Carlsbad Art Wall November 2022 The 4th mural of 2022 for the Carlsbad art wall, now in its 8th year, was painted on November 6th and 7th by artist CJ Troxell. And it may be one of the more thoughtful murals we’ve had, with something to ponder. What do you think?  Well-known Carlsbad artist, Bryan Snyder, founded the #CarlsbadArtWall in 2015, in cooperation with the owner of Senor Grubby’s Mexican Restaurant in Carlsbad Village. Bryan also founded the Carlsbad Alley Art Wall, among other art projects in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Art Wall provides residents and visitors alike an opportunity to enjoy a variety of temporary public art by local, regional, and sometimes even international, artists. The public also can watch the artists at work on their creations, which are typically painted ove... 11/19/2022

Carlsbad Holiday Tree Lighting~ December 4, 2022 ~ The 37th annual holiday tree lighting takes place on Sunday, December 4th in downtown Carlsbad Village. (photo is of the 2019 Holiday Tree). As is tradition, the lighting is at the front entrance to the Carlsbad Village Faire shopping center at 300 Carlsbad Village Drive. This festive annual event runs from 2:15 – 5:00 pm! Get into the holiday spirit! Come join this annual celebration, along with lots of Carlsbad residents, in the heart of Carlsbad Village, sponsored by the Carlsbad Rotary Club. There is a holiday music program from 12 until 2 pm in the Village Fair Courtyard with Adrienne Nims.   The Carlsbad Village Holiday Tree Lighting celebration begins at 2:15 with a variety of holiday activities until 4:30 pm. Santa is due to arr... 11/18/2022

Holiday at the Rancho in Carlsbad ~ December 3, 2022 ~ The 2022 holiday season is well under way in Carlsbad. Coming soon – Small Business Saturday on Saturday November 26th in Carlsbad Village. #ShopSmall for the holidays and support our Carlsbad Village merchants. Then it’s the Annual Holiday Showcase Makers Market on December 3rd. Here’s another opportunity for holiday shopping with loads of arts and crafts from multiple, and juried, artisans from around the region. And the annual Holiday at the Rancho takes place at Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, also on December 3rd. You can read about film star Leo Carrillo and the Ranch at Friends of Carrillo Ranch, Inc. The 2022 Holiday at the Rancho in Carlsbad offers holiday festivities with a bit of western history, from 5 to 8 pm. Leo Car... 11/13/2022

10 Things to Consider When Buying a Second Home (Part 2) Buyers desiring a second home have some important considerations before making a decision about where, when and how to buy that property. What they specifically want and need for that second home is a critical discussion to have before getting started. These issues may differ in important ways from decisions you made for your primary home purchase. Think about what these differences might be before you get too far along – it will help you to be more effective in your home search and planning. Here’s what was discussed in Part 1: Lifestyle issues (How might your second home lifestyle differ from the way you live now?) Financial considerations (Cash versus financing; the added costs of a second home) Rentability (Do you want to also... 11/08/2022

What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for October 2022 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, with changes from September and 1 year ago. These statistics do not include private sales, mobile homes or multi-family housing (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in general terms, thus they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (Learn more - How Local IS Local?). Current information, and analysis, about local market conditions benefits you when making buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 101 homes sold in Carlsbad in October (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 36% fewer than in S... 11/06/2022

10 Tips For Buying a Second HomePart 1 of 2Buying a second or vacation home is different than purchasing a primary home. One obvious difference is you won’t be spending all your time there.  As a result there are important considerations to think about before getting too far along in the process.Here’s Part 1, in no particular order:LIFESTYLEWhat lifestyle are you hoping to have in your second home? Will it be much the same as in your primary home or will it be different? And if so, how?Many people live differently when enjoying a second home than they do in their primary home, depending on how long they are there and how often.  And for many second home owners that’s exactly WHY they want a vacation property – to enjoy time away from home and routines like cooking, shopping, and perhap... 11/03/2022

