Carlsbad, CA–Over the past decade, there has been a flurry of home remodeling in San Diego County–particularly in coastal areas, where building activity first blossomed. During the last ten years, tile and formica surfaces in kitchens and baths have been replaced with natural stone products, while stainless steel appliances dominate kitchens. Popcorn has been scraped from ceilings and energy efficient dual-paned windows are replacing their single-paned predecessors. Now, the st... Read Full Story

Carlsbad, CA–This past year has been tough for both San Diego real estate sellers–and buyers–and both sides of the fence have had to wonder if they are being tricked or treated by market conditions. On one hand, home sellers hear that we are in the toughest market for San Diego home sales in years. Prices have dropped off the cliff and these home sellers have heard of neighbors who finally took their home off the market after trying to sell for a year or more. On the other ... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–This past year has been tough for both San Diego real estate sellers–and buyers–and both sides of the fence have had to wonder if they are being tricked or treated by market conditions. On one hand, home sellers hear that we are in the toughest market for San Diego home sales in years. Prices have dropped off the cliff and these home sellers have heard of neighbors who finally took their home off the market after trying to sell for a year or mo... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–When considering the hard choices faced by distressed San Diego real estate owners, it’s not too difficult to recall what is called the Siberian Dilemma: If you are stranded on a frozen lake in Siberia and fall through the ice, you have four minutes to live. If you crawl out of the hole into the frozen air, you have two minutes to live. Neither are good choices. The frozen dilemma may seem out of place in sunny San Diego, but some make the mistake of... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–I’m not sure whether San Diego REO buyers should be rejoicing or rolling their eyes about Assembly Bill 957. This new California law went into effect October 11, 2009 and prohibits an REO lender from requiring buyers to purchase escrow or title services from any particular company. And an REO lender who violates this law that applies only to residental property (up to four units) can be whacked for 3X the charges incurred by the buyer. And if the sel... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–Over the past decade, there has been a flurry of home remodeling in San Diego County–particularly in coastal areas, where building activity first blossomed. During the last ten years, tile and formica surfaces in kitchens and baths have been replaced with natural stone products, while stainless steel appliances dominate kitchens. Popcorn has been scraped from ceilings and energy efficient dual-paned windows are replacing their single-paned predecesso... Read Full Story

by Scott Murphy Hong Kong Luxury Real Estate $57 Million as a sales price for a Hong Kong apartment? That’s a price that would make the most expensive areas around the world such as San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and even London cringe. This five-bedroom, 6158 square foot luxury duplex suite located at one of Hong Kong’s most prestigious addresses was bought by an unidentified buyer. And if you think that is really high for an apartment like this, another recently sold in the sa... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy I love the genius behind Dyson engineering and products. Instead of thinking outside the box, these air gurus study the box very closely and re-engineer it into device that works better than its predecessors.We love the Dyson vacuums and find them intuitively simple to use.  They are also nearly indestructible.  The Dyson wizards have also invented a hand dryer that really works–with air that travels in the neighborhood of 400 mph. A tip of the top hat to Paul Taylor w... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–As San Diego Realtors, we are noting an increased number of bike racks hanging or sitting in area garages.  They are also commonplace at business venues. If not, bicycle enthusiasts might do as my hairdresser in Solana Beach does: Just roll the bicycle indoors and park it near the stationary hair dryer–and hang the helmet from the handlebars. And why shouldn’t Forbes Traveler name San Diego as one of America’s most bicycle-friendly cities... Read Full Story

by Roberta Murphy Carlsbad, CA–Sometimes people live in homes so gently that years barely wear on the surfaces. Cabinets still gleam with their original finishes, tiling sparkles, and nothing has soiled the walls. Even paintings are hung on steel straight pins in order to avoid nail holes. We just listed such a home in South Carlsbad’s highly-desired Las Playas. The owner bought her 1292 square-foot townhome in 1986–and has tenderly cared for it ever since. Her initial attr... Read Full Story