The graduations are just finishing up, most summer getaway are booked, and with the end of June soon to be coming our way, many homeowners may be thinking more about holiday weekends and BBQs than home maintenance. But for those selling a home in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff or Encinitas this summer, keeping ahead of upkeep issues will become an important part of the project. Some items that bear watching:

The best time to clean air conditioners is before you fire them up for the first time…but since the AC always seem to be needed sooner than expected, few of us do. Never mind: sooner is better than later — and if you’re selling your home in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff or Encinitas this summer, you’ll want to keep the home comfortable at all times for potential buyers. Your owner’s manual should explain how to change filters and clean coils and fins.

Everyone knows how important clearing clutter is for selling your North San Diego home, but don’t forget to stash the winter’s heating paraphernalia. While you’re storing any portable heaters, pull the filters from the central furnace and pick up replacements next time you’re at the hardware store. When potential buyers see the new replacements neatly placed where they’ll be handy come winter, they are likely to register that this is one property owner who is well ahead of maintenance issues.

Cleaning the windows and window coverings is a chore none of us looks forward to. But when you’re selling your home in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff or Encinitas this summer, few touches pay off like windows that shine, shine, shine! Choose one of our sunny days and see if you can get someone to work with you — and if you can spare an extra hour or so, hose off the screens and lay them out in the sun to dry.

Selling your home in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff or Encinitas is less taxing when you put yourself a step ahead on maintenance. Then call The Rande Turner Group to put the rest of a well thought-out marketing plan into action. We’ll be working all summer to help bring you top dollar for your Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff or Encinitas home.

For local homeowners watching property values rise and fall, surprises aren’t necessarily welcome. Surprises come in two flavors where real estate is concerned (and the previous decade certainly brought some of the unwelcome kind).

One of the basic numerical tools we have come to rely upon comes from Corelogic®, the California analytic brainiacs who collect and present national statistics mined from the MLS data. Their latest report on home prices is accompanied by a graphic that’s becoming increasingly familiar. For Del Mar homeowners, La Jolla homeowners, Encinitas homeowners, Solana Beach homeowners and Cardiff homeowners, it’s always a welcome sight: an arrow pointing straight up.

These are national trends, but of course, most of the news we absorb as we go about our daily routines are just that. Like it or not, the news influences us in many overt and subtle ways, not the least of which is how eager we feel about opening our wallets to make any kind of purchase. And homeowners — even those who have no intention of selling or buying another home — can be relied upon to register the value of their own area real estate holdings somewhere in their consciousness.

The up-pointing arrow in this latest report is next to a bold blue number, 12.1%, which is the rise in home prices year-over-year. That’s the kind of jump that more volatile (and risky) investments aim for; the kind of rise that furrows brows from those who are still watching from the sidelines.

Deeper into the numbers, we do see that the rise from March to April was a full 3.2%, that prices are now within 22.4% of the peak of last decade’s bubble, and that, for the Corelogic® experts, the prediction is that the next month’s year-over-year rise will climb to 13.2%. We will have to wait to see if that can be matched for Del Mar homeowners, Solana Beach homeowners, La Jolla homeowners, Cardiff homeowners and Encinitas homeowners, but whether or not it hits that kind of mark, we can expect to see another bold blue number. And another upward-pointing arrow.

All of which makes us happy to say that we are always standing by to answer questions or help with your next Del Mar, La Jolla, Encinitas, Cardiff, or Solana Beach real estate acquisition or sale.

When it comes to Del Mar’s and Solana Beach’s residential real estate outlook, some truisms say it all: “Strike while the iron is hot!” “The early bird gets the worm!” “Time and tide waits for no man…” Sometimes those hoary old clichés have survived because their wisdom doesn’t ever change — and right now, some hard facts and figures may make these more relevant than usual.

Del Mar and Solana Beach real estate watchers, buoyed by last Tuesday’s stock market jump (a reaction to the bullish real estate statistics), were also digesting The National Association of Realtors^®’ latest report: it carried more cheerful news about the expanding market for existing-home sales.

Final numbers for April showed sales moving at the highest pace since November of 2009, which was a single month that spiked due to the homebuyer tax credit. It also marked the 22^nd consecutive month of year-over-year monthly price rises.

What is the “even better” news for potential Del Mar and Solana Beach  real estate sellers? It’s about the relationship between available inventory and the pace of sales. The listed inventory across the nation is actually 13% lower than a year ago — which translates into a median time on market of just 46 days. A year ago, that figure was 62 days. In other words, across the nation, sales of existing homes are moving a full 45% faster!

NAR President Gary Thomas had some words for real estate buyers that potential sellers will be pleased to hear. “With homes selling in half the time it took to sell a year ago, buyers must be both decisive and prudent.”

Del Mar and Solana Beach home sellers should love that word ‘decisive.’ It hints at the underlying condition of a market that’s becoming more competitive for buyers — buyers additionally empowered by April’s fall in conventional mortgage rates. For both Del Mar and Solana Beach real estate buyers and sellers, now looks like time to “strike while the [market]’s hot”!

