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Carlsbad, CA Real Estate News

By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Carlsbad Flower Fields Up Close I attended a CRS Networking Event with 25 other Southern California Realtors this past Thursday for a couple of hours at the Carlsbad Flower Fields.  It was fun to see my CRS friends as well as to meet other agents I didn’t know. There was time to talk with each other before taking a tour. After the group photo we split up into small groups to leisurely walk through the gardens, and of course take lots of photos.  While I have often driven by the Flower Fields on Armada Drive on the hill above to the east which offers great panoramic views of the flowers and the ocean, I haven’t seen the flowers and the venue itself up close for years.   It was a sunny day with a cool ocean breeze, although the marine layer moved in before the event was over so it was pre...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
2024 Carlsbad Village Street Faire is May 5 One of our more popular arts and craft fairs returns to Carlsbad Village on Sunday May 5, 2024. The Carlsbad Village Street Faire is reportedly the largest outdoor 1-day fair in the US, other than its counter-part, the Carlsbad Village Faire in November. This is the 50th year for this fair! The Carlsbad Village Street Faire takes place from 8 am until 5 pm, so there is ample time to enjoy over 900 vendors and shop all you want. The Carlsbad Village Faire takes place in the heart of the Village, along Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson. The Faire spills over onto side streets, too. (photo is from another art fair in the Village in the same area).  Given the number of vendor booths much of the public parking will not be available ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Our Monarch Caterpillar Nursery The nursery is doing well and so are the 10 Monarch Caterpillars, doing what caterpillars do. The Monarch Butterfly visited our back patio several weeks ago and spent quite a bit of time landing on the milkweed plants repeatedly. We didn't see any eggs left behind but that may simply have been our vision as Monarch eggs are supposedly quite small. A couple weeks ago my wife saw a couple of very small caterpillars on one of the milkweed plants and now there are 10 (there were a couple others but they didn't make it for long). They have grown pretty substantially which we hope will help at least some of them survive and move into the next phase (chrysalis), and not become a tasty meal for one of the many birds in our yard. I suspect the mortality rate for c...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA – Dining There are plenty of reasons to love living in, or visiting, Carlsbad CA. That includes our beaches, the arts, dining, shopping, recreational opportunities, tourist stuff, housing, sports, parks and greenspace, and our weather. In this article the focus is on dining options, and wow, are they plentiful.  I thought the dining options were fair when we moved here from Boston in 2005, but things have really improved with plenty of new restaurants in recent years. Granted, our dining scene is not LA, New York, San Francisco, Boston or Chicago, but the overall quality and diversity is pretty good given the size of our Village by the Sea. Just a quick disclaimer. I have eaten at most of the places I mention, but not all. And no one has requested t...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for September 2023 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to shift, with changes from August and 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in generalities. As a result they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more - How Local IS Local?). Current information, and analysis, about local market conditions benefits you when you need to make important buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale.   READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBAD Carlsbad Village by the Sea 89 homes sold in Carlsbad in September (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 5% few...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA~ Shopping ~ There are plenty of reasons to love living in, or visiting, Carlsbad CA. That includes our beaches, the arts, dining, shopping, recreational opportunities, tourist stuff, housing, sports and our weather. In this 5th article in my series the focus is on the shopping opportunities. I confess I am not a big shopper. Oh, I go when needed – groceries, clothes, supplies – but I don’t spend a lot of time out shopping. But I’ve learned a lot in my travels about all the options, so here’s a summary of some of what shoppers can expect in Carlsbad.  MALLSIf you are interested in the mall-type shopping experience, there are 4 major ones (excluding smaller strip malls). The Shoppes at Carlsbad in the north just south of the 78 freeway offers a host o...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA~ Beaches ~ There are plenty of reasons to love living in, or visiting, Carlsbad CA. That includes our beaches, the arts, dining, shopping, recreational opportunities, tourist stuff, housing, sports and our weather.  In this article the focus is on the Carlsbad beaches. Carlsbad has about 7 miles of beach, from the Oceanside border at Point Malo and the mouth of the Buena Vista Lagoon to the north, and south along the Coast Road/Historic Route 101 to the Leucadia area of Encinitas.  There are lots of different beaches by name (e.g., Terramar, Warm Waters, Hole in the Fence, South Ponto, Frazee, Tamarack, Jetties, Carlsbad State Beach). However, it’s hard to tell where each one starts and ends, and perhaps it really doesn’t matter. It's one uninterrup...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
2023 Carlsbad Oktoberfest~ October 7 ~ The 41st annual Carlsbad Oktoberfest is Saturday, October 7, just 2 weeks from now! Carlsbad’s popular annual Oktoberfest Family Fall Festival, for years traditionally taking place the 1st Saturday in October, will be held at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. The festival runs from 12 noon until 8 pm. Entrance fee (separate from food and drink) is $10 and paid at the gate, with children 5 and under free. Parking is complimentary. This is a cashless event. (graphic courtesy of Pixabay)  As in the past the 2023 Oktoberfest is sponsored by Carlsbad’s 2 rotary clubs – the Rotary Club of Carlsbad, and the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club. The festival is a major fundraiser for the Carlsbad Rotary Clubs. There are other event sponsors, as well. Come enjoy a t...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
