Green Real Estate Appraiser

San Diego – Home Prices in County Up Slightly

Posted on October 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

San Diego County home prices ticked up in September after dipping slightly in August, but the number of transactions declined for the third straight month, DataQuick reported Wednesday.

The median price in the county last month was $422,000, up from $415,000 in August and $417,500 in July. Over the past 12 months, the county’s median price has risen 20.6 percent.

Has you home risen or fallen in value? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your real estate appraisal questions.

The number of sales, however, dropped 17.5 percent from August to September. Last month, 3,383 homes were sold in San Diego County, the first time since April there were fewer than 4,000 transactions. Still, sales were up 5.3 percent from September 2012.

The numbers show the market is leveling off, said John Walsh, president of DataQuick, a real estate tracking firm.

“We’ve seen a fairly normal downshifting in the housing market this fall,” he said in a statement. “Couple that with the rise in inventory, higher mortgage rates and the ongoing, gradual drop in purchases by investors and cash buyers, and it’s no wonder prices have leveled off in recent months.”

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Fall Deals for Home and Holiday

Posted on October 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

Bargain hunters, mark your calendars, start your engines and prepare to scope out sales that will give you a head start on gathering new loot for the household or gifts for the holiday season ahead.

Union Street Glass

Choose from a wide selection of pendants, ceiling and flush mounts, table lamps, wall sconces, and chandeliers – all handblown by artists recognized as leading creators of distinctive contemporary designs. There’s also a colorful array of locally made bowls, vases, platters and sculptural forms. These are prototypes, discontinued items, and one-of-a-kind glassware and lighting at 50 to 85 percent off retail.

Highlights: Pendant lighting $85-$150 (retail $300-$1,700); table lamps $125-$495 (retail $660-$715); lamp shades and finials $20-$60; sculptural vases, platters and bowls $45-$125 (retail $300-$1,200). Manhattan, Sienna and Savannah stemware is $42 (retail $95).

Details: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. Through Oct. 27. 833 S. 19th St., Richmond. (510) 367-1401 (day of sale only). www.unionstreetglass.com.

Highlights: Prices start at $20 for ornaments (retail $49), $20 for glass leaves and $95 for acorn paperweights (retail $195). Pumpkin paperweights start at $45. The 7-inch pumpkins are in the $100 range (normally $225); 14-inch pumpkins go for $250 to $600 (normally $1,200). Oversize apples, pears, peaches and strawberries will be $185 (retail $325). Extra markdowns will be posted on overruns, discontinued pieces and experimental one-of-a-kind gems.read more at: http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Fall-deals-for-home-and-holiday-4888882.php

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Cool Thing – Helping Out Homeless Vets

Posted on October 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

Finding a safe haven can be twice as hard for San Diego’s homeless veterans who have children, because the city’s shelters are often no place for kids.

Since 1998, Veterans Village of San Diego has offered a small apartment complex to fill that need. But the 1960s-era stucco building, on an older section of Imperial Avenue, needed a little love.

The Home Depot Foundation swooped in Wednesday. About 130 orange-shirt-wearing volunteers from Home Depot stores in San Diego County spent the day painting and installing cabinets, sinks and ceiling fans. They even replaced burned-out light bulbs.

It was part of the home-improvement chain’s third-annual Celebration of Service drive, which runs from Sept. 11 to Veterans Day and encompasses 350 projects nationwide worth a collective $3 million.

This year, the Home Depot Foundation is focusing on female veterans and those with families.

At the Imperial Avenue complex, one of the new sinks is in the unit occupied by former Army medic Lawanda Sullivan, who enlisted straight from high school and served for seven years.

Want to get involved? Join Southern California Appraisal Services and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity www.habitatsdiego.org or join other local groups and help people in your community get housing.

After getting out in 2004, her life slowly crumbled, partly because of a poor economy and the challenges of single motherhood. She lost her job with the closing of the doctor’s office where she worked. She got evicted from her home. Alcohol became an issue. Finally, her boyfriend’s family put her out on the street.

San Diego – Home Prices in County Up Slightly

Fall Deals for Home and Holiday

Union Street Glass

Cool Thing – Helping Out Homeless Vets

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