San Diego: America's Finest City
San Diego is a vibrant and young-feeling city, but it is actually the birthplace of California. Originally populated by the Kumeyaay, its first European discovery in 1542 was accomplished by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo sailing under the Spanish Flag (1499 – 1543). He landed in San Diego’s Point Loma and claimed the area for Spain.
There’s little chance Juan Cabrillo would recognize much about America’s Finest City today. San Diego is now the 8th largest city in the United States, with a population of 2.9 million. It is affectionately tagged as America’s Finest City because of the warm hospitality it extends to all, it balmy climate along with stunning natural beauty and views.
At the same time, San Diego is also the world’s 29th richest city and urban area in terms of GDP. What is the significance of this distinction? The top 30 cities ranked by GDP account for around 16 percent of the world’s entire gross domestic product (2005).
In addition being noted for its vibrant economy, San Diego is also known for the liveliness of its residents. Sports Illustrated once called San Diego “Sportstown USA” because San Diegans of all ages are so active. That is not surprising, since San Diego has over 70 miles of beaches and coastline, approximately 100 golf courses, and countless miles of trails for both hikers and horses. San Diego is also the home for the San Diego Chargers football team, as well as baseball’s San Diego Padres.
The gentle and relatively arid climate in San Diego presents the opportunity for year round outdoor sports and activities–as well as gardening. The Wikipedia chart below exemplifies this perfect climate:
| Weather Averages for San Diego | |||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F | 65.1 | 65.7 | 64.9 | 66.7 | 67.1 | 69.3 | 73.0 | 74.8 | 75.4 | 73.4 | 68.9 | 65.3 | 70.2 |
| Avg low °F | 48.9 | 50.7 | 52.9 | 55.6 | 59.2 | 61.9 | 65.7 | 67.3 | 65.7 | 61.0 | 54.0 | 48.7 | 55.0 |
| Avg high °C | 18.4 | 18.7 | 18.3 | 19.3 | 19.5 | 20.7 | 22.8 | 23.8 | 24.1 | 23.0 | 20.5 | 18.5 | 21.2 |
| Avg low °C | 07.3 | 08.3 | 09.5 | 11.0 | 13.3 | 15.2 | 17.3 | 18.3 | 17.0 | 13.9 | 10.0 | 07.5 | 12.8 |
| Precipitation (in) | 2.28 | 2.04 | 2.26 | 0.75 | 0.20 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 0.21 | 0.44 | 1.07 | 1.31 | 10.77 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 57.9 | 51.8 | 57.4 | 19.0 | 05.1 | 02.3 | 00.8 | 02.3 | 05.3 | 11.2 | 27.2 | 33.2 | 273.6 |
| Source: worldclimate.com January, 2007 | |||||||||||||
Many San Diego residents originally came as tourists and visitors, and returned to spend the rest of their days in this coastal paradise. San Diego’s central and outlying economy is amazingly sound and diverse. San Diego County is a large and fertile agricultural center that also offers a broad employment base in manufacturing, aerospace, technology, aircraft and shipbuilding, as well as scientific and medical research. It is also one of the largest biotech centers in not only the United States, but the world.
San Diego’s Balboa Park area is the largest urban cultural center in the United States. It is home to not only the world famous San Diego Zoo, but to 15 different museums including an aerospace museum, art and history museums, science museum, railroad museum, and the Old Globe Theater(s). Here both locals and visitors find an ever-changing venue of exhibitions, plays, musicals and events. Though there is an admission fee to the museums and theatrical performances, entrance to the park is free.
Other attractions in San Diego would include:
Things to Do With Kids in San Diego
San Diego Chargers Football Team
San Diego Padres Baseball Team
San Diego Library (it’s not just books anymore!)
