6015 Caminito Del Oeste , San Diego

Deluxe Townhome on Tecolote Natural Reserve

Striking University Canyon West two level contemporary townhouse on canyon rim with serene views. Shows beautifully with some updated amenities. Glorious backyard oasis w/tiled patio, partial cover, pond and lush plantings. All set beside a gorgeous canyon setting. Contemporary white kitchen with solid surface counter tops. New dishwasher and stove installed June 2010. 3rd BR  convertible is open loft style w/no closet.
University Canyon West is an upscale condominium development in the heart of San Diego above Fashion Valley behind the USD Campus. Bordering the Tecolote Canyon Natural Reserve, it is a quiet gem in the heart of central San Diego. Close to Mission Bay, Old Town, the world class shops and restaurants of Mission & Fashion Valley and convenient to downtown. This unit shares only one common wall and feels in many ways like a single family home. This floor plan’s features include soaring vaulted ceilings, clerestory and solarium windows, an upgraded fireplace surround with raised hearth, a skylight stairwell, a kitchen with breakfast area, a direct access 2 car garage and an exclusive use/owner maintained backyard/patio on the canyon. Plantation shutters can be found in the dining room, master bedroom, front guest bedroom and in the 3rd bedroom/loft. Wood pattern laminate flooring on the staircase, upstairs hall, 3rd bedroom/loft convertible and throughout the first level with the exception of Kitchen,with rustic white tile. For more information on this home or any other property available for sale in San Diego, contact the Local Expert, William Johnson, RE/MAX Associates

La Jolla Festival Of The Arts

This art show and 4th annual charity event held at the beginning of each summer is sponsored by the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. It is held on the east campus of the University of California San Diego. The designated grounds use many acres to accomplish the very large event. One of the finest Art Shows in all of Southern California, this art show in particular, I don’t miss. 

This is no ordinary community art show as it features Internationally known artists, book signings, Chalk art by Prominent world Class Modonnari, a Classic Car exhibit, Cuisine prepared by Restaurant Row participants, An Interactive Kids Zone, and Music Entertainment by Featured Musicians and Bands on The Carvin Entertainment Stage.

The variety of Fine Arts in different medium covers a very large area on the grounds and the numbers of artists this year was extraordinary. The sections of street painting by world class class Madonnari ( chalk artists) was simply amazing.

This year, I am featuring two artists whose wonderful artistic stylings I have come to know and really enjoy. Introducing you to Kari von Wening and Jan Bush.

This Hand Painted and Metal Sculpture, titled ” Bon Appetite” is one of the pieces that drew me in to see Kari and Jan’s work. Earlier this year, I had first come across their works as exhibited at the Little Italy show in Downtown San Diego.

It was quite evident that I wasn’t only one drawn in as their display area was crowded with art collectors. And they were the more serious collectors who regularly add to their collections. I met one middle age couple that been collecting their work for some time and were about to purchase yet another piece for their collection.

There was another violin there that I was attracted to and they asked me why I liked it. The form and design reminded me of “Carnival” in Venice. We discussed that further and they decided they wanted it in their collection. I was delighted to have been a part of the decision making process for them.

At the La Jolla Festival of the Arts show yesterday, once again I was found a piece called “Bon Appetitie”. I was talking with Kari and Jan about the Blog post I wrote of the review of the movie Julie and Julia where I used that title.

I asked Kari and Jan if I could feature this violin in this post because I really liked it. Who knows, I may start a new collection of their violins. Their work is so intriguing and is always an inspiration to me. Here is a link to their site if you would like to see more of their works. As a collection is really wonderful and each piece seems to make such a bold statement.

Here are some other photos representing other works found here at this festival. Enjoy!

While visiting the many artists exhibits I also found and spoke with many different kinds of artists, specializing in different media, including a Photographer whose work I really appreciate. He and his wife are world travelers and he originally was a newspaper Photo Journalist from San Francisco. We spoke about his vast array of works, my interests in photography and about the PhotoBlogger group I founded. His work is simply stunning and he has welcomed me to consult with him on some very creative techniques he developed.

Some of the artist categories at this show were custom jewelery design, wood workings, furniture, photography, original oil, water colors, acrylics, glass,paper, ceramics, Fiber and textiles, Sculpture, Drawing, airbrush and mixed media and Madonni.

]]> http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/07/03/la-jolla-festival-of-the-arts-featuring-the-works-of-kari-von-wening-and-jan-bush/feed/ 0 http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/05/11/1235/ http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/05/11/1235/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 01:17:32 +0000 William Johnson http://therealestatetextbook.com/?p=1235 San Diego Home Prices Leading the Nation in Home Price Increases.

