San Diego Real Estate Voice by William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO

10 Ways to Recognise That Our Real Estate Market Needs to Improve- My Own Original Humor

2008-10-05T13:51:13Z

1. When Pre-Approved Buyers ask to be shown homes with Formica Kitchens and Baths.

2. When you ask about Financing and the husband drags a mattress full of cash into your office.

3. When you volunteer to show a house as long as the Buyers will drive and the buyers say " that won't be necessary- the pictures are fine.

4. When you are writing up the offer and the Buyer asks if it is OK to ask for the electricity and water.

5. When you list the house , the Seller asks how many years you expect it might take to find a Buyer.

6. When talking to the lender, he comments that indeed the Buyers seem qualified. Their combined weight of the family is under the allowed 500 lbs. in the new underwriting guidelines.

7. When you tell the Buyers to meet you at your office and you give them the address of the local Denny's.

8. When every listing comes with a year supply of toilet paper , an iPod and a pantry full of food.

9. When the buyers get a Pre-Qual letter from a lender, it conditions approval on the solvency of their 401K, their parents 401K and requires taking possession of their children's piggy banks.

10. When you finally have a closing, your Broker hands you a plaque for your wall along with your commission check written on a pale pink shade of a rubber like material, redeemable at any bank that will take a check written on a pale pink shade of rubber like material.

Final Approval of the "Wow" Idea By The City of Berkley

2008-10-05T12:20:21Z

A month ago I wrote a post about a solar energy idea that was proposed by the city of Berkeley to pioneer an affordable solar energy program to it's citizens. I had first read about this as an editorial in the newspaper and the consumer that brought it forth was suggesting the idea specifically for San Diego homeowners with an interest in going green and helping to conserve on energy. The idea actually goes a lot further and provides a way to make solar energy not only affordable but actually defers the cost over a 20 year period and with the possible energy savings to actually pay for itself with maybe a little on the side.

The city of Berkeley has given final passage to that proposal yesterday by creating the new tax district that residents can join to finance their individual solar system. and Berkeley is now underway securing the lender that will make the funds available. If I have ever heard of a 'win win' for a city and its residents , this is just such a case.

In the article today by Associated Press, it gave a few more details that are worth noting. The residents would pay about $180 a month through their property tax bills for an average priced system of $22,000. With the savings offset of greatly reduced energy bills, the system would not only pay for itself over a 20 year span with a fixed rate financing plan but in some cases could generate extra energy that could be put back through the power system.

Julian Apple Days Festival (LOCALISM FEATURED)

2008-10-05T01:33:21Z

When the air turns cool and with Autumn just around the corner and the foliage begins to turn to bright orange, red and yellow, we have a place in San Diego where we can celebrate the fall harvest of Apples. There's nothing that says Autumn like the beautiful and crisp fall foliage and the local sweet and succulent apples. Bring the family and come on over to another one of the treasures of San Diego County to the scenic mining town of Julian and experience their annual apple harvest festival. This wonderful and quaint town specializes in homemade apple pies, cider, art shows and entertainment through out the whole community. Speaking of pies, my favorite is the apple and boysenberry pie that is so amazing in taste that I usually can't wait to get it home and I have to order at least one slice while there.

There is also a local winery doing wine tastings that would please any palate. There are numerous roadside stands that offer varieties of fresh local apples, pears and the homemade cider that is nothing short of the 'nectar of the gods'. That term was reserved for fine wines but when you taste the cider, I think you will agree that it is like nothing you have experienced from commercial offerings.

One of the really enjoyable features of visiting Julian is to be able stay in one of the numerous bed and breakfast inns and enjoy the various activities in the surrounding park lands and especially the food. You will never guess what is featured on the desert menus. Did I stump you? Apple Pies served hot, cold, ala mode or anyway you would like them. Julian offers hiking, biking, canoeing, horseback riding and plenty more things to do including shopping. With the holidays coming soon, it could be your chance to pick those unique and one of kind items only found in Julian and give someone on your shopping list a real treat. Just a block this side of the downtown area is an amazing town cemetery that has a view out over the valley.

Each year, we have a special weekend planned in October called Julian Apple Days Festival, October 4th and 5th. This special weekend is full of fun for the whole family with apples on displays, apple treats and people coming from all over just to experience the apples and the fall festival. Last year, I noticed that many of the displays offered everyone a chance to experience the apples for free. There are many townsfolk dressed in period costumes and add so much local flavor to the festivities and there is even a horse and carriage ride that will delight the whole family.

CeCe, A "Celebration of Life" for Someone Very Near and Dear to Me.

2008-09-13T22:39:23Z

CeCe November 12, 1996 - September 11, 2008.

Two and half years ago my precious little one ( a Yorkshire) developed a cough and the vet believed she had a cold. It didn’t sound like a cold to me so we sought out a specialist’s advise and it was discovered that she had a polyp in the back of the throat area. A biopsy was performed and she was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

Believing that it was caught very early, an oncologist was recommended and treatment ( 25 weeks of Chemo ) was underway that same day. The 25 weeks of Chemo was difficult on both of us as I saw her hair change texture and fall out only to start growing back in as curly and in some of the oddest colors when she went into remission. It took the better part of a year to return to some normalcy.

She had remained in remission for 6 months, after that next check-up only to receive the heartbreaking news that the cancer had returned and she would need another 25 week round of Chemo. This was completed and then only weeks passed before it became necessary for round 3 to be started.

With all the Chemo and steroids used to help control her body's reaction to the chemo, her body scans now were indicating that her heart was enlarging and that there were now even more serious problems with the lungs and that the trachea was now collapsing. Into the 3rd round Chemo for 10 weeks, the new medications were really not helping and she was having difficulty with getting enough oxygen. These past few weeks after her most recent Chemo treatment, the changes and new difficulties in her health were becoming dramatic. We found ourselves at the emergency ward this past week, day after day and CeCe’s heart doctor, and two Oncologists discussed that her life was slipping and that there was now no hope for recovery and that her oxygen levels were getting so low that her body was now going into stress and her life was now passing at a very accelerated rate.