San Diego County includes not only the City of San Diego, but also a number of other incorporated cities and towns:
Carlsbad (including La Costa and Aviara)
Chula Vista
El Cajon
Encinitas (including Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia and Olivenhain)
Escondido
Imperial Beach
La Mesa
Lemon Grove
National City
Poway
Santee
Solana Beach
Vista
Neighborhoods and communities within the City of San Diego would include the following:
| Please feel free to click through this site to explore communities and real estate in and throughout San Diego County, including beach communities such as Coronado, La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside. For more inland serenity, golf and sunshine, you may want to look at luxury real estate and homes� in Rancho Santa Fe, Cielo, The Crosby, The Bridges, Santa Luz, La Costa,� and Carmel Valley.� Also in high demand are homes, condos and horse properties� in San Marcos, Lake San Marcos, Vista, Fallbrook, and the lovely� Warner Springs.� If you have any questions about these San Diego neighborhoods or other areas and communities please feel free to call or email and we’ll share all we can!Real estate listing information provided throughout this site is intended for consumer’s personal and non-commercial use. Listing data for San Diego properties is provided through Sandicor, San Diego County’s Multiple Listing Service.� Every attempt is made to update listing information on a daily basis, so that your search for properties will be as meaningful as possible.San Diego’s real estate market remains a lively one, and has become a very favorable one for home buyers.� Inventory levels are at much healthier levels than before, and in some cases we are negotiating short sales for our home buyers and sellers. It is a busy market! Almost daily, we receive calls and emails from people seeking relocation to San Diego coastal communities–or from locals seeking to upgrade or downsize. And of course, there are some who simply wish to pocket a tax-free gain they may have acquired by living in their home for two of the last five years. The San Diego real estate market is a very fluid one!If you are thinking of selling, we have buyers. If you are seeking to buy, we know San Diego and which properties might meet your needs.� We look forward to working with you and your relocation needs!Be sure to check out consumer links, school information, free reports,useful tools, and real estate answers too.Thanks for visiting San Deigo’s online real estate source. Please bookmark this site for future reference, come back often, and make yourself at home. We’ll leave the door open and the lights on! | |
The search for San Diego real estate and homes in the area might include any one of these cities–or unincorporated areas of San Diego County. To check availabilities, please feel free to call any member of The Murphy Group at 877-818-8197–or search the San Diego MLS online.
San Diego: Not So Stressful
August 19th, 2010 Categories: San Diego, San Diego Real Estate
Ranked, in order:
- Las Vegas (24/7 economy, latchkey kids, high divorce rate)
- Los Angeles
- Houston
- Tampa
- Riverside
- Miami
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- New York City
- Chicago
- Detroit
San Diego remains a predictable paradise. Our commute times aren’t horrid, the economy is improving, beautiful weather usually beckons, and even our home prices are becoming more attractive.
| Currently No Comments »
US Soldiers in Afghanistan Need Your Help
July 8th, 2010 Categories: San Diego, San Diego Real Estate
Note: This article has absolutely nothing to do with San Diego real estate–and everything to do with helping our brave soldiers serving abroad.
Our son Mark has been deployed to Afghanistan, and will celebrate his 21st birthday this weekend in a remote US Army COB (Contingency Operations Base) in a rural Afghan Province. I already had two boxes packed with his favorite snacks, some DVD’s from his brothers, personal toioletries– along with magazines and some requested power cords.
He called yesterday morning from a larger FOB (Forward Operating Base), from which he was to depart within the next 24 hours or so. It seems even more basic supplies are needed by our soldiers. These items are not even available for local purchase and include such basics as laundry detergent, towels, wash cloths, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, disposable razors, sunscreen and so on.
A third box has already been packed with these necessities. Still, I can’t help but wonder about and agonize over soldiers who may not have folks shopping for and shipping to them from halfway around the world.
What are these soldiers to do?
Distressed, I placed a call yesterday morning to the office of our local Congressman, Brian Bilbray. An assistant, Case, patiently listened to my tirade:
How can our government plan a surge into Afghanistan, and not make arrangements for soldiers to locally acquire these very basic necessities?
Until the matter is resolved, we can take steps to help out our soldiers by sending packages to those who receive little if any mail from home. This note from Sgt Aden Martinez says much–and provides a way for us to reach out:
28 Jun 2010
Hello, we are a Recon Platoon that was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. We are part of the 2/2 Stryker Cavalry Regiment. We work as the “eyes and ears” of our unit and provide vital information for our Leaders. We appreciate your support and your prayers for us. We’d enjoy snacks that can be taken on our long, small grouped missions like: beef jerky, Jolly Ranchers (hard candy), granola bars, protein bars, and small nutritious snacks.
Our living conditions off work are in buildings with 220 and 110 power, we are allowed microwaves in our rooms so we’d like to request some popcorn packs and some Ramen Noodles would be great. Personal hygiene products would be really appreciated since we don’t have a PX (store) to resupply our shaving razors, soap, deodorant bars, tooth paste or toothbrushes, and if you could, some laundry detergent would be useful too.
We have time use to use our gym facility as well, so if anybody would like to send us some protein powder and multivitamins we would definitely appreciate those. Our Platoon works on long range missions as well and carrying water is cumbersome but important. If anybody has some Nalgene bottles or Camelback pouches they’d like to donate we’d greatly appreciate that as well.
