Category Archives: Real Estate

8 Warning signs to look for when buying a fixer

Posted on June 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

1. Cracks

A few fine cracks here and there aren’t a huge concern but when they are more than 5 millimeters wide, you might have cause to be afraid. Very afraid.

Jim Elliott, principal of Sydney construction company Elliott Projects, says large cracks could be a sign a house has underpinning problems that can’t be fixed.

“Big cracks could mean major structural issues,” Elliott says.

2. Damp

Likewise, mildew can be tricky – if not impossible – to eradicate. Be wary of homes with damp walls and musty smells. Evidence of crystallizing salts in the walls is a warning sign that moisture could be penetrating the building, Elliott says.

“If it’s a small, localized section of damp and the building has been there for some time, it’s probably not as much of an issue, but if it’s extensive, you’ve got a problem.”

3. Ugly kitchen and bathroom

Owners of pink bathtubs and floor-to-ceiling timber laminate kitchens, rejoice! Even the ugliest kitchens and bathrooms can be prettied up or ripped out and replaced relatively easily.

“Old-fashioned, worn-out looking bathrooms and kitchens you can always fix,” Elliott says.

4. Dark rooms

Open-plan living is all the rage these days, so much so that bathrooms are occasionally incorporated into master bedrooms with nary a low shelf for privacy. (Seriously, architects, can we stop this trend?)

Happily, traditional floorplans with separate kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms can usually be opened up by knocking down a wall or two, creating a modern, open-plan living space.

“Skylights and windows can be used to bring light into dark rooms too,” Elliott says.

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San Diego – RV Crackdown Permanent

Posted on June 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

A two-year-old San Diego law credited with preventing boats and large campers from monopolizing parking spots, especially near the beach, became permanent legislation on Tuesday.

City Council members unanimously approved eliminating a “sunset clause” from the oversized vehicle ordinance based on positive feedback from residents, community leaders and the Police Department.

They say the law’s positive impact on safety, aesthetics and parking availability trumps the hassles it has created for some local recreational vehicle owners who have had to begin paying for storage lots or using their yards.

City officials estimate there are roughly 100,000 recreational vehicle owners in San Diego.

Some community leaders have also expressed concerns that the ordinance has increased homelessness by forcing some people who had been sleeping in RVs onto the streets.

This practice often means trash on the street, loitering outside the campers and other problems that turn some neighborhoods into makeshift campgrounds.

The law also cracks down on people who use city streets to park their boats, non-motorized vehicles and other large vehicles.

The law prohibits such vehicles from parking on any San Diego city street or in any public parking lot between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., and makes it illegal to park those vehicles within 50 feet of any intersection at any time of the day.

An oversized vehicle is defined as one more than 27 feet long and more than 7 feet tall.

The law includes exemptions for school buses, some city vehicles and commercial vehicles making deliveries.

San Diego Homes advertised in China

Posted on June 7, 2016 | Leave a comment

More San Diego County real estate firms are looking to China.

Windermere Real Estate, Berkshire Hathaway and other big companies have worked out deals with Juwai, a growing Chinese-language website that lists homes from La Jolla to Rancho Santa Fe.

Roughly 3,000 San Diego County properties were listed on the site Monday afternoon, ranging from a $139,000 condo in Carlsbad’s Lakeshore Gardens to a $4.6 million, six-bedroom home in Rancho Santa Fe.

Juwai said it has seen an uptick in business as increasing numbers of Chinese people seek assets tied to the American dollar — especially in Southern California — after the devaluation of Chinese currency and stock market fluctuations.

“There is a demand for San Diego properties,” Matthew Moore, president of Juwai’s North American operation, said Monday. “Our aspiration is to grow the number of listings we have in San Diego.”

Other companies listing San Diego properties on Juwai are Galvin Estates, Sand & Sea Investments, JODI Group, Coldwell Banker and Premier Coastal Realty. A few rental units ended up on the site, as well as land sales.

The financial incentive for local real estate agents, and their sellers, to reach Chinese buyers is significant.

Chinese buyers spent $28.6 billion on residential property in the United States from April 2014 to March 2015, more than any other nationality, according to the National Association of Realtors’ latest foreign-buying report.

Thirty-five percent of those sales were in California, the association said. A new report is expected from the association by mid-summer.