Preparing for Diasters

Here in San Diego North County

Don’t want to be negative but, it seems that we have had a lot of diasters over the last couple of years.  Even though we think it may not happen to us here in San Diego North county, we need to be prepared.   Wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires in our Carlsbad homes require similar preparation.  Many of the things you can do to prepare for a one disaster will also apply to other areas of disaster preparation.  So protect your Carlsbad home, other Carlsbad property, and protect yourself.

■Have a disaster plan in place for yourself and your home.  Be ready to evacuate your Carlsbad home should you be told to do so.  I remember in the 2007 fires, when the pressure was on, I was a little confused on exactly what I wanted to take with me.  Make an evacuation list of things to take and keep it in a safe place.  Don’t forget your pets.  Practice evacuating a few times a year.

■Make sure you can communicate in case of a disaster.  Your electricity in your Carlsbad home will probably be the first thing  to go so have a back up plan.   Your cordless telephone needs power to work, so don’t rely on it.  You will need to have one or more cell phones.  Don’t waste your cell phone battery, it also needs electricity to recharge.  You might consider having a charger that will work off your car.   During the 2007 firestorm, over 80,000 SDG&E customers lost electrical power.

■Also, to receive incoming communications and to just know what is happening, you should have a battery powered radio.  Make sure it always has good batteries.   It is best  to pack the batteries separate from the radio in a plastic bag to help keep them fresh.

■Register you and your family with AlertSanDiego.  This is San Diego county’s emergency notification system.   Register all the cell phones in your Carlsbad home by going to www.ReadySanDiego.org.    Just click on the cell phone logo.  It is free to register anywhere in San Diego North County.  In case of an emergency, you will receive a reverse 911 call to let you know Carlsbad real estate area evacuation information and fire updates, even if you are away from your Carlsbad property.

■Take a look at the outside of your Carlsbad real estate.  Do you see anything you can do to reduce the chance of a fire reaching your  home?   Remove any fire hazards near your Carlsbad home.  Give your Carlsbad house a chance by creating a 100 foot defensible area around the home.  Remove piles of firewood and clean the dead leaves out of the gutter.   Keep the trees trimmed and  make  sure sure none tough your Carlsbad property.

■Make sure you have adequate insurance on your Carlsbad real estate.  Don’t be wishing you could increase it at the last moment.

■Keep an emergency supply of food and water in your Carlsbad home.  You should have enough to last at least three days.  A minimum of a gallon of water for each person for each day should work.  You can get an idea of what to have in your emergency supply by contacting www.ReadySanDiego.org.
There are many more things that could be include in this disaster plan, but my goal is to just get you started on preparing your plan today.  If you need more information contact Gary Harmon, your top Carlsbad Realtor.

San Diego Events – June 2011

See the list below of great San Diego activities for the rest of the month of June 2011.  This list is courtesy of California Title Company, one of Gary Harmon’s Winning Team.

To see great San Diego North County homes for sale, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living real estate agent.

Writing a Real Estate Purchase Offer

Make Your Offer a Win – Win

Once you have looked at Carlsbad homes for sale and found the Carlsbad home of your dreams, writing the offer becomes very important.  You don’t want to pay too much, but you want to be successful in buying that Carlsbad real estate.  It is time to set contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles real estate agent and write the purchase offer.

Most things are negotiable in the offer, but in San DiegoNorth County there is a standard to follow on most items.  A good rule of thumb, using an old clicke, is to make any offer a win-win for everyone.  Your Realtor will know how to advise you.

Keep Your Offer Simple

Keep the purchase offer on the Carlsbad home for sale as simple as possible.  For example, don’t ask for closing cost back unless you need the cash.  Carlsbad sellers will only be looking at the net price.  Don’t ask for repairs up front.  You can handle those later in the request for repairs.  Structure you offer to keep things simple and clear for everyone to understand.  If there are any items of personal property you are requesting that don’t normally come with the home, do them separately after you have an acceptance on the home.  Don’t forget the big picture which is to buy your Carlsbad home, not to get a good deal on a refrigerator, etc.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Focus only on what is important.  The first important thing is the sales price.  Your Carlsbad Realtor, Gary Harmon, can provide you with comps of other Carlsbad homes to help you pick the right offer price.  In this current Carlsbad real estate market, homes are selling at or above listing price.  Many times you won’t get a counter offer, so put your best foot forward.  The deposit, usually at least one percent of the purchase price, is the next important item.  How long  an escrow will you need?   It takes at least 30-45 days to get all the loan details worked out.  Other items to consider are who pays escrow, title, and other closing cost.  Ask your Realtor, Gary Harmon, what is customary in the Carlsbad area.

Escondido Home Prices

Escondido Homes for Sale:  North Escondido   South Escondido   East Escondido   Southwest Escondido

The median Escondido homes value in June 2011 is $349,200. The median value for San Diego North County homes for the same period is $388,700.  The National median home value is only $175,100.  Escondido home appreciation has decreased by -2.5% with San Diego County homes being about the same. Nationally, homes have gone down in the same period by -3.2%. See the chart below for a ten year average of median Escondido homes values and how they stack up against the City, County and the Nation. There is also a chart of Escondido homes appreciation for the same ten year period.

If you would like to see Escondido homes for sale and take advantage of this great San Diego North County real estate market, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles Real Estate agent.