Well, thank you all so much for your help and support and I hope that I have been as specific as possible. We’ll definitely keep you posted on our boys out here doing their part to serve OUR county. Thank You.
SSG Adan Martinez
Attn: Any Soldier®
FOB Apache
HHC, 2/2 SCR
APO AE 09383
Sgt. Martinez will deliver packages, cards and letters to soldiers who receive little from home. The US Post Office offers free 12×12x5.5 boxes for mailing–and postage need only be paid for shipment to New York. Expect package delivery to take 2-3 weeks.
For additional information about how you can reach out to soldiers serving abroad, visit http://AnySoldier.com
| Currently No Comments »
Oceanside Terraces and $1000 Costco Card
June 21st, 2009 Categories: Oceanside real estate, San Diego, San Diego Real Estate
Oceanside Terraces at 301 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA has to the potential to be one of the hottest coastal real estate deals in San Diego–and you could end up with a $1000 Costco gift card to boot !
On Sunday, July 19 individual units in the Oceanside Terraces condo development are slated to go to auction at the Carlsbad Sheraton Hotel. Eve Sieminski, Scott, Mike and others have spent the last 15 months representing the builder and this project and know it inside and out. We know the best units–and also have a very good idea where successful bidding might start. Additionally, we are intimately familiar with other developments that are slated for the parking lots in front of Oceanside Terraces.
For example, how about a 1947 square foot corner unit that will NOT lose its current ocean view–and that just might be had for a minimum bid of $295,000??? This represents a 61 percent price reduction from the original asking price of $759,900! (We only wish we could have had these prices–and financing–when we were selling these residences).
We met earlier this week, and have decided to offer a $1000 Costco gift card to buyers whom we (Eve, Mike, Scott or me) officially represent and who close on one of these condos with us post-auction. To qualify for the gift card, one of us at San Diego Previews must accompany you on your first visit, officially register you with the auction company, appear with you at the auction and accompany you to the closing table. Additionally, we understand the builder may be offering $1500 toward your closing costs.
It is also important that you be pre-approved with one of the builder’s lenders. Please give one of us a call to make an appointment for the registration process and to preview available units. If you wish to see prior minimum pricing, you will also need to sign a buyer-broker registration agreement.
If we both jump through the required hurdles, you are represented by San Diego Previews– and you are the successful auction bidder, at close of escrow you will also receive a $1000 Costco gift card compliments of San Diego Previews.
For additional information, call:
Eve Sieminski GRI 760-518-2264 (eve@sandiegopreviews.com)
Scott Murphy GRI 760-613-6190 (scott@sandiegoprviews.com)
Mike Murphy 760-402-9102 (mike@sandiegopreviews.com)
Roberta Murphy 760-402-9101 (roberta@sandiegopreviews.com)
For additional information about Oceanside Terraces:
Oceanside Terraces: Oceanside Urban Luxury
| Currently 10 Comments »
San Diego Chargers Move to Oceanside?
June 19th, 2009 Categories: Oceanside real estate, San Diego, San Diego Activities
Carlsbad, CA–A local radio station (100.7 Jack FM) reports that the San Diego Chargers may be reconsidering Oceanside as a site for the new Chargers Stadium. The targeted real estate for this project would be the old Valley drive-in site that sits on the north side of Route 76 in Oceanside, not far from the I-5 Freeway.
And according the the San Diego Union Tribune, a representative from Thomas Enterprises consulted with Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani regarding this proposal around six weeks ago. (Our ears are still close to the ground). Two years ago, the Chargers nixed the idea of building the new stadium at the Oceanside Center City Golf Course.
Also seriously considered for awhile was the site of Chula Vista’s huge power plant, but that prospect appears to have cooled–as have plans to build near the existing Qualcomm Stadium.
I think Oceanside’s old drive-in site would make an excellent location for a new Charger’s Stadium–far better than anything in Chula Vista. It is close to Interstate 5 and with that North County location, would attract Chargers fans and money from Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. It is also not far from the Oceanside Train Station, and would be fairly easy to run shuttles from station to stadium.
This move to Oceanside would keep the Chargers in the San Diego area, keep $ millions in our local economies, and would provide employment for countless workers both pre-and post-construction. It may also be one of our best opportunities to keep the Chargers on home soil.
| Currently 1 Comment »
Mardi Gras Fun in San Diego
February 15th, 2009 Categories: San Diego, San Diego Activities
by Scott Murphy
Most of us won’t be able to make the Mardi Gras fun in New Orleans, but not to worry, mon cheri. San Diego has special plans for a Mardi Gras celebration on 2/24/2009 that promises some outrageous fun.
