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Timelapse of San Diego

A “visually striking” timelapse of our town:

WELCOME HOME TIMELAPSE from Michael Shainblum on Vimeo.

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Apr 30, 2013 in Local Flavor | 2 comments

Immigration Reform Benefits Housing

Excerpts from this article in bloomberg.com:

Efforts to revamp U.S. immigration laws may bring at least one unintended benefit for the economy: The nascent housing recovery will probably get an added boost.

The number of foreign-born homeowners will increase by 2.8 million in the decade ending 2020, compared with a 2.4 million gain in the previous 10 years, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association study that didn’t assess the potential impact of any new legislation.

Research by a group of Hispanic real-estate agents concludes the increase could be even bigger if undocumented workers were put on a path to citizenship.

Passage of an immigration bill may generate about 3 million more homebuyers over the next several years, according to a report last week from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals in San Diego.

Yadira Ortiz of San Marcos, California, is a case in point. The 24-year-old lab technician arrived from Mexico in 1993. She and her husband bought their first house in December, a $308,000 three-bedroom, two-bath property.

Ortiz, who has two daughters, said she was inspired by her parents and considers her home an investment to “help our children in the long term.”

“I appreciate that my parents decided to come here and give us a better future,” Ortiz said. “They have worked hard and they don’t get paid that much but they have their own home, they can afford their home. I saw how hard they were working and I decided to do the same thing.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-02/immigrant-dreams-to-keep-sparking-u-s-housing-recovery.html

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Apr 19, 2013 in Local Flavor, Local Government, Market Conditions | 3 comments

Rich People Are Staying in CA

Over the past two decades, a net 3.4 million people have moved out of California for other states. But contrary to conservative lore, there has been no millionaires’ march to Texas or other states with no income tax.

In fact, since 2005 California has experienced a net in-migration of households earning more than $200,000, according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey.

California Outmigration by Income, 2005-2011

Ann. Income	# of Outbound Migrants
0-$20,000	238,400
$20-$40,000	322,500
$40-$60,000	235,500
$60-$80,000	137,700
$80-$100,000	45,900
$100-$200,000	23,200
$200,000+	-3,000

As it happens, most of California’s outward-bound migrants are low- to middle-income, with relatively little education: those typically employed in agriculture, construction, manufacturing, hospitality and to some extent natural-resource extraction. Their median household income is about $40,000—two-thirds of the statewide median—and about 95% earn less than $80,000. Only one in 10 has a college degree, compared with 30% of California’s population. Roughly 40% of the people leaving are Hispanic.

Read the rest of the article here, and/or watch the video:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324338604578326402863024028.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Mar 5, 2013 in Local Flavor, Market Conditions | 2 comments

Best Flybys of All-Time

Hat tip to Stormin for sending this along – great flybys!

The #1 low pass shows the halo of water around the plane. It happened during a Blue Angel’s event over San Francisco several years ago. It was the pilot’s last show with the team and he had nothing to lose. Many of the boats in the bay lost windows to the sonic blast:

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Mar 1, 2013 in Local Flavor | 3 comments

More Mixed-Use?

cannon&I-5

CARLSBAD — Caruso Affiliated, a Los Angeles-based commercial developer known for The Grove in LA and The Americana at Brand in Glendale, is developing plans for a 48-acre project it is buying from SDG&E.

The California Public Utilities Commission notified the public of the sale, which is contingent upon its approval and other regulatory steps.

The land, currently in agricultural use, is east of Interstate 5 and north of Cannon Road. A larger parcel of land adjacent to Agua Hediona Lagoon is also available to Caruso for purchase, but the city general plan calls for it to remain as open space, officials said.

The property is currently zoned for public utility use and would have to be rezoned as tourist-commercial in compliance with the city general plan. SDG&E’s overhead electrical lines and underground natural gas lines would remain in place.

The sales price has not yet been disclosed but would become public when escrow closes, officials said.

One other detail in the project involves the future of the strawberry and other vegetable crops farmed by Carlsbad Strawberry Co. Caruso said last year that it intends to preserve that use along Cannon Road as part of its final plan.

