The Coastal Communities of San Diego - Featuring the Crown Jewel of Them All- La Jolla Long regarded is one of the most prestigious communities in the United States, La Jolla is the spanish word for "Jewel" and no one could disagree that this unique and prestigious community was not aptly named.   La Jolla is built along the rugged and gorgeous coastline complete with coves, inlets, and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. The sunsets that once seen, will leave a lifelong impression of their amazing beauty.   La Jolla has its own version of the famous Beverely Hills,  Rodeo Drive.  Prospect Ave will dazzle you with Couture Fashions, Art Galleries , Custom and Estate Jewelry and Antiques that would satisfy the most discerning and refined taste. La Jolla is also known for it's world c... 03/25/2010

La Jolla Smash Burger Grand Opening on Prospect  Today I went to Smash Burger's grand opening in La Jolla on Prospect and it was packed. The cashiers keep the line moving very well but almost all the seats were filled. I love burgers especially Hodad's burgers in Ocean Beach but this burger is really juicy. Great tasting meat and really fresh egg bun. Hard to beat the price in La Jolla for a 1/3 pound burger $4.99! I will be back with the rest of my office. Yes I know I will post more real estate articles but it is refreshing to see a small burger business do so well in our current economy.Click on the burger to see my short video. Right after I shot the video the place was packed inside and out! <----Click picture of burger for short video Gary Giffin, Keller Williams La Jolla Realty, ... 03/24/2010

Check this Article out that was posted on MSN's Real Estate web site: Thought you might be interested in this: Homeowners in these cities suffer the most negative equity. http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=23709795&Gt1=35000 Somehow the article didn't surprise me putting Vegas at the top of the list and the usual suspects like Phoenix and Orlando...but where was San Diego?? We have always been in the top ten of the under water market since the market hit it's peak and started downward in August of 2005. San Diego's real estate market led the pack as being one of the first markets to crumble. Poor Cleavland! Their slide just looks depressing!! At least they had the Las Vegas slide well, looking like Vegas!!! 03/24/2010

I had a blast yesterday playing golf at Torrey Pines (South Course) in La Jolla, California. The weather was a little overcast, but the sun showed itself a few times!! I just wish I would have played better! For those of you who are familiar with the golf course, I am sharing a picture of the 13th hole. Cheers golf Gods!!! 03/23/2010

Living Room CafeMost of us love coffee shops, but often want more than just coffee. We want drink choices, but also an option to order food. The Living Room Cafe in La Jolla, which is half cool coffeehouse and half delicious bistro, gives you both. The Living Room, which has been around for 19 years, is cozy, but lively with indoor and outdoor seating - and killer views of both Prospect Street (for people watching) and the ocean. The staff is super-friendly, and the food is fresh and delicious. "Our food is eclectic. We have food from every region of the world. It's made fresh daily, and nothing on the menu is over 10 bucks," owner Sam Azzu said. "We do change the menu to accommodate tastes of customers. Right now, we have a lot of vegetarian and healthy choices."The drink menu is packe... 03/22/2010

I played golf yesterday at in Rancho Bernardo (Suburb of San Diego) at Oaks North Golf Course, a larger executive course. It was beautiful yesterday and the course is in great condition! I should have worn the sunscreen because I got almost as red as some of the flowers I saw on the course! These purple flowers were so vivid I had to get a picture of them to share on my blog! 03/21/2010

More expensive homes always take longer to market, if for no other reason than that there are so many fewer buyers who can afford the home.  That continues to be the case in La Jolla which is further aggravated by the stricter lending policiesThe bars represent months of inventory (that is, how many homes are on the market divided by how fast do they sell).  This is what defines a buyer's market or a seller's market.  Although there are a couple of buyer's market price ranges for detached homes, the majority of the activity (as represented by the lines) shows that it is mostly a neutral market.However, this is not the case for condos.  The active price range is clearly in a seller's market.  It is primarily as you move up in price beyond $1,000,000 that the condo market gets really weak... 03/20/2010

It's Friday about a little after three and it is BEACH TIME in LA JOLLA!!! What a beautiful day! The waves are looking really good today as well (even though I don't surf)! The water looks awesome, but very cold right now!!  Check out the picture of Wind-n-Sea Beach in La Jolla, California! 03/19/2010

May you always have... - 8 Irish Blessings for Luck- Beliefnet.com www.beliefnet.com Everyone loves Irish Blessings. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2010 with 8 classic Irish Blessings. May the luck of the Irish be with you all year long. I saw this on Beliefnet.Com and loved it so I thought I would share! I have been to Ireland only one time, but the beautiful green countryside and Irish pride I will never forget. I'm proud to be half Irish (middle name is Eileen)!...and of course Native Texan (Texas is it's own country)!!! Happy Saint Patrick's Day! 03/17/2010

http://www.smashburger.com  Website and menu There is NEW La Jolla hambuger joint called "Smash Burger" a fast-casual restaurant and it will open its first San Diego location on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. The restaurant will open at 1000 Prospect Street in La Jolla. Just so happens its only a block from my office so is Anyone up for a burger? Gary Giffin, Keller Williams La Jolla Realty,  located on 848 Prospect St.92037. If you'd like to learn more about Gary, visit his website, www.SanDiegoHomeSold.com or San Diego Coastal Real Estate at www.SanDiegoMLSHomeSearch.com , email him, garygiff@san.rr.com, or call him for an appointment at 858-401-0204 03/16/2010

