La Jolla, California 92037
Some cities are the embodiment of luxury, and La Jolla, California is no exception.
La Jolla is a paradise for both the traveler and the resident. Sitting just north of coastal San Diego, it offers a breathtaking coastline with heart-stopping views. Add to this natural beauty a world-class village, upscale shopping, fine dining and lodging, a top-ranked university (UCSD) and medical school along with a climate that is arguably the best on earth, and you have The Jewel, or La Jolla as Spaniards once called it.
Undoubtedly, La Jolla real estate is expensive and luxury buyers from all over the world would like to 
own some of their own. With a population standing at around 35,000, there is a strong sense of community pride and connection with the outdoors, which averages an annual balmy 74 degrees. La Jolla beaches are some of the most breathtaking in the world, and range from the ever-beautiful and seal-populated La Jolla Cove, to the craggy cliffs at Blacks Beach, the sandy expanses at La Jolla Shores and the tide pools and surfing at Windansea. All offer stunning beauty and year-round photographic opportunities.
La Jolla real estate prices stood at a median of $663,000 in 2000-and have since mushroomed to over $1.4 million median, with average prices for a La Jolla single family home standing at over $1.8 million as of Spring, 2007. La Jolla’s 92037 zip code has some of the shortest market times in the county (63 days)in spite of bubble-blogging to the contrary.
It might also be remembered that when times get tough, wise money shifts to quality and blue chip real estate investments. And La Jolla is a precious jewel in that world of real estate and investment.
What about day-to-day living in La Jolla for residents? Its a university town, its a world class destination, and its a certrain heaven for local residents Aside from the cultural offerings, the top-tier shopping, the beaches and the dining opportunities, there are also wonderful educational choices for families with children. The schools in La Jolla, both public and private, are very highly regarded throughout San Diego County:
Public Schools
La Jolla Elementary School, 1111 Marine Street, La Jolla, 92037
Bird Rock Elementary School, 5731 La Jolla Hermosa Ave, La Jolla, 92037
Torrey Pines Elementary School, 8750 Cliffridge Ave., La Jolla 92037
Muirlands Middle School, 1056 Nautilus Street, La Jolla, 92037
La Jolla High School, 750 Nautilus Street (corner of Nautilus and Fay), La Jolla, 92037
Private Schools
Stella Maris Academy, 7654 Herschel Ave., La Jolla 92037
The Childrens School, 2225 Torrey Pines Lane, La Jolla 92037
All Hallows Academy, 2390 Nautilus Ave., La Jolla 92037
Delphi Academy, 7527 Cuvier St., La Jolla 92037
The Gillispie School , 7380 Girard Ave., La Jolla 92037
La Jolla Country Day School, 9490 Genesee Ave., La Jolla, 92037
The Bishops School, 7607 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla, 92037
Many are interested in La Jolla real estate and investment opportunities. The following links may provide some assistance:
La Jolla and North San Diego County Market Report
La Jolla and San Diego Home Sale Statistics
San Diego Real Estate
Search La Jolla Real Estate and MLS
from the cultural offerings, the top-tier shopping, the beaches and the dining opportunities, there are also wonderful educational choices for families with children. The schools in La Jolla, both public and private, are very highly regarded throughout San Diego County:
For additional reading about La Jolla and other private schools, go to:
A San Diego Real Estate Market Report–
June 10th, 2008 Categories: Coronado, Del Mar, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe
–from San Diego’s premier luxury real estate broker, who also spends a lot of time in the trenches:
Bob Dyson, Broker-Owner of Villa Sotheby’s International Realty in San Diego and Dyson & Dyson Sotheby’s International Realty in the desert. Bob speaks with the voice of experience, and has never been one to mince words.
And Dyson’s most recent column, sent via email this morning, is no exception.
Insight from a Real Estate Insider
CURRENT REAL ESTATE MARKET CONDITIONS
by Bob Dyson
I have been asked again to render an opinion on current real estate market conditions as a lot has changed since our last forecast dated March 27th, 2008.
Over the past few months I have been in most of our Southern California offices on a weekly basis working with individual groups of agents, discussing the market from their perspective and experimenting with new and innovative ways to define and approach this “moving target market”.
In addition, I personally have been “in the trench” in the development business in San Diego and Riverside Counties and the San Diego real estate sales and listing market working directly with Sellers and Buyers and gathering my own opinion of the market.
AGENTS:
Our focus, as an industry, has (for the most part) been spent on satisfying our selling clients or finding the traditional buyers of real estate….
We have been advertising to satisfy sellers (in general) as well as attempting to promote ourselves as professional agents in our communities.
We have been placating many people who just do not understand that this market has changed dramatically and that property values are being affected on a daily basis by many external forces beyond our control.
This market cries out for innovation, a different focus and a clearly defined direction of effort.
SELLERS OF REAL ESTATE:
I divide these people in to six categories:
1. Sellers that are financially upside down as to the values of their property vs. their loan balances.
2. Those that are on the market with equity and do not have a strong desire to move.
3. Bulk Sale Sellers (Hedge Funds as they call themselves)
4. Clients that are on the market, have equity and a strong desire and need to move.
5. Those that are bank owned.
6. High End Sellers
How you invest your time, as an agent, in these 6 categories tells you who is making a living in today’s market.
