An informational source for people who are relocating, with a particular focus on moving to the Carlsbad area of North County San Diego (and nearby coastal communities), with advice, guidance and true stories to help you on your way and make it a great journey, from a REALTOR� with plenty of personal (4 major moves, most recently from Boston to Carlsbad, California) and professional relocation experience. Are you running into problems selling your home? Need to find a new one quickly? Never moved before and haven't a clue? You'll find some great tips on how to solve your relocation issues here. Or ask me a question any time and I'll share some solutions or tell you where to get more information.
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One indicator that things may be improving in the Carlsbad real estate market (and in surrounding areas) is that they are building NEW homes in Carlsbad again.
Buyers in the Carlsbad real estate market who want new construction once again have a number of options. This is a big change from last year when things sorta dried up. AND these new homes are selling, and quickly...some are sold and they are not even built yet.
Foks who are relocating to this area, or pondering it, and who want to know more, here are someupdates on the new construction in town. Feel free to check with me for more details adn updates, but most of this information is pretty recent.
CopperWood at La Costa Oaks - detached homes, some with canyon and distant ocean views, in the Encinitas Schools
Stay tuned for my articles on two other developments - 53 Melrose in Carlsbad near La Costa Ridge, and The Foothills (Rock Rose) near Calavera Hills to the north.
San Diego Real Estate Market Reports for Area Communities YTD 2009
If you are moving to the San Diego area, or are considering making the move, you are likely interested in what is going on with prices.
As you are likely aware, the San Diego real estate market has been in the news quite a bit in the past for the huge pricing upswing, as well as for the changes in our market over the last 4 years.
Here is a SUMMRY REPORT of the San Diego real estate market conditions for some North San Diego County communities that I service for the year-to-date 2009.
I work with lots of relocation buyers, and often the lifestyle they are seeking with their move to Southern California is different than what they currently enjoy. I know mine changed when I moved here from the Boston area...at least some aspects of it did.
But sometimes buyers really want to preserve their current lifestyle, to the extent that's possible, when moving to this area.
I created this new LIFESTYLE QUESTIONNAIRE to help folks who are relocating focus a bit more on what their lifestyle is like and those aspects that are important to them. I find that the more I know about what buyers want in a home and neighborhood, including the aspects of their lifestyle that are really important, the better I can be helpful.
The questionnaire does not, of course, include everything, but I think it will help you focus on what is really important. I wold love to have your feedback.
Carlsbad Relocation Tips - Finding the Right Comunity and Your New Home
Relocating presents many challenges, especially if you are moving a long distance say from the right coast to the left coast as I did.
Finding the right community adn the right home are usually at the top of the relocating buyer's list. And while that can be a chore, with today's technolgoy adn a few tips, you can conduct a search for where you want to live without too much trouble other than some time and some good questions.
Since reprinting word for word can creat a problem for the search engines, here are the links to those articles that I believe will help in your search and answer some of your questions.
In the current market in some areas, at the lower price points, it is NOT a buyer's market. That is certainly true here in Southern California in communities like Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido where there are a lot of short sales and REOs (bank owned foreclosures) under $300,000.
And buyers are finding they need to make quick decisions or they will lose out on properties they like. It is particularly difficult if you are relocating and are not here physically to see properties as soon as they come on the market.
The question becomes - "Buyers, How Fast Can You Move?". Read more to understand how this may affect you.
Considering a Short Sale or REO in Your Relocation Plans?
Lots of folks want to buy a short sale or an REO...or think they do.
This is fairly common for folks who are relocating here to Southern California because of the perception that these may be great deals given what they have heard about California foreclosures, and major price adjustments in the last several years. While it is true that prices have come down, substantially in some areas, the belief that you can get a home for 50 cents on the dollar is just not realistic, nor is buying a waterfront home in Carlsbad on the ocean for $500,000 a possibility.
That does not mean that you should not consider short sale and REO (foreclosure, bank-owned) homes, along with traditional resales so you get the full picture of your options. Indeed, you should. But being aware of some of the issues is important so you make an informed decision.
One thing you will often find is that things you normally would find in a resale are missing in a short sale, and even more commonly in an REO.
WOW - Condos in the San Diego Area for UNDER $100,000
It's hard to believe but you CAN buy a condo in North County Can Diego for less than $100,000. And some of them are 2 and 3 bedroom.
If you are seeking a new home in our area in this price range, check out my recent post on condos for less than $100,000.
BTW, if you would like a customized list of homes, under $100,000 or otherwise, in a San Diego community, please send me an email and I will send you the information you need.
If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
I wrote a warning to buyers, and agents, recently. It had to do with ot opening the refrigerator door in homes they were touring that are distress sales - bank owned properties, and vacant short sales and foreclosures.
If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
I have had a good number of buyers who are relocating here and want to be within walking distance of amenities such as shopping, restaurants, services, and the public library, among other things.
While this is not an easy thing to find, there are real estate opportunities in a number of North County San Diego communities where I work that will allow for this - Carlsbad, Cardiff, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar for example.
Walkability, of course, is in the eyes of the beholder, or should we say the feet of the walker?
Some people consider 15 - 20 minutes a very reasonable walk and others want to be closer, say 10 minutes or so. So as I am sharing information about these communities, bear in mind that if walking distance is important you will need to check it out for yourself to be sure.
There is a neat web tool that allows you to gain an idea of walkability. I talk about it in the first of my walkable neighborhood series articles - it's called a WALKSCORE. You simply enter an address and it will calculate a score based on proximity to a variety of amenities (plus you get the distances to those amenities so you can sort of judge for yourself). Being close to one store will not get you a high walkability score - what is more important is general walkability to a range of amenities and services.
