I recently moved from the suburbs of North County to the more urban area of Talmadge.  I was looking forward to being part of the community of Talmadge, something that didn't exist as readily where I was living.  I included my email in my new community's email tree. Last night, there was a question from a community member about a recommendation for an insurance agent.  Because I have a great insurance agent who I use and who my clients often use, I was more than happy to respond.Imagine my surprise this morning to find two, yes two, emails responding to mine, explaining that I was abusing the email tree to promote unsolicited testimonials about a business.  First, shock, then anger, then disbelief.  Being a new member of the community I promptly apologized if I overstepped some communit... 09/27/2007

I just received this alert regarding a suspect who is using a scam to get into homes in San Diego in order to steal money and jewelry.  Please be careful!SDPD WARNS RESIDENTS ABOUT BURGLARY SCAM (San Diego) The San Diego Police Department is warning residents about a male suspect who is using a ruse to gain entry into homes and steal items. Three cases have been reported in the past two weeks; the first was in Mid City on Aragon Drive; one occurred in Serra Mesa on Amulet Street on September 24, 2007 and the third also occurred on September 24 in Allied Gardens on Glenroy Street.The victims say that a male comes to the door wearing a uniform similar to a mechanics uniform. He says he is with the city of San Diego Wastewater Department (or sewer department) and asks to check the plumbing... 09/25/2007

Are you or do you know anyone who is looking to be a First Time Home Buyer? Now is the time to buy as rates are still low and there is one of the best buyer's markets that we have experienced in years. Now is the time to find a deal and realize the American dream of home ownership. Don't miss our upcoming First Time Home Buyer Seminar Sponsored by Keller Williams San Diego Metro and Donna Patrick Date: call 619-890-5961 for date Time: 6:30 PM-refreshments and appetizers will be served Location: 1500 State Street, Suite 100 at the Keller Williams Realty training room Cost: Free Registration: Required to attend. To register, please call 619-890-5961 or email us at donnajpatrick@kw.com your name and address. Get answers to common questions: What is the forecast for San Diego real estate? I... 09/25/2007

I took a break from real estate this weekend and went shopping for underwear instead. I bought 30 pairs, and fear it won’t be nearly enough. Why?Because Jeff Turner took the time to write a very important post about his wife's passion to provide underwear for orphans in Kenya. You see, a very cool lady named Rocky wrote a very compelling blog, that inspired me to not only go shopping, but to start blogging for underwear–and posting up some very unprofessional photography. But that is inconsequential. Her Underwear for Africa project will go far to help put some smiles on some needy African orphans–and that is a worthy goal. In Kenya, at least, it is illegal to buy or sell used underwear, because authorities fear the spread of disease. That might not be a problem, except that average wa... 09/23/2007

Are you or do you know anyone who is a looking to be a First Time Home Buyer.  Now is the time to buy as rates are still low and there this is one of the best buyer's markets that we have experienced in years.  Now is the time to find a deal and realize the American dream of Home Ownership. Don't miss our upcoming First Time Home Buyer Seminar Sponsored by Robert Schantz of Keller Williams San Diego Metro and MetroCities Mortgage Your Real Estate Team of Choice Date:  March 19th, 2008Time:  6:30 PM - refreshments and appetizers will be servedLocation:  1500 State Street, Suite 100 at the Keller Williams Training RoomCost:  FREERegistration:   Required to attend.  To register, please call 619-398-3916 or email us your name and address.Get answers to common questions:•·         What is th... 09/21/2007

DR Horton, One of the largest home builders in San Diego has become what is believed to be the first major builder here  to use an AUCTION house to move the remaining unsold condominiums in 2 different condo subdivisions here in San Diego.If they have success using this strategy to market the left over not yet sold units, other developers will likely be imitating Horton. But for now at least, D.R. Horton is the real innovator by creatively using this new untried method of sales here in San Diego.If you are interested, bidding on the remaining 50 or so units will take place Sept 29th, @1:00 PM at the Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley. DHI Mortgage, a subsidiary of D.R .Horton is the preferred project lender. 09/19/2007

