Encinitas Real Estate and Homes - EncinitasCarlsbad.com

HDR vs. blended HDR? You pick.

2008-03-14T23:06:46Z

Well, I've been photographing our next listing, and here are two images that I've assembled. The first one is an HDR image using Photomatix. As best as I have tried to tweak that tool, I cannot seem to raise the level of the ceiling...it's just grey. These particular images were even photographed with artificial strobes to raise the level of the interior in general and the ceiling in particular.

Next up is the blended image, where I took one of the exposures as the base and then blended it with the HDR image seen above to reveal the midtones in the wood and some of the objects. I much prefer this image to the pure HDR image also because the HDR images also can seem a bit flat.

I also don't like some of the color shifting that was going on with the HDR image - the wall looks slightly green. I don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong....Does anyone have any ideas? If you're doing HDR, how do you keep walls and ceilings nice and bright? How do you avoid the image going flat? Any input would be great.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

SERIOUS drawback to MagicJack VOIP widget

2008-03-14T00:35:07Z

OK, I was all hepped up to get rid of my plain old telephone line. I plugged in my MagicJack into my USB port on my computer. Two days ago I had upgraded to cable modem, so I had plenty of bandwidth outgoing, and I figured this was going to be a slam dunk. I called a few people, and the new VOIP widget made things sound just a tad tinny, but it was definitely acceptable and usable, especially since there are no long distance charges.

What went wrong? THEN I plugged my fax into it. I dialed out to my fax server. It rang, connected and started transmitting. I got a "No Good" on the transmit. I tried again, same thing. And a third time.

So I ran a Google search "problem sending fax with MagicJack" or similar search. THAT'S WHEN I GOT TO SEE THE FINE PRINT. Apparently MagicJack doesn't support fax machines. Or, more accurately, the codec that their VOIP algorithm uses to transmit the data (and possibly ANY VOIP codec--but I'm not sure) does not use error correction and will likely fail. Further research showed that some people have some success some of the time transmitting their faxes to some fax machines. HOWEVER, I use fax.com, and I was completely unsuccessful, even after turning off error correction on my fax machine and reducing the speed to 2400bps.

Fortunately, I have not yet turned off my last telephone line, and so now my fax machine sits on the one telephone line, completely idle 99% of the time. I haven't figured out exactly what I am going to do, YET. But HERE'S THE THING - no where during sign up or the advertising literature (or the 30 minute commercial that marketed MagicFax to businesses) was there anything said about the unit not supporting fax machines. This is pretty basic stuff for a home office. I don't know if I should send the MagicFax unit back or not. It works well with the telephone sets, but if I am going to have a phone line, I can easily hang the phones on it, and I don't have to worry about any intermittent performance on the cable modem.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

Finally Getting Rid of the Last Plain Old Telephone Line

2008-03-12T22:56:37Z

I decided that with anywhere from 2 to 4 of us at home on the Internet at the same time, I needed to upgrade the Internet connection past basic DSL. AT&T hasn't upgraded to fiber in the neighborhood, and the distance to the Central Office was too far to get anything more than basic DSL which is cost $25/month. So here's my plan:

1) Get Cable Internet from Time Warner. I got it installed today - piece of cake. Only change to the router was I had to let the PC mac addresses pass through the router to make it work. The signal is rock solid, especially since I don't have cable TV on it. Cost: $39/month.

2) Get a MagicJack for Voice over IP - This cool little device was discussed on AR, so I ordered one. It allows you to plug your regular phone into the USB jack on your PC. Since we only use the phone for outgoing faxes, this is a perfect application. Startup cost: $39. Monthly cost: 0. Since I have the very high speed cable modem, I have plenty of bandwidth to allocate to this application should I need to send a fax.

3) Once the magicjack is operational, get rid of the plain old telephone line by transferring the phone number to one of our cell phone numbers. The plain old telephone line is costing me about $20/month, plus long distance when I do a long distance fax.

