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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The ActiveRain Real Estate Network - A Powerful Consumer Tool
I have mentioned, on more than one occasion, my writing on ActiveRain, the largest real estate social and informational network on-line with over 128,000 members of the RE biz.
I suspect many of you have been there as a result of links to articles posted here on Relocation A to Z. I have been a member of ActiveRain for over 2 years now, with almost 1000 articles written. The membership when I started was a little over 6,000 folks.
ActiveRain, or AR as it is fondly called, is a powerful consumer tool (see link below)
There are many thousands of articles on AR written by REALTORS like myself, mortgage brokers, staging professionals, home inspectors and others in our business. These articles have to do with communities all over the US, housing, things to do and places to visit, as well as a wealth of information useful to buyers and sellers.
A recent article by founder Jon Washburn indicated that while AR is a powerful peer-to-peer platform, it is even more powerful as a consumer tool, with about 9 times as many consumer hits as members, and a growth rate in 2008 of about 200%.
50 Largest Cities in the US - Information for Relocation Home Buyers
Recent statistics indicate that lots of people are continuing to move, especially to the south (such as Texas) and the west. Some cities are growing while others are losing population. Detroit, for example, has lost many of its population, perhaps due to the economic situation they have been experiencing for some time.
As part of your due diligence, you may be wondering about that new city you are moving to.
Or perhaps you are considering several places but don't know much about them, and want to know more. I can tell you quite a bit about San Diego, as I live here, but not necessarily a great deal about some other cities.
And if you are curious about the rank order of the largest 50 cities, here's the list.
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If I can provide more information about the Carlsbad area 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.
With the Fall Season upon us and rainfall imminent, it's a good time to check up on preventative maintenance items around your home.
Gutters and Downspouts
The purpose of gutters and downspouts is to collect running water from the roof and move it away from the structure. When working properly, this function keeps walls, windows and sub terrain areas dry. And to keep a system working properly, it is imperative to keep both the gutters and downspouts free of debris. A visual check of your system should include observations for rust, dents or cracking. And downspouts should always terminate several feet away from the foundation.
Plants and Trees
Plants/Trees and other types of vegetation, that come into contact within a structure, can trap moisture against the structure and create a water intrusion problem. Wet buildings materials within a structure can lead to conditions conducive to mold growth. Serious consideration should be given to trimming the trees/bushes and other types of vegetation away from the structure. Plants and vegetation also allow easy access for rodents and insects.
Peeling Exterior Paint
Peeling paint observed on either siding or windows can be an indication of water getting into the wood. Exposed wood and other untreated building materials are highly susceptible to water intrusion. From years of inspecting homes, peeling paint around windows is one of the leading causes of water intrusion and subsequent mold. Areas of peeling paint or exposed wood should be repaired immediately.
A properly designed exterior will work well in keeping moisture outside the structure rather than inside where mold growth can occur. If you suspect a system is not working properly contact a licensed professional for repair and or further evaluation.
Andy Konopacki
President -
P 760-273-9728
P 949-269-3073 (Orange County)
F 760-683-3126
For those buyers and sellers who are relocating and planning to come to Carlsbad, California or another coastal community (and why wouldn't you, we have terrific weather - most of the time), I came across another great resource on-line for gathering information about the area that I wanted to share with you - I think it is a pretty good source of information that buyers typically want.
The guide will give you a broad brush overview of Carlsbad and other communities in the San Diego area, the good and the bad, the schools, population, crime, and much more.
Since you are reading this you MAY be considering a relocation, or are in the process. Thought you might find this report interesting. BTW San Deigo is #37 on the top 50 for large metropolitan areas. Must be the sunshine!
As you surf the Internet you are likely with focusing on specific sites you are aware of for your real estate information, but probably also stumbling around as well. The more research you do, the more you will learn – about the buying and selling process, about the inventory, and about the person you feel comfortable enough with to ask them to help you in that process. The majority of buyers and sellers-to-be are spending significant time doing some sort of research – this makes them better at buying and selling.
Here are a few suggestions. Certainly, plugging in keywords, for topics of interest, into Google or other search engines will do the trick. And you will find numerous sites where you can obtain all kinds of information. But here are some specific sites I think are useful.
American Towns has a wealth of information about communities all over the country. This may be especially helpful if you are pondering relocation and want some general information about a particular town.
Property Shark is a good site for finding all sorts of details about individual properties – my guess is it does not have everything you might want to know, but it's a good start (they do not have data on ALL the states yet). You can also check out the property records for individual towns using the search engines (e.g., do a search for the assessor’s database in town X ).
Looking for demographics in a particular town? One place to gather information on national, regional and local demographics is the IRS – keep in mind these may be a few years old depending on when the census data were obtained.
Are schools important to you? You can research individual school districts on-line with ease. School Matters is one national directory with all sorts of details on schools. OnBoard Navigator is another site that provide national school information. You can conduct a search for each state's Department of Education on Google or other search engines. You might also simply do a search in the town(s) you are interested in for the local school district.
I’ll add to this list from time to time as I run across other useful sites.
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Recent statistics indicate that lots of people are continuing to move, especially to the south (such as Texas) and the west. Some cities are growing while others are losing population. Detroit, for example, has lost many of its population, perhaps due to the economic situation they have been experiencing for some time.
As you surf the Internet you are likely with focusing on specific sites you are aware of for your real estate information, but probably also stumbling around as well. The more research you do, the more you will learn – about the buying and selling process, about the inventory, and about the person you feel comfortable enough with to ask them to help you in that process. The majority of buyers and sellers-to-be are spending significant time doing some sort of research – this makes them better at buying and selling..gif)
Are schools important to you? You can research individual school districts on-line with ease.