Today I want to let you in on a little secret called, “Golden Hill.” While most of you out there have heard of South Park by now, you may not know that that neighborhood plus the surrounding area all used to be known as “Golden Hill.” By now though, little pockets have began to identify themselves and Golden Hill has now become more established on it’s own. If walkability is important to you, than look no further. From the Starbucks on the corner of Broadway and 28th, which also hosts a Saturday Farmer’s Market, to your local coffee house, Krakatoa which sits right next door to one of San Diego’s landmarks, “Turf Club.” Or maybe strolling the park with views of downtown at Golden Hill Park and grabbing a slide of New York style pizza from Luigi’s is more your thing, you have all the options! To find out my top two picks of homes currently for sale in Golden Hill, email me at: Carmen@GreenMeansGrow.com. -Carmen Harris, Real Estate Consultant & Neighborhood Expert!
If you’ve been even curious about buying a home, you may have notice there has not been much inventory in San Diego the last few months. This is typically for the winter season, as the holidays and New Years tend to cause a slow down in the market. However, things are creeping up now that we are heading into Spring. The good news is inventory is up, the bad news is that more buyer’s will be flooding the market as well. And the more buyer’s out there, the more competition which can drive home prices up. As the trend tends to go, once we hit summer, it’s a frenzy for the available homes out there. So what does that mean for you today? Now is the time to buy! If you can get yourself into a home before summer, you’ll be in a great position to find the right home for the right price. Need help? Contact me at: Carmen@GreenMeansGrow.com Happy House Hunting! Carmen Harris, ABR, Realtor, Green
For those folks out there that are looking to spice up the exterior of their home, I came across a great site to give you some simples ideas that are do-it-yourself projects and can be done on a budget! While the website provides 39 great ideas, I’ve picked my top 10 but if you want to see the entire list, visit: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicaprobus/a-facelift-for-your-house?utm_term=.om6AWMR7O&sub=3748525_5644583#.ptlZ7Ey9K Paint your front door. Spray paint your existing door hardware. Give your house numbers an upgrade. Painting the trim and adding matching moulding can make any door frame look tons better. Put in some new porch lights, or upgrade the ones you already have. Add tile to a plain concrete entryway. Add some hanging planters. Cover an exposed foundation with ready-made panels. Revamp your welcome mat. Hide your a/c unit. For more home design tips or information pertaining to home ownership, email me at Carmen@GreenMeansGrow.com -Carmen Harris
I came across some great information for prospective home buyers regarding the closing costs needed when buying a home. According to Pat Setter over at the Union Tribune, “Closing costs are an assortment of expenses incurred during the home-buying process. Some of these expenses, for which the buyer is responsible, are lender fees (the portion the lender is charging for services), title and escrow fees (amount these companies are charging for their services) as well as advance payments for items such as homeowner’s insurance and property taxes, known as impounds. Title insurance premiums are also covered. The biggest closing fee, the real estate commission, is the seller’s responsibility. “The most important thing consumers should know about the closing costs is that everyone calculates them at a different rate,” said Jaclyn Giaquinto, an escrow administrator at Lawyers Title. There is no flat fee or percentage of the home’s cost. These closing costs will not come as a surprise. Buyers get an estimate of costs early in the buying process. When applying for a mortgage, buyers will receive a Loan Estimate. That form, which has been in effect since Oct. 3, will not only include the amount of a loan and the monthly payments, it will also include the closing costs. It must be provided to the buyer within three days of a loan application. The new Loan Estimate form is part of
Many of my clients have asked me why we do a final walk through if we already had the home inspection so I want to let others out there know that these two steps of the home buying process are different and equally important. While the home inspection is performed by a licensed specialist and checks out the big 5: Roof, Foundation, Plumbing, Electrical, and Appliances, the final walk through is performed by the clients and the agent and is a visually inspection of the property done just before the close of escrow. Here’s what you need to know for your final walk-through: A final walk-through isn’t a home inspection. You’ve already done that by now (or should have). Take your contract with you. You might need to refer to it while on site. In many markets, the buyers and sellers never actually meet in person. But if everyone is agreeable to the idea, perform the final walk-through in the seller’s presence. He or she knows the home better than anyone else and should be able to answer your questions and provide some color on the history of the home. If the home is vacant, it’s even more important to do a final walk-through. Since your last visit, for instance, someone might have left a faucet dripping, inadvertently causing water damage. Take along a checklist of things to do during the final walk-through,
It’s baaaack! One of my all time favorite neighborhood events is, the South Park Walkabout, is coming this Saturday, October 3rd from 6:00pm-10:00pm. If you haven’t checked out the walkabout yet there is no reason not to! There is FREE transportation throughout the neighborhood. You are supporting local businesses, while at the same time, getting to scope out that Target Express that has the neighborhood in an uproar, and best of all, you can sample great food and drink from all over. So where exactly does all the fun go down? The Walkabout highlights both the south and north end of the South Park business district. The north end of our district starts at Kalmia and 30th St. and extends to the south end at Beech and 30th Street. A few ways to get to South Park – Take 5 South to 94 East to the 28th Street exit. Turn right on 28th and then right on Beech Street Take 5 North to the Pershing Drive exit. Turn right on 26th Street. Head up the hill and make a left on A Street. Another left on 28th Street and a final right on Beech Street. Take 805 South or North to 94 West and exit on 28th Street. Turn right onto 28th Street and right onto Beech Street The 30th Street and Beech Street corridor is the south end of South Park. If
It is described as a glorious example of eclectic late 19th century Victorian/Queen Anne architecture, a crown jewel of the era which earned it a historical site standing by the city of San Diego in 1970, just in the nick of time, as it was in sad shape on the outside, really in need of renovation! Today Villa Montezuma is used as not only a historical house museum, but offers changing exhibits, is used as a community cultural center and on occasion is the setting for weddings and receptions. Built upon a hill, it has two stories, with a partial basement with an authentic, recreated turn-of-the-century kitchen, multipurpose room and storage areas. On the south side of the mansion, one finds the tower room, complete with an Arabesque dome, which can be found via a staircase on the second floor. It was Shepard’s study as it had a magnificent, panoramic view from San Diego to Point Loma and south to Mexico, a source of inspiration for Shepard’s creative composing and writing. Floors throughout the mansion were made of polished fir, which were covered with Turkish and Persian rugs when Jesse lived there. The bottom half of the walls are made of polished redwood and walnut, while wallpaper such as pink fleur-de-lis designs enhance the top part of the walls. Ceilings have silvery gray to white Lincrusta Walton . There are
After agreeing on a purchase price and getting into escrow, many of my clients have questions about the appraisal. What if it comes in high? What if it comes in low? Who pays for the appraisal? Why do I need one? These questions are very common and I have found that taking a few minutes to explain the details can save folks a whole lot of time and worry. Here’s the deal if your appraisal should come back low: There are usually 1 of 3 things that can happen: 1. The seller drops the purchase price down to the appraised value. 2. The buyer comes to the table with more cash to make up the difference between the loan amount and the appraised value. 3. The buyer and seller agree to meet in the middle somewhere. Meaning the buyer comes in with a bit more cash and the seller agrees to lower the purchase price a bit. There are times when the buyer and seller can’t come to an agreement and the deal falls through but on the other hand, there are also times when the appraisal comes in OVER the purchase price. And in cases when I’m representing the buyer, that is great news to give because that means, they’ve gotten some value in the home already! For more info regarding appraisals or other real estate questions, you can
For many people, going through an home inspection can be overwhelming and scary. And while it’s necessary when buying home, to make sure you know as much about the property as possible before closing escrow, a lot of my clients turn to me for advice after receiving the report. Luckily, I’ve been to enough home inspections to know what common items turn up often vs. things that are revealed that should have your shoes hitting the ground and running! Here are a few tips to get you through that long, detailed, and sometimes confusing home inspection report: 1. There will ALWAYS be things that aren’t up to code. Why is that? Well, codes changes frequently, and while things may not be up to today’s code standards, it’s still ok if they were done up to code at the time the home was built or the remodel was done. 2. Health & Safety items should be your #1 concern. Remember, doing a Repair Request is not necessarily a time to renegotiate the purchase price. Instead, look at it as a time to make sure the home is safe and reliable. For example, if mold is detected in the home, make sure that it’s been mitigated by a licensed professional before taking ownership of the home. 3. Think of your home inspection report as a diagnostics tool you can refer back to after you
It’s that time of year again! The quarterly South Park Walk About is here and this summer one is always a favorite…. The South Park Walkabout is a quarterly fun-filled evening festival that showcases all the unique and independent businesses within South Park. Enjoy complimentary treats, live entertainment and special offers. The Walkabout starts at Kalmia and 30th St. and extends to Beech and 30th St. in South Park San Diego. You can always use less traveled routes to enter the neighborhood faster – try 32nd Street or entering on 30th St via CA-94. Our Info Booth is located at the north end of South Park in the California Liquor lot on Juniper & 30th St. At the Info Booth you will find complimentary walking guides with info about what each business is offering, FREE South Park maps, you can enter to win a FREE drawing for a South Park Gift Basket, and you can buy your very own South Park t-shirt! The trolley arrives every 15 minutes at the following stops: Stop 1 30th & Juniper St. Stop 2 West side of 30th between Hawthorne & Grape St. Stop 3 Beech & Dale St. Stop 4 Grape Square (Grape & Fern St.) The summer event is unique because you can take free guided walking tours to learn more about this great little community. Want some insider information about South Park and what
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