Net savings: I'm currently running about $50/month for my phone+dsl. Now I'll be running around $40, and I can make as many long distance calls as I want for free. Plus no more of those pesky federal taxes and the like on the phone bill. Only downside risk is if the cable crashes for days, in which case I will be having a heart attack because of no email and activerain, and so I won't need to be worrying about the phone situation. :)

John Hokkanen

Vicaso.net - HDR Photos for Real Estate

2008-03-12T22:39:34Z

I talked with the local rep of Vicaso.net tonight. They are a company that is offering real estate HDR images for relatively low cost. The base fee is $125, and $10 per HDR room image, and so for a 12 image shoot, it would be $245. They offer panoramics for $30 each. They have about a dozen cities where they have photographers so far. They do not do their own local HDR processing....all the images get uploaded and processed at another facility and then they make them available via download on their site.

See Link: http://vicaso.net/

I have seen their site, but the best way for me to review them is to have them come do a shoot of a house that we're also photographing so that we have an apples-to-apples comparison.

Anyway, I thought some of you in the Photography Group would like to know.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

AR Home Photo Contest - Prizes Awarded!

2008-03-12T15:46:57Z

1st Annual AR Photography Group Contest

Categories
1) Best Home Interior Photograph
2) Best Home Exterior Photograph

Criteria
Photographs will be judged on their ability to market the property in the photograph. Though "art" photos may be submitted and artistic creativity considered, the winning photo will be the one that would (in the judges' combined assessment) generate substantial interest in potential buyers so that they would want to visit the property for possible purchase.

Prizes
1st Place: 1000 AR points + The HDRI Handbook (book on HDR photography)
2nd Place: 750 AR points
3rd Place: 500 AR points

Rules
1) Only non-professional submissions will be judged. Professionals may submit images, though the photos will not be considered for prizes.
2) You may only submit 2 photos per category; additional submissions need to be approved by the judges.
3) All submissions must be personally photographed/edited by submitter.
4) Photo must have been taken after Jan. 1, 2008 (i.e., no photos from last year or before).
5) Photos must be submitted by April 15, 2008.
6) High Dynamic Range submissions are allowed, but must be noted.
7) You need to specify your AR username when you submit your entry.
8) The judges are Cheryl Johnson, Lee Jinks, and John Hokkanen. Judges and their spouses may only submit non-judged works.
9) Judging will be blind as to the submitter. The Judges' decisions are final.

Send Your Submissions
1) Please post your submissions at http://www.SurfTheTurf.com/ARContest.cfm
2) Only .JPG images accepted. Please complete the form completely with your name, AR username, and email.

Posting of the Photos
The photos will be resized and posted to this entry. You are encouraged to post your comments and critiques as the photos are made available. If you know who submitted a particular photo, PLEASE DO NOT IDENTIFY IT.

The contest is sponsored by Active Rain and the judges.

Uh-Oh. This doesn't look good.

2008-03-11T00:10:52Z

We plot the foreclosure data on maps. I've been watching it for the past year on the map. This week I post the data and decided to look at the map today. I don't like what I see.

For the MOST PART, the map looks just like what it has been looking like for many months. But I detect, unless I am misremembering, that there are more NODs closer to the ocean than in past maps. If indeed the NODs are creeping towards the ocean than that could bring with it some bad news. It's not a clear enough trend yet to make any conclusions. But this will be something to watch closely.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

Dining Room A to B

2008-03-09T10:54:50Z

We received a number of comments about the dining room photo that we took of that little condo, so I thought I would take the time to dig up the before picture so that it could be compared with the after-the-editing photo. If you want to see a big image of the after shot with some comments about my editing, click here. Here are small copies of the before and after images:

BEFORE

AFTER

I then moved the umbrella and got out of the picture to reshoot the mirror, still leaving the camera, the big TV in the corner, and the corner of that table that the giant TV sat on. It requires some painstaking work to remove such stuff with the clone brush. Maybe an hour or so of editing. But the final pic came out pretty nice in the end, I think.