We field questions all the time from frightened homeowners whose mortgages are resetting, whose homes are worth less than what they owe, or who simply wish to lock in future security and peace of mind. And we are not alone in trying to solve these problems. Yesterday afternoon, I spoke at length with William Johnson, author of the wonderful Real Estate Textbook and former president of the San Diego Association of Realtors. We were discussing the San Diego real estate market in general, and mortgage solutions in particular. He suggested that I write, once again, about the Acorn Loan–especially as it applies to our local markets. I’ve written about the Acorn Loan program before, but this time will specifically target San Diego County homeowners who are seeking affordable mortgages, mortg... 09/19/2007

Who's Stealing My Open House Signs? When my wife first got into the resale real estate market from new homes we saved up some money and came out with a bang. We spent lots of money on marketing and plastered her name and face on everything that was for sale. She also had a real good base of about 1,000 homeowners that she sold homes to when she was with the new home builder. The market was just warming up and about to be on fire. BANG instant success. The timing was just right and I must use that word "TIMING" again because if we tried the same thing in this market the "TIMING" would be all wrong. Getting back to the stealing of the open house signs in the title. In the beginning there were some agents that were not very happy of our success and had no problem letting us know about it. ... 09/17/2007

Buyers Agents Must Be Patient I have shown many homes to many buyers looking to buy a home or condo in San Diego. In the hot markets it's usually a 1 day event or maybe 2 days before we have written an offer or multiple offers on homes that the buyers like. In slower markets like the one we're in now it can take many outings and constant phone calls and emails to get a buyer to write offers. It's just the market. There's bad news in the paper on the news stations and just about everywhere concerning things like bubbles, short sales, bank repos, ARM's coming due and many more things that should make a buyer cautious. If I was a buyer I would be concerned too. With that said I think there is opportunity at least in the San Diego real estate market for buyers to go bargain shopping. There ... 09/17/2007

Pet Odors Make a Home Less Likely to Sell One thing that will surely turn off a buyer is pet odors. This is one thing that will cause a perfect house in every other way not to sell. Let's face it even if you're a pet lover you wouldn't want to move into a home that already had other pet's smells throughout the home. Your pets might even feel like they have to mark their territory in their new home and that will cause even more pet odor. I have experienced many homeowners or their agents that try to mask the pet odors with air fresheners, candles and other items in an attempt to cover up the foul odors. If a homeowner has pets they're used to the smells of their home and many don't realize that their home even smells. Let me just clear this up, if you have pets your home smells like it h... 09/17/2007

Highest Price Condo Sells in San Diego for 7.25 Million. This 3700 Square Foot, 1 Bedroom 1 and 1/2 Bath, Downtown Penthouse overlooking San Diego Bay has views stretching south to the border and La Jolla to the north. On a clear day it must feel like you can see forever.The $1,960 per square foot set the record for price paid per square foot also represents the highest price ever paid for a condominium in San Diego.      The Real Estate Text Book 09/12/2007

The Butler is back:  In demand-and in short supply. Our world’s growing number of plutocrats with their huge and numerous mansions--along with expansive  lifestyles--are actively seeking household managers to oversee the care of their residences and lifestyles. These enormous homes require ongoing care, along with coordination of property and grounds service providers ranging from pool service technicians, to dog groomers and trainers, to maids, gardeners and arborists. Contemporary butlers, or Household Managers as they are called today, are far better educated than their historic peers. Today’s servant is likely to possess accounting, computer, and technology skills along with knowledge of property maintenance, home entertainment, menus, cooking and clothing care. Add to that the abi... 09/03/2007

Near-naked butts are fine, but the smoking kind are now off limits at almost all San Diego beaches. The most recent prohibition against smoking on beaches comes from San Diego's northernmost city, Oceanside. Though tickets are not currently being issued there, signs will be going up after Labor Day advising all of the ban on smoking at Oceanside beaches.  This recent legislation came after 9000 residents responded last year to city survey and cam out in support of the smoking ban.It seems many don't like the idea--or reality--of their local beaches being used as an ashtray.Oceanside joins the cities of San Diego, El Cajon, National City, Imperial Beach, Del Mar and Solana Beach in prohibiting smoking in their parks and/or at their beaches. Encinitas has yet to ban smoking at its beaches... 08/28/2007

