Selling your San Diego County Home in 2011

A new year is right around the corner and after the hustle of the holiday season, the real estate market usually begins to ramp up.  So now is a great time to begin thinking about listing your San Diego home for sale.  Many buyers will enter the market come January and it’s a great idea to have your home prepared for sale.

Learn How to Sell Your San Diego County Home

One of the best things sellers can do, especially in today’s market, is to stage their home.  Staging helps buyers see the best assets of your home by highlighting its amazing features and minimizing any drawbacks.  A great San Diego realtor will be able to help you understand what buyers are looking for and can recommend small changes you can make in order to appeal to potential buyers.

Another issue sellers face is marketing their home.  Any great San Diego County real estate agent should give you a comprehensive marketing plan when you choose to list a home with them.  If they don’t, take pause and interview other realtors till you find one that can give you a real idea of how they plan to market your home.  There are lots of homes for sale, and your realtor needs to be working hard to make sure buyers are seeing yours instead of the competition.

On top of staging and marketing your San Diego County home for sale, make sure you talk with your realtor about pricing your home effectively.  Realtors know the market and know what homes in your neighborhood are selling for, so be sure to consider their advice on pricing.  A home that is overpriced will sit on the market for months, and in the end, the home usually does not sell or sells far, far lower than the sellers had originally hoped for.  So save yourself months of anguish and list appropriately to begin with.

January is right around the corner, so now is the time to get started if you are planning to sell your San Diego County home in 2011.  Contact me to find out how to stage your home for sale and what a professional San Diego real estate marketing plan should include.

Respectfully,

Debbie York  SFR, GRI, CNS
Coldwell Banker
Certified Distressed Property Expert

760-505-6474

dyork@coldwellbanker.com
NorthCountyHomesInfo.com

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Shadow Ridge Homes Grow in Value

There are many reasons to buy a home . . . great schools, a growing family, a job transfer.  No matter what the reason, buying a home is a huge decision and choosing the right community is not only vital to your long term investment, but also to your happiness.

Shadow Ridge Homes Rise in Value

We all know the real estate market overall has had a tough time these past couple of years.  Home values around the nation have dropped significantly.  But did you know that there are actually communities that are bucking the trends and actually increasing in value?

Even here in the San Diego real estate market, we are seeing increasing values in many homes in San Diego County.  One of the hottest communities in the San Diego area is Shadow Ridge.  Values in this community are up 15% from this time last year.  This community, which is in the Vista area, is a desirable area for families.  Homes are affordable and the schools get great reviews.

If you’re searching for a San Diego County home, be sure to check out this community while home prices are still reasonable.  There are lots of homes in almost every price range.  Check it out by searching the 92081 zip code and give me a call if you want to take an in person tour of any of the homes you see.

Respectfully,

Debbie York  SFR, GRI, CNS
Coldwell Banker
Certified Distressed Property Expert

760-505-6474

dyork@coldwellbanker.com
NorthCountyHomesInfo.com

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Making Money With San Diego Rental Properties

While it’s true that the real estate market, even the San Diego County real estate market, has been hit by rough times, it’s still a great option for investing. The San Diego real estate market is very unique and it, in my opinion, still offers a great option for people looking to build wealth in the long term.

Making Money With San Diego Rental Properties

Take renting for instance. In San Diego, land is at a premium. That is essentially what a home buyer is paying for – the land. So when home prices start going down, home values do not take as large of a hit as in many other areas. The land the home is sitting on is often far more valuable than the structure on it. There is only so much land that can be developed, so naturally, even though the San Diego real estate market ebbs and flows, the value of land remains high. That’s why purchasing a San Diego County home and renting it can be a great investment – because your tenants cover the costs of your mortgage, and each year you own your rental property, the value of your home and land increase.

Experts agree that real estate is still one of the soundest investments you can make – yes, even over the stock market. And in today’s market, where you can find great deals on homes that will only go up in value, it is a great time to start investing. Think about the possibilities. You can buy a San Diego County investment property at a rock-bottom price and then rent the home to cover the mortgage. For most San Diego real estate investors, they can actually make money immediately through rental properties.


Real estate prices are at their lowest levels in years and now is a great time to think about building wealth through real estate. Get started growing your money today - Search for San Diego County homes to get started or call me at 866-230-7210.



