My mom always said, you get what you pay for. It wasn’t until I was grown, long since left the nest, that I really understood what she meant. It is so easy to cut corners and so frustrating when you do to find more headaches, hassle and ultimately the additional money it can often costs. Nowhere is it more true than when you purchase a home. It is so important to have a solid experienced Realtor on your side. Not only will it save you time and money, but it will make the entire buying process a bit easier and actually, pleasant! Don’t take my word for it…the California Association of Realtors recently discovered that 88% of home buyers employed a Realtor to help them with the purchase of their home. And with it being free to you, the buyer, what are you waiting for? Give me a call today- I can help in your San Diego home purchase.
JUST LISTED- AMAZING OPPORTUNITY
JUST LISTED- AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!
4 bedroom 3 Full bathroom Spring Valley Home with short distance to Sweetwater Reservoir! Turn-key and upgrades galore. Granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, modern island with seating, freshly painted exterior, newer window treatments, first floor bedroom and full bathroom, central HVAC and so much more!
Stop by open house this Sunday from 12-3 PM for a first look! Competitively priced….hurry!
San Diego Real Estate Market a Quick Snapshot
The median price of single-family, re-sale homes reached $500,000 in July for the first time since November 2007. It stayed there in August.
After nineteen months of double-digit price gains, the median price has cooled off to single-digit gains the past five months.
Home sales dropped in August, year-over-year, for the thirteenth month in a row.
Pending sales jumped 17.5% year-over-year. That’s the second month in a row pending sales have been higher than the year before. Previously, pending sales had dropped for sixteen months.
Inventory continues to improve. It has been higher than the year before for the past eight months. Currently there are 9,133 active single family homes for sale on the San Diego MLS. This is up from the same time last year where we saw 6,980 homes for sale. Condos in San Diego follow a similar trend. There are 3,048 condos for sale in San Diego. This is also up compared to last year when we saw only 2, 332 for sale in San Diego.
The metro and “walkable” neighborhoods of San Diego continue to be highly desirable with well priced homes going into escrow in about 2 weeks of hitting the market. Overall the next few months before the holiday season kicks in will be something to watch as we finish the year in San Diego’s real estate market, hopefully with a bang!
El Cerrito Community Garage Sale is Coming
Searching for a bargin or just hunting for a new something, something? Well here is your chance to visit over 40 garage sales in one day in El Cerrito. Put on some comfy shoes and break out the piggy bank for September 20th at 8 AM the festivities begin. A UT ad will run the Friday immediately beforehand and multiple ads will be placed on Craigslist. Maps will be available on both sides of El Cajon Blvd. I recommend getting to the area early, perhaps heading over to the Library to grab a cup of Joe, a garage sale map, and caffein up for fun, bargain shopping Saturday morning!
Good Luck and have fun!
How to Ready Your Home for the Market
What do you think the number one spot homeowners who take on a remodel project tackle first?
You guessed it….the kitchen! According to the California Association of Realtors, homeowners, within their first year of home ownership are 70% likely to remodel the kitchen. The back or front yard take on a close second place.
So if you are looking to net top dollar for your home, and you are willing to do a bit of sprucing up, take a look at the chart below to see where your best remodeling dollars can be spent. I have to agree with this survey…the kitchen can be a deal killer for many first time home buyers. I personally see buyers willing to pay more for a house which has nicely landscaped outdoor “areas” and redone kitchen and bathrooms. Even in todays competitive San Diego housing market, if a buyer feels he or she has to put money into the home right away, that is an automatic deduction on what they are willing to offer.
If you are wondering where the best place is to put your hard earned dollar, in hopes of achieving the best return, give me a ring today. I can help!
Just Sold in San Marcos
This beautiful 4 bedroom 3 bath modern marvel just closed escrow today in San Marcos for $615,000. Having sold this home to my clients just several years ago, it was sad to see them move away.

