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Jeff Dowler ~ Carlsbad Real Estate ~ 760-840-1360

Encinitas Homes - Cottages at the Beach at The Sands in Leucadia

Encinitas homes at The Sands in LeucadiaIf you are dreaming of a cottage at the beach, The Sands on the Coast Highway in Leucadia (Encinitas) may have just what you are looking for, especially if your budget is limited.

Leucadia home (cottages) at The Sands (hmm, is it named for being near the beach or after the famous Sands Hotel which used to be on The Strip in Las Vegas?) are fairly small, as are the lots, but consider this community is within a 5 minute WALK to some of the area’s nicest beaches (Grandview - see photo below; Beacon’s) where you can enjoy terrific surfing, walks, and great sunsets. A number of restaurants are within walking distance (my favorite is Le Papagayo) as is some shopping, small business services, a number of surf shops, and the well known Leucadia Donut Shop.

Street view in The Sands in LeucadiaCurrently there are 5 Leucadia homes for sale in this small community, ranging in price from $69,000 to $189,900 for 1 - 2 bedrooms and 1 bedroom. Negotiations are underway that MAY allow ownership of the land.

Now before you gasp at the prices:

  • please be aware that these properties are unique in that you own the home but not the land, which is leased
  • they are mobile (manufactured) housing with wood skirting and other add-ons, built primarily in the 2002 – 2004 period
  • These are land lease properties, thus you own the unit but not the land, which is leased from the mobile home park for around $995/month (this includes water, trash and sewer)
  • Financing for mobile homes can be difficult to get and expensive since the homes are not attached to a foundation and could, theoretically, be readily moved. Lenders may charge more for loans, or even not loan on this type of property, so cash is the best way to go. There are a couple of banks in the area that were lending in 2008 but things may have become more restricted in the current mortgage market.

These facts contribute to the amazing prices for being so close to the beach. But as a second home (or even using it for a rental, which is permitted – a current lease is $1100 on one unit), who cares?

A cottage at The Sands in Leucadia A cottage at The Sands in Leucadia A cottage at The Sands in Leucadia

An application is before the Department of Real Estate in California (DRE) to hopefully obtain approval for the lots to be sold (estimates of pricing are $170,000). Current owners will have the opportunity to buy their land if they wish to continue renting.

Grandview Beach in Leucadia            Stairs to Grandview Beach in Leucadia

If you would like more information about these Encinitas homes in funky Leucadia just a few minutes from one of the best beaches in the area, please feel free to call or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

 

NOTE - UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 2009

There are 6 homes for sale in this complex now, ranging from $54,900 (for a 1 bedroom 1 bath) to $142,000 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath home. PRicing has not been established for the lost and the final approval process, to the best of my knowledge, has not

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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

Search for Homes Community Information First Time Home Buyers Relocation Services and more How to get in touch with me

All content copyright © 2008 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

been completed.

Carlsbad Things to Do: Visit Torrey Pines State Reserve

Torrey Pines State ReserveCarlsbad, and much of California for that matter, is blessed with a gorgeous coastline – the edge of our continent amidst a sea of urban life. (see a past article on the California Central Coast and Nepenthe, along the Big Sur coast for more amazing scenery).

But just a few miles south is an isolated, wilderness area that is breathtaking for the vistas of hills and rocks meeting the sea, and home to our country’s rarest pine tree, the Torrey Pine.

Torrey Pines State Reserve is home to incredible and dramatic scenery, and this rare tree which only grows at the reserve and on Santa Rosa island off Santa Barbara’s coast.

The state reserve is a wonderful place to capture a glimpse of what the Southern California region was like prior to the encroachment of humankind and development, although this area has suffered from erosion and other natural hazards over the year.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

Entering the park at the north end (at the south end of Torrey Pines State Beach), you may either park at the base of the hills and enjoy a vigorous walk up, or drive to the summit and visitors center/museum. There are a number of hiking trails, which are fairly easy and offer panoramic views of the ocean and hills, and the opportunity to enjoy trees, wild flowers, chaparral and cactus. Parking is $8; the reserve opens at 8 am and closes at sunset. You can easily access the park from Route 101/Coast highway or from the 5 freeway (exit at Carmel Valley Road and head to the beach).

This amazing coastal wilderness is well worth the trip, whether you enjoy hiking or not. Be sure to take water and your camera, and wear comfortable hiking shoes (unless you decide to not get out of your car, which would be a shame but the views are still amazing).

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Start YOUR CARLSBAD HOMES SEARCH HERE (and other area communities in San Diego including Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, San Marcos and Oceanside homes)

Visit CARLSBAD COMMUNITY REPORTS for profiles on communities, subdivisions and neighborhoods

All content copyright © 2007 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Carlsbad Home Owners: Get Organized for your Relocation

New Year's ResolutionThe NEW YEAR is here, and it’s time to get organized.

Sound like another new year’s resolution? Well, perhaps.

But if you are planning to sell your Carlsbad home and move into a new one, your success, and happiness, depends on being organized. Most of us probably aren’t as organized as we would like. And as my friend Linda Scanlan asked so poignantly in her recent, and popular, article, is your life organized? I had to say no. Perhaps you do too.

Selling your home, moving, and getting settled in a new one can be a Herculean task, enough to challenge the most organized obsessive. And, admittedly, no matter how organized you might think you are, things will just not go the way they should, or clutter and confusion will take over. Life is just that way sometimes. I know, I’ve been there.