[idx-listings city=”Escondido” minprice=”350000″ orderby=”Price” orderdir=”ASC” count=”25″ showlargerphotos=”true”]

Encinitas Homes Market Statistics

Current Real Estate Listings of Encinitas Homes for Sale

The median Encinitas homes value in June 2011 is $609,900. The median value for San Diego North County homes for the same period is $388,700.  The National median home value is only $175,100.  Encinitas home appreciation has decreased by -2.4% with San Diego County homes being about the same. Nationally, homes have gone down in the same period by -3.2%. See the chart below for a ten year average of median Encinitas homes values and how they stack up against the City, County and the Nation. There is also a chart of Encinitas homes appreciation for the same ten year period.

If you would like to see Encinitas homes for sale and take advantage of this great San Diego North County real estate market, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles Real Estate agent.

[idx-listings city=”Encinitas” minprice=”400000″ propertytypes=”335″ orderby=”DateAdded” orderdir=”DESC” count=”25″ showlargerphotos=”true”]

Oceanside Homes Market Statistics

Current Real Estate Listings of Oceanside Homes for Sale

The median Oceanside homes (zip 92008) value in June 2011 is $347,700.   The median value for San Diego North County homes for the same period is $388,700. We love our weather here in San Diego and we pay dearly for it. The National median home value is only $175,100. Oceanside home appreciation has decreased by -2.3% with San Diego County homes being about the same. Nationally, homes have gone down in the same period by -3.2%. See the chart below for a ten year average of median Oceanside homes values and how they stack up against the City, County and the Nation. There is also a chart of Oceanside homes appreciation for the same ten year period.

If you would like to see Oceanside homes for sale and take advantage of this great San Diego North County real estate market, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles Real Estate agent.

[idx-listings city=”Oceanside” minprice=”350000″ propertytypes=”335″ orderby=”DateAdded” orderdir=”DESC” count=”25″ showlargerphotos=”true”]

Carlsbad Homes Market Statistics

Current Listings of Carlsbad Homes for Sale:  East Carlsbad   South Carlsbad   West Carlsbad

 

The median Carlsbad Homes (zip 92008) value in June 2011 is $563,100. The median value for San Diego North County homes for the same period is $388,700. We love our weather here in San Diego and we pay dearly for it. The National median home value is only $175,100. Carlsbad home appreciation has decreased by -2.5% with San Diego County homes being about the same. Nationally, homes have gone down in the same period by -3.2%. See the chart below for a ten year average of median Carlsbad homes values and how they stack up against the City, County and the Nation. There is also a chart of Carlsbad homes appreciation for the same ten year period.

If you would like to see Carlsbad homes for sale and take advantage of this great San Diego North County real estate market, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles Real Estate agent.

San Marcos Homes Market Statistics

Current Real Estate Listings of San Marcos Homes for Sale

The median San Marcos Homes value in June 2011 is $389,900.  The median value for San Diego North County homes  for the same period is $388,700.  We love our weather here in San Diego and we pay dearly for it.  The National median home value is only $175,100.   San Marcos home appreciation has decreased by -2.4%  with San Diego County homes being about the same.    Nationally, homes have gone down in the same period by -3.2%.   See the chart below for a ten year average of median San Marcos homes values and how they stack up against the City, County and the Nation.  There is also a chart of  San Marcos homes appreciation for the same ten year period.

If you would like to see San Marcos CA homes for sale and take advantage of this great San Diego North County real estate market, contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living Lifestyles Real Estate agent.

[idx-listings city=”San Marcos” minprice=”350000″ propertytypes=”335″ orderby=”Price” orderdir=”DESC” count=”25″ showlargerphotos=”true”]

Pricing Your Carlsbad Home to Sell

Listing  Carlsbad homes for sale at the right price is crucial to their eventual sale.  Follow the tips below to maximize the chances of selling your Carlsbad propery.

If you want to sell quickly, your asking price should be very near the correct fair market value.

If your Carlsbad home is listed at a price that is above market value, you will miss out on prospective San Diego North County buyers who would otherwise be prime candidates to purchase your Carlsbad home. If you list at a price that is below fair market value, you will ultimately sell for a price that is not the optimum value for your North County home.

By pricing your Carlsbad property at market value, you expose it to a much greater percentage of prospective San Diego buyers. This increases your chances for a sale while ensuring a final sale price that properly reflects the market value of your North County home.  Generally, the price should not exceed the value by more than 5% or potential buyers may not even make offers.

For example, if you price your Carlsbad home at fair market value you will get 60% of Carlsbad buyers looking at your home.  If you price your Carlsbad home 15% below fair market value, you would get a potential of 90% of potential Carlsbad buyers look at your property.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about pricing:

  • Realistic pricing your Carlsbad home will achieve maximum price in a reasonable time.
  • Your cost or profit desire is irrelevant; the San Diego North County real estate market determines the price.
  • The cost of improvements are almost always more than the added value.
  • Carlsbad houses that remain on the market for a long time do not get shown.
  • A Carlsbad house that is priced right from the beginning achieves the highest proceeds.

To price your Carlsbad home correctly you need professional real estate help.  Contact Gary Harmon, your Carlsbad Real Living Lifestyles Realtor.  Gary will provide you with a comparative market analysis of your home.  You will no longer need to guess.  With proper pricing, your Carlsbad home will sell fast and for the most money.