According to Zillow, San Diego home prices year over year have increased 3.5 % and other reliable analysts agree that San Diego’s bottom was met and prices are on the rise and now lead the nation. Out of 27 major market areas, San Diego lead the way of the 6 top markets showing ayear over year increase in price followed by 4 other California markets.

Good news for Homeowners and for home ownership. It seems pretty clear that if prices are going to continue to rise, short of any great new economic downturn on the horizon, this is a very good time to buy with prices still low and interest rates still affordable. Single family homes are up on average 4.5 % over the past year and condominiums were 2.2 %.

Buyers that want to buy a home at the ground floor level would be well served now to get back into the market and make hay will sun shines, which it does most of the year here in San Diego. There are still some very good bargains out there but the inventory is low and hasn’t had much increase in inventory. Think in terms of supply and demand and take action now.

I would highly recommend San Diego Buyers to realize that the time is now if you still want in at the bottom.

]]> http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/05/11/1235/feed/ 0 http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/04/01/how-to-determine-the-best-real-estate-professional-for-you/ http://therealestatetextbook.com/2010/04/01/how-to-determine-the-best-real-estate-professional-for-you/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:20:27 +0000 William Johnson http://therealestatetextbook.com/?p=1227 How to determine the Best real estate professional for you!

Sometimes San Diego real estate buyers and sellers experience difficulty selecting the perfect Real Estate Professional to assist them with their home buying and selling experience.

Often it can be as easy as taking a test to find the perfect agent for your home buying or selling experience.

Find out who truly is the very best Real Estate Professional for YOU!

(DON’T SCROLL DOWN YET)
DO THE SIMPLE MATH BELOW, AND THEN SCROLL DOWN TO FIND THE PERFECT REAL ESTATE AGENT FOR YOU.

No Peeking!!!
It’s AMAZINGLY CRAZY how accurate this is!!

1) Pick your favorite number between 1-9
2) Multiply by 3
3) Add 3
4) Multiply by 3, again
5) You should now have a 2 or 3 digit number….
6) Add the digits together

Now, scroll down.

With that number, see who your PERFECT AGENT is from the list below:
(1) Your cousin, Vinny, who just received his real estate license this past Tuesday

(2) Bob, who rode his bicycle 7 miles to your house, because he lost his license to drive

(3) Nancy, who told you to get in, sit down, and shut up, because you were in for the ride of your life

(4) Madeline, the agent who consulted with a Ouija board to determine your home’s list price

(5) Eric, who brought his aggressive Pit Bull along for showings, because he didn’t know “who” or “what” we might encounter while viewing vacant properties

(6) Marcus, your car’s auto-mechanic, who also sells real estate on Sundays, and sometimes in the evenings

(7) Allison, who once volunteered her time at the hospital, but is into real estate as a hobby now.

(8) Ellis, who told you before you could sell your home you needed to complete the list of 78 improvements on your home. Total cost of improvements $56,000. Home value – $150,000

(9) William Johnson – Realtor for over 20 years and lives here in wonderful San Diego. Caring, experienced and the consummate professional.

(10) Oh, oh, need to cross Don’s name off this list, because we buried him last month.
See, it wasn’t that difficult to select the perfect real estate professional after all.

At the end of your successful real estate home buying or selling experience with #9, you will know how accurate this test was!

Why are you laughing???

P.S. Stop picking different numbers. Just dial (858-487-6975) and ask for William Johnson, author of the Real Estate Text Book with over 20 years of experience. Tell him you took the test, and it told you to call.

*This test is meant for entertainment purposes only! Any names used (other than my own), are either fictional, or have been changed to protect the guilty!

I have seen availability coupled with affordability drop, seemingly to close out the family even with a fair amount of income if they need to occupy the property in a reasonable time frame ( most  short sale purchases can be several months off if lender approved).  The numbers of Buyers for more moderate priced homes has mushroomed and this week alone I have viewed many properties through much of the lower half of San Diego County and touching into the upper half up of the county to the $400,000 level for just such a family. Many short sales have no acceptable occupancy time line and the corporate REO’s have limited financing due to the 90 day FHA flipping rule.

The market has heated up very quickly since the extension and expansion of the Federal Tax Credit for first time and for move-up Buyers in the moderately priced home range. The housing supply is dwindling and the current limited inventory in many cases is going into overbid with multiple offers..