The one lighting item that really suprised me was how much light was reflecting off of that dining room table....see how hot it was. I cooled that down with an HDR image overlaid on top of the table.

Finally, I should note...we put the property into escrow last week! Let's hear it for escrows!

John Hokkanen

Rentals in Rancho Santa Fe and Environs

2008-03-09T00:58:45Z

Here's the rental map for part of Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe. As you can see, there are a LOT of properties for rent in Rancho Santa Fe. I was surprised at how many there were.

Notice how few rentals there are in Encinitas except for the coastal area. THere are actually quite a few in Solana Beach and Del Mar as well, but he number in Rancho Santa Fe was quite high, I thought. We have interactive rental maps at our web site where you can peruse the inventory courtesy of Sandicor MLS.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

New Granny Flat / Accessory Unit Lists Available

2008-03-09T00:57:36Z

We are constantly looking for new ways to slice and dice the MLS data, so today I implemented our new Granny Flat/Casita/Accessory Unit list. There are many reasons why buyers want a place with a room (or building) with its own entrance and kitchen. So, we finally got around to creating this dynamically updated list from the MLS data.

We're always trying to create these new kinds of lists? If you have a list that you create or if you know of a list that you think would be interesting and valuable, post a comment and we may give it a go.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

PS: If you want to see our Granny Flat page for Encinitas and Carlsbad, click here to access our new page. Accessing the list is a separate link on the page.

Violation? Or No Violation? See the Pics!

2008-03-07T22:43:29Z

I know that in some parts of the country, local rules ban leaving business cards when you preview a listing. In San Diego, it is considered a courtesy to the listing agent. We try to be courteous and leave a card behind. An established agent whose listing we previewed with a client called us and said that she thought we were violating the ethics rules against advertising to other agents' clients by leaving the cards! Our answer: we just don't leave cards, and the agents have to pull the data off their lockbox to know that we showed the property, and so now it's just more hassle for the listing agent.

Here's what the complaint was. The complaint was that the BACK of our card constituted an advertisement. We even put our standard disclaimer "Please disregard this notice if you are already using a real estate agent" on the back of the card just to be safe. But this agent opined that it was irrelevant and that the card was a violation.

Tell us what you think! Our card is at the bottom, but I've also included some cards that others have left at our listings. Tell us whether you think any of these are out of bounds and why! (For 6, 7, and 8, I just put the back of the card.) I'll forward your comments to the ethics person over at our association as I am on one of the committees.

New FNMA loan limits - Full List

2008-03-06T16:28:48Z

Here is the full nationwide list of the HUD numbers for conforming loan limits that we've all been waiting for. Realtor.com did a nice job of putting together the list, so here's the link: http://www.realtor.org/GAPublic.nsf/files/chart_hud_loan_limits_08.pdf/$FILE/chart_hud_loan_limits_08.pdf

For San Diego, the new GSE limit is the same as the new FHA limit: $697,500!!

That's really good news for those purchasing within 6-8 miles of the coast where even a condo can cost $500,000. AND, if you have a adjustable rate mortgage that is less than $697,500, you can refinance at a conforming rate (assuming that you meet the other criteria like loan-to-value ratios, credit scores, etc.).

If you are wondering how these numbers were determined, HUD came up with these numbers by multiplying the median price of homes for that metro area X 125%, but limited to $729,500. It isn't clear to me what dataset they were using to determine median price data as the Dataquick numbers yielded a significantly lower median price. But, as agents and homeowners, we're happy the number is as high as it is.

John Hokkanen

Aviara Activity

2008-03-05T22:26:00Z

We haven't posted info on Aviara for a while, so here's the map that shows what homes are available in which neighborhood. You can check out the interactive map at http://www.AviaraHomes.com (The site used to be called AviaraGems.com, but not since we got our new domain.)

The inventory has built up a bit, and we even have 3 listings there. But we received an offer on one of them today, which is good news. This is one of my favorite maps...it took me a long time to create the map where each neighborhood was color-coded. We've got another map on the site that serves as a legend to all the neighborhood names.