Respectfully,

Debbie York  SFR, GRI, CNS
Coldwell Banker
Certified Distressed Property Expert

760-505-6474

dyork@coldwellbanker.com
NorthCountyHomesInfo.com

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North San Diego County Real Estate: Waiting for a Missed Opportunity?

Here is a little quiz to test your local market knowledge. Real Estate Markets are regional, it doesn’t really matter to home buyers or sellers in North San Diego County what the market is doing in Chicago or Palm Beach.

Talk to Realtors who are experts in their local market. Major news stations such as Fox News and CNN continue to paint a bleak picture of the Real Estate Market, but there is an upside.

When is the best time to buy? Warren Buffett said:

“Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Take the quiz below to test your market knowledge.

1. How many homes were sold last month (September) in North County which includes Bonsall, Fallbrook, Escondido, San Marcos, Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Ramona, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Cardiff by the Sea, Vista and Oceanside?

a. 1276
b. 4439
c.   721
d. 2291

2.  What was the average number of days on the market? (Hint last month it was 74)

a. 99
b. 75
c. 22
d. 80

3. How many active and contingent listings for Single Family Detached Homes in North San Diego?

a. 10,657
b. 4774
c. 6010
d. 7172

The correct answers are: 1-a, 2-d, 3-b

What does this mean... OPPORTUNITY!

Sales volume is down, market time is up and inventory is also up slightly. Will the prices go down more, will the interest rates remain at historic lows, when will the market come back?

No one can give you a definitive answer, not your astrologist, a crystal ball, palm reader or your San Diego County Realtor. The bottom of the market will pass before anyone realizes it. If interest rates go up one point, that could mean hundreds of dollars more in mortgage payments each month.

If you are paying $2200 a month or more a month for rent, wouldn’t it make more sense to be paying for your own mortgage rather than your landlords?  If you have a good job, 3.5% for a down payment, savings for closing costs and reserves, you are missing an opportunity to invest in you and your family’s future.  Just to illustrate this point I roughly calculated your monthly payment to be approximately $2400-$2500* per month (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) for a $400,000 home with 3.5% down, interest rate at 4.5% paid over 30 years.

Now is the time to invest in your future, please email me at dyork@coldwellbanker or call 760-505-6474 to get started.

Statistics courtesy of HomeDex™ is prepared for the North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® by Robert Brown, Ph.D., California State University, San Marcos.

*Monthly payment is an estimate only, actually monthly payments will vary. Types of financing that best fits your needs and interest rates should be discussed with a knowledgeable licensed lender.

Respectfully,

Debbie York  SFR, GRI, CNS
Coldwell Banker
Certified Distressed Property Expert

760-505-6474

dyork@coldwellbanker.comNorthCountyHomesInfo.com

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What Your Agent Didn’t Tell You About Buying A Home in San Diego

My Grandfather recently passed away after a long and amazing life. He and my grandmother were married 68 years and they lived in the same home for over 50 years. Their home was a modest bungalow style with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, built in Oakland, CA in the 1920’s. This home saw plenty of housing market corrections throughout the years just like San Diego and other parts of the country.

What made this house special was their home was the center and the heart of the family. Every Christmas Eve, Birthday, Thanksgiving was spent there. As young children we were in awe of the generations of wonderful women who gathered in the tiny kitchen cooking their favorite recipes.  During the summer my Grandfather would barbeque, we would listen for hours to his stories of his youth and how he met my grandmother.

After his funeral the family gathered at the house one last time. We talked about the Grandparents and the decades of wonderful times spent in their home. I will be forever grateful for the love and memories we all shared in this tiny home throughout the years. It was here we all learned what family was about.

On October 1 the home was sold, it was time to let a new family create their traditions and memories, in this house. It is my hope they find the love and comfort that this home provided for so many generations.

What your agent didn’t tell you was buying a home is not about; home prices going lower, getting a great deal, the economy, interest rates, or foreclosures. Buying and owning a home is about providing a place of love, laughter and creating memories that will last a life time.

Remember this when you are considering buying a home. Is it time for you to get off the fence?

Start creating your own home memories. Contact me to get the pre-approval process started or start your search for the San Diego home of your memory making dreams!

Respectfully,

Debbie York  SFR, GRI, CNS
Coldwell Banker
Certified Distressed Property Expert

760-505-6474

dyork@coldwellbanker.com
NorthCountyHomesInfo.com

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