Many of us have spent way too much time in categories one, two and three. As agents, all we have to sell is our time and wisdom of the market. To invest it incorrectly is not our highest and best use of time and energy, plus, it is very stressful.
People in these first 3 categories have another agenda, foreign from what we have been used to.
If they are threatened with losing their home or a changing lifestyle they react differently and often don’t disclose their real concerns and agendas.
Category three clients (Bulk Buyers) have wasted so much time of agents on the bet that the agent will be “Written in” their transactions and that there is a big commission ahead that will solve everything only to find out that the client had no intention of paying you a big “Traditional” fee for your services in a bulk sale. Most of them are not pulling the trigger anyway.
Conversely, I have spent a lot of time with smiling agents who are working the “Strong Desire Client” and focusing on where and why they are moving and assisting them in getting to that goal while understanding proper pricing of their current home to get to that goal.
Agents working the foreclosure listing markets and being very successful and consistent.
This market will be with us for years to come.
Most of these “Bank” Sellers lower their property prices weekly until the properties sell….best kind of seller with whom to have a relationship.
I am also working with many agents specializing in the high end…the least effected market. These agents are smart and are working the needs of their clients.
THE REAL ESTATE BUYING PUBLIC:
Where are the buyers????…Oh, they are out there….in droves…good credit…lots of cash and ready to take advantage of these market conditions.
For the past several months buyers and investors have been looking for the bottom. Although none of us can predict exactly when this market begins to shift to a demand market we can certainly agree that we are somewhere near the bottom in many real estate market places.
The lending market, in its own way, is making corrections and write-offs necessary to return to traditional lending with some assistance from the federal government.
WALL STREET:
One of our biggest problems is that Wall Streets continued denial that we are in a recession along with their amazing ability to mask huge financial issues on a daily basis.
Wall Street, as well as the Feds, continues to work off of 60 and 90 day old data as exampled by the most recent report of unemployment and a drop of some 400 points in the DOW the week of June 7th. Those were based on April numbers!!!!
In addition, the Fed continues to amend reports downward at a later date as if to diminish the one time sting of a negative announcement. On Wall Street, adjustments in reporting are never given the same impact as initial reports…. that’s why they “Estimate” and then tell us the truth later.
Because of these deceptive practices I predict one more big drop in the stock market…somewhere in the 2000-point range. This is necessary, in my opinion, to re focus investors on both the historic overall stability of real estate and the unbelievable opportunities in today’s market.
In a recent discussion with Roger Hedgecock (San Diego Talk Radio Host) and New York Mike (Talk Show Host and Business Owner of San Diego Harley Davidson) I am amazed at how excited they are about this market.
They believe that “Even if we are not at the bottom and if you intend to hold for at least two years, a property that you buy at great value today you will hit an absolute homerun.”
This type of excitement will “make a market” and before you know it ….many people will return to real estate with an entirely different mission and attitude.
THE RESULT OF ALL THIS:
1. Reduced agent and broker overhead will quickly lead to early profits and future investment capital.
2. Focused attention on who you spend your time with will reward you well.
3. Prepare for an onslaught of real estate investors followed by first time homebuyers and second homebuyers never before seen in the market.
I don’t think any of us can comprehend the pent up demand waiting for the return of measurable and stable real estate markets and lending practices. The best times are ahead for those that really focus in the right areas of our business.
And That’s How I See It
Bob Dyson
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San Diego Nude Beaches Threatened
June 6th, 2008 Categories: La Jolla, Real Estate News, San Diego Beaches
I’ve never really given much thought to San Diego County’s two nude beaches: Black’s Beach in La Jolla and San Onofre State Beach at the northern tip of San Diego County. Both are pretty secluded and it appears the nudists are a pretty peaceable lot.
At least until recently.
It is reported in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune that San Onofre park rangers will start enforcing a ban on nudity after September, 1, 2008. Apparently, there have been public complaints and some park employees objected to working in a place where not everyone is clothed–which specifically targets the Trail 6 beach area.
And like other beach workers who object to picking up cigarette butts, used baby diapers and other foul debris, maintenance workers at San Onofre State Beach object to occasionally having to pick up sex toys, condoms and other “paraphernalia.” Guess it’s a long trek to carry those bags of debris up a remote and steep path that goes up a 60-foot cliff.
Can’t blame either group of park employees for their complaints–and would personally campaign for users of all San Diego beaches to never leave any debris behind.
On the other side of this issue, nudists are proclaiming that their nudity is protected under First Amendment rights as “free speech” and the Naturist Society has issued an action alert, encouraging its members to email and send letters to politicians protesting the nudity ban.
It’s tempting to take my camera and authenticate this blog article with photos, but I’ll pass on the assignment because I’m just not dressed for the terrain.
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Hacked and Attacked: Why?