John Hokkanen, http://www.EncinitasCarlsbad.com and http://www.AviaraHomes.com

1st Client to Use Active Rain

2008-03-05T22:12:33Z

Today we had the first client-Active Rain connection. The person had previously contacted us off our web site as we advertise our listings and materials pretty heavily. But today the person contacted us via Active Rain rather than through our web site. It just goes to show you that today's consumers are checking out real estate information all over. We've known that for a long time, but today was the first time that one of our clients also touched us via Active Rain. Neato.

John Hokkanen

HUD Secretary Press Release - New FHA numbers for California

2008-03-05T21:14:18Z

Here's the newest press release from HUD regarding FHA. It can be seen at: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr08-026.cfm

Most critically, here are the California FHA loan limit numbers. For San Diego, the FHA limit is $697,500. THIS IS GREAT NEWS, and it bodes well for the numbers that will be released for FNMA loans.

Call us if you have questions. We also know great loan officers who can help.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

County	Median Price	FHA limit
Alameda County	$995,000.00	$729,750.00
Alpine County	$438,000.00	$547,500.00
Amador County	$355,000.00	$443,750.00
Butte County	$320,000.00	$400,000.00
Calaveras County	$370,000.00	$462,500.00
Colusa County	$318,000.00	$397,500.00
Contra Costa County	$995,000.00	$729,750.00
Del Norte County	$249,000.00	$311,250.00
El Dorado County	$464,000.00	$580,000.00
Fresno County	$305,000.00	$381,250.00
Glenn County	$230,000.00	$287,500.00
Humboldt County	$315,000.00	$393,750.00
Imperial County	$260,000.00	$325,000.00
Inyo County	$350,000.00	$437,500.00
Kern County	$295,000.00	$368,750.00
Kings County	$260,000.00	$325,000.00
Lake County	$321,000.00	$401,250.00
Lassen County	$200,000.00	$271,050.00
Los Angeles County	$710,000.00	$729,750.00
Madera County	$340,000.00	$425,000.00
Marin County	$995,000.00	$729,750.00
Mariposa County	$330,000.00	$412,500.00
Mendocino County	$410,000.00	$512,500.00
Merced County	$378,000.00	$472,500.00
Modoc County	$125,000.00	$271,050.00
Mono County	$370,000.00	$462,500.00
Monterey County	$599,000.00	$729,750.00
Napa County	$615,000.00	$729,750.00
Nevada County	$450,000.00	$562,500.00
Orange County	$710,000.00	$729,750.00
Placer County	$464,000.00	$580,000.00
Plumas County	$328,000.00	$410,000.00
Riverside County	$400,000.00	$500,000.00
Sacramento County	$464,000.00	$580,000.00
San Benito County	$790,000.00	$729,750.00
San Bernardino County	$400,000.00	$500,000.00
San Diego County	$558,000.00	$697,500.00
San Francisco County	$995,000.00	$729,750.00
San Joaquin County	$391,000.00	$488,750.00
San Luis Obispo County	$550,000.00	$687,500.00
San Mateo County	$995,000.00	$729,750.00
Santa Barbara County	$615,000.00	$729,750.00
Santa Clara County	$790,000.00	$729,750.00
Santa Cruz County	$719,000.00	$729,750.00
Shasta County	$339,000.00	$423,750.00
Sierra County	$228,000.00	$285,000.00
Siskiyou County	$235,000.00	$293,750.00
Solano County	$446,000.00	$557,500.00
Sonoma County	$530,000.00	$662,500.00
Stanislaus County	$339,000.00	$423,750.00
Sutter County	$340,000.00	$425,000.00
Tehama County	$250,000.00	$312,500.00
Trinity County	$200,000.00	$271,050.00
Tulare County	$260,000.00	$325,000.00
Tuolumne County	$350,000.00	$437,500.00
Ventura County	$599,000.00	$729,750.00
Yolo County	$464,000.00	$580,000.00
Yuba County	$340,000.00	$425,000.00

