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

San Diego Real Estate - Big Bay Boom July 4th Celebration

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:19:09 -0500

San Diego Real Estate - Big Bay Boom July 4^th Celebration

San Diegoans stare in awe at the night sky of the amazing specular pyrotechnics on display tonight throughout 16 areas of San Diego. And yes, yours truly will be at one of them, hopefully to get some new outstanding pictures for next years post.

The Big Bay Boom as it is called on the Bay in Downtown San Diego has a budget of over $100,000 and is best seen from Seaport Village. One of the best ways to get is there is park at one of the satellite trolley stations near downtown and take the trolley. You can avoid much of the traffic associated with this annual event and simply walk from the trolley station to Seaport Village.

Some of the other great locations around the county include, La Jolla, Ocean Beach, SeaWorld, Camp Pendleton, Poway, Mira Mesa, El Cajon, Coronado. Not to worry that you will miss something, these shows are all coordinated with two production companies, Fireworks America and Pyro Spectaculars and though some of the shows may be a little smaller, the varieties of fireworks and the displays will be extraordinary no matter which one of the shows you attend are more convenient.

Though most of the fireworks come from China, San Diegoans will see some of the more expensive and high end selections from Spain ,Portugal and Italy. These are not to be missed. Happy July 4^th Everyone and Be Safe as we celebrate our Nation's Birthday.

San Diego California Real Estate- Update on HVCC crisis affecting San Diego Homeowners

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:02:20 -0500

San Diego California Real Estate- Update on HVCC crisis affecting San Diego Homeowners

In my recent post discussing some of the difficult problems with the HVCC rules implemented in May 2009, I received this bulletin forwarded from a local mortgage broker here in San Diego. In involves a new bill before the House of Representatives to suspend for 18 months the new HVCC guidelines that affecting the quality of appraisals here in San Diego and across the nation. Here is the bulletin I received last night.

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NAMB APPLAUDS BILL TO SUSPEND HVCC
IN NEWS - RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE
BY JOHN CLAPP ON TUESDAY 30 JUNE 2009

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) may be suspended for 18 months, if one recently introduced piece of legislation has the legs to move through Congress. H.R.3044, introduced by Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., on June 25 and co-sponsored by Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., looks to impose a year-and-a-half moratorium on the heavily debated appraisal code.

Last week, National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun suggested that “faulty valuations” slowed home sales transactions in May - the month the HVCC became effective.

H.R.3044 has found the support of at least one trade group, the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB). The organization’s president, Marc Savitt, released a statement urging Congress to swiftly pass the bill.

“In the period of time since its implementation, the HVCC has increased costs to consumers and decreased the quality of appraisals, and has provided a level of uncertainty in an ailing housing market,” Savitt said in the statement. “Tens of thousands of consumers have already been robbed of their opportunity to enjoy historically low rates by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s rule.”

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Here is the a link to the article I wrote here in ActiveRain discussing how these changes are affecting many appraisals affecting the sale of real estate. My post was titled " The Unintended Consequences of Change".

San Diego California Home Owners - Energy Saving Tips for A San Diego Summer.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:42:55 -0500

San Diego California Home Owners - Energy Saving Tips For A San Diego Summer

San Diego has been enjoying moderately cool temperatures of late but heat will be returning soon and here are some ways to conserve energy that can be implemented now and help you remain comfortable as the heat begins to rise. While the San Diego climate is moderate year around, in the summer, our temperatures can very warm especially inland and away from the coast.

Living in San Diego, we need fans to circulate the wonderful breezes we are get living near the ocean. But if your windows are closed up and if you have no fans, you are missing one of the best features of living here in San Diego. Ceiling fans today are a very affordable alternative to air conditioning and reasonably easy to install.

So for starters lets turn off the air conditioning on those days when the temperature starts rising into the high 70’s and 80’s. Open up the windows and turn on the fans. Costco sells these portable misters and a quick shot on the face or neck and you will be cooled right down. The Misting Mates are made for outside, but if you don’t tell, I won’t. And don’t fear getting wet, just take a quick spray and with the air being circulated through your home you will feel very comfortable.

I would recommend that you invest in a programmable Thermostat. These can be purchased in the range of $30. You will save an energy costs the first year, as much as several hundred dollars. In a few years, we’re talking real money.

The cost of a new energy wise air-conditioning system on average runs in the range of about $2500-$3000. It will only take a few years to earn all that savings back and there may also be some local and state tax incentives for upgrading. Making a phone call to your power company and following that up with a couple calls to the leading HVAC suppliers should give you all the information and related contact information you need.