April 18th, 2008 Categories: La Jolla, Real Estate News, San Diego Real Estate
My deepest apologies to those who tried to access this San Diego real estate blog earlier in the week.
We are just now starting to recover from an attack that has left me stunned.
We were viciously attacked late Sunday night by unknown entities, who tried to destroy everything ever written on both San Diego Previews and Luxury Home Digest. It appears about 18 other real estate blogs throughout the country suffered the same fate. Thanks to the collective genius and caffein-fed 40-hour work stretches, the real estate blogging gurus at the Real Estate Tomato were able to revive us all back to some semblance of normality.
Glitches still remain: I still can’t load new photos into this Word Press blog and comments from readers have wrong dates. Those issues will be more easily resolved than my own nagging questions:
Why would someone or some group or anyone want to wreak such senseless damage on others? We have no account numbers or other sensitive information on these real estate blogs that could be of value to anyone; this is a case of wanton and heartless destruction.
I also can’t help but wonder why a home burglary would somehow be more comforting than this attack.
The answer might be that I can defend myself against a home burglary: I can install alarms, locking gates and buy a Pit Bull or two. I can also call the police, file an insurance claim–or move across town. That is a problem with obvious solutions.
How does one protect against online invasions? We install firewalls, we keep our virus protections up to date and stay away from suspicious sites. But what about other online vulnerabilities, or the evil intent of hackers?
I have spoken with some who were affected by this week’s attack. Clients were lost and some went elsewhere to search for properties. We received calls about the site being down–from some surely wondering if we were still in the San Diego real estate business.
This was an attack not only on real estate blog sites, but also on reputations, livelihoods and peace of mind.
Update: I can now load photos onto this limping San Diego real estate blog, but have discovered that all the back end stuff was also deleted and/or destroyed. In between the tedious hours spent helping to rebuild this site, I try to imagine fitting punishments for the hacker(s)–like banning them from computers for the next 50 years, or strapping a keyboard to their foreheads life or forcing them to hit the delete button on every piece of work they have ever created.
Grrrr!
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San Diego a Bargain for Foreign Investors
March 17th, 2008 Categories: Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, Luxury Homes, San Diego Real Estate
How I wish I were buying San Diego real estate with Euros or Loonies or Yen or Yuan. As a European, Canadian, Japanese or Chinese real estate investor, I could be plucking off prime coastal real estate in San Diego County at an amazingly steep discount.
For this mornings rant , we can thank Mr Bernankes surprise quarter point cut in the Fed rate Sunday, which has helped to trigger a further decline in the dollar versus other foreign currencies. The US dollar against the Euro currently stands at around $1.58, which can be a dream or a nightmare, depending upon the denomination of ones bank account.
This decline comes as many are expecting an even steeper cut by the Fed this week.
Some American expatriates we know are selling off foreign investments and returning home. The declining dollar has made European retirement increasingly more expensive, and $4.00 per gallon gasoline is still more attractive than $8 per gallon. Its all a matter of relativity. And San Diego County has become a natural home target for many of those returnees.
And why not?
Blue chip real estate in downtown San Diego, Coronado, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, La Costa, Aviara, Carlsbad and even Oceansides blossoming downtown area can now be purchased by foreigners and expats at even steeper discounts, thanks to the decimated dollar and an already discounted real estate market.
Its a rare combination astute foreign investors cannot ignore and for those seeking to buy a slice of paradise, there is little that can compete with coastal San Diego.
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San Diego Incomes: A Few Surprises
March 1st, 2008 Categories: Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos
As a San Diego Realtor, I am frequently asked about income demographics in San Diego County and find it handy to have a chart for reference.
The one below provides more than a few surprises, courtesy of the San Diego Business Journal, which provided this data last summer and is one of my favorite reads. We found it surprising, for example, that Carlsbad outranks Encinitas and that Poway beat out Coronado.
And would you have guessed that Oceanside would best San Diego? And few should be surprised that tiny Del Mar beat out them all.
Of course, Rancho Santa Fe and La Jolla were not included, as Rancho Santa Fe is not an incorporated city, and La Jolla is part of the City of San Diego.
| Cities Of Interest: | 2007 Population: | Median Household Income : |
| San Diego | 1,326,837 | $61,043 |
| Chula Vista | 227,723 | 68,497 |
| Oceanside | 176,644 | 62,271 |
| Escondido | 141,788 | 60,639 |
| Carlsbad | 101,337 | 90,115 |
| El Cajon | 97,255 | 50,433 |
| Vista | 94,962 | 60,757 |
| San Marcos | 79,812 | 68,109 |
| Encinitas | 63,259 | 86,444 |
| National City | 61,115 | 41,959 |
| La Mesa | 56,250 | 55,667 |
| Santee | 56,158 | 74,321 |
| Poway | 50,830 | 93,542 |
| Imperial Beach | 27,709 | 43,355 |
| Lemon Grove | 25,451 | 57,000 |
| Coronado | 22,957 | 91,748 |
| Solana Beach | 13,418 | 102,810 |
| Del Mar | 4,548 | 108,635 |
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