How many of you are finding it harder and harder to get your buyers and clients to qualify for a mortgage these days? It seems like 100% financing programs have disappeared and programs for First Time Homebuyers are depleting as well. Companies like Countrywide did away with their 100% financing and other big lenders are following suit. The good news is that there are still many 100% lending programs that are available to buyers and grant/silent 2nd programs to assist homebuyers get into their home. If you are running into these scenarios please post them and lets discuss whats going on. 05/02/2007

  New York has Greenwich Village. San Francisco has the Castro. Vancouver has the West End. And San Diego has Hillcrest, our closest thing to a diverse, lively, hip and colorful neighborhood. Hillcrest is the residential and commercial hub of San Diego's gay and lesbian community. Prominent gay clubs are mostly found within Hillcrest. The LGBT community center ("The Center") is located here as well. Hillcrest is a walkable neighborhood with many of the cafés, restaurants and shops near the main residential pockets. The neighborhood hosts annual Gay Pride parade and Hillcrest City Fest Street Fair. Other regular events in Hillcrest include a weekly farmers market, Book Fair, Taste of Uptown  and Mardi Gras.   Beautiful Day in Hillcrest      Go to Farmer's Market (on Sunday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.... 04/26/2007

The Subprime Crisis: Is Your Home at Risk?It's all over the news. Subprime mortgage companies are in the midst of a true crisis! According to The New York Times, over two dozen lenders have already closed their doors for good. In fact, more than half of the top 25 mortgage companies from 2006 have either reported serious losses, been sold off to other companies, or have filed for bankruptcy!When asked how many subprime lenders will be taken down by the current credit crunch, Bill Dallas, mortgage industry icon and former CEO of Ownit Mortgage Solutions, replied "all of them." When asked how many borrowers would be impacted by tightening credit standards, Dallas estimated anywhere from 10% to 40%, adding, "the coming shift in available products will be huge." This could negatively impact... 04/24/2007

Luxury is booming and Wall Street is keeping a keen eye on how the rich are spending their wealth. And what better way to measure that hedonism than by creating a variety of indexes that track the shopping of the ultra-rich?  The demand for four-figure handbags, five-figure baubles, six-figure cars, seven and eight-figure homes, luxury resorts and travel,  insurable art and heady wines has created a new and trackable economy for the very wealthy.What intrigues many investors is how well the carriage trade merchants are faring. This is mostly due to the fact that the rich are getting richer and their numbers on a global basis are growing-along with their spending habits.  A look at some of these uber-wealth tracking indexes reveals more than a little about the favored products and shoppi... 04/22/2007

Kensington overlooks Mission Valley's southern rim with many of its homes enjoying views of the valley. The neon "Kensington" sign can be found overhanging Adams Avenue, which acts as the neighborhood's cultural center. The distinctive California-Spanish style homes sit above steep slopes dedicated to open space. In Kensington, there is a old style movie theater showing independent  films, a coffeehouse, a pub, park that surrounds the local library. The area is centrally located near I-15 and offers quick access to many San Diego attractions. A Beautiful Day in Kensington      Have brunch at Kensington Cafe which is local favorite.       Relax at Kensington Park.      After having Fried Calamari and wine at Kensington Grill, go to the Ken Cinema and watch a foreign independent film. 04/21/2007

There is little we can do to stop global warming, the melting of icebergs, rising sea levels and the inevitability of dandelions. But here are some big and small things we can all do to lessen the impact of our carbon footprint on this planet.1. The biggy for me? I traded in a Mercedes 420 for a cool Camry Hybrid. I enjoy the car's size, client curiosity, long pauses between fill-ups and the nice tax credit that accompanied the purchase. Also fun are the included iPod  dock, blue tooth for phone, reliable navigation system, air filtration and having a car that inspires people in parking lots to ask if they can look under the hood of my car. Too see how your car stacks up environmentally, go to the Fuel Economy site.2. Unplug electronic devices (televisions, DVD players, computers, batte... 04/21/2007

The most sprawling of the urban neighborhoods, Norh Park is situated to the northeast of Balboa Park. Home to hundreds of classic California Style Craftsman houses, North Park includes the subneighborhoods of Burlingame, Altadena, and the Morley Field area. The North Park sign can be seen above 30th Street and University Avenue. North Park has recently experienced a significant influx of development interest, especially within its downtown area.  The community has already approved a number of significant proposals that will transform the fabric of downtown North Park. Living in North Park - Virtual Relocation a Beautiful Day in North Park    Pick up a newspaper at Paras News, have a breakfast at The Mission. Then go to Morley Field Sports Complex to play tennis.    Go to Thai Time (410... 04/18/2007