Reconciliation came this past Thursday Sept 11th, at 4:30 PM as she was released from her anxiety of being oxygen starved and allowed to pass on to the Rainbow Bridge where she and I will one day come together again, this time never to be separated. Her life was so very dear to me and filled my whole life with such joy. No less like a child to me than any other, her valiant struggle is over and she is now at peace. I celebrate her life this day. Writing this through my tears is so very hard but I want to share this lasting tribute of her with you my friends here on ActiveRain.

Her life was a joy that I am so grateful for and feel that I was so blessed to share. It was a love that was so unconditional and I know she would not want me to suffer in her loss but to be the great daddy I was and let her go. Through the aching heart and tears I wanted to tell you about her and how she was such an integral part of my life and who I am as a person. The source of love in our lives matters little, be it human or some other. What’s important is that as part of our life journey that we learn to love and be selfless in that love, knowing that it is returned to us many fold and it shapes who we become. Over our lives it would be expected that we will have many opportunities for love, different kinds of love and frequently, a love that is tested. Having to let go may indeed be the hardest part of love.

On this day of the celebration of her life, I will share with you something that had been shared with me to ease the pain and sorrow of the loss of my precious CeCe. I guess in some ways, it embraces the hope and belief I have that when God closes a door, he always opens a window.

I love you my little CeCe girl and miss you so very much!

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that loved one goes to the Rainbow Bridge

There are meadows and hills for all of our special little ones so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and they are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

They are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; Her eager little body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special loved one finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your little one , so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge
together....

Do You Understand Why Fannie and Freddie are so Important to You?

2008-09-12T18:56:30Z

From the Voice of San Diego Real Estate

We all know that Fannie and Freddie are now in conservatorship of the US Government and that there is new leadership at the helm in both of the GSE's (Government Sponsored Enterprises because they were chartered by Congress to create a more stable mortgage market) .

Each of these companies have agreed to issue 1 billion of senior preferred stock to the US Government and they also must issue warrants, in effect allowing the government to buy up to 80% of its common shares. The real issue is that in 2010 when supposedly they must to rid themselves of a majority of their debt at 10% a year, the government's plan is to bring each of their debt ( or the aggregate amount of the loans it can issue) to only $250,000,000,000 ( 250 Billion) each. That may seem like a lot but it represents only about 1/3 of each of their current portfolios.

Because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bridge that needed gap of supplying affordable loans irrespective what the stock market investors are doing, it has been a constant in our home lending industry that we in the industry and consumers alike rely on for affordable loans.

If they are made to disappear, which could be the plan behind the plan, we would then have limited the source of loan providers and ultimately be more greatly tied to the very people that actually played a major role in the housing crisis in the first place.

Joel Singer, our Executive Secretary of our California State Association released this video today and it will help you better understand the important and significant role that Fannie and Freddie play in the market and what would happen if these entities disappear. Meaning that if the government actually has in mind to shrink their status to be non-existent , the affordable smaller loan market would be severely damaged. We must watch this process carefully and encourage Congress to be prudent but also to be very careful we don't end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. Patience, oversight and great care must be exercised to ensure that these entities remain a viable source for affordable loans.

In the short term I agree with the Treasury's actions to shore up the confidence of their capital investors. In the longer term, I fell strongly that we need this competitive force in the housing industry.

I read recently that Forbes takes the view that Fannie and Freddie would be far better if broken up into a dozen competitive companies. At this time I would be in disagreement of that outlook because the GSE's being hybrids have always had the presumption of our Federal Government as their overseer and it has been assumed that the good faith credit of the Federal Government has been one of the key reasons they have had the ease in raising capital, especially from foreign governments. And we are not talking small change here.

While it is true that Fannie and Freddie may not have exercised the care that was needed in the management sector of their enterprise, I don't feel that a permanent takeover would be justified or in our best interests in the real estate and lending industries. The Fed, Treasury and Congress do need to set stronger management guidelines and over site which they already should have done but seemed to me to have taken their eye off the ball.

In football analogy, The GSE's were moving the ball closer to the end zone but in fact were heading to the wrong goal posts. It is my hopes that they they can be pointed in the right direction and that this turn around is not the end of the game for Fannie and Freddie as we know them.

Google Launches New Web Browser Today!

2008-09-02T16:33:28Z

I got an an alert this morning that Google launched its new web browser today. It is called CHROME. I downloaded it and it brought all my bookmarks, all my saved links , installed easily and it is so clean and easy. As you open each link, it brings in to the links bar the unique icons associated with the websites.

What's cool is to type in, on the address line ,what you remember of the web site address, and it will show a drop down window with possible selections. Very cool, indeed.

The San Diego MLS has required Internet Explorer as opposed to other browsers and would not work with FireFox. I tried the MLS link with Chrome and guess what?

I got a this message that reads as follows:

"Thank you for your interest in the MLS System

The MLS System was specifically designed for Internet Explorer versions 6.0 or greater. Your browser version is not supported. To download the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the Internet Explorer Downloads Web site".

I can tell you that when you see how well this web browser keeps track of your searches and displays them graphically on the home page of the web browser, you will be totally impressed.

As for the MLS, I guess we will have to wait until it catches up with what looks to be a marvelous new web browser. As for me, I really like this new browser. When you see it, I bet you will too!

San Diego Elite Community of Mission Hills

2008-09-02T00:24:40Z

San Diego , Community of Mission Hills September 1, 2008
High above the San Diego Harbor is one of San Diego's Premier Urban Neighborhoods, Mission Hills
With many Historic homes, Mission Hills was home to the daughter of Henry Johnston, a sailor that
guided his ship into the San Diego Harbor using a point of land, now called Inspiration Point.
There are several parks and one of San Diego's first Missions ( Mission Presideo) located in what is now called Presideo Park. The land parcels and homes by Presideo Park are some of San Diego's most outstanding and elaborate mansions.

Editorial note: This post was hand written on special digitized paper using my Logitech io Digital Pen and the handwriting was transcribed and then the text pasted here as a post. The title was the Key Words that I also saved. Each page allows for the title tags to be the title of the page.
My title tags in little boxes at the bottom of the page, read, San Diego Elite Community of Mission Hills. So that is what I named the post. Pretty neat. This digital pen could and may actually speed up my postings. This is a model of digital pen that I have owned since 2005. I didn't re-install the software in 2007 when I purchased my new Tablet PC because I was not using the pen that much. Now as a blogger, this will afford writing posts on the fly and posting after synchronization of the Logitech io pen.