HUD SECRETARY: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CALIFORNIANS COULD BENEFIT FROM HIGHER GOVERNMENT-INSURED MORTGAGE LIMITS
Congress must finish the job on FHA modernization bill so more families can keep their homes
Temporary loan limits part of Economic Stimulus Package

San Francisco - Tens of thousands of California families could benefit from affordable government-insured mortgages under a plan to be announced shortly that will temporarily increase home loan limits, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson said today. Highlighting the Bush Administration's plans to help Americans keep their homes, Jackson said the President's economic growth package, which became law last month with wide bipartisan support, could allow more than 30,000 California families to be eligible over the next several months for safe, affordable mortgages insured by HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

"The plan raises FHA's loan limits, enabling more families to qualify for a safe, affordable FHA mortgage. This is critical for California, where most families are currently priced out of FHA loans. Because the FHA loan limits didn't reflect the housing market in California and other high-cost states, a vacuum was created that was filled by exotic subprime loans. We estimate that nearly 33,000 Californians will benefit over the next 18 months," Jackson said in speech to the Commonwealth Club of California.

This week, FHA will publish temporary loan limits that will range from $271,050 to $729,750. This increase will help provide economic stability to communities in California and give hundreds of thousands of homeowners and homebuyers throughout the country a safer, more affordable mortgage alternative. Loan limits will be set at 125 percent of the median sales price for the area. Currently, FHA loan limits are capped at $362,790.

However, these higher loan limits are temporary and expire at the end of 2008. President Bush and Jackson continue to call on Congress to pass a permanent bipartisan solution to help more families quality for FHA-insured mortgages, which allow low-income, minority and first-time homeowners access to prime-rate financing so they afford to purchase a home. While FHA has seen an increase in business in California, FHA modernization legislation still remains critically necessary. Legislation, which has been pending in Congress for two years, offers flexible downpayment requirements, permanent loan limits higher than the current amount of $362,790, and fairly-priced insurance premiums.

"FHA modernization could help a quarter of a million families this year alone. It passed the House and Senate in overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion. But a final bill has yet to cross the President's desk. Congress must act now," Jackson stressed.

Jackson also explained how the Bush Administration's aggressive efforts are keeping hundreds of thousands of families in their homes. The Secretary pointed to FHASecure, the refinancing arm of FHA, which has helped more than 100,000 homeowners refinance their mortgage since it was announced last fall. FHASecure includes homeowners who are current on their loan or past due because their teaser rates reset; some borrowers who owe more on their homes than they are worth; and those in the process of foreclosure. Families are saving an average of $400 a month compared to the cost of their previous exotic subprime loans. FHASecure is on pace to help 300,000 families by the end of 2008.

"FHA is back. And we're letting the American people know about it, sending letters out to 850,000 homeowners with resetting rates, including 54,000 Californians, who might qualify for FHA," Jackson added.

The HOPE NOW Alliance, representing 90 percent of the subprime market, has also responded to the Bush Administration's call for action and is helping homeowners in need of mortgage relief. Formed by Jackson and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, HOPE NOW has implemented a plan that makes more than one million people eligible to modify their home loans, refinance into FHASecure, or have their interest rates temporarily frozen. Recently, HOPE NOW introduced Project Lifeline, which makes thousands of at-risk borrowers eligible for a pause in the foreclosure process while servicers try to modify their loans.

"I am pleased by their actions...I see denial replaced with hope...And proof that foreclosure is not inevitable-that it is, in fact, preventable." Jackson said.

To stress the importance of housing counseling, Jackson pointed to studies that show homeowners in need of financial help responding more quickly to community and non-profit groups than to lenders and banks. Emphasizing the importance of financial literacy, Jackson said 96 percent of households that saw a HUD-approved counselor avoided foreclosure. The Bush Administration has increased funding for housing counseling by 150 percent since 2001. President Bush's new budget proposal would increase it by $65 million. Currently, HUD's non-profit partner NeighborWorks is distributing an additional $180 million in grants for foreclosure prevention counseling.