OK, Nine. The weather thing is getting a little tired and flaunting that would be just cruel. Welcome to San Diego !1. The Ocean with its beautiful beaches to enjoy fishing, surfing, sailing, cruising, swimming, the tide pools, you name, we have it. 2. Balboa Park, one of the finest and most beautiful parks in the world. Museums, Arboretum, fountains, the largest outside Pipe Organ in the World in its own magnificent Pavilion, cultural centers, restaurants, art galleries, a carousel and the famous Old Globe Theater.3. The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and wildlife preserve that could rival a real safari4. Seaworld with its aquatics and underwater world that will amaze and would thrill even the most adventured5. The GasLamp Quarter, with more restaurants than you could ever imagine.... 04/18/2007

by Roberta MurphyAccording to the latest release from Dataquick, a record number of default notices have been sent to California homeowners during this last quarter, setting a new ten-year record. Why? Dataquick reports that "flat appreciation, slow sales, and post teaser-rate mortgage resets" have contributed to these financial casualties. The San Diego Union Tribune   reports that San Diego County endured 1,182 foreclosures from January through March, 2007--or almost eight times the 153 logged for the same period last year. The prior record was set in the third quarter of 1996, when the housing market was in a deep slump. Under any circumstances, these are not good numbers but they also fail to reflect the very different housing and economic pictiure that has occurred in San Diego dur... 04/17/2007

The median price for re-sale, single-family homes in San Diego County rose 3.6% in March from February. The median price is now off only 3% from the high of $598,000 set in November 2005. The average price for single-family gained 6.4% from the month before, and was up 4.3% year-over-year. Home sales rose 36.7% from February. Year-over-year, sales were down 20.8%. The median price for condos rose 0.8% to $375,000, month-over-month, down 1.3% compared to last March. This is the first time the median price for condos has been positive, year-over-year, since last March. The median price is now 4.3% below the high of $392,000 set in November 2005. Condo sales were up 29.4% from February, off 9.5% year-over-year. The real estate market is very hard to generalize. It is a market made up of ma... 04/12/2007

"Blogging has become a key marketing tool for real estate agents."Michelle Mowad, a talented writer for the San Diego Business Journal, called last week inquiring about real estate blogging and the impact it is having on our San Diego real estate business and life. We talked about Web 2.0 social networking sites like MySpace and how blogging is such a natural communications platform for real estate agents and potential clients. We had a great discussion, and covered a broad range of topics including long tail searches, how Google loves blogs and how a busy Realtor finds time to blog (I arise earlier and have pretty much given up television). She also asked how I got my start in blogging, and I told her about Active Rain. As we might expect, she was already familiar with our favorie real... 04/10/2007

  High-profile real estate discounter ipayOne has posted a notice on its website that they are no longer accepting new listings. Their website bears the following message:To Our Community:ipayOne will no longer be accepting new listings. If you are an existing client, please contact Alana Yardley@ipayOne.comIf you are contacting us regarding buying any other property using our Buyers Reward Program please contact us at info@ipayOne.comIf you are contacting us regarding financing a new or existing home, please contact us at info@ipayOne.com The ipayOne employees, real estate agents and management team want to thank you for all your support over the past three years.Michael JackmanCEO ipayOne is/was headquartered in Carlsbad, CA and specialized in taking one percent listings and offering ... 04/07/2007

How do you gauge Success in your business? Is it the number of deals you turn over every month, the number of referrals you get from satisfied clients, recognition you may get in your local market for being a top agent...What is it, and how do you get there? I recently had a very inspiring meeting with my brokers here in San Diego.  They really reiterated the fact that Real Estate is a contact sport that needs to be broken down to a science.  How many new contacts do you need to make every week to be successful?   Out of these contacts, how many yield referrals, or deals?  Just like in any sales business--the numbers don't lie!! So play them.  Now I am not saying shove your business down everyone's throat that you happen to bump into on the street...but set your agenda and have some pur... 03/26/2007