The San Diego Gaslamp area in downtown San Diego will host the Mardi Gras fun starting at 6 p.m. The celebration this year will include two wickedly fun parades on Fifth Avenue, which will start at about 7 p.m. and last about one hour each. Additionally, there will be a block party with bands playing at several stages.
Beads? Bring beads, share beads, catch beads–there will be lots to go around.
San Diego’s Mardi Gras event will happen, rain or shine and is a 21-and-up event. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at entry gates.
Advance tickets can be purchased online for $15 at http://www.gaslamp.org. Proceeds will benefit GQA (Gaslamp Quarter Association).
Come join the fun. I plan to be there with video camera and just may catch you on tape!
| Currently 1 Comment »
San Diego Real Estate Investors Rejoice!
February 11th, 2009 Categories: Carlsbad Real Estate, San Diego, San Diego News, San Diego Real Estate
Carlsbad, California–According to Fannie Mae and effective March 1, 2009 real estate investors can once again own and finance up to 10 individual properties–instead of the current four.
San Diego real estate investors, though, will have to meet new minimum requirements:
Those buying a 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th home must meet the following standards set forth by Fannie Mae:
- 720 credit score
- 25% down payment for a 1-unit (30% for a 2-4 unit)
- No mortgage delinquencies in the last 12 months
- 6 months of reserves for each investment property
In other words, Fannie Mae is re-opening the lending spigot for real estate investors having good credit, ample reserves and a sizeable down payment . Logically, Fannie Mae believes that this change will allow investors to “play a key role in the housing recovery.” That is because under current guidelines, investors with four or more properties–and who are going to foreclosure auctions–were unable to obtain mortgage funds under Fannie Mae guidelines. Instead, they were forced to use “hard money” loans–or cash reserves to complete their purchases.
This change should help expedite the San Diego foreclosure liquidation process–and provide more support for the San Diego housing market.
And finally, homeowners with more than four properties will be able to participate in the ongoing conforming mortgage Refi boom. Until now, they, too, have been stymied by the four-property restriction.
For additional reading:
Let’s Resurrect Assumable Loans
Want to Modify Your San Diego Home Loan?
San Diego Real Estate News Upbeat–Sorta
San Diego Foreclosures Take a Holiday
| Currently No Comments »
For the Pampered San Diego Home Garage
February 2nd, 2009 Categories: Carlsbad Real Estate, San Diego
Carlsbad, California–In an organized home garage and an ideal world, every car has its space
A good number of San Diego homeowners, though, use their garage for purposes other than parking their cars. Garages are often converted to home gyms, to play areas for kids–and most frequently, for storage.
For those San Diego homes that actually use their garages for parking cars, though, we have discovered a simple tool that will flash an alert when a car pulls too far forward in the garage–which could nick the car’s paint and finish. An inexpensive and portable Flashing Garage Parking Signal
The device is an adjustable, 44-inch tall parking aid that lights up red when touched by a car. It comes with a weighted base to prevent slippage ,and its pole is flexible to protect cars (and itself) from damage.
Aside from two batteries, no assembly is required. Just place the device on the floor of your garage where you want your front bumper to stop– and you’ll get a perfect, nick-free park job every time.
In fact, I am thinking of carrying one of these gizmos around for parallel parking on city streets. Think it might work?
The Flashing Garage Parking Signal
| Currently 2 Comments »
San Diego Home Safety: Portable Electric Space Heaters
January 20th, 2009 Categories: San Diego, San Diego News
San Diego’s balmy weather can turn nippy on winter mornings, but sometimes it’s not really cold enough to turn up the thermostat.
For spot heating, many homeowners in Southern California are turning to portable electric space heaters. Frequently, it’s more efficient to plug one in than to raise the household thermostat by a degree or two
Caution is advised, though, when using a portable heaters because they not always as safe as they are simple. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2005, space heaters were responsible for:
- 32% of home heating-related fires
- 57% of home heating-related property damage
- 73% of home heating-related civilian death
Space heaters cause a disproportionate amount of damage versus central heating systems and fireplaces. Therefore, it’s important to practice safety and care when using space heaters–and keep them away from flammable materials
Some other basic space heater safety tips include:
- Don’t place anything that can burn within three feet away of the space heater.
- Make sure that your space heater has the label of a recognized testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratory.
- Never use an extension cord on a space heater.
- Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed
And, of course, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions
Source
Heating Safety Tips
National Fire Protection Agency
| Currently No Comments »
California and San Diego Voters Have Spoken
November 5th, 2008 Categories: San Diego, San Diego Beaches
California and San Diego Voters
At election time in California, it is always interesting to see what issues voters put on the ballots with their Propositions-and the voting results are always interesting.
