California Archives -

by Roberta Murphy Consider yourself fortunate if you already own a California home. Very fortunate! If you look at the map below, you’ll see that average Hawaii, Washington DC, and California home prices all command qualifying incomes of at least $80,000 to 120,000. That is the highest in the nation. So if you already own

Saving Water in San Diego

March 22, 2014

Carlsbad, Featured Blog Posts, Home Improvement Tips, Uncategorized

Though we specialize in Carlsbad real estate, the California drought affects us all–and we are all about saving water in San Diego. This infographic from the California Association of Realtors (CAR) shows where so much of our water goes, but I am wondering if some of these uses could go dual-purpose. Could running sink water

California Prop 60 and 90 Information

August 17, 2013

Baby Boomers, Featured Blog Posts, Relocation, San Diego Communities

Transfer your CA property tax base with Prop 60 and 90? The idea of settling in San Diego attracts many who are retired or considering retirement–especially if they are California residents who qualify for Prop 60 or 90. Hardly a week goes by without someone seeking retirement relocation to San Diego and if they currently

Deficiency Judgment on San Diego Short Sale?

May 3, 2013

Featured Blog Posts, Military, Short Sales, Tips for Sellers

Put to rest the nightmare of a lender pursuing a deficiency judgment against you for mortgage debt forgiven in a California short sale. It’s not going to happen! Mortgage lenders are prohibited from obtaining a deficiency judgment following the short sale of a residential property with no more than four units. Junior lien holders are

Will I Owe Taxes on My San Diego Short Sale?

May 2, 2013

Foreclosures, Short Sales, Tips for Sellers

Taxes: This is a question anyone facing a short sale should ask their Realtor or tax advisor. We’ve written about these taxes before, but once again here is the information we present to our San Diego real estate clients: For Federal tax returns, the mortgage forgiveness debt relief on principal residences will remain in effect

California Home Prices: What Do You Think?

February 26, 2013

Market Trends, Market Updates

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Texas, I looked at California home prices and thought they were nothing but a blippy bubble. How could their prices keep rising? Wasn’t it a state that was supposed to break off into the ocean and create an oceanfront town called Las Vegas? Well, numbers don’t

San Diego a Top Destination for U-Haul

April 22, 2009

Carlsbad, Relocation

4 Comments

Carlsbad, CA–San Diego may not top the list as a destination for those moving 50 miles or more, but U-Haul reports that San Diego ranks #11 nationally and is the second most popular California destination. Los Angeles ranks #3, while Sacramento ranks #14, followed by San Francisco (18), Fullerton (30), Costa Mesa (31), San Jose

Huge Benefit for California First Time Home Buyer

March 31, 2009

First Time Buyers

8 Comments

by Roberta Murphy The timing for the California first time home buyer couldn’t be better. Not only does the first time home buyer have the benefit of the $8000 federal tax credit–and up to $10,000 in California state tax credits if buying a new home–but they now have additional unemployment insurance if they purchase a

California and San Diego Voters Have Spoken

November 5, 2008

Living in San Diego, San Diego

2 Comments

by Roberta Murphy California and San Diego Voters At election time in California, it is always interesting to see what issues voters put on the ballots with their Propositions-and the voting results are always interesting. Yesterday, California and San Diego voters passed or voted down the following issues: Passed the controversial Propositon 8, which bans

California Foreclosure Guide

March 3, 2008

Foreclosures, San Diego

by Roberta Murphy I have put together a little California Foreclosure Guide that will serve to answer many of the San Diego real estate questions that are surfacing regarding the foreclosure process. Some want to know how long they have to stay in their San Diego home until the property goes to auction or sale.