So, making the assumption that you might be in need of some assistance, if you are planning a move, here are some tips to help you on your way. And if you are sticking around the homestead but really need to apply a bit of organization to your home and life, this may benefit you as well.

While I have my own ideas on the subject, I thought I would ask Encinitas business owner and Founder of addSpace to Your Life!, Kathi Burns, to help us out. Kathi's expertise, and business, is all about organization. You can tell the minute you talk to her or visit her website.

Read the full article on my relocation blog...

Rancho Santa Fe – Incorporation as a Town: Pros, Cons and Controversy

The Crosby Club at The Crosby Estate in Rancho Santa FeControversy is brewing in Rancho Santa Fe, the most expensive community in San Diego County (median home price as of 12/31 07 was about $2.9 million) and one of the priciest in the US.

Seems the community, some of it that is (primarily the Rancho Santa Fe Covenant), is pushing for the area to become incorporated as a Town and to include 8 surrounding HOAs. This is a long process, perhaps 18 months to 2 years for review, and requires voter approval (25% must approve the petition, which is then forwarded with an application to the San Diego Local Area Formation Commission [LAFCO] for review, environmental studies, hearings, and ultimately a general election).

It costs money, too…about $500K, which will be forgiven if the incorporation does not get approved.

There are supposedly some advantages to being incorporated, which have to do with government, for one. Instead of San Diego County, Rancho Santa Fe would have its own government, and responsibility for the services that are currently maintained by the county. Other purported advantages, according to the Citizens to Protect the Ranch (CPR – cute, huh?) website who favor the change, include:

  • Improvement of the roads and traffic management – making their own decision about roadways, speed bumps, speed limits and signage, and improving some of the area roads (to include sound deadening asphalt)
  • Improvement of law enforcement and public safety – increase patrols, faster response time
  • Protect the rural environment that currently exists and is so appealing about the community

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fa in the villageThere are presumably other benefits that tie into the use of taxes and related matters (see their website for more details).

Now I don’t live there so I am looking at this as an outsider, but what I find particularly interesting in who is to be included in this incorporation and who is not. Rancho Santa Fe is a very prestigious and expensive town, and people pay big bucks to live there. It IS buying location, location, location. Some areas have a reputation for being pricier than others, and perhaps more desirable – it’s all relative, though.

The areas to be included are the covenant (a large portion of the proposed town, including the village, which was originally established as the Rancho Santa Fe Protective Covenant by the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and some local landowners in 1928) and 8 adjacent areas - South Pointe Farms, Stonebridge, Rancho Serena, Horseman’s Valley, Sun Valley, Hacienda Santa Fe, Rancho del Rio and The Summit. The town would be about 6500 residents.

Now here’s the fun part. And if I were a resident in one of these excluded areas I might be a bit perturbed – they won’t be able to use the RSF address and their kids, unless in private schools, will go to neighboring schools. And access to current services will change. Hmm, wonder if folks are thinking about their potential property values declining. The areas to be excluded include Fairbanks Ranch (possible even more exclusive and prestigious, and pricey, than the Covenant so maybe it won’t make a difference), Cielo, The Bridges, The Crosby Estates, and Whispering Palms, areas that are now considered Rancho Santa Fe.

The other tidbit, as I understand, is that the voters (25% must approve the petition, remember?) are those in the areas to be incorporated; those in the area to be excluded have no say. Hmmm.

It will be interesting to see what happens, and if approved, what impact this might have on the excluded communities.

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If I can provide more information about this area or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360
or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

Search for Homes Community Information
First Time Home Buyers Relocation Services and more How to get in touch with me
All content copyright © 2007 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

Carlsbad's Cannon Art Gallery January 2008 Exhibit

Steve McCurry's photo of the Afghan Girl at the Carlsbad Cannon Art GalleryNational Geographic has entranced millions of readers for decades…from school children to seniors.

And Carlsbad’s Cannon Art Gallery is the very fortunate host of a traveling exhibit of 56 of the most memorable National Geographic photographs by some of their best known photographers.

This show is a joint effort of National Geographic and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

IN FOCUS: National Geographic Greatest Portraits” is a stunning show, remarkable for the breadth of the subjects, the time span (1911 to 2003), and of course the artistry of the individual photographers.

The photos capture people from around the world over many years, providing glimpses of, and insight into, cultural lifestyles and humanity itself from faraway places like Sri Lanka and Mongolia, but also represent a journey in time of the photographic process and technological change that has occurred.

Sam Abell's Aboriginal Youth at the Carlsbad Cannon Art Gallery The Lobsterettes at a Seafood festival in the 1960s in Maine

Steve McCurry’s photo of the Afghan Girl is perhaps one of the most recognizable and seen by millions over the year, was stunning, and wonderful to see in person. This show is a “must see” for anyone in the area. Whether you love photography or not, this is a rare opportunity to see some of the greatest portraits of the National Geographic.

The Cannon Gallery is located in the Carlsbad Library Complex at 1775 Dove Lane, just north of the El Camino Real and Alga Road intersection. (760) 602-2021; Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 – 5 and Sunday from 1 – 5.

Enjoy the show (there is music so turn on your speakers)

Some articles on previous shows at the Cannon Art Gallery:

The 6th Annual Plein Air Brunch Fundraiser

The November/December 2007 Show

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Start YOUR CARLSBAD AND ENCINITAS HOMES SEARCH HERE (and other area communities in San Diego including Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, San Marcos and Oceanside homes)

Visit CARLSBAD COMMUNITY REPORTS for profiles on communities, subdivisions and neighborhoods

All content copyright © 2007 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits