Friday, November 25th, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Just like the cliff-front homeowners of La Jolla Shores/Farms have to get used to the hang-gliders, those looking for a home around Fairbanks Ranch or the north side of Carmel Valley should know before they purchase that they will have visitors from above:
Posted on Friday, November 25th, 2011 at 2:56 PM in Bubbleinfo TV, Local Flavor | 4 Comments » | 
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Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 6:07 AM
From the voiceofsandiego.org:
Kennedy’s visit, on June 6, 1963, was a huge sensation. Schools let their students out to watch the president’s motorcade drive by on El Cajon Boulevard — he rode in an open “bubble car” — and thousands of fans and foes mobbed the sidewalks. Rudford’s is still there!
Posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 6:07 AM in Local Flavor | 12 Comments » | Print
Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 8:02 AM
For the full story, including a video on the house being built, click here.
House Art
Posted on Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 8:02 AM in Local Flavor | 4 Comments » | Print
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 6:35 AM
America’s Cup sailing returns to San Diego – the Match Racing Championship begins tomorrow:
Their youtube channel here: Link
Posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 6:35 AM in Local Flavor | 1 Comment » | Print
Thursday, September 29th, 2011 at 6:57 AM
Hat tip to AL for sending this along, from the nctimes.com:
Plans for a $767,000 runway study at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad were cleared for takeoff Wednesday morning, starting a 15-month process to determine whether a runway extension can be built on top of an old city dump.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors OK’d funding for the study after a short discussion at their downtown San Diego meeting. The county owns the airport.
None of the county’s general fund (used for everything from potholes to patrol cars) will be tapped for the study. Instead, revenue from leases on county airport property will pay for it, officials said.
The desire for a longer runway has gained speed in recent years as McClellan-Palomar has transformed into a busy hub for private and corporate planes. That growth has been followed by several plane crashes in which pilots overshot the airport’s runway.
Airport officials say a runway extension would boost safety and reduce airplane noise for nearby residents. Early plans call for adding 1,100 feet to the 4,897-foot runway.
With a longer runway, planes would be higher off the ground once they leave the airport, reducing the noise heard in the neighborhoods below, Peter Drinkwater, the county’s airports director, said last week.
Supervisor Bill Horn, who represents Carlsbad, said in a statement after the meeting that a longer runway would bolster safety and create “additional opportunities for commuters and corporate jet-setters.”
“This is all about creating jobs and increasing business in North County,” Horn said. “It is time we find out what the true potential of the Palomar Airport is.”
Regarding the study’s hefty price tag, Supervisor Pam Slater-Price said by phone after the meeting: “I think it’s a complicated project and it has to be done right. We have to allocate the appropriate amount.”
She expressed concern about building on top of a landfill, noting several underground fires have burned inside the covered dump in the past. She said she was confident, however, that the concerns would be addressed in the study.
Slater-Price added that Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall spoke in favor of the study. No one spoke in opposition, she said.
Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., a national transportation consulting firm, will conduct the study, according to the county.
If at any point during the study an extension is determined not feasible, the study can be terminated with the county retaining all remaining funds, officials said.
Posted on Thursday, September 29th, 2011 at 6:57 AM in Local Flavor | 15 Comments » | Print
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at 11:14 AM
No matter who is riding inside, this is always a great sight – photo by Chris Stone:
See the rest here.
Posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at 11:14 AM in Local Flavor | 5 Comments » | Print
Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 12:04 PM
Although NAR is urging realtors to contact their congress-people to whine about how lowering the loan limits will cause the world to end, it appears that Fannie/Freddie/FHA max loan amounts will be dropping next week.
Hat tip to DS for sending this along, from Yahoo Finance:
On Oct. 1, the size of mortgages eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will shrink. That isn’t necessarily a big deal in most parts of the country; the new lower limit of $625,500 — down from today’s $729,750 — still is big enough to cover most homes in almost all markets in the United States.
Furthermore, mortgage bankers are stepping up with new money to cover those bigger loans, reports Mortgage Daily. “Programs here and there are popping up,” says publisher Sam Garcia. He reports that some new lenders, including TMS Funding and New Penn Financial LLC, are launching programs that will make mortgages as big as $2 million available to lenders with good credit scores and enough cash to keep up with the payments. And many existing mortgage lenders currently will make those so-called “jumbo” loans and just keep them in their portfolios instead of selling them.
