Ernie MacManus

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been attending an event that is held every Monday evening at 6pm in Encinitas. It is the Movin Shoes evening run, and I found them through my association with the San Diego Tri Club. It is an organized run that hosts all levels of runners with 3 specific routes: a 3, a 4, and 6 mile run which is at your own pace followed by refreshments and a raffle drawing from the evenings sponsor.

My first time joining the group was a bit intimidating since I noticed so many serious runners there. I’m talking about some of the local high school cross country teams, local running clubs, and the defending 2-time national cross country champions, CSU San Marcos. To my delight, everyone was super cool and welcoming. I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of really nice people of all ages and had some great conversation.

When the clock struck 6, we were off on our run. The cross country teams were incredibly fast. Since there was no way that I could keep up with them, I settled into my own pace and enjoyed chatting with some of the folks running alongside of me. The route took us from the store at the lumberyard out to Cardiff by the Sea and back. Of course, the entire way we enjoyed panoramic ocean views and breezes.

At the end of our run, we were met with raffle tickets and water. I was surprised to see how many cool items were given away. Shoes, socks, hats, hydration belts, and running apparel were all up for grabs. I even got a hat from Asics that I used for the run! Most importantly, I was impressed by how much Movin Shoes supports the local youth athletics in the community.

If you are looking for something fun to do on Monday nights, I highly recommend meeting up with me at the run. It is a great way to get out and exercise as well as meet some great people. In fact, tonight is the beginning of a 2 week “Nike Summer Nights” series. Nike will be there giving out prizes and letting runners test out some of their new shoes. Definitely try to make it out for this one. For directions to Movin Shoes, check out the map here.

I hope to see you all there!!

Last week, my friend Moose Mau from Guaranteed Rate Home Mortgage brought coffee to our Wednesday morning Realtors meeting from his friend Eric Myers’ new coffee shop, the Lofty Bean inEncinitas. The coffee was great, so I decided to make a stop there while out and about today. I admit that I expected the same ole locally-owned, no frills coffee shop, but what I found was a whole lot more.

Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by two friendly baristas with winning smiles. Michelle and Megan made me feel right at home and suggested some of their unique concoctions. I was totally impressed by the selection of interesting coffee drinks and food on their menu. For breakfast, they offer an assortment of fresh bagels, yogurt, and oatmeal with fruit. They also have a fresh French Quiche that looked amazing! I only wish that I had room in my stomach for that too. The lunch menu was certainly appetizing as well, featuring a full sandwich board and hot Panini’s. All of the food was definitely in keeping with Encinitas’ health conscious population.

Now for my favorite part of the visit, the coffee. I was up for anything so I asked the ladies for a recommendation. They gave me a few and they all sounded great, but I decided on the Nutella Latte. Wow! I’ve had Nutella on toast, but never in coffee. It achieved a great taste without sweetness overpowering the rich flavor of their coffee. And speaking of their coffee, the Lofty Bean brews their coffee for a full 17 hours in order to reduce acidity and bitterness. That’s not something you hear of very often. They also brew their own Chai and Iced Tea, and make homemade caramel.

I highly recommend checking them out when you’re in the area. The coffee will not disappoint and you will definitely appreciate the hospitality and ambiance. Make sure to bring your laptop too, the Lofty Bean offers free wi-fi for customers. Here’s their Facebook page and their address. I’ll see you there!

Last Friday night, my wife Casey and I had a coupon from Coastal Coupon Magazine for the newStadium Bar & Restaurant in Encinitas, so we decided to check it out for the first time. For those who may remember, it is the site of the old Bullpen near the corner of Encinitas Blvd. and El Camino Real. I had heard about the change, but never had the opportunity to stop in for a bite to eat, until now.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very friendly hostess and seated right away. I was impressed by all of the huge TV’s they have set up, making it virtually impossible to miss a game. From our booth I was able to keep my eye on 5 different baseball games at once. The main restaurant has a massive 165” screen that takes up the entire wall, as well as many more big flat screens scattered throughout in all directions. Now, this is extremely cool; there are booths that have their own adjustable flat screens that you control yourself, and you can even monitor your kids while they have fun in the play area!

