San Diego Real Estate Realities

  In many parts of the country the real estate market is hot, hot, hot, with some areas experiencing bidding wars and near record-breaking prices.  So if your home is languishing on the market for more than 60 days there is probably a good reason that might not be apparent to you.   Do any of the...

We’ve all seen the promotions, especially popular with furniture stores:  0% interest for one or two years – just make a minimum monthly payment.  If you have decent credit, you qualify and this can be very enticing if you are a bit short on cash but really do need some furniture. My youngest da...

I recently took a listing on a home here in San Diego County where the owners have put quite a bit of time and money into getting it ready for market; some new flooring, fresh paint and landscaping improvements.  I hadn’t seen the home for about 6 months so I was excited to see all of the work t...

Did you know that 87% of U.S. homes would qualify for down payment assistance?  According to RealtyTrac’s analysis of the 2,290 down payment programs indexed at Down Payment Resource, 91% have funds available to eligible buyers in counties throughout the country, at various price and income leve...

  Big news in the grocery world!   Popped into my local Vons today and learned through my check-out clerk that the store closest to our home, along with 24 other stores in the San Diego area are being bought out.  Can’t say I’m heart-broken….the store layout seems to change every week, the aisle...

  What’s new in San Diego museums?  Next month is your chance to find out with admission prices cut by 50% during the entire month of February.  Just go to any local Macy’s store and pick-up a free Macy’s Museum Month Pass and you’ll enjoy half-off admission to any of the 45 participating museums...

      Okay.  I’ll be the first to admit I had never even heard of SEER 14 until I read a short article in RISMedia.  But after doing some additional research, I learned that my ignorance could be a problem for my buyers.   SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and in the case of air co...

      The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced yesterday that it is reducing the annual Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) which is paid on a monthly basis.  The reduction of .50%, will drop average premiums from 1.35% to .85%, depending on loan-to-value ratio.  It is estimated that this ...

  If you have ever visited San Diego, it’s likely that you spent some time in Balboa Park, one of the city’s most beautiful landmarks and home to the world famous San Diego Zoo.  This year the park is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of exhibits, special events, and park improveme...

  According to a report issued in September by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, San Diego is the 4th most expensive city in the U.S. when it comes to housing.    For those of us who live in America’s Finest City, this comes as little surprise.  The report tracked housing expenses before, dur...