You Asked, So I Presume You Want to Know.

2008-08-31T18:45:58Z

My good friend from Hawaii, Sally 'Celeste' Chesseman tagged me with a "You're it". When I got the e-mail, I thought it was a game of tag, pass it on, Dah!, So I being a good sport, I tagged someone else. I had no idea it was another MeMe. When I went to her post there it was as plain as day, I tag the following, William Johnson.

The format of this MeMe is straight forward enough so I thought since I have the day off, I should give you the first response that comes to mind, as that would most likely capture me personally and that I should not think of it as an test for clever answers.

You asked, so I presume you want to know. For those that already do know me here on ActiveRain, these answers will be of no surprise. For those that don't yet know me, I feel assured that the answers would never be a barrier to us meeting. I see it as a win win in either case.

I am- A person with passion for life and all things good.

I think- Positively.

I can- Do anything I set my mind to do.

I want- To heal the world of indifference.

I have- Been Blessed in so many ways.

I wish- I could make everyone successful, happy and loved.

I hate- Nothing, It is a trait that I do NOT choose in my life.

I miss- Many old and wonderful friends.

I fear- Very little. Fear is most often based on the need for better information.

I feel- A sense of contentment.

I hear- The peaceful sounds of nature

I smell- The flowers.

I regret- Not saying "I Love You" more often.

I love- Life and the smell of fresh cut grass. Both are satisfying.

I care- About all the big things and all the little things.

I always-Take my responsibilities seriously.

I believe- In God and revere him.

I am not- Careless or cavalier.

I dance- physically and also mentally when I hear music.

I sing- on the inside everyday of my life.

I write- With a sense of enthusiasm and responsibility .

I win- When I participate.

I lose- only if I quit.

I never- Say never.

I listen- More with my heart and less with my ears.

I can usually be found- Trying to learn and share something new.

I'm scared of- My little yorkshire losing her valiant fight with cancer and then the having to say 'Good Bye'.

I read- Just about anything I get my hands on.

I forget- Names and phone numbers but never the person.

I just- Marvel at the mysteries in life and how precious it is.

Mana Tulberg was also tagged by Sally and in her response, it seemed that she added one more. Since I had originally copied her list of phrases to complete, I will include the extra one.

I am happy about- Who I am and how I turned out as a person.

San Diego Market Statistics June 1 through August 2008

2008-08-27T23:36:56Z

These are the current market statistics for all of San Diego County from Jun 30, 2008 through August 27th,2008.

This report includes all residential property, Active, Pending, Sold, Expired and Off Market in all price ranges in all zip codes of San Diego County.

In each category is shown the total number of units, the average price and the total dollar volume.

Category                         # Of Properties             Average Price            Total Dollar Volume

Active on the Market               18,198                $739,774                  $13,462,407.252

Pending Close of Escrow          6,180                 $414,659                  $2,562,596,620

Sold Listings                              7,219                 $462,355                 $3,337,740,745

Expired Listings                         2,619                 $684,376               $1,774,482,468

Off the Market (Canc)               2,881                 $581,813                $1,676,203,252

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Disclaimer: The information contained in any post written by William Johnson is deemed reliable but is not gauranteed and the opinions expressed in these writings are my own. I disclaim any liability for any damages or loses direct or indirect that may result from use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this blog or for the accuracy of comments or opinions expressed by others. You are advised not to rely on any information contained herein without your own verification of the information.

Colorful and Visually Enticing, Old California Restaurant Row in San Marcos

2008-08-23T23:30:17Z

In the city of San Marcos, a favorite son of the area, Jim Eubank has a vision for a large vacant lot adjacent right off what was then a 2 lane road, San Marcos Blvd, now a major thoroughfare. A real restaurant row. That was in the 60's. By the late 1970's Jim vision would come to life. Now managed by his children, Restaurant Row still has some of the original restaurants dating back to when it was first opened, like the Fish House Vera Cruz, Bruno's and Katsu's and they are still thriving today.

Dining at Restaurant Row covers the gambit from American favorites to the new trendy 'fusion' cuisine.

International in its scope, California Restaurant Row is sure to have your favorites. So be it, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Chinese or even the all- american hamburger, it's all there.

With charm un-rivaled, Restaurant Row will also delight your senses with it's visual festive and colorful walkways and fountain adorned courtyards.

Here are some favorites to try.

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina Bruno's Italian Restaurant

China's Maui Bistro 55 Yardline Grill and Sports Bar

China Wokery Fish House Vera Cruz

Cocina del Charro Friar's Folly Bistro and Wine Cellar

India Princess Katsu Sushi and Teppan Grill

King and I Tai Marietas Fine Mexican Food

Market Street Café and French Bakery Old California Coffee House

Old California Mining Company San Marcos Brewery and Grill

Tony Romas

City of Poway Implements " Wildfire Defensible Space " Program

2008-08-23T20:18:21Z

Having endured major wildfires the past four years that affected a huge amount of acreage and at least 140 homes and other structures, the City of Poway in San Diego County, has adopted some strict new guidelines in hopes of minimizing any future wildfire damage in the community of Poway.

Many of Poway's homes are adjacent to open spaces and the City of Poway is imposing, effective September 19, 2008 new clearance guidelines to help mitigate any future fire loss.

The soon-to-be enforced guidelines include clearing 100 feet of space around the residence or other structures of flammable chaparral fuels. The creation of the 'defense of space' program throughout the community of Poway is an important part of the fire loss reduction strategy as reported by the Poway Fire Department.

The only contentious part of the new ordinance has to do with land owners of vacant land when adjacent to other parcels with residences on it. The ordinance states that if 100 feet of defensible space is determined and only for example 70 feet is located on the property where there is a residence, then the defensible space improvements of 70 feet would be performed by that homeowner and the other 30 feet by the adjacent vacant land owner.

