As of Thursday, January 3^rd, the US Navy had been ordered to reduce the effect of sonar on marine mammals. According to the judge’s ruling, the Navy is required to discontinue use of sonar when whales or other marine mammals are within 2,200 yards. There will also be a 12 nautical mile no-sonar zone along the Southern California coast.

Military sonar is suspected to cause a condition similar to “the bends” (decompression sickness that causes gas bubbles in the body’s organs), as well as internal bleeding. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) also believes sonar is the culprit behind whale strandings. The NRDC notes more than a dozen whale beachings than may have been caused by the use of military sonar.

This ruling is especially relevant to San Diego, where the Navy has had a significant presence since 1907 and whale watching has been a popular activity since the 1950s.

Each year approximately 26,000 gray whales travel along the coast between Alaska and Baja California. During their more than 6,000 mile migration to their breeding grounds, the gray whales generally travel alone or in groups of two to three.

The height of whale watching season in San Diego is between December and March, and while it is possible to glimpse the whales from land, whale watching cruises are extremely popular. The Hornblower offers three and a half hour cruises starting at $30 per person.

This ruling is a step toward reducing the effect of sonar on the oceans while recognizing the Navy’s importance in national security and defense.

Rancho Bernardo Market Update for November

The charts below show the List Price and Sold Price information for 2007 as compared to November of 2006. The information below shows that 92127's market is stronger as compared to last year while 92128 has weakened somewhat.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions on this information. I'm also happy to provide you with a complementary Competitive Market Evaluation for your home - just give me a call!

92127 - Market Statistics

92128 - Market Statistics

Both the Average and Median Sold Prices increased in 2007 over 2006 levels in 92127 (4S Ranch). In contrast, both Average and Median Sold prices decreased in 2007 compared to 2006 in 92128.

92127 - Days on Market, New Listings, & Solds

92128 - Days on Market, New Listings, & Solds

Pricing in both zip codes of Rancho Bernardo has remained accurate with Sold Prices being around 95% of the Listing Price. Days on market has also improved in both 92127 and 92128 compared to 2006. Inventory is giving buyers plenty of options with nearly twice as many homes coming on the market as were sold.

In conclusion, it's not all gloom and doom in the Rancho Bernardo housing market. Buyers are taking advantage of historically low interest rates while Sellers are pricing their homes much more accurately for the current market.

Again, please contact me if you are interested in buying a home in Rancho Bernardo (or in any of the other wonderful communities of San Diego County) or if you would like to know what your home is worth.

Data courtesy Sandicor. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

I’ve been reading all the posts on this and it’s all so interesting!  I applaud everyone for their creativity. Also, thank you, JaneAnne, for putting this together!

In thinking about my Dream Green Home, I’ve realized that I would rather make a few upgrades to my current home. (I LOVE my house!!!) My home has some fantastic features… lots of windows provide tons of natural light, tile throughout the downstairs keeps the house cool, and, of course our San Diego location makes running the heat minimal! We have made some steps to Green our home, the following list are our planned next steps.

1.       Solar roof tiles. Here in San Diego, we get lots of gorgeous sunny days! Why not make use of this gift?

2.       Tankless water heater. Wonderfully more efficient and the savings over a traditional water heater are impressive. (Thank you, Andrew Stone, for your post about this!)

3.       Radiant heat. I love our tile floors… I would love them even more if they were warm in winter!

4.       RocksPool. I’m sure it’s a sin that I want a hot tub. I know this. A RocksPool is the least evil I have found. It makes for a lovely water feature and uses gas to heat the water (20 minutes of pre-heating instead of 8 hours!)

5.       Green insides, too! Furniture made from natural and sustainable materials. Low or NO VOC paints (when my husband and I finally agree on color). Replacing the carpet upstairs with sustainable wood floors.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a very Green Holiday Season!!

‘Tis the season to be… stressed? If you’ve got too much to do and too little time to do it all in, read on for a few quick tricks to get organized this holiday season.

1.       Reduce Clutter! This is not a new idea, folks. Do you love it? Then display it proudly. Do you hate it? Then donate it (or put it on Craig’s List for free). For the “ishy” stuff… the extra stuff you think you might need later and just don’t have the space for… stow it! Decide after the holidays when you’re not entertaining – just remember to go through it. Otherwise you soon won’t have room to park inside your garage or hang your coat in the closet!

2.       Use Containers! Decorative boxes, jars, and baskets are a great way to store (or hide) excess stuff.  Photo boxes are especially versatile – I’ve even used them to store paperback books. They make dusting the bookshelves much faster! Magazine holders are great for holding binders and loose papers in addition to magazines and catalogs. If you need to keep the paper clutter, you might as well hide it in style… and let your guests think you’ve become quite minimalist.

3.       Add shelves! Use shelves in cabinets and pantries to double your storage. Need ideas? Check out The Container Store.

4.       Get a Lazy Susan! A Lazy Susan can make a deep cabinet more useful – stack serving dishes or storage containers for easy access. Just remember to spin carefully! Lazy Susans are also great for spices… look for a rotating spice rack so you won’t have to dig for the pumpkin pie spice.

5.       Hang a wipe board! Instead of losing your to-do lists and having 3 grocery lists at a time, plan using a wipe board. It can allow guests to request grocery items and keep your to-do lists organized. Keep a notepad handy to transfer grocery lists… unless you want to drag the board to the store!

6.       Make a recipe binder! Compile favorite holiday recipes for easy use. All you need is a 3-ring binder and some sheet protectors. Copy recipes from cookbooks and add them to the binder for one handy guide. With the sheet protectors, there’s the added benefit of not destroying your cookbooks when something accidentally spills.

7.       Keep a gift-giving budget and idea worksheet! Keep yourself on track and within pre-set spending limits when shopping for gifts. If you’re concerned someone will discover your list and ruin a surprise, call it a Budget!

I hope these tips make your holiday preparations smoother. If you would like a sample gift worksheet, please contact me. I’ll be happy to provide one!

Now that you’re all organized for the holidays, go have some fun!

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and I feel compelled to share my gratitude in a short blog.

I am grateful that I have a home. As a resident of San Diego, I watched in horror as so much of my beloved county was destroyed by the fires in October. Along the freeway, I can still smell the charred remains. My heart goes out to the many who lost their homes...

I am grateful for my good health and for the good health of those who are most dear to me.

I am grateful for the wonderful relationship I have with my husband and my family.

I am grateful for the opportunity to grow every day. I am facing the challenges before me with a renewed sense of excitement for the possibility.

I am grateful for Active Rain... All the many voices to be heard. Those of you who blog consistently, keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to me! Also, thank you to the agents who called me to offer support during the above-mentioned fires. Your thoughtfulness and generosity moves me beyond words.