Installing a whole house fan will also dramatically help lift up and out, a lot of warm air trapped near your ceilings or in your upstairs level. You will notice the change rather immediately once this is installed.

In the hottest summer months, lower the temperature on your water heater. The recommended temperature should be somewhere between 110 and 115°. Taking cooler showers will also make you feel cooler and save a lot of energy.

Consider doing most of your cooking outside on the grill. It keeps the house a lot cooler and saves boatloads of energy. Besides that clean up is a lot easier and you save using so much hot water in cutting the cooking grease that most of which burns off. I won't get into the potential of the increased carbon footprint at our homes because of the additional smoke we create when cooking outside but I do think this is a real energy saver. It's not like the smoke billowing from an energy plant.

Wash clothes in cold water. Even the dirtiest whites will come clean with the warm setting. Be sure to also reduce the amount of detergent. Less is more in most cases.

The summer months provide so many wonderful activities for outside. Turn off the TV or at least try watching it less. This may be too much of an editorial but I think we could all use a break from our TV's and computers alike. Turn em off and enjoy the fresh air, family and friends.

Overhead recessed lighting also generates a lot of heat and using these lights less will cut down on your energy bills. There is one way however that is proven to be very cost-effective. Change out all those incandescent bulbs to the new low-energy fluorescent. These bulbs may be a little more costly up front, but they last longer and they virtually give off no heat. Check with your city power companies. They have periodically set up free exchanges and that makes these new bulbs virtually free.

There are some other more permanent and longer range ways of economizing on energy. These would include having your home well insulated and it saves a ton of money on energy costs year around. Good insulation could cut your energy costs as much as 30% a year there is a website, simply go to insulate.com that would help you get even more ideas.

A good landscaping plan of planting leafy trees on the southwest side of the house will help the extreme heat from overheating the house. In the winter months after all the leaves have fallen, the trees allow the sun to keep the house warm. It’s also wise to avoid excessive use of rock, concrete and especially asphalt, particularly on the west and south side of the house. This heats up with the sun and radiates heat to the house making it even more difficult to cool.

The south and west sides of your home as I mentioned gets the most sun and the heat can be reduced significantly by installing white blinds on the windows. The sun and heat are reflected back off of the windows and helps to keep the house a few degrees cooler as well. I have two curved windows that have no covering in the dining room. I located an opaque film at Home Depot and it looks handsome and does a great job in preventing the late day intense sun from damaging the fabrics. It also feels cooler with the direct heat of the late day sun. In the winter months, I simply remove it. In the Spring it goes up again.

There are many other heat cutting and energy savings ideas. If you know some, send me a comment and I can add them here. Thanks for sharing.

Editorial NOTE: A top real estate professional gave me a great suggestion to stay cooler in the summer months and also save energy and I am going to add it here. This is from Renee Burrows in Las Vegas.

GO TO THE BEACH

Speechless Sunday-Italian Design Water Feature at Longwood Gardens

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:50:42 -0500

The Story behind these gardens. Pierre Dupont came to this country from France in the early 1800's. He founded the Dupont Chemical factory and created even more wealth. When this property was for sale , he acquired it because it represented one of the largest tree collections to be found in the US. That is just the beginning of the amazing story behind what is seen today as one of the largest Gardens in the world with over 1000 acres of tress, shrubs and flowers. And that doesn't even begin to describe the water features and one of the worlds largest flower and plant Conservatorys. It defies words to describe.

San Diego California Real Estate-How Often Do You Check Your E-mail

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:39:49 -0500

San Diego Real Estate - How Often Do You Check Your E-Mail

I find it fascinating and a more than bit irritating trying to reach agents with offers or inquiries to even be able to write them. They don’t seem to return phone calls nor do they respond to even having received offers.

There are a few agents that seem to be able to get away with Bankers hours. Nor do they work weekends. It doesn’t take that long to return a phone or even answer an e-mail. But not to even acknowledge the contact, drives me up a wall. For you visual types, that ain't purrrdy.

I have noticed in our ActiveRain network, that people are engaged at all hours. Why should it is earlier for me to reach an agent in Hawaii than it is here in own home town of San Diego?

I must be becoming impatient or something and the real stress for me in this industry is not being able to reach my colleagues. If a client wants me to write an offer and I have it is ready by 7PM in the evening, I find it a bit disconcerting that when I call and identify why I am calling, I may not hear back untill late the next day or even later. I understand people have a life and mine happens to be real estate but they don’t seem to even check their e-mail.