The ordinance was specific as to what constitutes flammable chaparral fuel. It includes chaparral species, annual weeds, dead or dying trees, etc. It does exclude ornamental landscaping, and Palm's and Eucalyptus trees, steam beds and banks of streams and venal pools.

City of Poway officials have approved the hiring of two compliance officers to help implement the program to assist in identifying where the risks are. The identified properties for risks will then be prioritized by the Fire Martial with notices sent out to the property owners for inclusion in the program. Certificates of compliance will be issued.

A smart trip to REALTORS listing and selling Poway real estate that might be involved in this program would be to prepare a disclosure about the new ordinance, it's compliance standards and the required maintenance of the 'defensible space' requirements.

This effort by Poway to take this initiative should be applauded by all in the community and it certainly sets up a wonderful standard example that could be adopted county wide to minimize the hazards of these wildfires on structures in the back county and even on human life.

Editorial note: I can't help but to visualize that these maintained clearings may also provide some refuge to the wildlife which commonly live in the chaparral areas. This little side benefit although not part of the plan, certainly gives me pause that the community of Poway looks well after its own- including the wildlife.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Disclaimer: The information contained in any post written by William Johnson is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions expressed in these writings are my own. I disclaim any liability for any damages or loses direct or indirect that may result from use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this blog or for the accuracy of comments or opinions expressed by others. You are advised not to rely on any information contained herein without your own verification of the information.

Point in Fact: All Real Estate Is Local

2008-08-23T18:44:21Z

All real estate is local as is demonstrated in a story in our local newspaper. The article was about a local dispute of a homeowners association group with a local school board district. I guess it is not all that uncommon but tax paying citizens who are assessed special taxes for designated projects in their area expect the projects to be built ( eventually at least). In this case it was a middle School.

At a local school district board meeting recently a case where a Community Facilities District , a CFD ( Taxing Authority where bonds are generated to pay for infrastructure in a specific area. The Tax is called Mello Roos) was established to build a new middle school and the board announced that it does not plan to actually build a school on the parcel that was intended for the school. The funds from the bond are currently used to support other nearby schools in the district.

It seems that even though residents have to pay the special add-on taxes due the school district, the school district now reports that the enrollment projections made back in the 90's ( when the CFD was formed) for a new middle school in the area has not panned out and now there is no need for the school.

A local homeowners association is demanding a guarantee in writing from the school district that if it ever intends to sell the land that is currently not being used that was procured for the intended Middle school, that no commercial or residential development may ever be built there.

And it wants it in writing, not just for assurance but as a legally binding restriction on the deed to the parcel. It was also reported that the school district has been paying the state a hefty non-use fee on the land, a policy that the California set up decades ago as a way to recover some of the tax revenue that it might have otherwise collected had the land not been originally procured by a school district.

As a means to possibly curtail the on going fee, the school district has suggested it may consider using the land for a school lab for studying environmental and ecological subjects. Some questions have arisen from this and it will interesting to see how the scenario actually plays out.

A dispute like this makes the point clear that all real estate is local and that tax payers care very much that the land use they pay for in these CFD's should be used as it was designated. I am sure that everyone involved had the best intentions but often " Life Happens" and gets in the way of these 'Best Intentions' and then as is often the case, come riddled with all sorts of the possible unintended consequences.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Seawater to Drinking Water Soon to Be A Realty In San Diego County !

2008-08-23T11:09:34Z

Hoping to break ground in 2009, The Poseidon Resources received its final approval from the California State Lands Commission and now has all the permits needed to proceed with construction of its desalination plant on the grounds of the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon in 2009. In a vote yesterday, Poseidon may proceed to co-lease the Encina Power Plant's intake of seawater.

The Encina Power plant currently uses the seawater for it's power plant's cooling system but will be soon be converting to an air cooled system. The Poseidon's Desalination Proposal of using the seawater intake had stirred opposition from environmentalists and a recent legal opposition by environmentalists was dismissed against one of the permits this past week.

All Systems Go! Poseidon expects to deliver drinking water to nine local water agencies by 2011 and in a statement by Poseidon Resources, it rightfully claims this a historic day for California as 'desalinated water' will now be a measurable component of the State of California's water resources.

Other Related Articles

Poseidon - Is Desalination in the Cards for San Diego?

The Poseidon Desalination Plant For Carlsbad Still Awaiting More Approval

New Power Plant Proposed in Carlsbad, CA. Under Discussion

Drought Plagued San Diego Considering "Toilet to Tap" Solution

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

New Digs for San Diego City Hall?

2008-08-23T00:50:23Z

With a couple developers vying for the contract to overhaul the San Diego Civic Center, it remains uncertain whether San Diego City Council in September will decide on a completely new architectural design and development plan or end up remodeling what they have when the proposals were presented to the downtown Center City Development authority. The Center City Develpment Corporation ( CCDC)in October 2007, put out an RFP request for dvelopers to come up with a new design and budget plan for the Civic Center and the four prime city blocks associated with it.

No matter which way they decide, we are not talking about chump change here. Just to remodel the buildings and bring them up to current standards, we are talking in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Here is the issue that must be reconciled. Our city government is spread across the downtown area like a bird molting its feathers, helter-shelter. Some here, some there and some everywhere. And doing so at a cost of about $13 million a year for the cities municipal workforce. Having all of the city workers in one building hasn't been seen in decades here in San Diego. Not only is the current city hall too small, it is so outdated that soon unless something is done, it might qualify for historical status by its sheer age. Except that, it would certainly not qualify as a beautiful historical site by any stretch of the imagination.

Is it time to go Green here in San Diego and bring our downtown municipal building and civic complex into the 21^st century or just update the old. Doing so is going to cost some serious money either way. There are some arguments that are being made with some credibility of not fixing up the outdated city hall comeplex but to design an entirely new project that would actually save the city money over the considerable cost of remodeling a too small city administration building and continuing to pay rent to keep everyone spread out over the city.

Two proposals to remedy the serious deficiency were proposed by two out of state developers , one from the Southwest area and and the other from the Northwest. There were two proposals presented and each are radically different but both propose to save the city major dollars over the long haul. What's the long haul, actually there are two defined time periods in the proposal. 15 years out and 50 years.