In case you have been one of those trend watcher, we are standing by. Why not give us a call to discuss how you can take advantage of today’s outlook?

ENCINITAS OCEAN FRONT | NEW LISTING $6,898,000

Passing through the arched stone entry you are transported to a Mediterranean villa with engaging panoramic ocean views perhaps on the Cote d’Azur.  This 4 BD/3.5 BA 4,405 sq. ft. home on a huge 10,045 sq. ft. oceanfront lot has been beautifully designed to create a continued feeling of harmony and tranquility throughout.

The sun filled living areas open into a private and intimate courtyard complete with a wood burning fireplace and bubbling water fountain perfect for intimate al fresco entertaining or a quiet respite for reading or meditation.   The chiseled-edge travertine stone, pecan hardwood floors and detailed wrought iron staircases add warmth throughout.

The large upstairs master suite, with its wall of glass sliding doors and outdoor sea view sitting area is breathtaking.  The spa soaking tub and ocean views from the natural stone tiled shower with dual showerheads add to the tranquil ambiance.

No detail has been overlooked or expense spared.  The open beam ceiling, custom Albertini wood-bronze pivoting windows and bronze-hardwood slide doors and wine cellar all add authenticity to this Mediterranean inspired home.

The Encinitas walking lifestyle and white sand beach access is just outside your front door.  Whole Foods, eclectic bistros, boutique shopping, great surfing, Moonlight Beach and beach access are only steps away.  All you need are your walking shoes or a bike to enjoy this quaint oceanfront community.

Del Mar, Solana Beach and Cardiff homeowners don’t have to be planning to sell anytime soon to be curious about the market value of their property. A home is such a major part of any family’s financial picture, it’s only natural.

One important indicator of the direction of Del Mar and Solana Beach home values is how the builders of new homes gauge the future market. After all, if you build new homes for a living, your bottom line is largely dependent on being able to predict future demand.

That is why May’s rise in U.S. home-builder confidence in the market for single family new homes is a convincing follow-through to what we have been seeing for a while now. I find two unrelated sources that, taken together, point toward that conclusion.

The first is CNBC’s web site, which zeroes in on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Current conditions are reported to have risen three points in just one month, while the index measuring expectations for future sales hit 53 — and that’s the highest level since February 2007.

The second, CoreLogic’s Case-Shiller Indexes Report, confirmed the home price increases of 2012 as having grown at the strongest rate in nearly seven years. The report included a (for them) remarkably bold headline: “More to come in 2013-2017.”

The new homes optimism was doubly good news because it comes despite increasing building materials costs, which usually dampen home-builder confidence. But the impact of rising single family home prices and reported sense of urgency among potential buyers “as a result of thinning inventories of homes” more than compensated for the building cost increases. This may be good news for buyers targeting new homes in Del Mar and Solana Beach: better builder confidence should mean more new homes.

While we’ve already seen a lot of this spring’s inventory enter the market — whether you’re looking at existing or new homes in Del Mar, Solana Beach or Cardiff, there is a good case to be made that today’s low mortgage rates plus the remaining bargains make 2013 a fortuitous year to purchase. If that’s how it looks from your vantage point, contact us today to begin pre-qualifying!

Imagine ocean sunsets and 180 degree views from the expansive decks off of the living spaces and large master suite of this Olde Del Mar home.  Walk to the village for morning coffee and a stroll on the beautiful Del Mar beaches just steps from your door.

This 4 BR+/2.5 BA 2,700 square foot home has wood floors, a stone fireplace, a dining room that opens to an outdoor deck perfect for entertaining and a detached office/guest room surrounded lush landscaping, a pool and a waterfall, creating a private and tranquil retreat just steps to all that Del Mar has to offer.

When we update Solana Beach, Del Mar, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe and Cardiff readers about the latest news in housing prices, it’s usually not as ‘latest’ as we would like. The reason is that there is a delay in most of the truly reliable indexes that measure housing prices. The big indexes are national (Solana Beach housing prices, Del Mar housing prices and Cardiff housing prices are another matter), and they have a built-in two-month delay.

We can look at trends and directions, but if there is a change afoot, we won’t be sure of that for about 60 days.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal found a way to present unusually fresh numbers. Reporter Nick Timiraos ignored the S&P/Case-Shiller Index, which reported statistics from back in March, and leapfrogged into April with the first solid news about our much-anticipated spring selling season.

It shows a startling 2.7% one-month increase: the largest March-to-April gain in any of the 17 years since the series was first reported.

“The monthly gain blew away all past Aprils,” said an economist at Credit Suisse. The basis of the reports comes from last Wednesday’s release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ producer-price index, which measures prices in the whole economy (at least as seen by manufacturers and wholesalers). It’s a backdoor way to gauge housing prices when you examine prices received by real estate agents.

The numbers showed a 9.1% gain over housing prices from a year ago…and remember, big price rises were already happening by then. The takeaway, per the Journal, “Don’t be surprised to see continued increases in prices and sales in the next batch of housing reports.”

