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Encinitas, CA Real Estate News

By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
What’s the Value of my Encinitas Home? Encinitas Market Report for September 2024 It’s essential that Encinitas sellers and buyers have up-to-date information about local market conditions, and the impact they have on buying and selling, in order to make informed decisions about Encinitas homes for sale. Here’s what happened in the September 2024 housing market in Encinitas, based on information from the MLS (private sales are not included nor are manufactured, mobile, or multi-family homes). These statistics are believed reliable when this report was written but are not guaranteed. READ MORE: Encinitas – An Eclectic Seaside CommunityLeucadia- Surfers' Beach Community in Encinitas CA 31 homes sold in Encinitas in September, 26% fewer sales than last month. Here’s the breakdown of overal...
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By John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com)
Geocoding providers come in various flavors from the highly value added to barebones geo location.  Thank goodness for the US Census Bureau and their effort to geolocate the census data and offer it to the public for free.  This has resulted in a number of vendors offering nearly-for-free Tiger line (Census) geolocation capabilities.  That fact has brought prices down a LOT.  A good example is http://geocoder.us/. Having thanked the Tiger line vendors for bringing prices down, I have to say that the Tiger data is not particularly accurate (80-85%?, not sure).  But, if you have no other choice, you can still get 80+% of the homes, businesses, or other information geocoded so that you can display them on maps with this data.  That's good.  When investigating geo-coding services, there rea...
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By John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com)
We are a team of about 10 agents and one of our big focus points with sellers is the quality and intensity of our marketing. Consequently, we have been using a lot of color laser toner over the years. We began using a Minolta Magicolor color laser that had very, very reasonable color toner cartridges. To cheapen the cost, we would even pop the toner refill hole and refill the toner to get a second use from each cartridge. Unfortunately, that particular laser printer did not have the fuser heat (if memory serves me correctly) to fuse toner on thicker cover stocks and some coated stocks. So...we moved on. We then bought an HP Laserjet 4600 color laser, which is a nice workgroup printer that I've seen in many real estate offices. The toner was a little more expensive than the previous prin...
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By John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com)
A couple of years ago we incorporated and I set up a Wells Fargo business account because that's where my personal account was at the time.  In addition, we got a couple of business Visa cards so that we could charge business expenses to them.Everything went along OK, more or less.  I had one run-in early on from a rather nasty credit card person who was calling about my failure to pay on time.  I asked him what in the world was he talking about and why was he taking that tone with me, and I suggested that he remember that I was the customer.  He said that the bill had been issued and that I had not made the minimum payment on time.  I asked him about the balance, which I think he said was a couple of hundred dollars.  I then asked about the charges incurred during the billing cycle and...
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By John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com)
Interviewing a Real Estate Agent How do you choose the best real estate agent for your needs? INTERVIEW a few! You are going to spend some time with your agent and you need to feel comfortable with them as a person and as a professional in the business. A lot of our clients have been very educated professionals with little time to spend on locating their next home or preparing their current home for sale. This is why you hire us! We are a FULL-SERVICE TEAM who takes excellent care of our clients. When you call an agent for a phone interview, ask the following questions:  Where do you FOCUS your practice? (If they say all of San Diego, don't use them.) Do you ANSWER your own phone when I call? (Try it out later to make sure.) Do you work on the WEEKENDS/EVENINGS? (Some listing agents won...
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By John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com)
We do a lot of printing for our clients, and I'm responsible for the selection of our printers (since I create all the marketing materials).  One of the vendors that we use on a recurrent basis is 48HourPrint.com.48HourPrint.com has a number of benefits over your local printer.  First, they have two large printing facilities; one of them is in the midwest, and the other is in Phoenix.  These are LARGE printing facilities organized around volume printing.  This is what keeps the cost down.One of the things that they do that is innovative is they have their own PDF printer driver that you install on your PC.  After you have ordered and paid for a print job, you go to your production tool (Publisher, Photoshop) where your layout is and you print to their PDF printer driver.  It converts th...
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By Margaret Hokkanen, → Carlsbad Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com, Inc.)
In parts 1 and 2, I covered camera back, tripod, and lens for architectural photos.  In this last of 3 parts, I intend to cover other equipment and editing.I hope that I have persuaded a few readers that a great camera back and an architectural lens is a great combination.  To complete the equipment portion, one needs some flashes.  On the camera, I use a two foot extension cord on the hot shoe of the camera attached to a high-power Canon flash (550EX).  This is my primary flash and it has a great deal of power.  It has the capability of being completely automatic, but I leave it in manual mode for reasons I'll explain below.For secondary flashes, I use some Vivitar flashes that I bought for around $100 each.  These will not communicate with the Canon camera as they are completely manua...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
The holidays are upon us, with Thanksgiving just 4 days away. And so begins a series of holiday events in many of our coastal towns. Lots of trees are already up and decorated, residents are installing lights, and the holiday retail season is in full swing...like it or not.The Encinitas Holiday/Christmas parade will be held this year on Saturday December 1, beginning with a tree lighting at the Lumberyard Courtyard, a retail shopping center (on the coast highway, Route 101, at the south end of the downtown area) at 5:00 PM. This is the largest community event in Encinitas.This event has not been without controversy. In 2005 the name was changed by the Mayor from Holiday Parade to Christmas Parade, setting off a series of boycotts from past participants, calls and emails from both critic...
