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DEBORAH STONE

Oh Appreciation, How I Appreciate you------

Investing in San Diego Income Property

For all intents and purposes, investment property appreciates in value. If someone asked me the single best reason to own investment property in San Diego I would say APPRECIATION. What is appreciation? Appreciation is the increase of value of property over time due to inflation, supply and demand, capital improvements and other factors. Increase of value adds to your net worth.

The beauty of appreciation is that if you buy low and sell high, you can make money while you sleep.

What does this mean? It means that if you buy a property for below market value (poor condition, short sale, desperate owner) and you sell it at a future point in time for above market value (nicely upgraded, strong Seller's market, above average location) than you have just hit the jackpot!

The timing of a property purchase is everything, kind of like the stock market. Holiday time is easier to find a bargain than Spring time. If you find a property on the market in mid-December, you can be assured you have a very motivated owner. (and motivated owners tend to negotiate more).

If you buy low and sell high, you have nothing to gain but money.

Yes, but you may be thinking that you will then have to pay taxes on all that money. Well, yes, you will but you could always do a 1031Tax-Deferred Exchange and roll over the gain tax free......as long as you follow some I.R.S. guidelines.



Technology and Geographical Location---How Is This Affecting The Real Estate Industry?


I was at my bank the other day--------San Diego County Credit Union------- and they have a new "App" where you can deposit your checks via your iPhone. Now I know this technology has been around for a year or so, but I didn't really think it made sense---I was thinking it would be next to impossible to stuff a paper check into my iPhone!! But then I learned that you just take a picture of the check and it is then treated as a paperless transaction. :)

My office is in my home and my Brokerage is about 10 miles away, in downtown San Diego. My clients could be anywhere all over SD County and my meeting places are often Starbucks located just about everywhere. My mail goes to a PO Box yet most of my communications are by e-mail or text. My bank has a few branches scattered throughout metro SD, but now with a paperless iPhone deposit, I seldom have to go there. I could live on the moon and no one would know, as long there was WiFi!!


When a Buyer is looking for a home, "location, location, location" are the first 3 things on their mind. Of course...who doesn't want to be close to services and with the price of gas, convenience is everything. Let's stop here and think about technology.

My trips to the office are seldom, and my trips to the bank now, are never. Clients (especially investors) do alot of footwork, and you don't have to drive them from place to place. You can have a conference via Skype or "Facetime" on iPhone. I write up a list of items and order them from Drugstore.com, eliminating the need to drive all over the place.This opens up alot of possible locations for me to live---many more than it did even 5 years ago. Does it matter that my bank/pharmacy/supermarket are even "bricks and mortar"? Heck, my office doesn't even have to be "bricks and mortar". So how does this affect not only me but our industry?

Locations that are further away from city services may start to take on a whole other dimension. If I don't have to worry about my commute or getting to the bank or drugstore, I just may opt to live further from metro city center and purchase a larger, less expensive house......or tap the better priced suburban condo market which is still floundering 15-20 miles outside of metro San Diego. 15 years ago, condos in East County were not considered as desirable as metro condos, but if you look at the vast price differential, they may be the next best buy. If I can save $500-$750/month by living in a "less convenient" area (and "convenience" is now a moot point), I can save that money and purchase another property, or investing it-----all the while, adding to my net worth.

Technology has not only changed our business model BUT the needs of our Buyers have changed as well. Don't lose Buyers because they can't afford the "chic urban areas"------------which may just see a decline in pricing due to our everchanging technology. Largely forgotten inventory in suburban/rural/fringe areas may just be on the upswing!

The Eyes Have It-Or How To Charm Just About Anyone--It Works!

I just finished reading The Power of Charm by Brian Tracy.

This was an easy read, and although it did not hold any earth shattering revelations, I thought the chapter on eye contact was worth mentioning.

Did you know that eye contact projects to your speaker (client, partner, boss) that you are involved? it is a basic way that people will know if you are listening. Flicking is an act of shifting your gaze from one of the person's eyes to the other. It is a process of engaging with your speaker. I know a business colleague who never, ever gives me eye contact and is always looking around the room. This is dismissive and I don't trust her. Now think of what your clients may feel.

Intense eye contact with no gaze shifting may signal sexual interest or threatening behaviour, so as to avoid this, shift your gaze to the sides of the speakers face for just a brief moment. Never gaze at their mouth or nose (they will think they have some food on their face or worse) or above or beside their heads (they will think you are showing disinterest).

Head tilts make you look very attentive and involved. it is a simple move, tilting your head slightly from side to side. (think of how endearing it is when your pet dog or cat does this).

Try using direct eye contact, flicking and the tilt and this will communicate: "I am totally focused on what you are saying".

Week In Review

"Workin' nine to five. What a way to make a livin.'"sings Dolly Parton. And with last week's Jobs Report showing that unemployment has reached three-year lows, that's something more people have been able to do lately. Read on to learn more about what's happening in the labor market...and with home loan rates.On Friday, the Labor Department reported that 200,000 jobs were created in December, with 212,000 private job gains offsetting modest losses in government jobs. Adding to the positive spin of the report was the Unemployment Rate falling to 8.5% from a previously reported and upwardly revised 8.7% reading.While people being removed from the labor force are skewing this unemployment number to some degree, it's important to note that the U-6 unemployment rate dropped a few ticks as well, to 15.2%. This number includes ALL unemployed individuals, including those "marginally attached" to the labor force, who are either 'discouraged' and haven't sought work recently, as well as those folks working part-time who really desire full-time jobs.Overall the Jobs Report was a modestly positive reading on the labor market. We still have 5.6 million people unemployed for 27 weeks or more, and that number is little changed this month. But the big takeaway today is that the trend is improving.The other big takeaway is that bad news out of Europe helped balance out the good Jobs news here at home...allowing Bonds and home loan rates to recover from their initial negative reaction to the Labor Department's report. The Euro is continuing to be weighed down by rising concern on member countries' ability to get their deficits in order and their debt in manageable position.The bottom line is that the problems in the Eurozone are vast, complicated, and without easy solutions…so it will take a very long time for clear resolution. And during times of global uncertainty, money will flow into the relative safe haven of the US Dollar and US Bonds - including Mortgage Bonds, which home loan rates are tied to. This means that home loan rates should continue in their sideways trend and remain near historic lows, making now a great time to purchase or refinance a home.

What Is A Lis Pendens

What Is Lis Pendens?

A lis pendens literally means that litigation is pending. It tells the public that a lawsuit affecting the property is in progress and that any judgment awarded in that legal action will have priority as of the date of the lis pendens. Some lawyers file a lis pendens automatically when they file a suit affecting title to real estate. The lis pendens creates a cloud on the title and can prevent a potential sale of the property from taking place. A property owner’s first remedy, if a lis pendens is found, is to post a bond. If the court determines that the lis pendens was filed in bad faith, or that it does not affect title or possession to the property, then the court may expunge the lis pendens without the posting of a bond. You can take title subject to the lis pendens, but you would risk possible future judgments against the property. If a lis pendens exists it should be found in the preliminary report together with the liens and easements.

Read through the Preliminary Report (PR) carefully to determine which liens or items can stay on the property and which items must be paid or settled prior to closing. Once closed, the items not taken care of will remain on the property.