I think this is a question that a Seller should ask when listing their property. When are you available? When do you return calls to us and others that are making inquiries on my property. How often do you check your e-mail and do you respond when you do check it?

I don’t know about you but 5:30PM is not after hours for me and I resent it when the agent says they don’t return calls till between 11:00 and noon and between 4:00 and 5:00 each day. And they don’t return calls or e-mails on weekends at all. If they don’t want to be bothered, they need to hire someone to do that for them. In my view, this is just plain arrogance. In my estimation they are not fit to even be in business much less an industry that requires a certain level of responsiveness.

And when we do reach them, we have to be so damn polite about it, lest we damage our potential relationship during the transaction. Pardon my rant, I know here in the Rain, I am preaching to the Choir.

Foto Friday-Amazing Water Falls

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:35:29 -0500

While visiting back East for the past 10 days, I took in some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. This water fall at the Bushkill Falls high up in the Pocono Mountains in PA required quite a steep hike down winding trails but as you see well worth the adventure. The color of the water here is that of root beer and it gets its color from the tanic acid in the soil from the abundance of Hemlock trees. These Main falls are often referred to as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania. This is the larger of a total of 8 falls to be discovered in this extraordinary scenic mountain retreat.

Water Bill Foreclosures ?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:45:43 -0500

In San Diego, we have become quite accustomed to Bank Foreclosures throughout the area. And as things begin to ease a little in the housing markets, the residents of San Diego have a new little monster to stare down and deal with, rising water bills with mandatory curtailment of water use.

Barring a month of steady daily rain, San Diego homeowners are entering an era in which water usage is going to become an issue as significant as what we have been facing in the current mortgage and housing crisis.

While we are seeing the mortgage and housing crisis beginning to ease a bit in the San Diego real estate markets, it is almost beyond comprehension for it to be replaced by an epidemic of water bill foreclosures.

Now that we have our mandatory water conservation and water use curtailment under way, looming large on the horizon is the prospect of water rationing. And for those that have plants that survive the current water cut backs, it is very possible they will start to scream, " Save Me", "No, Save Me, My blooms are bigger", "But I am drought tolerant", "Don't believe him, he is tapping into the water main".

What's our choice to become? Choosing between a desert landscape of sand and cactus or plastic grass?

If that isn't isn't bad enough, we may soon be forced to take family showers in the next stage of cutbacks and it doesn't end there. It might get so bad that in order to have water to wash dishes, bathroom habits will necessarily have to change ( an unthinkable solution whose time may be coming soon). Low flow flushing may have to once again be redefined. This time with no rebates.

In the latter stage of mandatory cutbacks we may ultimately need to implement water use multitasking. While the sprinklers water what little living grass we have left, it may become necessary to fit in our daily showers using an organic fertilizer based body wash and shampoo combination. Additionally, washing dishes in the water sprinklers also with an organic fertilizer dish soap, brushing out teeth and filling the coffee pot, all on our allocated 10 minutes per station, 3 times per week lawn watering.

And failing to implement anything less than this new creative conservation of water multi taking effort , could result in fines that may exceed the typical mortgage. And if the water bills keep getting bigger and they surely will, we could also start to see Real Estate For Sale signs in our neighborhoods that read " Water Bill Foreclosure". Don't laugh, it could happen!

I am learning how to take pictures - who'd a thunk it?

Sat, 30 May 2009 01:17:19 -0500

Well, Yes, I have been talking pictures since my Brownie camera lots of years ago. There is something about kids taking pictures and seeing them after they are developed that sort of addicts us to wanting to take pictures of just about anything and everthing.

Through the years I have had many excellent cameras but this time, I wanted something special. I have seen here in the Rain such amazing photos and being a visual type of person I wanted to be able to do them as well. And I was tired of cracking my elbows on door frames trying to get pictures of bathroom on my listings. They are important and my camera ( a Casio S600 Excilim) just won't take those kinds of pictures that are useful in tight situations.

Since I recently got a new camera, an SLR Digital Pentax with Telephoto and Wide Angles lenses, along with the camera I am taking courses on how to take pictures, learning all the settings and some of the things that are possible with a digital SLR camera.

Here is one of my first efforts below. Over time , I expect that I will get a great deal more proficient and it will be fun to do posts of amazing pictures like ActiveRain members Susie Blackmon , CJ Johnson and so many other talents here in the Rain. If this Bee would have been still for a second, I'd a had him but he tried to sting me on the only thing he could see, my nose. But I was too quick. Next time I might take a picture of something that doesn't want to bite me, LOL. But he sure had a cute proboscus. I guess I was too focused on tailend where is stinger is to get a better focus.

The Unintended Consequenses of Change

Fri, 29 May 2009 18:59:09 -0500

For years now we have heard all about the changes in our real estate industry from Lending issues, inspections, forms and disclosures, the marketing of properties, lead generation, you name it it has changed.

In a comment to Lenn Harley, I suggested a new definition of this change. Change is when something happens that you didn’t want to happen but must now adapt to it ( as in, just live with it). Some have wished that we could continue to do business the way we used to do business. The answers that come opposed to that recent way of thinking and doing things are from those that were able to adapt and take advantage of modifying their business and doing it early.

At the time of the sub prime crisis, many were faulted and to head off the possibility that this scenario of runaway home prices could happen again, the entire system of lending basically collapsed and is being refashioned not necessarily by those that would be the mos skilled at it. Along with the lending underwriting changes, another segment of the industry not always thought of as the one segment that actually facilitated the ballooning of property values has also been modified. The appraisal.

Not to leave a single stone unturned, in May of this year, new rules were put in place to make sure that appraisers do not facilitate an inflation of values from getting out of control again. Or so that is the way the changes are being justified.

The appraisers were as a group charged with having been too greatly influenced by lenders to facilitate values to get the deal done. Well not any more. In making the new changes much more onerous than the older much easier to understand lending guidelines, appraisers were said to have a “too cozy” of relationships with lenders and that must now be prevented. The appraisal was always by definition to be an arms length estimation of value, and the arms length part seemed not to be long enough. My image immediately went to those shorter furry animals that often walk with their hands. They have long arms.

Just how that is too happen was the subject recently of Real Estate columnist Kenneth Harney’s article on what the new appraisal rules mean to the industry and the consumer. What are the expected and unintended consequences of these changes?

In as much as the appraisers had that “too cozy” relationship, it was decided that lenders must now choose from a pool of appraisers on a rotating basis instead calling on their trusted relationships with known appraisers of the past. In the arbitrary selection process, it is thought that there will no longer be any possibility of strong arming by the lender to have the appraisal “ came in”, a term that implied that the value the Buyer agreed pay would be the value that the appraiser would also see minimally as the estimate of value.

Kenneth points out several of the unintended consequences of these new appraisal guidelines as released by Fannie Mae. Since lenders are no longer directly involved with the appraisal process, the fees now have to be charged up front and can no longer be just a part of the loan costs at settlement. That now takes the form of the Buyer having to supply a credit card payment up front. The appraisal fee that used to cost $325 now goes for in the range of $450. That adds up to a 20 to 30% increase in costs for the consumer to pay for the same service that might not be performed as well.
Kenneth further noted that we should not assume however that this increase in fees paid actually benefit the appraiser, it often goes to new appraisal management companies that facilitate the processing of the appraisal assignment and management including the processing costs.

If this sounds like we added another new layer in the real estate transaction, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, not much use in thinking of the possible exceptions like its a goose with a bad cold. Since these management companies decide what the fee will be and job out the actual appraisal and they handle the management and requirements of the who, what, and when, you can expect that their costs will over time escalate and be justified that their costs are higher and the appraisal cost will go up as demand goes up, just like other services. Whoever thought all this up is definitely overpaid.

As independent contractors and to protect the profitability of the new management companies, there is also the likelihood that new appraisers who might work for less will push the more seasoned and experienced appraisers out of the business.

The real unintended consequence of these type of changes is a greater likelihood that appraisers will not be familiar with the uniqueness of the local areas and will not be as capable of making the correct adjustments. Appraisers that typically worked certain areas and were expert in valuations may be a thing of the past. And that happened over night. Talk about unintended consequences.

So lets recap this. In the past, local real estate professionals knew better than most anyone what the value of property was in the neighborhoods they specialized in. Not anymore if the stories coming in are correct. We based our estimate of value with our Seller's it on comparable sales with adjustments for particular characteristics or even unique area characteristics and our opinions of value had most often been validated by knowledgeable appraisers. Those days, may also be over. Now, we must relearn what the respective value is from persons that may never have even been in any particular area before. And don’t go taking it out on the appraisers, they most likely had very little influence in these changes.

Oh and as for those thinking that you can share ( influence) with the appraiser what you think they don’t know, better think twice before doing that. I am sure you don't need to ask why. Ahh, the unintended consequences of change.