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By Margaret Hokkanen, → Carlsbad Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com, Inc.)
Many people relocating to the area want to know about the climate. They know that Encinitas and Carlsbad have a wonderful climate, but they want to know how close to the ocean they have to be to enjoy the coastal climate. For years we have talked about the various climate zones with an off-the-cuff kind of description. In response to these questions, we developed a map that shows the climate zone data made available from the County government. The map has the four climate zones of western San Diego clearly marked. On the web page, the zones are described and what it all means. Here's a zoomed in sample of the map. To see the page and the entire map, Click here to jump to the Encinitas/Carlsbad microclimate page. Of course, this is just one of the newest maps that we've implemented. We h...
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By Margaret Hokkanen, → Carlsbad Real Estate
(SurfTheTurf.com, Inc.)
In response to media coverage of the San Diego fires and the fires' devastation to homeowners, the SurfTheTurf.com Real Estate Team has combined various map data to allow homeowners to see fire zone risks, recent fire destruction, and climate zone data all on a single map. The Team has also released a prediction of possible high-risk areas that may be subject to devastation in the near future for current homebuyer consideration. The map may be viewed at www.EncinitasCarlsbad.com/page.cfm?page=InfoWildFires.Developed by John Hokkanen, lead realtor of the Team, the map combines fire zone risk data with 2003 and 2007 fire season burn data. It also overlays climate zone data showing the relationship of the marine, coastal, and transitional climate zones to the fire risk zones. The discussi...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
The Olivenhain Arts and Crafts Fair took place yesterday in Olivenhain at the Town Hall on Rancho Santa Fe Road just a hop, skip and jump from the heart of town. This was the 32nd annual fair - a well established tradition in the Encinitas area. It was a beautiful fall day, the first after almost a week of ugly gray weather, perfect for the folks who staffed their booths and displayed their creations (about 75 vendors but I'm not sure of the exact number).The fair ran from 9 until 4 with a good crowd throughout the day. Booths were scattered about in the park area surrounding the town hall, as well as in the hall itself, with plenty of parking and room to meander among the various artists and crafts people. The 4-H Club was there selling Dog Treat Wreaths, among other goodie. Something ...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Here are the Encinitashome sales statistics for October 2007 from our MLS (private sales and new construction development sales that are not in the MLS are not included here). (photo is of Moonlight Beach in Encinitas)Homes for sale - 199 detached, 71 attached (down 9% from September)51 detached and 14 attached homes came on the market in October196 detached and 69 attached homes have sold in the last 6 monthsAbsorption (inventory) is 6.2 months for detached (a increase from September) and 6.1 months for attached homes (also a modest increase)Average marketing time YTD is 77 days for attached and 60 days for detached (modest increases from September)Median sales price for detached - $871,000, about the same as SeptemberMedian sales price for attached - $450,000, a 2% drop from September...
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By Brian Lawrence
(Geneva Financial)
If your down payment on a home is less than 20 percent of the appraised value or sale price, you must obtain private mortgage insurance (PMI) with your lender.  PMI protects your mortgage lender against any default on the home loan. Because of this protection you are able to purchase a home with a lower down payment. Generally speaking, PMI drops off of your monthly payment once you have paid down your mortgage loan to 80% of the home value.  In some cases, you will need to request in writing that the PMI be removed at that point. It should also be noted that PMI has been made tax deductible for many American households for new mortgages in 2007.  The tax deductibility of mortgage insurance allows borrowers who qualify to more easily compare single mortgages with so called "combo loans...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Olivehain is an area within the town of Encinitas (like Cardiff is), on the eastern edge bordering Rancho Santa Fe, and a small portion of Carlsbad.    The Olivenhain community is characterized by rolling hills, large lots, many fences, lots of cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads, and a good number of horses, cyclists, and some pedestrians.   The town has an interesting policy of "dark skies" which limits outdoor lighting, allowing for better views of the moon, stars and night sky, in keeping with the rural atmosphere.   Colony Olivenhain (meaning Olive Grove), as it was originally called, was founded by a group of German immigrants from Denver who arrived in 1884. The area was originally called Ranchas Las Encinitas. These first residents were given 5-acre plots of land and granted the use...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Controversy was brewing in Encinitas but apparently was recently averted. And all because of a couple of boat houses.The boat houses are a great example of vernacular architecture, and stand out in the residential area near downtown Encinitas just a couple of blocks from the beach. Given the coastal area, such architecture is not, in my mind, a surprise.The two boat houses are actually apartments that are privately owned (there are 4 more rental units behind). The recent controversy in town had to do with the preservation of these historic properties (no, they are not real boats, but were built in 1928 from recycled lumber from the Moonlight Beach Dance Pavilion), in light of all the redevelopment that is occurring in town. Without protection, given the homes were to be sold, very likel...