Holiday Showcase Makers Market 2022December 4 in Carlsbad Village The 2022 Holiday Showcase Makers Market will take place on Saturday December 3rd from 9 am until 4 pm. The Makers Market has been a popular event in Carlsbad Village for 4 years now. Because of their popularity the Markets have expanded, and now include multiple events during the year, with a special one at holiday time. The Holiday Showcase Makers Market is FREE to attend. Naturally you’ll want to bring credit cards or cash for your holiday shopping. And don’t forget you can #ShopSmall at Small Business Saturday in the Village on November 26th Thanksgiving weekend. The Makers Market Holiday Showcase is outdoors at St. Michael’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church, located at 2775 Carlsbad Boulevard in the Village. The Makers Mar... 11/02/2022

Happy Halloween 2022 Hope you have a fun Halloween, however you might celebrate...or even if you don't. Here are some treats, and no tricks! Our neighbors up the street have a tradition our grandkids enjoy seeing every year - the purple monster! I drove by this oceanview house in Cardiff some years ago and HAD to stop and take some photos. Wouldn't you? The owner was on the balcony so of course I asked permission to do so, and then share. I keep meaning to drop by again and see what they are doing, if anything different, but haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe next year?Other neighbors up the street had these spooky eyes in their garden out front. Of course the grandkids (and I) thought they were pretty cool. They have now moved on.  Here's another fun Halloween decoration in our neighborho... 10/30/2022

Celebrate Small Business Saturday in Carlsbad VillageNovember 26, 2022 The holiday shopping season seems to arrive earlier every year. Halloween is just days away, with Thanksgiving soon to follow. That means the 13th annual Small Business Saturday in Carlsbad Village is a little over 1 month away. The first Saturday after Thanksgiving is the traditional day for supporting small businesses throughout the US. So you’ll find abundant opportunities at our Carlsbad Village merchants to #shopsmall. Many residents, and visitors, support small businesses in Carlsbad already but this is special opportunity! And with the holiday shopping season upon is, that’s good news. The Carlsbad Village Association website notes that approximately 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business remains i... 10/30/2022

2022 Carlsbad Music Festival~ Carlsbad Village ~ The 18th Annual Carlsbad Music Festival, which offers “adventurous music at the beach” (according to their website) with multiple bands, takes place in Carlsbad Village November 5th from 1 to 9 pm. This is a scaled-down version from last year where the festival was over 3 days. Check out the Carlsbad Music Festival Facebook page. The Carlsbad Music Festival, has been a crowd pleaser for almost 2 decades and 2022 should be no different. In addition to great music you can enjoy a beer garden and food trucks. The festival take place at St. Michael’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church, at 2775 Carlsbad Boulevard. Here is the current full schedule with 6 different bands. There are several ticket options including a VIP Lounge, and you can buy your ti... 10/26/2022

Carlsbad Village Faire 2022 is November 6th A favorite arts and craft fair returns to Carlsbad Village on Sunday November 6 The Carlsbad Village Street Faire is the largest outdoor 1-day fair in the US, other than its counter-part, the Carlsbad Village Faire in May. The Carlsbad Village Faire is open from 8 am until 4 pm, so there’s lots of time to enjoy hundreds of vendors and shop as much as you want. The Carlsbad Village Faire takes place in the heart of town, along Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson. The Faire spills over onto side streets, including State Street. Be aware there will be some road closures in the Village and limited parking.The Carlsbad Village Faire is impressive, which you know if you’ve attended in the past. After having attended a few times myself,... 10/21/2022

Spooky Things are Happening It’s that time of year – the Halloween Season – and lots of spooky things are popping up all over our neighborhood, and have been for a while. No doubt the same is true in your neighborhood, or at least in your larger community.  Our grandchildren are visiting this weekend and had a great time exploring some of the many spooky things on our street. Our neighbor’s is just one of many! Do you have any favorites in YOUR neighborhood? If so, I hope you will share with us. 10/15/2022

The Many Forms of Blogging Success The October Challenge, hosted by Carol Williams , Aura Alex , and Leanne Smith , is all about sharing success stories from our blogging. While there are some who claim that blogging doesn’t work, there are plenty of AR Members who have a variety of success stories they can share. Blogging success stories come in many forms, real estate-related and otherwise. They can result from a post we wrote, the general information we share on AR that creates a significant online presence for us, or even our AR Profiles. You might set a blogging goal for yourself and achieve it, or maybe there is a special post of your that gets featured, and with lots of comments. Perhaps it's about finding a great referral source for that special client! Or you hosted a successfu... 10/07/2022