Yesterday, California and San Diego voters passed or voted down the following issues:
Passed the controversial Propositon 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California.
Passed Proposition 2, which calls for the humane treatment of farm animals.
Defeated Propositon 4, which would have required parental approval for California teen abortions.
Passed Proposition 1-A, which will provide high speed train service between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Locally, San Diego County voters
Passed Propositon D, which bans alcohol consumption on San Diego beaches.
Passed Proposition K, which will keep sand on Encinitas beaches.
Passed Propositon H, which increases Del Mar’s bed-tax, or transient occupancy tax (TOT), on Del Mar hotel and vacation rental stays to 13 percent.
Defeated Propositon O, which would have put San Marcos redevelopment and growth plans on the skids.
Passed Proposition S, the San Diego School Bond measure.
As a side note, Controversial San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre was defeated by Judge Jan Goldsmith.
These are only a few on the propositions and choices put before California and San Diego voters yesterday, but are some I was following with interest. And the issue that somehow excites me the most is the prospect of having a high speed train running between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That, of course, would also help connect San Diego to San Francisco via rail–and I am already fantasizing about the trip.
| Currently 4 Comments »
San Diego Real Estate Independents
November 1st, 2008 Categories: San Diego, San Diego Market Trends, San Diego News, San Diego Real Estate
The plural of anecdote is not data , (J.K. Galbreath), but sometimes anecdotal evidence evolves into verifiable data–especially when the landscape is littered with dead canaries.
In this case, I am referring to casualties in real estate brokerage–particularly in the San Diego real estate market. For the last couple of decades, we heard the warnings and saw lots of anecdotal evidence that small brokerages and Mom and Pop realty shops were being absorbed by big blue franchises such as Prudential, Coldwell Banker, ReMax and the like.
Few thinking of starting a real estate brokerage business in those days would consider doing so without an umbilical cord tied to one of the big franchises. In exchange for around 6 percent of an office’s commission flow (and substantial buy-in fees), the franchise provided national advertising, referrals–and strict guidelines for local operations. Everything from signs to stationery to office location were subject to franchise approval.
For 25 years, real estate franchises dominated the landscape and data suggested that it would be nigh to impossible to exist without the franchise umbilical cord–and that independent real estate companies would go the way of the blacksmith, the eight track player and full service gas stations.
But then the real estate market crashed–and crashed hard. Consolidation became the guiding buzzword (anecdotally and in the San Diego real estate market that I observe) as offices closed merged and downsized. In Coronado, I hear, there were once four offices representing a certain franchise. There is now one.
In fact, because of so many office closures, one might think that it would be difficult to find a real estate office in San Diego, but that is not the case–because a surprising phenomena has been occurring during the last couple of years:
The proliferation of the independent real estate brokerage.
When San Diego’s real estate market shattered, homes may have remained intact, but in defiance of conventional wisdom, small independent brokerages proliferated. Most broke away from large San Diego franchises like Prudential California Realty, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, various Century 21 offices, ReMax and the like.
I’m not sure hard numbers exist, but the anecdotal evidence does. New real estate companies with fun names are dotting the once orderly landscape. Kris and Steve Berg broke away from Prudential California Realty and San Diego Castles Realty and formed –and we are currently in escrow with Pineapple Hut Realty. Then, of course, when Sotheby’s International Realty closed its doors in San Diego, we decided to transform Sotheby’s Murphy Group into San Diego Previews Real Estate.
And I swear there are hundreds dozens of other real estate brokers who have done the same thing.
And rather than sending 6 percent of our earnings up a one-way umbilical cord, we can now spend that money locally and better serve our clients with the money saved. Additionally, the internet has drastically changed the way people shop for homes. Savvy home sellers are demanding a strong online presence for their homes–and also know that Google may tell them more about their prospective Realtor® than any glossy flip chart or resume.
Five years ago, none of us expected that we would be selling homes five years out for less than what they sold for then. Nor did we expect our franchise brokerages to be closing doors and offices.
But someone wiser than I once commented about change and how to avoid ulcers by adapting to what life throws your way:
If you fall in the mud puddle, check your pockets for fish.
….and of course, to be grateful for the unexpected gifts that come our way.
You may also be interested in reading:
When the Tails Wags the Dog
Tips for San DIego Home Buyers
Weasels in the Chicken Coop: Loan Fraud in San Diego
| Currently 6 Comments »