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By Mike and Dawn Lewis, The Lewis Team at Keller Williams in San Diego CA
(The Lewis Team at Keller Williams)
Encinitas MLS Home Search San Diego To search the Encinitas MLS or to create your own custom Encinitas Home Search, please use our FREE tools at Dawn Sells San Diego. Encinitas San Diego California has many homes and condos that are available to preview 24 hours a day at San Diego's Fastest Home Search with the best tools and best maps for your Encinitas and San Diego Home search. We want to make your Encinitas home buying experience the best it can possibly be. Encinitas 92024 Encinitas MLS All Homes in Encinitas Search Encinitas MLS All Condos in Encinitas Search Encinitas MLS Custom Encinitas Real Estate Search        Encinitas Real Estate Regular Maps Encinitas Real Estate Satellite Maps Encinitas Real Estate Hybrid Maps Please contact us to help you with your Encinitas Real Estate ...
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By Hayden Gerson
(HPM Financial LLC)
In the last year over 100 mortgage lenders have gone out of business due to the "mortgage meltdown" as most of you might now it is getting much more difficult to qualify for mortgages in Encinitas. The reason it is difficult to qualify for your Encinitas mortgage is because guidelines have changed drastically. Even reverse mortgages in Encinitas are getting harder to qualify for, leaving many looking for a honest mortgage company in Encinitas.Since many mortgage brokers in Encinitas are going out of business, and others are not able to get you qualified, you need to call a reputable company to help you with your home mortgage in Encinitas. We here at America One Mortgage Group are a national company headquartered out of Encinitas California. We have offices in many states and fund milli...
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By Mike and Dawn Lewis, The Lewis Team at Keller Williams in San Diego CA
(The Lewis Team at Keller Williams)
Encinitas Real Estate Market Conditions - Fastest Home Search in San Diego with best maps FREE!  Your Encinitas Real Estate Experts Includes Zip Code 92024 Homes for Sale in Encinitas California Real Estate Update The Encinitas Real Estate market conditions for homes in the resale market in Encinitas shows that there were 11 homes sold in Encinitas in September of 2007. The average sold price of these homes was $1,159,806 and the average marketed price or list price was $1,252,117. The lowest priced home sold in Encinitas was $567,000 and the highest priced home sold was $2,586,875. This home overlooked the ocean on Neptune Avenue and although it was only 3 bedroom 2 bath and ... more at San Diego Real Estate Blog Condos for Sale in Encinitas California Real Estate Update Encinitas Cond...
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By Roberta Murphy, Carlsbad Real Estate and Homes
(San Diego Previews Real Estate)
It's time for North San Diego County gardners to clear out the ragged flower beds and make way for new growth.Thanks to the generosity of more than 100 local growers, Quali Botanical Gardens will be selling  donated tropical plants, fruit trees,plant books, bird houses and other items as part of their fund raising efforts.The sale takes place this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024.For additional information, call (760)436-3036, ext. 206. 
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Here are the Encinitashome sales statistics from the MLS for September 2007 (private sales and new construction development sales that are not in the MLS are not included here).Homes for sale - 222 detached, 75 attached (about the same as in August)50 detached and 18 attached homes came on the market in August (7 of these homes or 10% went into escrow in the month they came on the market)214 detached and 82 attached homes have sold in the last 6 monthsAbsorption (inventory) is 5.4 months for detached (a decrease from August) and 4.9 months for attached homes (a slight increase)Average marketing time was 72 days for attached and 59 days for detached (consistent with August)Median sales price for detached - $875,000, about the same as in AugustMedian sales price for attached - $460,000, s...
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By Jeff Dowler, CRS, The Southern California Relocation Dude
(eXp Realty of California, Inc.)
Most of the communities around me in Carlsbad offer Farmer's Markets throughout the year, either during the week or on weekends. Unlike back East where they only happened in the summer and fall, here we can enjoy the local produce year-round.In case you are interested, the San Diego Farm Bureau lists a good number of these markets (including the schedules), several of which I have visited...and they are well worth the time. The Carlsbad Farmer's Market is held on Wednesdays in the village from 1 - 5 PM and on Saturdays from 9 - 1. This is my favorite, but then I may be biased since I live in Carlsbad.The Farmer's Market in Encinitas is held every Sunday from 10 - 2 at the Paul Ecke Elementary School grounds on Vulcan Avenue in Leucadia, a funky, eclectic community with a strong surfing ...
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