Roberta Murphy - Carlsbad Real Estate North County San Diego Realtor

Trash cans at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, CA are emptier now that students, faculty and staff are switching to reusable water bottles.

And that is all because students with LCC's Social Justice Project came up with a plan that is succeeding beyond all expectations, according to students and Christopher Greenslate, the LCC Social Justice teacher who also teaches journalism and English at the school.

Students sent out emails and made posters on recyclable paper to educate fellow students on the hazards of plastic water bottles, which are disposed of at the rate of 60 billion per year-and is the leading source of plastic pollution in the United States. They also sold recyclable bottles, which student and faculty quickly bought.

When that supply sold out, reformed plastic bottle users found other off-campus sources. It is hoped that the ubiquitous plastic water bottle will be replaced with reusable ones that won't trash our planet so needlessly.

As a result of this successful effort, La Costa Canyon High School's video about their breakup with bottled water has been selected as a finalist in Quantum Shift's $50,000 contest for best environmental project.

Please, I beg you, visit this site and cast a vote for La Costa Canyon's Social Justice program.

Perhaps their efforts will spread to other area schools, colleges and workplaces. In addition to lessening environmental impact, there will be significant cost savings. Home filtered water put in glass bottles is not only healthier, but runs just 1/10 the cost of bottled water.

All of San Diego and the neighboring communities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Olivenhain, Cardiff, and Rancho Santa Fe should be proud of La Costa Canyon High School and their very green project.

And perhaps it is a project that could be adopted by other schools as well!

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A Zillow questioner asks if he or she should wait to buy a home in San Diego--or until the market levels out.

It is a question that seemed to beg an answer from me, if only because we are personally struggling with that very issue as I write this post.

We have an opportunity to buy an Oceanside property that should yield a mildly positive cash flow with a 20 percent down payment. It is new construction, close to Oceanside beaches, and the only hurdle is finding financing that is reasonably acceptable for our circumstances.

(But that is another story.)

This Zillow questioner is asking about the advisability of buying San Diego real estate as his or her home in today’s market. So much depends on location and local market conditions.

My advice?

You may want to explore home financing options available today that might not have worked just a couple of years ago--primarily because San Diego home prices have become so much more affordable.

The ACORN loan (available through Bank of America and Chase) is great for buyers earning less than $92,000 per year and who own no other real estate. The down payment is low and there is no PMI (private mortgage insurance). Loans are available up to $500,000, and buyers must attend a one-day class on home ownership prior to receiving an eligibility certificate.

FHA loans in San Diego are also making a recent strong appearance, and we are using them with a number of our buyers (even with new homes). These loans offer 3 percent down payments on mortgages up to almost $700,000. There are additional fees involved with FHA loans, but motivated sellers may be willing to assist with these costs–and may also be willing to reduce the home price to meet FHA loan maximums.

The best strategy is to find a very well-priced home (compare to area comparables)–or perhaps even a San Diego foreclosure– and secure the best available mortgage financing.

Continue reading....

Investors are moving back into the coastal San Diego real estate market with impatient wallets.

They are seeking well-priced foreclosures, pre-negotiated short sales and real estate investments with income streams.

So-called bargains in sub-marginal areas may not be the wisest San Diego real estate investment move. Perceived bargains in outlying markets may be nothing of the sort, and we persistently advise our clients to stay with blue chip real estate investments--especially in these volatile economic times.

We recently received a whisper from La Costa Resort and Spa that buyers of their Villas will receive up to $125,000 at closing for leasing their properties back to them for two years. And of course, there is always the option of using the condos as well.

This is a very limited offer, as only a few of the La Costa Resort Villas whole-ownership, luxury condominiums remain. Each is fully furnished (just pack a toothbrush) with designer decor and high-end amenities throughout, and is located on the grounds of the world-class La Costa Resort and Spa.

The bonuses included with this offer are remarkable. Click to continue reading

I am putting together a story about hotel hauntings, and surely one to top the list would be reports of hauntings at the Hotel del Coronado, which have circulated for years.

The most famous San Diego and Coronado ghost is a young woman who reportedly committed suicide near the turn of the last century after her husband or lover abandoned her. I don’t remember exactly where she stayed that fateful night at the Hotel del Coronado, but I do recall a desk clerk giving me the room number during a stay at the Hotel Del Coronado a few years ago.

Unable to resist the temptation, I went by that small interior room in the hotel (with windows that opened into the hallway), but the window coverings were drawn shut and I could see nothing. The clerk said that many psychics and ghosthunters reserve the room–either out of curiosity, or the possible opportunity for a Coronado seance.

I am not aware of any threatening gestures made by the ghost or spirit that supposedly roams the halls and grounds of the Hotel del Coronado, but would be very interested in hearing from anyone who has encountered any ghosts or spirits at this legendary San Diego hotel–or from who have their own hotel haunting stories.

(In my original post about this story on San Diego Previews, there were several interesting responses and stories--that were far more interesting than my original article. Unfortunately, during the recent hacking attack these comments were deleted. Perhaps the story can be rebuilt into something even more interesting.)

Hopefully, though, I will be an early visitor (they open at 9 am) because over 100,000 shoppers are expected at the 25th Annual Encinitas Street Fair and parking will be tight. If I didn’t need to have a car for the Oceanside trip, I would consider taking the NCTD Coaster to this fun Southern California beach town event. For the Coaster schedule, go to: http://www.gonctd.com/coaster_schedules.htm

Entertainment will be available on both Saturday and Sunday, and will be staged at both the Karl Strauss Beer Garden Stage and the Beer Garden Stage in the Lumberyard parking lot on the corner of Hwy 101 and I Street.

The Encinitas Street Fair entertainment schedule?

Click here to read more.