 San Diego Vacancy Rates the Highest Since ‘95...headlined the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune's Business section last week. Those are words that likely sent cold shivers down the spines of real estate investors, homeowners, home sellers, and potential home buyers throughout San Diego county. But smart home buyers and savvy real estate investors should know by now to read between the lines-and below the headlines.If we take the time to read the article, we immediately discover that the author is referring only to apartments complex vacancies in San Diego, not the enire rental market. The reasons for that decline include new construction competititon, failed condo conversions that are being returned to the rental market, and competition from homeowners who are adding their unso... 03/25/2007

This morning's San Diego Union Tribune reports that our San Diego County apartment vacancy rate is the highest it has been since 1995. Are we surprised?Not exactly.The reasons cited for this increased vacancy rate include:1. Face-lifted condo conversions (that have no chance of selling in this market) are being returned to the rental market. The tenants who had been kicked out earlier moved on and found new homes. These projects are now starting from Ground Zero in finging new tenants.2. Unsuccessful flippers have no choice but to put their properties on the market as rentals--and this creates direct competition for apartment complexes.3. New projects have also entered the market, further increasing rental availabilities. In this writer's opinion, many of these projects were built in an... 03/21/2007

             Requiring effective, on time, Due diligence is at an all time high in the San Diego market...and many Escrows are paying the price for complacency.  At least in my recent transaction experience I have seen a rise in the amount of deals that, for one reason or another, are falling out of what should be a fairly routine escrow process.  In fact, buyer clients of mine in Rancho Bernardo were very excited about a recent home purchase, but after many inspections revealed termite infestation, black toxic mold, and significant water damage, they decided to cut their losses and cancel escrow.  This is what it is coming down to right now.  If a seller is not willing to meet half way on a repair request, or make the necessary fixes that a property needs...buyers are walking away to l... 03/21/2007

Want to amaze your clients? Want the freedom to really misplace your phone? Want a cell phone that can fit into tight jean pockets? The amazing C3 camera flip phone from Pantech (see photo on left with phone on keyboard) measures just 1.69. by 2.72 inches and weighs in at just 2.5 ounces. It’s no fatty, either, measuring just 0.8 inches thick.  Billed as the world’s smallest camera flip phone, the C3 offers a VGA camera, interchangeable face plates, along with email and instant messaging capabilities. Currently, this little wonder is available only through Cingular Wireless—with some great pricing incentives. The  Pantech C3 features and reviews are pretty impressive.It's a cute phone, but is probably impractical for this Blackberry-addicted San Diego Realtor.   03/20/2007

I attended a meeting of top women agents in North San Diego County last week, and here was lots of buzz and much discussion about what is selling—and what is not. Aside from market issues (luxury home market is strong in coastal San Diego County and multiple offers are not uncommon for buffed homes in the $1.5 million and up range), the issue of home presentation and staging was at the very top of the list. Books could be written about all the things sellers might do to increase the sales price and decrease marketing time for their listed homes—and I know Active Rainers always welcome the advice and hints offered by our resident stagers and designers. Many of their posts could probably be compiled into what could become a best seller (hint to you, I think one of the reasons home staging... 03/20/2007

Three years ago I graduated from Feng Shui training as a certified practitioner. My own home-and those of understanding friends and real estate clients- became laboratories for element and furnishing rearrangements. Entire bookshelves in my home accumulated the Feng Shui works of Lillian Too, Kartar Diamond, Karen Kingston, Jon Robertson, Suzan Hilton and other wise teachers.I have never charged for a consultation in our San Diego real estate practice, and never offer advice unless it is requested. Besides, a talented stager such as Craig Schiller will have much more to offer than I. And even if one is skeptical about Feng Shui, most would not disagree with the basic concepts.  And paramount among those concepts is SPACE CLEARING.The most important thing one can do to enhance the chi or... 03/18/2007

To understand the search engine and to use it effectively, you must first understand how it works. First, the search engine is understood as an IR scheme, or retrieval system that allows researchers, as well as web developers to use the IR to discover millions of topics worldwide. Consumers often use the IR or search engines to find products, or information that helps them to relate to particular topics. The search engine allows users to explore databases worldwide, intranet and the web. The intranet is a computerized network within organizations, which users can access only through authorized sets of requirements outlined by a single company, user, etc.When a user types in a relevant keyword into the search engine, the IR goes to work to help them match their queries to indexes. Releva... 02/17/2007