Professors Case and Shiller are certainly standing by to give us those. And in case you would like a more locally focused update on our recent Solana Beach housing prices, Del Mar housing prices or Cardiff housing prices, the Rande Turner Group is standing by, too — why not give us a call today?

Ah, spring is truly in the air…the traditional time when people can fall in love at first sight!
We will try not to dampen those springtime spirits too much, but for anyone currently looking into the Del Mar luxury home listings, some advice may be in order:

Online love at first sight is a really bad idea.

Those Del Mar luxury home listings can indeed be truly alluring, and using your computer (or iPad, or smartphone) to window through the current crop of terrific Del Mar luxury home listings is a supremely practical approach.
But do remember that any warm glow you experience after checking out a particularly fetching online tour is best held in check until after you have paid an in-person visit. Then the love affair is more likely to be the real thing.
Especially when it comes to the luxury home listings, they have been created by talented professional stagers and photographers (not to mention musicians, when a video is part of the presentation). We work with them to create an immersive online experience, which is all to the good.
The only drawback comes if we do such a good job that Del Mar luxury home prospects fall head over heels. If reality can’t possibly match the romance of their mind’s eye abstraction, well…just ask a teenager’s parents about what the falling out of love experience is like! Until you have contacted The Rande Turner Group and we’ve made a real life, in-the-flesh house tour, what we are dealing with is — let’s face it — puppy love.
Seasoned buyers know that stunning photos can’t begin to reveal all the details that make for ‘the real thing.’ Does the kitchen fit a family’s cooking style? Is that gorgeous landscaping a good setting for kids and pets? Is the neighborhood right for a particular family?
If your own home belongs among our eye-catching Del Mar luxury home listings, you probably also know that prospective buyers will be genuinely impressed when they visit in person. If that’s the case, we hope you’ll be contacting us soon for a complimentary consultation.

Previously, we cited three of the most common mistakes sellers make after listing their Del Mar property for sale. Here are three more:

Proper Insurance

When you have a Del Mar property for sale, it’s more important than ever to see that your homeowners insurance is up to date. It is highly unlikely that someone will have an accident on your premises, but the increase in the number of visitors makes it prudent to be well covered. Of course you will want to mitigate obvious potential hazards like broken glass or exposed nails — but should also have a foolproof system for making pets a non-issue during showings.

Contractual Terms

With your Del Mar property for sale, it’s only natural for your primary focus to be on the bottom line: the sale price. When an offer arrives with the right number, it’s tempting to sign on the dotted line and be done with it. But there is more to a purchase offer than just the price. An offer is a contract, and as such, all its terms are equally binding. For instance, there is the matter of the closing date: sellers who accept an offer without paying enough attention to it can be left scrambling for temporary housing when that date arrives.

Contingency Removal

Removing the inspection and loan contingencies on time are key events in the buy/sell timeline – yet these deadlines can easily slip by unnoticed. The wording of the clauses is important, too, because a buyer can have the right to withdraw an offer if he or she is not satisfied with the outcome of an inspection or a loan rate they deem acceptable. Failure to make sure a buyer removes contingencies on time can turn a ‘sold’ property into a property that’s still for sale.
Aligning yourself with an experienced agent is the simplest way to remain aware of these and other common legal miscues — and how to avoid them. With your property for sale, you become a single-purpose business enterprise, and your agent’s knowledge should be a key business asset. Contact us anytime for that kind of assistance!

Disclosure Signatures

Disclosing material facts that might affect your Del Mar property’s value is a fair obligation that’s understood by everyone. Yet properly disclosing all material facts won’t help you at all if an issue comes up later but you can’t prove the disclosure. A good agent will double- and triple-check all the signatures, but at the end of the day, your peaceful sleep at night is only protected when you also take care to keep complete copies of the paperwork with all signatures accounted for.

Earnest Money

Ah — the thrill of getting the first offer! After readying the property and listing your home, when an offer comes quickly, you’ll be tempted to say, “Where do I sign?” But slow up: getting a great offer is just the first step. Part of being a prudent seller is scrutinizing the offer and buyer to gauge the likelihood that the deal will close. The amount of earnest money should demonstrate the prospect’s sincere intent to buy…not just their desire to tie up the house while they make up their mind!

Exclusions

Want to watch warm feelings ice up in a hurry? Try surprising your buyer with the last-minute news that you intend to take your coveted washer/dryer (or heirloom chandelier, or custom closet system) with you because you forgot to exclude them. It’s part of our job to go over the more obvious items when listing your home in Del Mar, but even so, it’s ultimately up to you to make sure your intent is known. Trust us – We’ve seen more than one sale go south in the eleventh hour over some unbelievably minor items.
Coming next, We will flesh out more of these most common pitfalls. Of course, listing your home with The Rande Turner Group means you won’t need to worry: We make it our job to keep an eye out for all of them. If you’re thinking of listing your home in Del Mar this spring, call us today! 858-945-8896