I am continuing to add communities to my walkable neighborhood series, but here are the first few. And if I can provide more information, please let me know. Or stop by the search page on my website and search for homes in the MLS (the link is BELOW). Grab a few and enter the addresses into Walkscore to see how it works. Or use your own address. have fun, and happy searching.
If I can provide more information about Del Mar, Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
Folks want to know if now is the right time to buy.
Tough question. And the answer depends on your reasons for buying, your long term plans and your financial situation. But here are some compelling reasons to consider buying, especially if you are on the fence right now but are in a position to buy.
First, the FHA requirements are going to change beginning January 1, 2009. Right now buyers must put down 3% as a down payment. In January the limit jumps to 3.5%, perhaps not a large amount but on a $500K house that is $2500 more cash needed.
The other major reason you might consider buying before year end is that the limits on conforming mortgages will shift down. Earlier this year the limits were raised to as much as $729,750 in the more expensive areas, and $697,500 in others (e.g., San Diego), so folks who previously would have had jumbo loans (and higher rates) benefited from the lower interest rates. Beginning in January 2009 in the San Diego area the maximum for conforming loans will be $625,500 $546,250 so despite some price changes more loans will become jumbos, at higher rates.
Obviously there are other important issues to consider and a discussion with your mortgage person would be prudent to determine how these changes may affect you.
And learning more about the homes that are available to you in your price range now will help you make the right decision. The inventory is good, as are the rates, and buyers are able to negotiate with sellers, so this combination of factors may make this the right time to buy for some folks.
REOs (bank owned properties) are found in the majority of real estate markets these days, along with short sales and foreclousre. Lots of buyers are interested in acquiring these properties but the task of doing so is often not easy.
REOs tend to be easier to purchase because they are already bank owned, and they are generally pretty motivated to sell. Don't expect to get these at rock bottom prices, but some are pretty good deals.
If you are moving to, or are in, the Carlsbad California area I just posted an article are buying REOs
.
The article provides some important information for any buyer interested in buying an REO.
Watch out for That Appraisal in Today's Market, Buyers
Buyers in our area, and others, are now confronting a new issue in their real estate transacation - the APPRAISAL.
Having a home appraisal is NOT new, of course, and most buyers (and sellers) typically anxst over the appraisal until it is completed, since the bank will not issue a loan commitment until the underwriter has the complete file and reviews the appraisal.
Today's market, wtih declining prices in many areas, and the increasing number of short sales, foreclosures, and REOs (bank owned properties) is creating problems in many communities with appraisals which are, increasingly, coming in below the agreed-upon purchase price. Banks are tightening standards (only 3 months allowed for comparables, not 6) and appraisers themselves are being more closely scrutinized.
You may be relocating to a market very different from your current one and may find this to be more of an issue, or possibly less.
Is this a concern?
In many markets it should be. And as a prudent buyer there are things you should know, and do.
This is just one more GOOD reason to make sure you are working with an agent in your relocation who really knows the local market and can help avoid some of these issues.
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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by
phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
If you have been through it you probably already know this. But maybe not.
Or you have forgotten if you bought a long time ago (and things have changed).
Buying a home, whether you are doing this for the first time or are experienced at it, really IS like having a second job, at least a part-time one. Especially if you take your house hunting seriously and want to do as good a job as you can.
The market is complicated, as are the state laws that govern how real estate transactions must occur. And if you are relocating and must both sell and buy, I would say this really becomes a full time endeavor, as least for the time it takes to get both sides of the transaction completed.
Anyone who has been reading my thoughts about house hunting can tell I am a big fan of the Internet. I use it extensively in my efforts to help buyers and sellers, and before I moved to California spent many months looking on-line to learn about the Southern California communities I thought I would like to explore for my next home (and we found our house on-line before we ever saw it).
There is so much you can learn as a buyer before you ever set foot in a potential home that meets your criteria, especially if you are relocating to a new area you are completely unfamiliar with. It can save you time, money (e.g., fewer house hunting trips) and frustration. You can learn more about the local market, get a sense of housing styles, compare homes, and much more. With applications like Google Earth you can get street views and look at the local topography, map links will show you distances, and traffic sites can tell you about the local and commuter traffic on the major roads.
BUT I think there are some negatives, too, or at least disadvantages. There are just some things that we want to know about communities and homes that you just will not get on-line, no matter how thorough you are. This has become more and more clear as I talk to buyers who are planning to relocate here, or are exploring the area, and who have questions about proximity to the beaches, views, nearness to amenities, the influence of the weather patterns, noise from the train and the freeway, and more.
In our area, with the diversity of views, housing, neighborhoods, amenities and topography, learning what most want to really know about the area so they can decide where they want to live will require a personal visit, as well as some detailed questions to a trusted real estate professional. Gaining the real feel for a neighborhood still requires a bit of touching in person.
Don't, by any means, give up the Internet searching, It's an essential part of the house hunting process. But recognize that some of what you probably need to know will transcend what is available on-line.
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I have had a good number of buyers who are relocatin
g here and want to be within walking distance of amenities such as shopping, restaurants, services, and the public library, among other things.
Anyone who has been reading my thoughts about house hunting can tell I am a big fan of the Internet. I use it extensively in my efforts to help buyers and sellers, and before I moved to California spent many months looking on-line to learn about the Southern California communities I thought I would like to explore for my next home (and we found our house on-line before we ever saw it).