But those loans will cost more. Currently the difference between rates on so-called conforming loans and private-made loans is about 0.64 percent. Over the last two years that spread has been as low as 0.48 percent and higher than one percent, says Garcia.
So in some pricey places, the new limits will really pinch borrowers. Those limits vary from market to market and are determined in part by local housing prices. In expensive housing markets where prices have fallen, the limits will drop the most.
Hardest to be hit, according to a new analysis by Move.com, will be San Diego, where loans up until $697,500 qualify for Fannie and Freddie until Sept. 30. On Oct. 1, that limit drops to $546,250, a $151,250 difference.
Folks there who want to borrow a bunch for a home will see their costs rise significantly.
A San Diego homebuyer who needs $600,000 would pay $2,937 a month for a 30-year loan at today’s rate of 4.18 percent, according to Bankrate.com. Starting next month, if rates stay stable and that borrower goes to a private lender, he would pay $3,155 a month. That’s $228 more a month, or $82,080 more over 30 years.
Some buyers (and lenders) may try to get around that by piggy-backing loans; piling a smaller non-conforming loan onto a conforming loan.
Here are some other areas, most often searched on Realtor.com, that could see significant changes in their loan limits, according to the Move analysis.
Posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 12:04 PM in Interest Rates/Loan Limits, Local Flavor, Market Conditions | 7 Comments » | Print
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Hat tip to Mr. T for sending this along – from the website linked here:
We are pleased to show you our first official video. It was shot at the historic Torrey Pines Glider Port and Blossom Valley in San Diego County:
Posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 8:02 PM in Local Flavor | 2 Comments » | Print
Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 5:02 PM
San Diego is experiencing a county-wide power outage – but bubbleinfo doesn’t stop!
Speaking of power, this from the nctimes.com:
Carlsbad city officials have been saying for several years that the city’s coastline ought to eventually become power-plant free.
Now, the Planning Commission is poised to amend the city’s General Plan — a citywide planning document —- to reflect that ultimate goal.
That change, as well as two churches’ requests for conditional use permits for building projects, is up for debate during a 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting at City Hall, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive.
The city’s proposed plan amendment won’t bar the existing Encina Power Station —- a highly visible power plant complex along the south side of Agua Hedionda Lagoon — from continuing to operate, but it will emphasize that the city envisions a different future for the property, city senior planner Scott Donnell said Tuesday.
“I think it’s partially an effort to clarify what the rules are, what Carlsbad’s standards are,” he said.
Officials with NRG Energy Inc., the company that owns the 92-acre power station property, also have repeatedly said that their eventual goal is to remove the power-generating equipment from the coastline.
However, they and the city differ greatly on how far back power plant operations should be.
NRG has submitted plans to the state Energy Commission, which has regulatory authority over power plant projects, for a 558-megawatt plant project on the eastern edge of its property between Interstate 5 and the railroad tracks.
The company has said that putting power-generating equipment there will free up the coastal portion for other projects, such as tourist-related businesses.
Carlsbad officials have said that they would like to see the entire property redeveloped, arguing that the eastern end also isn’t a good fit for a power plant project because it’s next to a major freeway and just south of the lagoon.
The proposed General Plan amendment states that power plants would be allowed in the city’s coastal zone only if they are an “accessory use,” meaning that they were part of another business operation and produced less than 50 megawatts of electricity.
Posted on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 5:02 PM in Local Flavor | 14 Comments » | Print
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 6:06 PM
From sddt.com:
Although condominiums in downtown San Diego aren’t changing hands at a blistering pace, both new and resold inventory continues to shrink.
Mark Mills, a downtown condominium specialist with RE/MAX Real Estate Consultants, wrote that out of estimated 8,000 condominium units constructed between 2001 and 2008, only about 3 percent remain available.
“There are not many markets like this anywhere in America where supply is so limited,” Mills said. “This is bad news for buyers and even worse, no new condos are under construction.
“It’s not uncommon for condo sellers to receive multiple offers these days. The pendulum has swung to the sellers’ favor in 2011,” Mills added.
Russell Valone, MarketPointe Realty Advisors president, said while he doesn’t believe multiple offers are that common, there is no denying the available inventory is shrinking significantly.
“New inventory is down to 276. I remember (in the mid-2000s) when it was a couple of thousand. We sold 145 this year, so we’re down to less than a year’s worth of new inventory,” Valone said, adding both new and resold inventory total about 500 units.
Posted on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 6:06 PM in Local Flavor | 9 Comments » | Print