Market conditions seem to indicate that the more affordable single family housing is to be found more inland and anything that is priced well and market ready within 20 to 25 minutes of the coast is getting a lot of Buyer showings and multiple offers within days of bringing the property to market.

Affordability as cited by the economic predictions usually deals with statistics based in medians and averages. I am not dealing with statistics but rather real families with real housing needs. Day after day searches bring me to the conclusion that housing affordability has waned and the price of property is increasing as affordability based on lower inventory are declining.

Please Note: This is real life and I didn’t bother to check to see how my empirical evidence aligns with the actual statistics since my clients are suffering through the real life situation and statistical numbers don’t mean much to them in trying to find a property they can call home.

Visit Social Media Advocate

If you are Buying, Selling or Relocating to San Diego and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my San Diego Real Estate website and sign up for Listing alerts for your favorite San Diego Home and Condominium Property Searches.

I specialize in Single Family Homes and Condominiums throughout the coast and inland areas of San Diego. Some of those communities are La Jolla, University Town Center, Bay Park, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Scripts Ranch, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho
Penasquitos,Carmel Valley and Solona Beach. If I didn’t mention a city or community that you are interested in, just let me know and i will find you an expert for that community as well.

San Diego Real Estate- What’s The Future Of Our Technology and Our Mother Earth

We are still in the infancy stage of developing the technology that will become common place in our world. Technology has been developing since the dawn of civilization in one form or another. In recent decades, we are bombarded with so many different manifestations of it in our daily lives. But more recently as different ways of utilizing it come out in the market, we as consumers anxiously try to obtain as many of these latest and greatest gadgets as our budgets allow. We are filling our homes and cars with them everyday.

There is however a bigger price to pay than what we can easily afford. We are  beginning to see what all these machines and the gadgets look like as they pile up in our homes, older models not being used and relegated to the garage or anyplace else we find to store them. This includes old printers, monitors, computers, PDA’s, cell phones, scanners, copiers, analog TV’s, first and 2^nd generation digital cameras. If you can name it we each probably have several. Now think of all the people that must have some of these old antiquated things and you begin to see what the landfills will be looking like when theses items are incorrectly disposed of.

One day soon, we will need to strike the ultimate balance when everything we want and even create the need for,  somehow integrates itself seamlessly into our homes. I imagine a day when we will have one great master system and everything we have, technology wise,  will be a part of the master system.

In America, we all need our gadgets, the cell phones, iPod and mp3 players , PDA’s and laptops, video players and DVD’s, CDRoms and Scanners, copiers and printers, desk top computers and notebook PC’s and TV’s of all shapes, sizes and models. But we also continue to look to others to be responsible when it is time to rid them from our lives. There was nothing on the box that said, please return these to the manufacturer when they have served their useful life.

Mother Earth is screaming not to stuff these  in her secret places and not to bury them them beneath her skin or in her waters. While she is screaming, only a few can hear her. She has been tuned out with the noise of society, the same one she comforted before they abused her. She is no longer silent, she has gathered many voices new voices, not as melodious as her voice but they’re speaking for her often.

The most successful sellers in todays San Diego Real Estate Market  should not be driven to list and sell by their bottom line. The priority of the move must outweigh the actual dollar consideration. When that is not case, there is a much greater likelihood that the seller in our current market will be staying put.

Playing the let’s try this amount, then wait and see game and then scrambling to try and save a possible transaction is too often the sad consequence of a Seller not being properly prepared for what is before them, either emotionally or financially.  The difficult conversations about price and value and today’s appraisal process need far more attention and discussion than they are getting. This discussion needs to be presented in the context of the current changed market until both the seller and listing agent see clearly what the correct course is ahead of them.

I can cite an example where the comps showed clearly what the value trends were in a subdivision of like homes and this particular property was nicely upgraded. The list price would vindicate what the Seller believed about the list price. That a Buyer would in fact pay the higher than current market price. The stark reality hit home when the property didn’t receive the value it deserved. But with the new appraisal rules and some inherent problems with that, the deal fell apart as many do. We can’t change reality and we have to conform to the rules even if we disagree with them and I do. But it doesn’t help the consumer get on with their move if we just stand and declare we are right in our opinion. Out task is get the property conveyed to the new Buyer. The bottom line will only get worse with time so it is incumbent on us to to help the Seller realize that if the actually want to sell, this is what has to be considered.