The costs as proposed for the full out redevelopment plan including participation of private developers to be able to develop part of the land for other corporate offices, shopping and housing, over 15 years would be in the neighborhood of $319 million at 15 years and $628 million over 50 years. Cost to renovate the current civic center and consolidate employees, About $395 million over 15 years and a little over 1 billion over 50 years. As of this writing, one of the designs has already been withdrawn but the one that is left was the more likley of the two fitting the needs.

That might all sound a bit like fuzzy math but if I understand this correctly, we should not be waiting one more year to get this redevelopment of our civic center underway and hopefully start saving a lot of money.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

San Diego and The Maritime Museum Hosts 2008 "Festival of Sail" August 20th through 23rd

2008-08-21T14:14:53Z

The San Diego Maritime Museum is hosting the 2008 Festival of Sail along the Embarcadero in Downtown San Diego. The ships paraded through the San Diego Bay yesterday as festivities begin today. With tens of thousands of San Diego citizens and tourists alike expected to descend on San Diego Harbor Drive this weekend, the festivities and activities will be plentiful. There will Bay cruises , music, theatre and even a mock cannon battle.

Among the ship's attending will be the Coast Guards Eagle, which hasn't been in San Diego since 1999, Columbia's tall ship , the Gloria, HMS Bounty ( replica used for the movie, 'Mutiny and Bounty') HMS Surprise ( replica featured in the 2003 movie' Master and Commander' ) along with many others. Another one of the features this year will be the ability to set sail on the Star and Stripes and the Abracadabra of The America's Cup fame, for an "on the water" experience of viewing the tall ship and the cannon battles. There will be daily cruises of the bay available on the old 1914 Pilot Boat, that was used for 82 years as the pilot boat for commercial ships entering the San Diego Harbor. The Star of India, due to renovations will remain in port but on full display. The 'Festival of Sail' will not be in San Diego again until 2011.

Is there a New Cell Phone on Your Horizon? A Google Software Based Cell Phone That Is.

2008-08-18T16:05:03Z

Google developed a new software called Google Android. If you would like to read more about this, there is an Android Developer’s Blog , this is very interesting . One of the largest cell phone makers in the world, HTC, is developing a new smart phone that may well rival the iPhone in its capabilities but this one will be based on the Goggle Android software.

It is expected to have a similar touch screen as the Phone except that this one will slide away to revel a full 5 row keyboard.

Apple’s new iPhone now allows owners to individualize the functionality of their phones by being able to download any number of developed applications. These applications totally change the way the phone can be used from having unique web applications for business, for school, or just for fun. Since I have the new operating system on my iPod, I counted this morning nearly 1800 different applications. Many of these are free and some sell from 99 cents upwards to what similar priced softwares on the market would sell for. But one thing is certain, when you experience the applications, you have gone very far from what we have known our cells to do.

This new upcoming but unnamed phone’s operating system will be based on Google’s new Android software and will also allow the user full individualization, while being totally mobile friendly.

Google's Android, along the iPhone are expected to completely revolutionize the mobile phone industry and focus just as much or more on the mobile aspect of full internet functionality as they are on phone communication.

We are living in a remarkable time and I would expect that as REALTORS, we could be a huge influence in having some new applications created both for us on the real estate business side and also for the consumer side. With home video tours being one of the newest feature services for our industry, a neat application would be to be able to store the reduced file size of our Video Tours and then be able to e-mail them in an instant to prospects with the new technology. Add to that, the overlap of the Google Mapping and our new prospects may have found the home of their dreams right in the e-mail. So get ready, our world of technology is about to change once again and it sounds like it is going to get a lot easier and way more fun to share the technology side of Web 2.0.

History in the Making

2008-08-17T02:44:52Z

Michael Phelps made Olympic history in Beijing for the United States with his record breaking 8 Gold medals today. Utterly captivating the sports world , Michael Phelps of the United States has won more Olympic Gold than any other athlete in history. Here is the final race that made Michael Phelps in the final Men's swimming relay at the 2008 Olympics, the winningest athlete in Olympic history.

A Home Warranty and Why You Should Understand It Especially During the Due Diligence Period Of Purchasing

2008-08-16T14:22:44Z

As a Buyer of property in San Diego, the California Association of REALTORS Standard purchase form provides that you may seek from the seller an agreement to provide Home Warranty coverage on the basic mechanism of the home you are purchasing. While this home warranty should give you some comfort with the coverage it provides, it is not a panacea for all that is or may go wrong in the home.

Along with the contract for coverage, that most Buyers don't read very carefully, there is specific language for the items and issues that this home warranty does not cover. Your experience with home maintenance and the breakdowns that naturally occur as systems wear out over time might surprise you that many of these are not covered within the scope of your agreement. It is most important you understand the terms of what you are getting coverage on.

Thinking logically about what is not covered ( which you will find in the providing company's brochure for coverage ) and then the reality of facing some of these repairs, you may even question the usefulness of the coverage in the first place.

There is excellent reason to have the coverage that either the Seller may provide or that you can provide for yourself if the Seller declines this aspect of your offer to purchase the property. But you should be aware of the limitations of coverage and the exceptions in the policy as you may very likely face these issues during your ownership.

If your water heater goes out and you have coverage, it will either be repaired or even replaced. Unless that is, the issue is sediment ( calcium or other chemical build up), unless you have specific coverage for that feature. If the issue was caused because it was not property vented, the vented aspect of water heater may not be covered. What does this mean? You probably won't know until you file a claim and pay the service charge for someone to determine the cause and the remedy. That should sound fair enough. But here is an issue you might not be prepared for. Does any licensed and qualified plumber see the issue exactly the same way? You may be surprised to learn , they do not. Coverage : uncertain.

If you have coverage on your air conditioning system and it fails, it is time to make the call and get someone out to get it fixed. Here are some of the areas where when you purchased the home, you may not have realized what you actually have in the way of the air conditioning system.

For instance, in California, your system will most likely be a SEER 10, 12 or SEER 13 . What does that mean to you the consumer and did you know to ask?. Did the Contractor that inspected your home go over this with you, did your REALTOR or the Seller mention it? Most Home warranties repair or replace faulty air conditioners to this standard. So what does SEER mean? From a very useful source, ASHI,The American Society of Home Inspectors, here is what SEER means. "Every air conditioning unit is assigned an efficiency rating known as its "seasonal energy efficiency ratio" (SEER). The SEER is defined as the total cooling output (in British thermal units or Btu) provided by the unit during its normal annual usage period divided by its total energy input (in watt-hours) during the same period".

If the heating or cooling system provided to you in your home is not of the proper capacity for the size of the home and it breaks down, there is may be an exclusion in some home warranties that may specifically decline coverage to repairing or replacing an inadequately sized system should it break down.

The point is that as a Buyer today, you need to know to ask questions. Assuming you already know or don't need to know those answers about a home may actually cause your real learning experience to be deferred until something breaks down.

Construction standards today provide that if a home was built to code, the components of the home meet the minimum standards for functionality and safety for that date when it was constructed. So while the home functions and is safe, you still must expect that things will break down as most components of a home have a useful life term. When the useful life of the components in your home start breaking down from either wear or just being old and giving out, the Home warranty can step in and help you out, offsetting some or even all of the expense.

But it has limits and these limits should be understood. As a buyer for a residential property, I would guess there could be no better way to understand the components of your home than reading carefully a home warranty plan and then asking lots of questions. With every qualified* answer, you will be getting a real education about the home you are soon to own.

One very smart way to do this is be sure to have a home warranty plan in your offer to purchase. Get a copy of what the coverage is and read it carefully, making special note of the exceptions. When you have your contractors inspection, this is a great time to compare the available coverage and understand what is going to covered and what is not. You might even want to upgrade that home warranty policy yourself adding other components that you discover when doing the contractors inspection.

You might wonder why there are exclusions for instance on covered items. This is insurance and not unlike medical coverage, there are exceptions or circumstances that are either excluded or qualified based on criteria from the insurance coverage. When you better understand the components of the coverage, you better understand the components and any exceptions, in this case of your home.

Learning is a logical process and requires usually starting from some elementary point and building on that point. Getting more and more knowledge as you go. The biggest mistake any buyer can make is to assume you already know something just by looking at it , when you have a perfect opportunity to put aside what you think you know and learn the elements of your home from the ground up. You can never know too much and starting with your contractors inspection and a good home warranty with the proper coverage of what you are buying will go a very long way to providing you and your family the best living experience in your new home.

In an upcoming post, I am going to give you some examples of some possible exclusions in a home warranty plan and how these exclusions, had you known and understood the implications , may have caused you do a more comprehensive home inspection during your due diligence period. I will also cover some the many possible inspections that you could or should at least consider during your due diligence period. As your REALTOR, I refer to you a list of California Licensed Contractors or Engineers in San Diego that are members of ASHI and they are well trained in construction, current building codes, various recommended inspections and will help you learn as much as possible through their visual inspection of the components of the home and the property you are purchasing.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

California Dreamin..........alive in Pacific Beach, 'PB'

2008-08-12T16:06:27Z

Pacific Beach, San Diego's most popular beach community is located just south La Jolla. It is bounded to the south by Mission Beach , Interstate 5 and Clairemont to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Pacific Beach has miles of shoreline and beaches along the Pacific Ocean to the west and Mission Bay to the South.

In this marvelous coastal community of Pacific Beach,you'll find that the stereotypical ' California Dream ' popularized by the California Beach Boys, alive and well. One of the more fascinating aspects about this beach community is its amazing diversity. It draws its citizens from the world over.

Enjoy this the wonderful look back in musical history that helped popularize all of Southern California Beaches and Pacific Beach "PB" was no exception. For many this became more than a dream, it is now their new California Lifestyle.

Yes, Pacific Beach has become one of America's favorite surfing destinations but it is so much more. It is a beach community that has become a real 'Mecca' for it's night life, known throughout the country and beyond, From it's many coffee houses, nightclubs, and late-night restaurants that are clustered mainly along Garnet Avenue and Mission Boulevard, PB is practically a phenomenon enjoyed by nearly everyone living in San Diego county.

But just a block or two away from all the beach activities provides for the "much quieter" residential community. If beach front living is your preferred style, you will love the ambiance that PB provides with it's casual, friendly, laid-back and eclectic life style. Housing opportunities from affordable condominiums to luxury homes will be sure to satisfy most any taste or budget.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Olympics Photos

2008-08-08T18:39:57Z

I think all of us in the US are awaiting the Opening Spectacle of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. No matter the politics, it is an occasion that every 4 years gives all the citizens of the world a chance to be a part of something special in the Olympic games, the Olympic Spirit.

I found this link provided by the New York Times of the Opening Ceremony slide show that captures some of these special moments of the spectacular Opening.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Desalination Plant in San Diego ( Carlsbad) Receives OK to Begin Construction....Finally!

2008-08-07T22:13:27Z

The California Coastal Commission has now approved the revised plan for Poseidon Resources to construct the long awaited Desalination plant to increase the water availability in San Diego County. I wrote a post on this late last year " Poseidon - Is Desalination In The Cards For San Diego " and the obstacles have now been overcome, though there is always a chance of a late court action that could delay construction again.

Environmentalists are opposed to this plant for various reasons and the Poseidon Resources rendered numerous compromises that finally got approval yesterday, pleasing the proponents of the new facility slated for Carlsbad at the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon location.

Poseidon has in mind maybe as many as 11 other coastal sites for desalination plants and this new approval will give them a sort track to run on of what will be expected in any other proposals that might be being contemplated.

The one of the two major stumbling blocks that was overcome with the new agreement is to reduce its carbon debt by subtracting the current amount of energy used to pump the equivalent amount of water that the desalination would produce by the Metropolitan Water department . But the carbon debt would be reduced even further with it's plan to add solar energy devises for it power and the 1 million dollar plan for re-forestation of areas burned in the 2007 wildfires. The plan also calls for the Poseidon plant to purchase about 15 tons of available carbon offsets from other sources.

The 2^nd provision of the revised plans calls for Poseidon to purchase a bit over 55 acres to produce a marine habitat ( most likely other wetlands) that could replace the loss of fish, fish larvae and other plankton that would be trapped and killed in it's system intake of ocean water through it's reverse osmosis membranes. Currently the Encina Power plant is using about the same amount of water in it's intake cooling system, which will be abandoned as it converts over to an air cooled system. It was the Power plant that created the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon adjacent to the power plant to enhance the amount of marine life.

Originally Poseidon had offered to provide 35 acres for marine habitation but that amount was increased to 55 acres leading to this final agreement. Poseidon can start construction next year and can be providing up to 50 million gallons of fresh drinking water per day by 2011.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

The Cabrillo Monument National Park and the Statue of Cabrillo, An Interesting Tale

2008-08-06T18:23:32Z

I had the opportunity recently to discover something about San Diego I didn't know and found it interesting to share with you. Having been to our wonderful Cabrillo Monument National Park on the tip of Point Loma numerous times, I discovered there among the many other interesting aspects of the park and the famous lighthouse, the amazing views of the coastline, especially looking back to the San Diego Downtown Skyline. When you enter the park you would naturally also encounter the Cabrillo National Monument at the Visitor's Center. There is quite an interesting story here about the monument itself. I recently read a fascinating piece by a well know San Diego Historian, Richard Crawford.

He wrote in one of his writings about how this monument actually arrived in San Diego, or at least the monument that people think they were seeing as they read the marker of the monument. It is a very interesting tale. I will try and paraphrase some of Richard's great writing about the twists and turns this monument took in arriving in San Diego. But first a bit of history about the Cabrillo National Park.

In 1542, Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. Right? Remember that from grade school? Well the date is wrong because that was 1492 some 50 years prior, with Columbus actually arriving first in the Bahamas. But someone did actually sail the ocean, the Pacific Ocean that is, in 1542. It was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arriving here in San Diego having first departed from New Spain (Mexico) to step into history as the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States.

The Cabrillo National Monument was established in early 1900's and it commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's voyage of the discovery of San Diego Bay. A heroic statue of Cabrillo now looks out over the bay. Cabrillo had been prompted by business interests in New Spain ( Mexico) to lead one of two expeditions to explore the Pacific. Cabrillo accepted the offer and soon set out to explore the coast, north and west, of New Spain . It took him over a 100 days but finally Cabrillo encountered a bay and described the bay as "a closed and a very good port," which he called San Miguel. The name San Miguel was changed to San Diego some 60 years later. It took 400 more years before Woodrow Wilson would memorialize Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo by creating the Cabrillo National Monument park in 1913.

Now for the twists and turns as paraphrased from Richard Crawford's historical recount.

The statue of Cabrillo was a gift to the state of California in 1939 by the Portuguese Government and was to be on display at the Golden State Exposition in San Francisco but didn't make the trip in time for the exposition. The Governor at the time, Culbert Owen, ordered it to a warehouse to be stored until he could make formal acceptance of the gift and then ordered it to private residence for safe keeping. ( sounds a little odd but that is where it went. ).Ultimately the governor decided the statue should have a permanent home in Oakland where there was a large number Portuguese descendants.

The San Diego Portuguese community felt that decision neglected the fact that Cabrillo had first landed here in San Diego and with the guidance of Joseph Dryer serving as president of the Humans on Earth Center, sought the help of then State Senator Ed Fletcher to try to bring the statue here to San Diego.

Enter now the State Senator who believed the legislature should be deciding such issues, not the governor, secured a collegial legal opinion that indicated that the legislature should decide the fate of the statue.

Fletcher with the help of Laurence Oliver the founder of the San Diego Portuguese-American club would locate the statue at a private residence of a Portuguese national in a garage still crated, in San Francisco.

Fletcher, along with another State Senator went to the owner of the property where the statue was being stored in a garage, to release the statue but the owner insisted on some legal authority to do so. So Fletcher introduced a bill in the Senate designating that the statue was to have a permanent home in San Diego and got the resolution passed unanimously. When the resolution was sent over to the Assembly, it died there due to the efforts of an Oakland Assembly member who felt it should go to the Oakland Portuguese community as promised by the Governor.

Not deterred, Fletcher with the Senate resolution in hand made his way back to the resident's home and convinced the homeowner to release the statue for transportation to San Diego. Fletcher had arranged a truck to take the statue to the train station but before the statue was lifted into the truck ,while he and the driver and several helpers were standing there, the homeowner called Fletcher into the house to have him speak on the phone with the Vice Council of Portugal, who was protesting removal of the statue and had threatened legal action.

Still not deterred, the statue was hauled to the train station and made it's way to San Diego.

The uproar was instantaneous and the Portuguese community in Oakland got the Governor involved who now claimed that Senator Fletcher had " kidnapped " the statue. Numerous Legislative bills were defeated and the matter of the custody of the statue just died for lack of a majority vote to determine it's fate.

The statue remained in San Diego and was dedicated on the grounds of the Naval Training Center and was kept out of public view until 1949 when it was rededicated to its new home just north of the lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument Park. Several years later the statue was moved closer to the visitor center overlooking the harbor where Cabrillo had first landed back in 1542.

The end of the saga of that statue? Not quite. The original statue was deteriorating badly from the salt air and perhaps some visitor abuse and was moved inside with the intention of restoring it in the early 1980's . A replica was commissioned and rededicated in 1988. The original statue having been brought inside out of view and remains there to this day. The statue as seen at the Cabrillo National Monument Visitors Center today is the reproduction, not the original statue.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Basic Director Training Needed for Condominium Communities

2008-08-05T18:58:20Z

HOA Directors

The day should have been long ago when homeowner association directors with little understanding or training, actually run Homeowner Associations. So many of the people that get elected ( usually because no one else wants to serve or for other reasons that I will leave out of this post) are most often not qualified.

HOA Training

The Directors need training to work the budgets, recommend the allocation of reserves, propose by-law changes, and interpret the pre-formatted CC&R's that were filed with the respective State Dept. of Real Estate by the developer when the property was first approved as a subdivision. I believe most HOA directors would want to learn if there was a venue to provide this needed training.

Legal Assistance

If a Homeowners Association actually had better hands on legal guidance, the legal advisers would insist that each of the elected Directors understand what they have been elected to do. The same goes for the management companies that often advise the associations. In situations that I have observed, it often seems like the sight challenged leading the sight challenged.