What’s My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for September 2022 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, with changes from August and 1 year ago. These statistics do not include private sales, mobile homes or multi-family housing (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in general terms, thus they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (Learn more - How Local IS Local?). Current information, and analysis, about local market conditions benefits you so you can make educated buying and/or selling decisions about  Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 101 homes sold in Carlsbad in September (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 11% fewer than in... 10/05/2022

The 3rd Annual ArtWalk Carlsbad was held this weekend along Armada Drive overlooking the Flower Fields (not very exciting at this time of year since there are no flowers but a great view nonetheless) and the ocean in the distance.It was a gorgeous day with clear skies in the upper 70s and, fortunately, with a nice ocean breeze. Over 150 fine artists showcased their creations, a diverse array of art work in many forms of media.  You can check out the artists and their creations here.There was a good crowd, as expected, and the free parking was abundant close by in the adjoining corporate office park, at and near the Museum of Making Music.There was a Kids' Interactive Area, wine and beer, live music, and plenty of food (a food truck and multiple booths).We thoroughly our visit, with some... 09/25/2022

2022 Carlsbad Oktoberfest is October 1 The 40th annual Carlsbad Oktoberfest is Saturday, October 1! Carlsbad’s popular annual Oktoberfest Family Fall Festival, for years traditionally taking place the 1st Saturday in October, will be held at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. The festival is from Noon to 8 pm. Sponsored, as always, by Carlsbad’s 2 rotary clubs – the Rotary Club of Carlsbad, and the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club. The festival is a major fundraiser for the Carlsbad Rotary Clubs. There are a number of other event sponsors, too. Come enjoy a traditional German meal from the well-known Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad. And of course there is a Bier Garten with draught and can beer and wine. The Oktoberfest DJ will provide music from 12 noon to 4 pm. Then the Bavarian Beergarden Band w... 09/08/2022

What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for August 2022 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, with changes from July and 1 year ago. These statistics do not include private sales, mobile homes or multi-family housing (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in general terms, thus they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read How Local IS Local?). Current information, and analysis, about local market conditions benefits you so you can make informed buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 113 homes sold in Carlsbad in August (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 15% more than in July... 09/06/2022

Squirrels Love Our Carlsbad Beaches, Too! We see a lot of ground squirrels in our area, especially living on a canyon in Carlsbad. We don't enjoy the damage they can do to the garden but their antics can be entertaining. But the squirrels love the Carlsbad beaches, too, although I suspect it’s not the views they appreciate. The bluffs are easy to dig in, which makes for easy, and abundant house-building along the beach – no permits needed, and the squirrels can thumb their noses at the California Coastal Commission and the City of Carlsbad Building Department's regulations on what can be done along the bluffs. And there are plenty of plants that thrive at the beach that provide seeds and other delicacies the squirrels enjoy year-round. But the squirrels know that beaches mean plenty of ... 09/03/2022

5th Annual Taste of Carlsbad Village~ October 13, 2022 ~ The popular Taste of Carlsbad Village returns in 2022 for the 5th time, taking place in the Village on October 13th. So why announce this so early? First, the Taste of Carlsbad Village is historically very popular, and usually sells out. And second, tickets go on sale September 5 so you may want to put that on your calendar. Carlsbad food lovers will spend 3 hours on Thursday October 13th on a self-guided tour with map and Passport (the ticket), tasting their way around our charming Carlsbad Village. The appeal? Why, enjoying bite-sized samples from dozens of local popular restaurants - meat, seafood, vegetarian, vegan. This is a terrific opportunity to check out eateries you don’t know or haven’t tried, and enjoy your favorites, ... 08/25/2022

ArtWalk Carlsbad is September 24 and 25, 2022 The 3rd Annual ArtWalk Carlsbad is just around the corner, on September 24 and 25. No doubt artists and art lovers alike are thrilled The inaugural ArtWalk Carlsbad was held in 2018 and was a winner – I had a great time (See Slideshow below)! The 2020 and 2021 events were unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic.  ArtWalk San Diego, the organization that produces the Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy and the ArtWalk @ Liberty Square, is the organizer of this 2-day art festival in North San Diego County. There are multiple sponsors, too, that help make this art event affordable for attendees and participating artists. This year ArtWalk Carlsbad is free to attend, and will offer around 150 local, regional and international artists. Art... 08/23/2022