’s plan to add solar energy devises for it power and the 1 million dollar plan for re-forestation of areas burned in the 2007 wildfires. The plan also calls for the Poseidon plant to purchase about 15 tons of available carbon offsets from other sources. Read the rest of this entry »
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A “WOW” Idea For Making Solar Energy Actually Affordable For Homeowners
July 28th, 2008 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, Investing in San Diego Real Estate, Local San Diego News You Can Use, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate News, Selling San Diego Real Estate
I was reading the editorial section of the Sunday newspaper that I do with religious regularity and someone wrote in about an idea that makes so much sense.
Some consumers out there just have so much to share when they express their ideas and it can really make quite a difference, especially if the idea makes good financial sense.
The idea actually for this editorial came from the city of Berkeley California that has proposed setting up a program that would create superb possibilities and answers two of the biggest problems for consumers to be able to afford solar energy at their own homes.
Problem #1 - High initial solar panel purchasing and installation costs
Problem #2 - Recovering the cost of providing solar when selling the home
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