In some respects it is totally amazing that the associations function at all. Getting out the reserve studies ( usually constructed by the management companies ) and the annual budget for the decision on what fees will be charged for the current year are often all that is accomplished by the directors.

Hands On Approach

In other associations the Directors take a more hands on approach dealing with infractions of the accepted rules, policing the common areas and various other aspects of life in a subdivision. And there have certainly been charges levied by individual homeowners that the board has exceeded it charge. Most courts however usually back the associations, finding language in the CC&R's that gives them greater latitude.

What is needed is instead of the rather unpleasant conflict is, Director training that should be available by the respective authorities that authorize the forming of subdivisions in a state or at least by legal entity that is hired to keep tract that rules are regs are lawful and that those that abuse members the system are handled properly.

HOA Management Company Role

I recently came across one management company in particular that was providing this training and it should not surprise you that this particular association is very well run and the homeowner members appreciate the better way affairs of the association are managed. The company doesn't want any fanfare so they shall remain anonymous but they certainly take their charge in a serious and professional way and as a REALTOR, I applaud their exceptional efforts.

Most CC&R's were meant as a model that would be adopted at the time the association takes over for the Builder of the Subdivision. They were also intended to be living documents that would be amended to accommodate the life style and way of life for that association within the legal limits assigned to them.

CC&R's

What happens in reality is that the model CC&R's available for the new subdivisions usually get adopted and without further action they remain that way, often at the consternation of most who reside there. When I inquired about how that happens , I was told that the legal work and expense required is often the harbinger to the desired change. Unless the articles are simply onerous, they remain that way , year after year,after year.

Role of REALTORS Associations

Since REALTOR associations usually provide basic training in Roberts Rules and the fundamentals of how associations operate to their new elected directors , it might be a very useful community service if the REALTOR Associations could design a basic training for the Homeowner Association Directors in their community. It could also be a nice additional revenue stream offsetting some of the other programs an association might like to provide its members. It might be worth looking into. What say you?

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Birthday Celebration creates Panda-monium

2008-08-04T17:42:42Z

The San Diego Zoo as defined in one of my previous posts is one the real treasures of San Diego. And one of my all time favorite places within the Zoo is the Panda Den.

Long before I ever considered moving to San Diego I had collected Panda Bears. One of my friends while living in Palm Beach was a very talented artist whose real forte was painting animals and he painted for me my first Panda Bear with such beautiful like likeness.

Yesterday at the San Diego Zoo, they celebrated the Birthdays of two of San Diego 's stars, Zhen Zhen and Su Lin. Zhen turned one year old and Su Lin , turned 3 on Saturday. These two are two of four Pandas at San Diego Zoo. With only 1600 in the wild and 12 in the United States, having four of them here in San Diego to watch and love is an experience only a few in America can share.

It was reported that nearly everyone coming to Zoo yesterday were making a beeline to the Panda exhibit to see the Birthday kids. Bai Yun , the mother of the Birthday kids was a bit unhappy that each of them were given iced over Birthday cakes of apples and yams and decided she wanted her share. The little Zhen Zhen a year old now is not to be completely weaned form her mom till she is 18 months old. She climbed on top of her icy cake and slide off over and over in to the dirt and her mom seemed to take great delight buy helping here along by swatting at her. Probably because she hadn't washed her hands and feet and was playing in the dirt. You know how mothers can be. But Zhen Zhen was not to be deterred and I think happily she got what she was trying to get at.

Here is a video and regretfully it only shows Bai Yun eating bamboo but there are other videos available of the little kid pandas ( taken by others ) so at least you will get to see them. Because there is so little nutrition in the bamboo shoots, Pandas have to eat continuously. When not sleeping, they are usually eating. Enjoy!

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate

Disclaimer: The information contained in any post written by William Johnson is deemed reliable but is not gauranteeed and the opinions expressed in these are writings are my own. I disclaim any liability for any damages or loses direct or indirect that may result from use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this blog or for the accuraacy of comments or opnions expressed by others. You are advised not to rely on any information contained herein without your own verification of the information.

What's That Magical Something Around Seasoned Bloggers?

2008-08-03T10:42:26Z

Whether you are new to blogging or at whatever level you have arrived to, have you noticed that seasoned bloggers have a certain magical something that surrounds their posts and even them as individuals. It also might show up in the comments that they may leave for others.

So what is that certain something that one blogger has and that another may not have ( as yet). Is it their unique way they have of expressing something that reels you in. The constant way they capture your attention and the almost certain recognition by others.

I am sure you have encountered if you have been around ActiveRain more than a few days. There is something. Is it their personality , the articles they write? Yes ,but there is still something else.

A little experiment for you, The next time you read something that gets your attention, try to figure out what is it that makes you want to be there and read that post. Is it the surprise that individual sets up with the title ,is it the content that you identify with? Can you read things that may differ with your opinion and still hold your own perspective? When you comment ,can you easily share that? Is it their knowledge of the subject that attracts you?

It just might be any or all of those things but maybe there is still yet another way to define it. What is it, then? Is it the high number of subscribers or their ranking in the network they are in? Are they more of an authority on the subjects they write about or is there still something you can't quite put your finger on but that you are confident it exits?

Be assured, over time as you write more and more , you will also develop this uniqueness in your self, a special something that identifies who you are as the blogger you have become. You will also come to know over time, it is your "Voice". It might be the way you express your thoughts or your knowledge or even the way you may lead people on to read you. It could even be that you have a consistent humor or sensitivity found throughout your writing.

It is your writing voice that is manifested in what you write, your characteristics as a writer begin to show and there begins to be a sort of consistency in your writing of the way you think as an individual. It is then that you realize that you too have a writing 'Voice'. When you have established your 'Voice' it is then that you really begin to develop a following by others that consistently read you. They may be enlightened, inspired or entertained but the important part is that you now have a their following. Be proud of it and be true to it.

Your writing Voice is you own unique 'magical something' that brings you to your natural place in the blogging world. Enjoy it, you have have earned it.

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Courtesy of William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO author of The Real Estate Text Book and The Voice of San Diego Real Estate