Tag Archives: san diego

San Diego: County Program to help Homeowners Makeover Landscaping

Posted on May 7, 2016 | Leave a comment

drought

When newcomers to the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart landscaping program tackle the prospect of giving their yards a water-saving makeover, their first questions aren’t about what they should tear out and what they should plant instead. It turns out their first questions are much more basic. Primal, even.

Will drought tolerant landscaping add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com

“Who can do this for me? Who can I hire? Can I really do this myself?” said Joni German, assistant water resources specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority. “I think people just don’t know where to start. They don’t know that there can be a well-defined planning process to evaluating their landscape, thinking about what they’ve got and what they want.”

While San Diego’s water-savings numbers rebounded in March after a backsliding February, the WaterSmart program is still all about getting residents started on the path to drought-friendly efficiency. And that path just got a whole lot easier to navigate.

In addition to the existing three-hour workshop and four-class series (both of which are free), the WaterSmart Landscaping Makeover menu now includes a new Video On Demand series. The 17 videos, most clocking in at 3 to 8 minutes, allow you to traverse the makeover thickets at your own speed and in your own time. They cover everything from drawing up a landscaping plan to picking plants, retooling your irrigation and dumping your turf for good.

Get this (garden) party started

You will find the video series on the water authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover page (landscapemakeover.watersmartsd.org). There are two introductory videos, followed by a six-step program that starts with “Identify Your Landscape Target” (how much water do you want to save and what types of plants and irrigation systems will get you there) and ends with “Care for Your WaterSmart Landscape.” (Hint: There will be weeding.)

The videos are short, but they are packed with information, so binge-watching is not recommended. (Although if you can keep track of the “Game of Thrones” hierarchy, you can probably handle “Toss Your Turf” and “Irrigate Like a Pro” in one sitting. Clearly, you rule.)

If you want to dip your toes in the knowledge pool, start with the two introductory videos, “WaterSmart San Diego County” and “WaterSmart Course Overview.” The former guides you through the features of a water-saving design, and the latter briefs you on what to expect from the upcoming course. There are also reassuring reminders that you don’t have to re-do your whole yard to make a difference.

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purpose only

Is your home in a flood zone? El Nino is on its way report says

Posted on October 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

brace thyself for El Niño.

That’s the advice from the National University System Institute for Policy Research, which reported Tuesday that nearly 5,000 businesses and 55,000 residents of San Diego County are living in “100-year flood” zones susceptible to a strong storm season.

Link to interactive flood map: https://msc.fema.gov/portal

Problems in San Diego ranged from destroyed homes and buildings to shoreline erosion and road damage. “A 1998 report from the California Coastal Commission identified 23 El Niño-related emergency permits issued in San Diego County in the 1997-98 winter, including $700,000 in storm related damage to the Oceanside Harbor, and $1.6 million in damages in Del Mar,” noted the National University report, which was written by senior analyst Vince Vasquez.

Tourism and agriculture are particularly vulnerable. Visitors might shun the region, and heavy storms with high winds tend to damage fruit crops and destroy greenhouses.

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

San Diego is Second Least Affordable for Homebuyers

Posted on June 11, 2014 | Leave a comment

A San Diegan has to earn nearly double the county’s median income to afford a median-priced home here, says a study released this week by mortgage information company HSH.

The findings make San Diego the nation’s second-least-affordable city for buying a home behind San Francisco. The report says a person in San Diego would need to earn $98,534 a year to buy a $483,000 home, the county’s median price in the first quarter.

“It’s a very expensive part of the world to live in,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH. “It’s a matter of compromise and adjusting your expectations and looking for things that fit your budget.”

The median household income in the county for an individual is $50,900, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For its price calculation, HSH assumed a 20 percent down payment, 28 percent debt-to-income ratio, a 4.56 percent mortgage rate and included insurance costs and property taxes.

Gumbinger noted that the median price is the middle point of all homes sold, meaning that half of the transactions in the first quarter were below $483,000. Still, home prices rose 17 percent over the past year, which priced out the typical middle-class family of four that would want a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.

“The thing that’s getting scary is you used to be able to buy for between $225,000 and $285,000,” said K.J. Koljonen, associate vice president of the nonprofit Community HousingWorks. “It’s almost not there anymore. The amount of houses that are at or under $250,000 has gone down by a ton.”

In April, the number of homes for sale for $250,000 or less in San Diego County was down 54 percent in the past year, the San Diego Association of Realtors reports.