The new ownership has made improvements to the outside area as well. There is a fire pit that stretches along the entire patio area, with plenty of seating and warmth. And speaking of warmth, our server Marcelle was awesome! She took excellent care of us, making sure that our food was ready quickly and never letting me run out of Iced Tea. Her welcoming demeanor definitely warrants another visit to her section sometime soon.

For those of you that are like me and miss the crunchy tater tots we were served in Elementary School, you’re in for a treat. They offer them with almost all sandwiches and burgers, which is a nice choice for us connoisseurs of fine fried foods. I highly recommend ordering them when you go.

The Stadium Bar & Restaurant has specials almost every day, so make sure to call or ask your server when you go. Oh, and if lunch is the best time for you to get away, bring your laptop. They offer free Wi-Fi so you can have lunch, watch the game, and work at the same time. Here's the menu.

If anyone needs me during football season, you know where to find me!

While showing homes to perspective buyers recently, I have noticed more and more potential roadblocks that are inhibiting a seller’s ability to actually sell their home. Things that are an easy fix and would possibly capture and keep a prospects interest. Sure, we’ve all heard the horror stories about disgusting homeowners, but those are isolated incidents that are rare indeed. What I am really talking about are the simple, subtle details that make a difference and should not be overlooked when putting your home up for sale.

A listings first impression is when a Realtor sends photos to their clients via email from the MLS. Not surprisingly, the listings with tiny, grainy, dark photography do not even make my client’s short list. Also, photos with too much personal clutter tend to distract attention away from a room’s selling points. When listing your home, always try to budget for professional photography. You can get great pictures for as little as $300, and the price is well worth it. I know from personal experience that buyers always want to tour those with great photos first.

Showing instructions seem to get in the way sometimes too. If you are selling your home, try to make it as easy as possible for buyers to view. Imposing a lot of time and date restrictions can lessen your exposure because buyers don’t always give their Realtors much lead time. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten a call from clients that want to go and see houses in an hour or two.

Tidy-up your home before leaving to work. If you know that you will be away for at least a few hours, pick up toys, make your bed, and wash dishes. A sink with a bunch of dishes is always a huge turn-off to buyers. After you are in contract and open escrow you make all the mess you want, but keep it clean during the marketing period.

Here are 3 more tips that may help:

1.Draw your blinds/curtains open-Buyers never complain that a home is too bright and cheery.

2.Open windows after cooking the night before-The smell of last nights’ dinner is always bad.

3.Small accent notes-If there are neat things about your home, point them out with post-it notes!

Selling your home is serious business. If you take the sale of your home seriously, potential buyers will sense that and in-turn show you more respect as a seller. That is paramount from a negotiating stand-point. If it is perceived that there is a lot of interest in your home, buyers will tend to increase their offers in order to compete. The difference can equal thousands, if not 10’s of thousands. Remember, a little hard work and a small budget can go a long ways. Good luck and happy selling!

Good news for homeowners in the north county. The HomeDex numbers for last month just came out, and the results were fabulous as a whole! It’s also great news for potential home buyers that have been on the fence and not sure about the direction of the housing market. Here’s a quick glimpse at the North San Diego County Association of Realtors HomeDex report. The numbers speak for themselves.

First, we’ll start with the median price for all single family homes, detached or attached in the North County of $393,500 in March 2011. That is a major increase from the February median price of $358,000. Singling out detached homes only, yielded a healthy gain of 7.82% from February to March, compared to a rise of 2.03% outside of the North County.

Some notable records for the North County broken down into neighborhoods and cities were telling. For example the La Costa area of Carlsbad saw only a slight increase of 3%. Carmel Valley enjoyed a modest increase of 2%, and most shocking was the 20% increase posted by the 92084 zip in Vista. Among the decliners were Carlsbad’s 92010 zip code at a 10% decline, Encinitas at a 9% decline, and Rancho Santa Fe at a 16% decline.

Now then, do not be discouraged if you live in any of the areas mentioned with declines. Keep in mind that the unit of measurement is the median price for the month compared to the same month one year prior. Since the median is not an average, and since our neighborhoods contain a wide range of values, these numbers can be easily misunderstood. If a particular area, say Encinitas, sells more higher-end homes than lower or mid-range homes in the month of April, the results can be quite different.