10,000 Comments Milestone Reached

Fri, 29 May 2009 03:48:21 -0500

10,000 Comments Made

This isn't about points or position. I made a goal to make 10,000 comments here in the rain and do so prior to June 1,2009. I am delighted that last evening, I posted that the 10,000th comment.

Of those ten thousand comments, one comment was over 1000 words. Literally over a page and a half in length. Of the ten thousand comments, well over two hundred would have qualified better as posts instead of comments. I guess I can get a little wordy now and then.

Of my readers and those I read on a regular basis, I think this was a goal that was more testament to the kinds of content we have here in the Rain. From the great tutorials, , literally classes on Short Sales and Reo's , Photography tips and guides, lots written about SEO, Ethics, Video, and more resources than most any of us could ever find on our own. Testimonials about the services , like Market Leader, Localism guides, you name it we have it. And that doesn't even begin to define the great listings, Local market reports, local things to do, events, and especially now " all about Social networking" on Twitter and Facebook.

With so much to read and learn from and so much to write about, the comments are there to add viewpoints, shared experiences, adding more insight and most of all to support my many friends and colleagues here in the Rain.

So I am very pleased that I made it this far and I am about to set new goals and will share them as well. I actually had people mentioning this to me the last few days helping to keep me on track. Here on ActiveRain, one never has to ask " What are friends for". I am here to be your friend and welcome your reciprocal friendship. Thank you all for bringing such great writings to the Rain and sharing them for all the rest of us to read and learn from. This blogging and commenting is an amazing life experience and I am so glad I am not missing it.

Invited Lunch Guest at World Famous SPA.

Wed, 27 May 2009 22:50:54 -0500

This past week provided me a very special and rare experience of being an invited lunch guest by a patron of the Golden Door, The World famous Health Spa. From the moment the front gate opened, you feel the exclusive nature of this amazing luxury spa. Set on over several hundreds acres of the most magnificent grounds, one is easily taken in by its sheer beauty and tranquility.

A family friend who frequents the spa with annual regularity, invited me to join her and her two daughters for a specially prepared lunch at the koi pond. The stylings at this spa opened since 1958 are of the Japanese Honjin Inns famous in Japan. And as far as I could tell, from style of the architecture to the sheer beauty of the surroundings, that I just as well could have been in Japan.

Tucked away in an area north of Escondido, the location of this exclusive spa would be missed unless you knew exactly how to get to to it. There are no signs and if you have to ask, you probably wouldn't be on the list for visiting.

I brought my camera to take some pictures but as you see there are no pictures here. Out of my respect for it’s exclusive nature, nothing I could take pictures of could even come close to capturing what I was taking in using all of my senses. Pictures even with my written description could never do justice to what I was experiencing. The Golden Door has a web site and they even have a picture gallery but I can tell you from my own eyes, the pictures they include don’t even come close to the splendor and tranquility of the magnificent surroundings. The entire experience can not be expressed in pictures anyway. The total of all your senses would be needed to fully appreciate.

The luncheon was served by the coy pond in a setting that was almost hypnotic in its calming beauty. The attention to details as well as the lunch itself was unlike anything I have experienced. I was gifted the while there the Golden Door Cookbook signed by the world famous executive chef, Michael Stroot. It contains over 200 recipes of what the patrons of the this most exclusive spa experience 3 times a day while there are a guest.

My impressions of this most tranquil spa was that of a trespasser, wondering if my mind would make any disturbing noise as took it all in through my senses. A magnificent place and I hope I am invited again and again as my family friend makes her annual pilgrimage for a week of de-stressing and pampering at this most celebrated spa.

Largest Desalination in the Western Hemisphere .... A Go!

Sat, 16 May 2009 22:29:17 -0500

The largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere is finally a go! That is if there are no more delays. I have written several posts about the Poseidon Resources proposal and the approval plan to build the largest desalination plant in western hemisphere in Carlsbad, California.

It has been an uphill battle for Poseidon Resources to gets it Desalination built having gone through an enormous approval process with the Coastal commission and state and regional water boards. And with intermittent lawsuits by environmental groups who are opposed it its construction and operation plans. ( 2 lawsuits still pending decision at this time) after years of prevailing against these lawsuits, it seemed that the final hurdle has been cleared.

With a final approval of a compromise deal to provide 55.4 acres of wetlands to be used as a marine nursery to replace marine life that would be killed off by the desalination process, Poseidon expects to finally begin construction of the new plant by the end of this year.