La Valencia Hotel Offering Great Happy Hour and Hotel Room Deals Great Happy Hours and Hotel Room SpecialsNow at the La Valencia Hotel1132 Propect Steet La Jolla, Ca. 92037 Call               1-800-679-7707         1-800-679-7707 to book a hotel roomor get kore information or use the links below La Valencia Hotel information click here La Valencia Special Hotel Packages and Deals click here  The La Valencia Hotel La Jolla Village   The La Valencia hotel is having happy hour specials from4 PM to 7 PM at the Whaling Bar, La Salsa, or OceanviewTerrace Bar. The La Valencia happy hour specials include three dollarbottled beer, four dollar draft beers, five dollar glasses ofhouse wine, and seven dollar specialty cocktails. Wednesday nights include half-price bottles of wine witha large select... 03/15/2010

It was another beautiful day in paradise! It really feels like spring is here in La Jolla,CA! Check out the sunset pictures below that I took when walking the dogs today at the beach. I keep getting encouraged to share the sunset and ocean views. I will try and also post pictures from other San Diego beaches as well since these pictures are so popular. 03/12/2010

I was cruising home from the gym this afternoon and thought I would share some pictures of the ocean waves today! It has been really windy here in San Diego the past day or so....the waves are super intense!!! We have had some rain recently and that always clears the water up and brings out the blue/green. Needless to say, it was chilly when I took these today. 03/10/2010

The La Jolla real estate market is one of the most expensive in San Diego County. A visit to La Jolla on-line, or better yet in real life, will quickly give you a good sense of why this is so. La Jolla, "The Jewel," is an extraordinarily beautiful coastal community with many homes offering fabulous views of the ocean from the hills, and a trendy, very up-scale village offering the finest in shopping and dining. La Jolla has often been compared to the French and Italian Rivieras with wonderful ocean and coastline vistas from the hills, amazing homes, beautiful architecture, and a terrific year-round climate, attracting visitors from around the world. READ MORE: La Jolla Real Estate - A Jewel on the San Diego Coastline La Jolla California - VIDEO Tour of this Jewel by the Sea Mt. Soledad... 03/04/2010

Wow, the weather people said it was going to rain today but it didn't! We are having the most incredible sunsets and awesome ones in the past few days. It has been super clear here in La Jolla (San Diego) and considering we had a monsoon last weekend, it has been super clear! I'm always asked to share the sunsets so here is the latest La Jolla, CA. sunset! 03/03/2010

Here are the latest statistics from REBA, La Jolla's specialized real estate association. REBA tends to be more accurate then SANDICOR MLS. There is a big difference in volume of sales and also average price from 2007 to 2010. SALES OF LA JOLLA HOUSES DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY PENDING YEAR 2007 29 houses Volume $66,483,000 Average Price $2,292,500 YEAR 2008 10 houses Volume $30,159,000 Average Price $3,015,900 YEAR 2009 8 houses Volume $13,475,000 Average Price $1,684,300 YEAR 2010 16 houses Volume $28,393,000 Average Price $1,774,500 SOLD YEAR 2007 17 houses Volume $35,520,000 Average Price $2,089,400 YEAR 2008 11 houses Volume $31,327,000 Average Price $2,847,900 YEAR 2009 10 houses Volume $22,802,000 Average Price $2,280,200 YEAR 2010 7 houses Volume $12,402,000 Average Price $1,7... 03/02/2010

  La Jolla Boutique Hotels, Beachfront Resorts and Motels Offering Great Deals and Travel Packages La Jolla hotels, resorts and motels roll out special room rates and incentives for travelers! La Jolla California is known as one of the premier vacation spots in San Diego and Southern California for travelers and families to visit. The La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Village, Bird Rock and UTC area of La Jolla include 25 hotels, motels and resorts which showcase benefits for business and recreational trips and get-a-ways. La Jolla, like other parts of the United States, is experiencing its own challenges with the slowdown in the economy and for travelers and vacationers this means great deals on hotels and resorts in La Jolla. "I have never seen so many hotels offering such low rates, deals an... 03/01/2010

The number of closings between Jan./Feb.09 is close to the same about, this time last year La Jolla had 52 closings and 51 closings for Jan./Fed.10 up to Feb.26th 2010. The days on the market are pretty close to the same 71 in 2009 and 75 in 2010 and even the median sales price vs. list price is 91%/92% respectively. What is very different is the price per square foot has gone down drastically. The median sales price per square foot was $554 SP/SqFt and for 2010 it is $424.00 sales price per square foot for the same medium square foot home of an average of am 1,750 median square foot home. We can read into the market whatever the statistics say, but 2010 is going to be a fabulous time to purchase a home in the La Jolla real estate market. The median sales price has gone from $1,000,000 ... 02/26/2010

Ok, I had to share. I know that I just posted some beach pictures, but I'm sitting here at my home and can't help to notice how beautiful it is outside and want to share a couple of the pictures that I have taken here in La Jolla. It is supposed to rain later today, but my roses look so pretty against the ocean and it is so clear outside! I hope everyone enjoys them too and will help brighten a cold winter day. 02/25/2010

I have been watching the news and saw on Good Morning America that Philadelphia is getting hit again with a blizzard...the forth time this month! I just thought I would share some warmth and cheer from pictures I took yesterday at Wind n Sea Beach in La Jolla, CA. It was so beautiful and the one picture has a single surfer out for his last set before the sun went down. I am going to be sending some other pictures from today it is beautiful here, but we are expecting rain....believe me I'm not complaining! 02/25/2010