In comments issued in September, Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall welcomed Caruso and said he will “remain supportive as they prepare their plans for this premiere location.”

Caruso, founded 20 years ago and headed by Rick Caruso, specializes in neighborhood and regional retail centers. But it also included housing at the Americana project and Burton Place next to Beverly Center in LA. Whether the Carlsbad project would include has yet to be decided, Middlebrook said.

The company’s website lists six other projects and two others in the works. Carlsbad’s is not yet listed.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/28/caruso-carlsbad-sdge-project/

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Feb 28, 2013 in Local Flavor | 3 comments

High School Ratings

How are the local public high schools faring?

Ratings from www.greatschools.org

High School	2012 API Growth	GS Rating	#Students
Canyon Crest	917	9	1,811
Torrey Pines	888	8	2,629
Westview	872	8	2,366
San Marcos	858	9	2,035
La Jolla	854	8	1,591
San Dieguito	852	7	1,540
Carlsbad	847	7	2,957
La Costa Cyn	834	7	2,478

“Our ratings provide an overview of a school’s test performance by comparing the school’s state standardized test results to those of other schools in the state. Ratings are given for each grade and student category (gender, ethnicity or other student group) for which test results are available. Keep in mind that when comparing schools using GreatSchools Ratings, it’s important to factor in other information, including the quality of each school’s teachers, the school culture, special programs, etc.”

The U.S. News & World Report also ranks high schools nationwide. Here are links to the San Dieguito, Carlsbad, Poway, and San Marcos High School Districts.

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Feb 22, 2013 in Local Flavor, Schools | 0 comments

College Education in California

Last night was College Information Night – here’s what we learned:

California’s college system was designed to offer a multi-tiered program.

UC Schools

The ten UC schools educate the top 10% of California’s high school graduates.

Incoming freshmen at UCSD averaged a 4.07 GPA this year.
The average SAT score was 1991.
The total cost (tuition, room & board, and books) is approx $31,500/yr.
67% of the UCSD incoming freshmen are from California.

Ninety percent of the overall UC student population is from California.

At UCSD, the most popular majors chosen by this freshman class are biology, economics, computer science and engineering, chemistry, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.

California State Universities

The 23 CSUs are for the next 30% of high-schoolers.

Incoming freshmen at SDSU averaged a 3.79 GPA this year
Their average SAT score was 1144, and average ACT was 25.
The total cost is approx $25,500 per year.

California Community Colleges System

There are 112 community colleges for the remaining high school graduates, and completing a two-year program there and transferring to a four-year college is a viable alternative.

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Feb 8, 2013 in Local Flavor | 13 comments

Stop Sage Creek?

Sage Creek High School is near completion and scheduled to open in August. Some teachers and parents say it shouldn’t be opened at all. Don Boomer • U-T

A number of teachers and parents are asking the Carlsbad Unified School District to delay the planned August opening of Sage Creek High School, arguing that it will strain resources and isn’t needed at this time.

“This new high school is just going to be a ruination of the district,” said Sheila DeKosky, a Carlsbad High teacher who created the website www.delaysagecreek.com last month.

The Carlsbad Unified Teachers Association’s website also wants the school’s opening postponed and is asking people to email board members to request a delay.

The opposition is mostly based on teachers’ fears that the district may cut staff positions or ask employees to take furlough days to make up for the costs of opening the new campus.

District officials have already said they don’t anticipate hiring any additional teachers to staff the new high school. Instead, they’ll transfer teachers from other schools.

Rick Grove, assistant superintendent of personnel for CUSD, said the number of teachers needed at Sage Creek won’t be known until the student-application deadline closes Feb. 8. That’s when officials will have a firmer grasp on enrollment at the school.

School district trustees say the opening of the campus is going ahead as planned.

“This is not something the board is considering,” Trustee Kelli Moors said about the dozens of emails she has received requesting a delay. “The board has decided opening this high school in August is one of our highest priorities.”

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/01/tp-teachers-some-parents-push-for-delay-in-sage/?page=1#article-copy

Posted by Jim the Realtor on Feb 3, 2013 in Local Flavor | 4 comments