"More than half of all homeowners in foreclosure did not discuss it beforehand with their servicer or lender. We must change this attitude. With the help of our housing counselors, we are," Jackson concluded.

Recent Sales Activity for Encinitas/Carlsbad

2008-03-04T23:06:46Z

I just looked at the front page of our web site and saw the last 12 sales that have been posted by zip code:

RECENT SALES BY ZIP
92008
   $525,000 4998 Eucalyptus Ln Mar 3
   $520,380 1750 Andrea Ave. Mar 3
   $518,000 4553 Cove Dr #1 Feb 29
92009
   $619,000 2734 Ascot Avenue Feb 29
   $825,000 2814 Atadero Ct Feb 29
   $255,000 2352 Altisma Way #7 Feb 29
92010
   $304,000 2813 Via Diego Mar 4
92011
   $745,000 657 Seaward Avenue Mar 4
   $740,000 609 Saltgrass Ave Feb 29
   $322,000 803 Caminito Del Mar Feb 29
92024
   $925,000 1467 Heritage Ln Mar 3
   $730,000 1638 Hawk View Dr Feb 29

We update this data from the Sandicor MLS data about 5 times a day. You can see it any time by visiting http://www.EncinitasCarlsbad.com The data concerns me a bit. There isn't a single property over $1M, and all but one of them are under $850,000. Now, this is anecdotal, but I look at the data a lot, and I can tell you that I don't see this happen very often. It tells me that the upper end of the market is a bit soft right now. My guess is that people who are buying are buying less expensive properties and those buying more expensive properties are waiting to see how the economy does or are waiting for a good deal.

Anyway, it struck me as a bit odd, so I thought I would share it with you.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

Real Estate Video - 1671 Plover Ct., Carlsbad, CA

2008-03-04T22:57:53Z

Here's our newest video. I just got done completing it the other day. Let us know what you think. The fun thing about this video was that Margaret has gotten to the point where she is really fast on her feet, so to speak.

All of that commentary was UNSCRIPTED. She did it ALL off the top of her head. We've definitely gotten to that point where we can go in and feel comfortable not only with the filming for me, but for the tour for her. It's really pretty fun to put one of these together, and it really shows off all the property features.

Let us know what you think.

John Hokkanen

Carlsbad - Section 8 Housing Assistance

2008-03-04T22:52:11Z

We're representing a landlord renting some property in Carlsbad. Someone asked if we were doing "Section 8 Housing" and I learned a lot when I did the research on this.

Section 8 Rental Assistance provides housing assistance to certain persons in need. The Carlsbad City has a web page addressing their program at http://www.carlsbadca.gov/housing/eligible.html .

The most important features for the landlord, according to one of the subpages is that the City guarantees 70% of the rent. There are certain max rental amounts, which seem a bit low to me knowing the area, and they are as follows: Studio payment standard is $1075; One bedroom is $1228; Two bedroom is $1490; Three bedroom is $1976; and Four bedroom is $2382.

The landlord has to have the place inspected, and, once approved, then he/she can advertise it as "Section 8 OK" and this can open up the number of candidates. The program does not guarantee that the tenant will pay on time, and there is some risk because these folks need assistance. However, they can lose their benefits if they don't pay their rent, so there is a serious downside.

Anyway, this was new to me. Landlords do not have to participate, but, as stated above, there are some benefits if they do.

John Hokkanen

Encinitas Market Activity 3/3/08

2008-03-03T21:42:45Z

Here's some info about the market activity in Encinitas. First inventory levels:

As you can see, inventory levels are below where they were two years ago, but above where they were last year. The inventory can't seem to shake that off and drop lower. Our guess is that this is partly due to the fact that homes are not selling super quickly, and, to the extent sales do occur, then they are replaced with new listings. The good news is that inventory levels are not climbing.

In terms of median prices, here's that graph.