2023 Halloween Pumpkin Plunge~ Alga Norte Aquatic Center in Carlsbad ~ Fall is almost here, and stores are filled with Halloween decorations. The local pumpkin patches are opening soon, and it’s only 3 weeks to the 2023 Pumpkin Plunge in Carlsbad. This popular annual floating pumpkin patch is held at the Alga Norte Aquatics Center in South Carlsbad (La Costa area), at 6565 Alicante Road (at the corner of Poinsettia Lane), on Saturday October 14th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. (photo below) Carlsbad kids get to lasso their favorite pumpkin from the floating pumpkin patch with a hula hoop to take them home for carving, decorating and Halloween festivities.  Be sure to bring a bathing suit so you can enjoy all the fun in the pool! The fun out of the pool will include several Halloween-themed lawn ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA~ The Arts Part 3 ~ The arts are just one of many reasons to love living in Carlsbad CA.  In Part 1 of this series on the arts in Carlsbad we talked about theater and film including outdoor movies. Part 2 focused on the abundant music offerings in Carlsbad. Part 3 is about the visual arts, including galleries, art fairs, wall murals, sculpture and more. VISUAL ARTS Visual art in Carlsbad covers a wide range of public art such as sculpture and wall murals scattered around town, among other things. Here’s a link to an interactive site that shows where public art is located in the town. Just keep your eyes open, especially in the Village and you are sure to spot murals, painted utility boxes and fire hydrants, and more. WALL MURALSThe Carlsbad Art Wall ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Carlsbad Village LifestyleThe Carlsbad Sculpture Garden The Carlsbad Sculpture Garden near Carlsbad Village is a wonderful place to enjoy an outdoor stroll while enjoying beautiful works of art. The venue is small so you can enjoy the exhibit in a matter of minutes…or spend more time reflecting on what you see. The Carlsbad Sculpture Garden features changing exhibits of mid and large scale sculpture by local and regional artists in an intimate setting adjacent to the Georgina Cole Library. The Carlsbad Sculpture Garden is funded by the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office.   The current exhibit at the Carlsbad Sculpture Garden features works by 7 different sculptors. The show entitled Geometric Garden is on display until August 30, 2024.  You can tour the sculpture garden in Carlsbad for free,...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA ~ The Arts - Part 2 ~ In Part 1 of this 3-part series on the Arts in Carlsbad we talked about theater and film/outdoor movies. In Part 2 we’ll focus on music in all its various forms in Carlsbad. The arts are just one of multiple reasons to love living in Carlsbad or visiting. And there are lots of popular options where music is concerned. The following is just a sampling of the music options throughout the year in Carlsbad. MUSIC TGIF CONCERTS IN THE PARKSThe TGIF Concerts offer a variety of different live bands, performing on consecutive Fridays each Summer in 4 of Carlsbad’s beautiful community parks. While in recent years there were more concerts each Summer, in 2023 there were 6 concerts.  What a great way to spend several hours in a beautiful ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA ~ The Arts - Part 1 ~ There are plenty of reasons to love living in Carlsbad CA, the arts just being one of them. As an art lover and collector (and former art gallery owner), it’s a topic I enjoy talking about and sharing with others who may be like-minded and enjoy the arts.  And I keep learning about new things in Carlsbad, too! Certainly, there is a broad range of art available in Carlsbad, depending on your passion and preference. You’ll find performing arts (theater, live music), visual arts (galleries, arts and craft fairs), film and more. There are multiple opportunities throughout the year to enjoy whatever artistic endeavor pleases you. And of course, you can try new things, too! In Part 1 of this 3-part series on enjoying the arts in Carl...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for August 2023 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to shift, with changes from July and 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in generalities. As a result they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more -  How Local IS Local?). Up-to-date information, and analysis, about local market conditions will benefit you when making important buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 94 homes sold in Carlsbad in August (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 10% fewer sales tha...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
 2023 San Diego Restaurant WeekSeptember 24 - October 1 Food lovers no doubt will be thrilled. San Diego Restaurant Week is September 24th through October 1st. This is the 2nd of 2 events for 2023 with 8 days of dining opportunities. San Diegans can enjoy a wide range of food offerings at terrific prices at dozens of restaurants all over San Diego! How can a dedicated food lover go wrong with all these options? The challenge will be deciding where to dine. San Diego Restaurant Week is about reduced prices on fixed price multi-course menus for lunch, brunch and/or dinner. You’ll even find a drink included as a course at some eateries. Be aware that not all restaurants offer 3 meals - many may just have dinner. Restaurants are found across a wide geography, including downtown, inland/East...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Rustic Tomato Tart~ A Dedication ~ I don’t normally share recipes here. But this is a dedication to 2 of our AR chefs, Endre Barath, Jr. and Will Hamm, who often share delicious recipes and beautiful photos with those of us who appreciate good eating. And who doesn’t?! We have this a couple of times each year, and made it multiple times to take to the Hollywood Bowl Concerts in LA. It’s great right out of the oven (let it cool a little), or at room temperature.  I can’t claim chef status on this recipe – I am the sous chef while my wife, Kay, makes the crust, and the filling and assemble the tart. But it’s a vital role to the success of the dish. Fresh herbs are a must (thyme, basil, Italian parsley), as well as the freshest tomatoes you can find. Heirloom tomatoes work well, as do roma...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
ArtWalk Carlsbad~ September 9 and 10, 2023 ~ The 4th Annual ArtWalk Carlsbad is just a few weeks away on September 9 and 10. No doubt artists and art lovers alike are thrilled since this is a popular event. The inaugural ArtWalk Carlsbad was in 2018 and I had a great time then, and in 2022. Unfortunately, the 2020 and 2021 ArtWalks were canceled due to the pandemic. (Photos are from ArtWalk Carlsbad 2022.)  ArtWalk San Diego, the organization that produces the Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy and the ArtWalk @ Liberty Square, is the organizer of this popular 2-day art festival in North San Diego County. Multiple sponsors also help make this art event affordable for attendees and artists. ArtWalk Carlsbad is free to attend, and will offer more than 150 local, regional and internat...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Morning Glories  We have a pot of Morning Glories (several colors) on our back patio that have been blooming for weeks. It's such a pleasure to see them daily right outside the back door. Thankfully the blooms, especially the darker purple, have been abundant, since Morning Glory blossoms open in the morning and typically wither by midday or so. They don't last long but are glorious while they do! And it's such an appropriate name for them!