Elegir a la persona correcta para representarlo en la negociación de la compra de su vivienda es una decisión de importancia. Cada vez que usted vea la denominación REALTOR® (con el símbolo de marca registrada) puede estar seguro que la persona es miembro de la Asociación Nacional de Corredores (NAR), y tiene el compromiso de cumplir con los estándares de la organización. Mi equipo y yo tenemos una red de profesionales que en el pasado han realizado una excelente labor con nuestros clientes y podemos recomendarle a un representante, además de la aprobación previa para adquirir su vivienda de contado. ¿Cómo puede saber cual Corredor (REALTOR®) le conviene a usted? Busque a un profesional con experiencia en Bienes Raíces que por lo general trabaje con compradores. Un verdadero profesional... 08/26/2007

Brad Inman last weekwrote an excellent article about the mortgage and real estate crisis that has gripped so many markets in the United States–and elsewhere. In The Housing Market Blame Game, Inman reports that even formerly raging real estate markets that were once seen as unshakable, such as Manhattan, are now beginning to share the pain with regions that had collapsed earlier. Many blame the real estate industry for hyping the real estate market; others the mortgage originators. But Inman makes an interesting observation: “….hyperbole from every day Realtors is not the underlying problem causing the housing quake. I would assign more blame to industry experts who peddled their demographic-as destiny arguments and ignored other issues. This is akin to the expert analyst problem in th... 08/26/2007

Rental Scam in Beach AreaSDAR was notified today of a rental scam taking place in the beach areas including La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach. Someone has obtained the lockbox access codes for combination lockboxes located on vacant rental properties. These are not SentriLock lockboxes, but rather, simple combination lockboxes that can be obtained from retail stores. With a list of properties and lockbox combinations in hand, the scam artists list the properties for rent on Craig's List, show the property, take a deposit and then take off with the deposit money.Steps that can be taken to limit this type of activity are:Use SentriLock lockboxes on your rental properties. They require a keycard and a PIN to access them. Never give out your keycard or PIN to anyone. If... 08/24/2007

Note: Dione Lamm, a client, is one of the brightest women I have ever met. In addition to having been a simultaneous translator for the United Nations, she is a wonderful mother and wife, an interior designer, a quick wit and energetic student of life. She is also incredibly organized, and is kind enough to share her experiences in getting appropriate care for their autistic son. It is hoped that Dione’s experiences and guidance may help other San Diego parents who require assistance for their very special and autistic children. Dione wrote this in response to my request for additional information about assistance available for children with autism. I am touched. –Roberta Murphy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Dione Lamm We have all heard the old ... 08/22/2007

Nuvilla will be opening a new office in Point Loma by the end of 2007. In accord with our vision of providing small offices with highly specialized agents all over the county, we have located another small space for a handful of the finest agents to call home. Nuvilla is structuted to support our agents business so they have the time to focus on the personal needs of thier clients. We are excited to become part of the community and look forward to providing a fanatical level of service to our clients, old and new. 08/21/2007

While the San Diego real estate market isn’t exactly heavenly, it’s faring the best of Southern California’s six counties–and may be leading the charge to an eventual recovery. According to the San Diego Union Tribune and San Diego’s DataQuick Information Services, the volume for San Diego home sales in July was off 13.3 percent from a year earlier. That may not be the rosiest news, but when compared to other counties, San Diego looks like a relatively safe haven:                                                                                         Sold 2006                       Sold 2007                        Change Los Angeles County          8844                           6809                        -23.0% Orange County                 2982                           2391         ... 08/15/2007

That's right, the In-Group is pouring out of their other home styles for a new lifestyle home in a Downtown Hi-Rise. They are appearing at extravagant ultra Chic parties sponsored by Hi-Rise Developers to attract the rich and the not necessarily so famous " life style"  oriented Buyers for the Hi-Rise Lifestyle in Downtown San Diego. Just last month, One Smart developer spend over $500 per guest on a Chic Night time party to lure their best potential buyers.The developer in an interview recently said " We are not dealing with the sub-prime borrowers. It allows us to to establish a buzz among the right people". The " right people"  at this party included 90 buyers who had already closed escrow, scores of potential buyers and assorted VIP's.Invitations to this party were engraved on Lucit... 08/10/2007