As you can see, it's a bit of a wash over last year. Some times the median price is above and sometimes it is below last year's median price. Conclusion: No conclusion can be drawn. We know from other market activity that prices remain relatively flat or somewhat lower than last year. BUT, mortgage rates, being as low as they are, plus the fact that first time home buyers are having difficulty getting loans to buy homes, may have pushed up the median price point.

I hope that's clearer than mud.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

Source of Data: Sandicor MLS

San Marcos Market Report - 3/4/08

2008-03-03T20:18:22Z

San Marcos inventory levels are holding steady. If that can persist for a few more weeks, then last year's trend of rising inventory might be avoided. Right now, the inventory level is at a much higher point than the previous two years.

Unfortunately, the median sales price in San Marcos isn't doing too well.

As you can see, the median sales price has taken a bit of a hit over th last 6 months, is at or below what had been the median sales price for the previous year. We don't like to use average sales price because statistical outliers can adversely affect things, but the median is usually a good measure. (I think Dataquick also publishes median numbers.)

These numbers are for both zip codes in San Marcos so it may be that one of the zips is doing better than the other, but historically, this is not usually the case (i.e., when one is up, the other is as well).

John Hokkanen

Source: Sandicor MLS Data

Posting for Points or Posting to Contribute Content?

2008-03-02T13:12:23Z

I've only been on Active Rain for about six months. There are some incredible, incredible materials that have been developed by members, and it has raised my awareness of many issues related to real estate. (I don't read the social stuff so much, but I really enjoy the real estate materials.)

I have noticed that a number of members seem to be focused on POINTS rather than CONTENT. Their posts are often barely a 100 words, and they often don't convey much, if any, information. Sometimes they take the form of a "survey" but they don't even frame the issues very well so that people can supply a thoughtful response. I like survey posts, but it is up to the poster to frame the issues...maybe provide some THOUGHTFUL pros and cons so that people can add their two cents, describe their own point of view, or maybe just cast a vote on what they think. BUT just asking a bare question doesn't really add much to the discussion!

Of course, these nonsense posts are, I am sure, are a serious negative if a consumer starts looking at the content to pick a real estate agent. If you have quality, interesting posts, you are far, far more likely to be selected than if your posts go nowhere, demonstrate no expertise, or are just fluff. This should be reason alone for people to avoid fluff posts, but I guess people don't worry about what a consumer will think when they read the materials that posted. THEY SHOULD.

Here are some ideas for the Active Rain community to consider to try to create systemic ways to avoid fluff:

Maybe Active Rain should move to a system to reduce the value of such posts. Here's an idea....tier up the comments to more increments that they currently use. Any post gets a starting value of 25 points (no more than a comment). THEN, if you get at least 5 comments, add another 100 points, and if you get 10 comments add another 75 points. THIS WOULD AT LEAST guarantee that the post has generated enough interest to provide a comment.

OR, provide a no-points flag, where people can hit the flagging button. Receive more than 5 flags from different people, lose 50 points. Receive more than 10 flags, lose 100 points. This would allow members to at least diminish the value of nonsense posts.

Finally, you could move to a ratings system. A person can rank a post from 1 to 10. If you're below average (3 or below), you get only 1/2 the points. Average (4-7) gets full points. Above average (difficult because it's all getting averaged) of 8-10, provide a 25% bump in points.

I hope I've followed my own advice, and now I'll ask, "What do you think?"

John Hokkanen

Getting Your Site Listed on DMOZ.org

2008-03-02T11:33:59Z

I recently saw a post asking about how to get listed on DMOZ.org, and so I thought I would create an entry on this subject.

A few years ago I volunteered and was accepted as an editor of the open source directory project. It was interesting and I am glad that I made a contribution, but it required too much time. Why? Because they are flooded with requests, and often sites that get rejected get resubmitted multiple times in hopes of getting a different editor with a different outcome.