The point I make as The Voice of San Diego Real Estate, is that when a Seller is motivated by the priority of the move and the price secondarily, these things may not happen as often. But being realistic, they will still happen because we are not always dealing with appraisal opinions that are by appraisers that know the area market as well as may be needed. Making an appeal is possible but usually successful.

We must all take seriously the declined market values that have occurred and help prevent our sellers from making these same mistakes. Today’s market is different in so many ways. The lenders require more from the borrowers in terms of assets and credit and the process eliminates many many potential buyers. The appraisal process is more costly and has tighter guidelines than in the past and adds a new burden on the Seller. The new lower property values are still showing decline in many areas and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. In past down markets, once the market stabilizes the values began to rise again. At least a modicum of appreciation. I don’t see that happening in most segments of our San Diego real estate market for some time to come.

If you are a seller and you want to sell, the market will welcome you. Your task though is ever greater than in the past in that you must clearly understand how you need to present your property in appearance and price . Then of course in how you may need to respond to the Buyer’s offer to have the deal close. Appraisals can come in low. Buyers can make unreasonable requests but that is the new market today and sadly it will be with us for some time.  I can and will provide you excellent counseling to get your property transaction closed. But I know how difficult and frustrating the process has become and and you have an advacate in me that will do my very best to help insure the purchase closes escrow.

I think all too often, Buyers and Sellers are most often disappointed when they have no clear end picture in mind

I have had buyers tell me that they would like a 3 bedroom home with 2 car garage, it has to have at least 2 full baths and big yard. And when I ask where in San Diego they would like for me to look for that home, I get a rather large area of numerous communities that they want to consider based on some criteria of which they seem not very clear. What this tells me is that the Buyer has yet to put their desired home in the context of an actual place where such a home might exist. In particular, the budgets that are often relayed as fixed also have not correlation to the locations discussed.

We know for a fact that a home in Mission Hills, Point Loma or La Jolla that fits all the parameters of size and functionality does not have the same price tag as a home of like characteristics in San Diego Metro or in more inland communities. When the Buyers shop Mission Hills and then expect that magically the target home will somehow appear if we look hard enough or make offers low enough, when the budget dictates that we should be looking in other communities where homes typically of that market value exist.

There is a greater than a 50 % chance that this Buyer will not actually be purchasing anytime soon. The challenge of housing costs, limited by a realistic though restrictive budget is very real in any market and the limitations of budget need to be clearly drawn. The best way to be an informed buyer is spend a proper amount of time visiting various communities and understanding better the uniqueness of each area, the types of homes typically found there and the amenities of schools, shopping etc with the framework of that area. The more they see practical examples of homes they would consider in the context of the individual community and realistic budgets, the more likely they will be to actually buy a home there.

Without having the end picture in mind, a complete accurate picture, we are not likely to find the right mix of home, feature , budget and community in one package. I am a Certified Residential Specialist and with a good consultation, I can help you shape that proper end picture and then help you locate it in the right community here in San Diego. It will save you frustration and a lot of time searching. Given a large number of haystacks, in any haystack, though a needle may be there, wouldn’t it seem more useful to find the right haystack first?

My name is William Johnson and I am with RE/MAX Associates.  I would love the opportunity to work with you and help you find that just right home in just the right community.

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.

Here are the Key Highlights of Kenneth Harney’s article.

There is no shortage of money available for home mortgages, no freezing of credit to purchase or refinance a house. Why?  Because the American mortgage market effectively has been federalized – at least for the time being.

Loan terms and credit underwriting standards have been toughened up, but you can still put down 3 percent (3.5 percent after Jan. 1) on an FHA-insured mortgage and 5 percent on certain Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan programs with private mortgage insurance.

Despite the global financial system’s quakes, mortgage rates not only remain low by historical standards but have actually declined recently.

Maximum loan amounts - through FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in high-cost local markets on the West and East coasts ( San Diego is included in this category ) will continue to be $729,750 through December 2008. In January, the high-cost maximum is projected to dip to approximately $625,000.

Home prices – pushed by foreclosures and short sales – have rolled back to 2003 and 2004 levels or lower in many of the former boom market areas.

Buyers are seemingly liking the lower prices as many more are coming off the sidelines and making offers and deals are coming together.  Our National Association of REALTORS reported that the Pending Home Sale index increased  over 7% based on contracts signed in August.

The conclusion is that there is plenty of money available as long as you can qualify for it. If you are in the market to purchase a home, besides the large lenders, there are numerous San Diego local banks and credit unions that are wanting to lend mortgage money from their own portfolios and are competitive on their terms and rates.