However, hopefully the new owner will have many wonderful years in their new home. Silvercrest is a small gated community just off 76. It features very spacious affordable homes, views, close proximity to Jack’s pond and walking distance to Cal State San Marcos and the Sprinter. There are still a few more homes for sale in Silvercrest. Call me today if you know someone who may be interested.
Scripps Ranch Market Update
July sales stats are in for Scripps Ranch. A normally busy month for real estate saw a slight hiccup in sales, although not huge.
The average days on the market for single family homes rose to 39 days, in comparison to 32 days days in July of 2013. For condos, the market time was the same of 38 days. Despite the slightly longer market time, the median sales price for single family homes gained 8.6% from July of 2013 to top off at $847,000. For condos, we saw a gain as well at $380,500 compared to $377,000 for July of 2013.
Months supply of inventory rose slightly. For single family homes in Scripps Ranch, there is a 3.2 months supply of homes for sale. This is in contrast to 3.0 months in July 2013. For condos, there is a slight drop in inventory of 2.9 months supply in contrast to last year at 3.1 months.
One thing is for certain, Scripps Ranch continues to be a very solid neighborhood to invest in as homes continue to hold their value. Not to mention it is a wonderful, peaceful place to live, work and play!
Closed Sales in San Diego for July 2014
The chart below, provided by the San Diego Association of Realtors, illustrates closed escrows for the month of July throughout San Diego county, based on a rolling 12 month average. What we see is a slight decrease in closed sales from the same time last year. For single family homes in San Diego, there was a 13.2% slowdown over last year. While condo sales fell less at 5.8%. One of the largest drop in sales, for both single family homes as well as condos in San Diego, was in the $250,000 price point or less. My guess for this fall in sales is simply a supply issue. Since we continue to gain in value in San Diego and since distressed sales continue to remain thin, there simply is not as many condos and homes priced at or below $250,000 available for purchase.
On the other end of the spectrum, the price point which saw the biggest jump in closed sales was for million dollar homes and above. Similarly with condos, we saw the largest gain in sales at the price point of $500,00 to $750,000.
If you have questions about what your home may be worth, give me a call today. I promise everyone to always share my educated, honest advice. I can provide you with accurate information you will need to make your decision of when is or is not a good time to sell your San Diego home!
Scripps Ranch Real Estate- A Good Investment
Scripps Ranch is a wonderful place to live and to invest. With its convenient location to I-15, yet close proximity to Miramar lake and open space, Scripps is coined “country living” and I might add, at it’s finest. Scripps Ranch attracts many walks of life, with the majority of folks calling it “home” for many years. Because of this, Scripps Ranch has a high owner occupancy which contributes to the evident pride of ownership within it’s communities as well as property values. 86.7% of homes in Scripps Ranch are owner occupied. In contrast, only 10.1% are rentals. The median home price, as of August 2014, in Scripps Ranch is $579,300. This is compared to $437,300 for San Diego County. Appreciation is also up in Scripps Ranch to 18%, compared to the National average which is 4.9%. Rents remain strong and demand high for real estate in both new and old Scripps. Scripps Ranch has all the ingredients for a solid real estate investment.
If you have been contemplating investing in San Diego real estate, give me a call today. I can help you decide if Scripps Ranch, or other nearby areas of San Diego, are right for you.
Open House on Hendrix Pond
Open House Sunday August 17th from 11 Am to 2 PM. Rarely do homes come for sale right on Hendrix Pond. This one is a special treat and is just waiting you! Awake to the sounds of birds and water views everyday. Watch the baby ducks grow up, take Fido or the kids for a stroll or simply relax and enjoy all the peaceful features living on the water affords. Turn-key home with dual pane windows, central HVAC, custom staircase, tile flooring, carpeting, plantation shutters, updated/remodeled kitchen, updated/remodeled bathrooms, storage in attic and garage, fireplace and so much more. Hurry, this one won’t be around for long. Call friendly listing agent, Tami McCraw to schedule your own private showing today!



















































Tami McCraw