So, you may ask, why don't they just list every site? The goal of the directory project is to create a resource of distinctive, unique content, not a comprehensive directory of all web sites. (That may be someone else's project, but it's not the DMOZ project goals, I don't think.) In the case of real estate sites, there are a TON of sites that get submitted every week. Rest assured, these volunteer editors are underwater with work.

Here's the dilemma that they face. Every week a new alamode/point2/advancedaccess site gets submitted for a city. There is already such a site listed. The new sites don't have any substantial content that is new and different. The site is yet just another templated site from the vendor. Since the goal is to create a directory of unique content and not a directory of all web sites, the new sites get rejected.

So what can you do about this? FIRST, before you submit your site to the DMOZ, CREATE A LOT of valuable, new content that has enduring value. Just some content with this week's market report isn't going to pass muster. (However, if you have 2 years of weekly market reports, the editor will see that you have an ongoing commitment to providing your unique content.) The content editors are often really smart. They've seen the content from templated resources, they know about Inman news, etc. What they want to see is NEW UNIQUE content that isn't available anywhere else. If you take the time and effort (and it will require both) to create such content and you make a BIG point about what your site has that NO ONE ELSE has on their site, then you stand a very good chance of getting your site accepted into the DMOZ.

I hope that helps. Good Luck. Content is King.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

North County REOs - Past 30 days

2008-02-29T16:26:50Z

I just posted the maps of the North County NODs and Trustee sales. The REO map shows the same story. If you live in San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, or Escondido, your home's value may be affected by the foreclosure events that you see on the news. Here's the bank-owned map we generated from information provided to us from a title company:

As you can see the REOs in the data are pretty thin along the coastal zone (except a few in Oceanside). These are almost completely inland. So, if you're shopping inland, MAKE SURE YOU'RE CAREFUL. You don't want to lose value your first year if you can avoid it, and there are obvioulsy areas in all of these places where you run the risk of losing substantial value if you're not careful.

Call us if we can help.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

North County Notices of Default - Last 15 days

2008-02-29T16:10:04Z

We like to plot data on maps so that you can see what's happening. It tells a more descriptive story than trying to visualize what a list looks like. Below is our map of Notices of Default (NODs) that have occurred in the past 15 days (supplied to us from a title company).

As you will see, the majority of the NODs are in:

San Marcos
Vista
Oceanside
Escondido

There were just a few in Carlsbad and a couple in Del Mar, but only a couple. You know that where the defaults are occurring is where trouble is brewing in the home market. It's not that you can't buy a good home in any of those locations, it's just that you need to use a lot of care or you could really see your home value tumble over the coming year. Here's the map:

This is the detached map of NODs. We also have NOD maps for condos/attached. Call us if we can help.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

North County Foreclosures (Trustee Sales)

2008-02-29T15:55:02Z

A picture is worth a 1000 words, and here's how foreclosures are happening in North County right now. As you can see, the foreclosures are primarily situated in:

San Marcos
Vista
Oceanside
Escondido

Bottom line: If you're thinking about buying a house in one of these areas, you need to think about what impact additional foreclosures this year may have on your home's value. Selecting a location that is less prone to foreclosures will probably be important to minimizing your risk. You might begin by looking at our foreclosure-related maps in terms of shopping areas.

Call us if we can be of help.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate

I Rite Good - Amusing, but Sad

2008-02-28T18:54:34Z

We recently joined the Del Mar Chamber of Commerce. One of the local restaurant chains saw that we joined and sent us a mailer so that we would use them for catering. My teenage son got the mail from the mailbox, and when he saw it, he took it upon himself to mark it up and grade it, just like a school paper. With that said, here's the advertisement. The names and phone numbers have been redacted to protect the innocent.

Anyway, I took it upon myself to fax this to the franchise's corporate headquarters (non-redacted, but marked-up, version) so that they can get some help with their marketing. I feel a bit sad for the business.....They really are trying their best to market, and they're even spending the money on the mailing. But they should ask for some assistance from corporate headquarters. I hope they get help instead of just hearing criticism.

John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate