3611 Herman Avenue

Have you seen 3611 Herman Avenue? What do you mean you haven't. It's the talk of North Park. Let me give you a little info about this craftsman home. The home was built in 1921. It's has much of its original charm and character in the home. The only thing that's changed since 1921 is the kitchen. That's been upgraded.

3611 Herman Avenue is two bedrooms and one bathroon. It comes with origional hardwood floors, a fireplace, original glass inlay windows and a huge diningroom with original built in cabinets. The house could not be cuter.

Here's something you don't get everyday in North Park, you get a very nice long driveway leading you to a one car garage, then you have alley acccess to a second garage. That's right 3611 Herman Avenue has two garages. How awesome is that?

Now let's talk location. 3611 Herman Avenue is located near everything that's hip about North Park. First of all you're just down the street from True North and the Linkery on 30th and North Park way but you're close to Vons and just a walk away from the new Fresh and Easy going in on University Avenue. How's that for convenient? Not to mention that but 3611 Herman Avenue is close to every major freeway. What more could you ask for. Call me at 619-818-2992 for a personal tour of 3611 Herman Avenue. I guarantee, you won't be disappointed.

My little adventure

Each and every morning I have my very own little adventure. Some may look at it as a type of lunacy but I like to think of it as a scavenger hunt. You see, where I live there is no parking that comes with my unit. I've dealt with it for quite some time now, so, I'm not terribly concerned. After all, I get to have a little adventure every morning when I go to the gym.


OK, I'm going to get a little Sophia Petrillo, from the Golden Girls on you right now. Picture this, 4:30 any weekday morning and you've barely had enough coffee. You get downstairs to the street, it's pitch black and you're looking for your gray car in the dark. That' the little adventure I take every morning. Some days it's quicker than others and I always find my car. However, it got me thinking when looking for a home, what's important to you? Do you want to take a little adventure?

I like many of my clients am in the market for a new home. I'm really ready to take advantage of this market. When I sit down with my clients I always ask them: What are the most important things to you in the home you want to buy? Seems like a simple question, right? Or is it?

You see, when I go over what I'm looking for it changes all the time. I'll see one thing I like but then that will change when I see something else I like, so how does one stay focused? How many little adventures are you willing to have? I've decided I'm going to nail it down to 5 things. My next house must have, a washer and dryer in the unit, parking, hardwood floors, fairly nice size kitchen and just enough outdoor space for me to plat an urban garden.

So, I ask you, what are you looking for when it comes to finding a home? What little adventures are you willing to go on?

San Diego Housing Prices are UP!

Say it isn't so: SAN DIEGO HOUSING PRICES ARE UP! I know it's hard to believe but it's true. According to the National Association of Realtors prices for San Diego homes increased 7.3% from this time last year.

San Diego Housing prices are up! Why you ask? There could be several contributing factors. First and foremost is the $8000 tax credit many first time buyers are taking advantage of. This month alone I opened four escrows with motivated buyers who wanted to take advantage of prices. Secondly, investors are getting in on the game. There are investors buying up to hold rental property and there are the investors who are flipping. Flipping homes, while risky in this market is still being done. That means two transactions on one property could be taking place in the same quarter.

As of today, the average county sales prices is $424,931 for a median priced home. In the last 30 days in San Diego County there have been 3010 closed transactions and currently in escrow at this very moment we have 6003 transactions pending. How exciting is that? Even more exciting is the number of units listed in this market where we are seeing prices going up. Last month, there were 5910 homes listed in the county. That brings the total number of listings in San Diego county to date to 10,397. Do you know what that means? People are buying in this market and prices are going up. Now is the time everyone. Buy now, hold for 5 to 7 years and sell later.

Don't miss the boat. Now is your opportunity to own in San Diego. If you have questions on buying or selling, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. I'm here to make a difference for you.

Back on the Market

There are those days when I'm forced to put a home back on the market. This is one of those days.

About 3 weeks ago, I listed 3094 J Street. This cozy little home is located in Grant Hill in San Diego, it's now back on the market. Not sure where Grant Hill is? That's easy! It's located just south of South Park and just east of Downtown San Diego.

My sellers bought the home about 18 months ago. They've made some really nice improvements to the home. Since the purchase, they put new slate floor in the dining room kitchen area. They've remodeled the main bathroom and put new paint and carpet throughout the house.