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Taste of Carlsbad Village~ October 12, 2023 ~ The 6th Annual Taste of Carlsbad Village returns in 2023 to the Village on October 12th. So why announce this almost 2 months early? First, the Taste of Carlsbad Village is historically very popular, selling out quickly each year. And second, tickets go on sale September 4 at 9 am so you’ll want to get that on your calendar. Carlsbad food lovers will spend 3 hours on Thursday October 12th on a self-guided tour with map and Passport (the ticket), tasting their way around charming Carlsbad Village. So what is the appeal? Why, the opportunity to enjoy bite-sized samples from dozens of local popular restaurants. This is a terrific opportunity to check out eateries you don’t know or haven’t tried, plus enjoy your favorites, too! Here’s a list of ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Carlsbad Art Wall for August 2023 The 4th Carlsbad Art Wall (#CAW) mural of 2023 was completed last week. And it’s a very special journey under the sea....certainly appropriate for our seaside community. The wall was painted by Anna Pearson, who moved to California from the Ukraine.  This is the 37th mural since the Carlsbad Art Wall was founded. There has been some amazing diversity, creativity, and beauty over the past 8 years.   The Carlsbad Art Wall was founded in 2015 by Carlsbad artist, Bryan Snyder in cooperation with the owner of Senor Grubby’s Mexican Restaurant in Carlsbad Village The Carlsbad Art Wall gives residents and visitors an opportunity to enjoy temporary public art by local, regional, and sometimes even international artists. Bryan Snyder also founded the Carlsbad Al...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Our Monarch Caterpillar is Growing A number of weeks ago we saw a Monarch butterfly in our back yard, visiting different flowers. Since they love milkweed plants, and lay their eggs on them, we went out and bought a plant. We lucked out. One day we saw an egg on one of the leaves. And before long we had a small caterpillar devouring milkweed leaves and growing rapidly. Unfortunately the plant did not have a lot of leaves and the caterpillar ate them all. Yesterday we couldn’t see it on the plant but located it down inside the outer pot. We were able to get the caterpillar onto a potted parsley plant but it didn’t seem to care for the parsley (TOP PHOTO). My wife went out and bought a new milkweed with lots of leaves today. We cut the small parsley stem and put it right next to the milkw...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
What’s the Value of My Carlsbad Home? Carlsbad Market Report for July 2023 The Carlsbad real estate market continues to shift, with changes from June and 1 year ago. Private sales, mobile homes and multi-family housing are not included (the numbers are taken from the MLS and believed to be accurate when reported but are not guaranteed). Media reports speak in generalities. As a result they do not reflect local Carlsbad housing market conditions (read more - How Local IS Local?). Up-to-date information, and analysis, about local market conditions will benefit you when making important buying and/or selling decisions about Carlsbad homes for sale. READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBADCarlsbad Village by the Sea 105 homes sold in Carlsbad in July (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), 18% more sales than in ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Leo Carrillo Film Festival in Carlsbad Carlsbad’s weather and pleasant summer evenings are a great opportunity to enjoy being outdoors. If you enjoy historic movies, the annual film festival at the former ranch of Hollywood actor Leo Carrillo may be just the thing. The Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park in Carlsbad will host the 17th Annual Leo Carrillo Film Festival. The festival is on 3 consecutive Friday nights - August 18, August 25 and September 1. The Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park is a wonderful preservation of the land, hacienda, and other buildings owned by popular Hollywood film and TV star Leo Carrillo. Leo Carrillo is perhaps best known as Pancho in the 1950s TV series “The Cisco Kid”. A visit to this historic park in the heart of the Rancho Carrillo master planned community...
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