This house back on the market is priced to sell. I've priced the home at $195,000.00. The best part of this home back on the market is that it is an equity sale. That's right. We're not dealing with a short sale or a bank owned home. This escrow can close in 30 days or less.

I know that your burning question is: "Why is this home back on the market?" Well, unfortunately, the buyer just didn't feel it was the right fit for them. The good news is, we have the inspection report available from when my clients purchased the home. So, you can see the home is in good shape. Oh, and there's just enough for you to do to put your own stamp on.

Call if you'd like a personal tour of the home. The sellers are ready to sell.

Make A Million

I've decided to make a million. I've decided that I want to be financially independent. Furthermore, I'm inviting all of you to take the journey with me. Most of you know me as a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty. In the last three years, I've been able to help people build up their net worth by owning real estate. I've been helping people buy their first homes, in some cases, selling their current home and helping them "move up" in the market. Whatever their move they are on their way to make a million. It's incredible to see them grow.

Unfortunately, the downside to this market is all the short sales that are out there. Last year, I helped 16 people try to get out of the financial mess they were in. It was such a relief to help people who really were taken advantage up in this ever changing market. For them, it's going to take some time to build back up to the point where they are able to make a million, however, I'm going to be there to show them how.

About a month ago, I attend our company's annual convention in New Orleans. It was an amazing experience. No only did I get to learn from some of the top agents in our company but I had a big "aha" moment. Gary Keller the founder of our company said, "no one succeeds alone." At that moment, it was like this light bulb went off in my head. If I wanted to make a million I was going to have to start out seeking the people who had already done so.

Gary wrote a book several years ago called The Millionaire Real Estate Investor. Quite honestly, I am just into the book about 150 pages. So far, I've picked up some very valuable knowledge that I'm going to experiment with and learn how to make a million. I invite you to take the journey with me and give me your feedback. When I have a win, I'll share it, just as when I have a fail, I'll share that too.

First things, first! I have to think a million to make a million.

The Annoying Tenant

Ok, let me say, I'm not one to complain but I feel sometimes it's necessary to vent. I am dealing with the annoying tenant. This man, I gotta tell you is nothing nice. It all started when I put one of my seller's properties on the market. Now, let me begin by saying my seller is a very nice and reasonable man, so I'm not quite sure how he ended up with the annoying tenant.

So about 2 weeks ago, I listed the home and began showing it. At first the annoying tenant was pleasant, but then he turned nasty. I'm not talking about mildly irritating, I'm talking about down right nasty. I'm a very calm person. I listed to his concerns and I relayed them to my seller. I did however have to back away after spit started flying from his mouth. I wasn't sure if steam was going to start protruding from his ears but I'm sure if it could have, it would. At any rate, things calmed down because we found a buyer who was an investor and he wasn't going to have to move. He was all happy go lucky, until the escrow cancelled. That's when the annoying tenant came back out. So, I just got off the phone with him and told him that we would be putting the house back on the market and that I wouldn't have any showings for the weekend. However, I'd like to show it first thing at the beginning of the next week. That's when the venting came out and that's just how much of an annoying tenant I found him to be.

All be it, when I'm dealing with tenant situations I do believe it's nice to offer the tenant something in return for the inconvenience of having their lives turned upside down for a period of time. After all, they are keeping the investors property tidy. So, is it bad for them to ask for a discount on their rent even though they are 2 months behind? Hmmm... something to ponder.

Wachovia Short Sales

Hey Everybody. Wachovia is launching a really cool short sale program. It works like this... the bank, a representative, comes to you home to meet with you. It's not a scary process, according to Wachovia. They'll take some financial information from you, talk about your hardship and take a peek at the home. Once that's done we put it on the market and get an offer. The process is quick too, we can usually get an acceptance or rejection back in 3-5 business days and close in 30. If you have questions. Call me! I'm here to make a difference for you.

Chat soon!

Short Sale Fraud on the Rise

Hey Everyone,

Diana Olick from CNBC recently did a story on short sale fraud. It's important that you know what's going on during your short sale. Some second lein holders are asking seller and sometimes the buyer to pay for settlements out side of escrow. THIS IS A BIG NO NO! Check out the article below. Report anything you think might not sit right.