The plant will turn 50 million gallons a day of ocean water into drinking water and with San Diego currently facing a severe water supply shortage, this new plant will be a welcome addition to offset some of the dwindling supply.

It is hoped that this plant will become the new model of what needs to be provided state wide along the coastal cities to provide a self generated supply of usable water needed to offset the drought that has left California "High and Dry" for years on end. With the further curtailment of imported water for the Sacramento River Delta and other suppliers, California needs to do what it can to offset the now lacking supply.

With this desalination concept having taken so much effort in getting through the bureaucratic and judicial quagmire , not to mention how much in financial resources have been expended to even get to this point, it is little wonder that a state that has lead the way in so many other arenas, especially research and development in technology and medicine, is now falling far behind in answering the call of its citizens for even one of life's basics, water.

Here are couple other articles for reference :

The Poseidon Desalination Plant For Carlsbad Still Awaiting More Approval

Poseidon - Is Desalination in the Cards for San Diego?

Serious Water Issues Lie Ahead in San Diego and Will Affect Home Values !

Update May 18th, 2009: I am 81 comments away from Goal of 10,000 comments made by June 1st

A San Diego Dream Home Everyone Can Afford But Will They?

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:55:42 -0500

There is a A Dream Home in San Diego Everyone Can Afford. I ran across this little property over the weekend and I asked the builder/designer how the homes were selling. She said things had been pretty slow but that sales were definitely picking up. And she was prepared to make a real deal on the little beauty.

I did some quick calculations of what the incentives were with the 15% allowance and this charmer seemed to pencil out. But then I heard about the bad news in the newspaper of the free fall of prices , the new higher proposed taxes and thought I should think about it a while and I did keep thinking about it the whole day. So I went back for another look at the end of the day just hoping the perfect little place would still be there and that the seller might come down even more. When I returned there was a qualified Buyer making the deal and I lost out.

I wonder how many other would be Buyers are making the same evaluation to rethink their decision based on news stories and when they come back, the deal is gone? This house should have come with a caveat that while many can afford to take advantage of these great buying opportunities out there too many are hesitating and they need to know that if they wait too long, the opportunity will just simply pass them by.

This mostly true tale was brought to you by The Voice of San Diego Real Estate.

San Diego Treasure, The Rancho Bernardo Winery

Mon, 11 May 2009 19:01:01 -0500

A San Diego Treasure, The Rancho Bernardo Winery. This past weekend I had the good fortune of attending the Bi-Annual Rancho Bernardo Winery Arts and Crafts Fair.

For those of you who live in San Diego that don’t know of this place, it is one of the oldest continually operating wineries in southern California. And for those who don’t live here, this needs to be on your itinerary the next time you visit.

The Rancho Bernardo Winery was founded back in 1889 on what was a Spanish Land Grant, the winery was opened and operated until Prohibition. The winery is located in a valley that used to be covered with vineyards and with the advent of Prohibition, the winery went up for sale. When it was purchased in 1927 by Vincent Rizzo, the harvest was then used to produce grape juice and sacramental wine. After Prohibition ended, the winery became a major wine producing company along with it’s famed Cold Pressed Virgin Olive oil made from the many olive trees that were found on the property.

As the valley began to grow and the land was purchased for residential development, the vineyards disappeared and today, the Rancho Bernardo Winery imports most of its wine making grapes from around the county and state. In 1962 when Ross Rizzo, the son of the founder took over the winery, he turned it into what it is today, a destination.

When you visit the Rancho Bernardo Winery, you will be overtaken with the vast amount of antiquities found everywhere on the property, even to include a museum. There are over a dozen village shops, a wine tasting room, a coffee shop, an award winning cafe and more charm than you can fit into an afternoon.

The Arts and Crafts Fair was filled to capacity with local artists showing their creations. I was taken with several of them for their unique design qualities as well as with the artist themselves.

Two artists that create these sculptures from gourds really caught my eye.

Ruth Phillips and Vickie Echols proudly display their creations. Each artist creates their unique pieces using the gourd as inspiration and from there, their artistry takes over and you can see here for yourself, each one is its own little unique masterpiece.

Ms. Vickie Echols (on the left) creates beautiful object d'arts using gourds as the core of the piece then enhanced with a woven reed type material. Many of her pieces have a distinct Southwestern influence. Each one is totally unique and a real stand out in design and character.

Ruth Phillips also uses gourds in her designs ( one of my favorites that first got my attention is the purple gourd pictured here) some of which also have the look of metal sculptures like her bird collection. Ruth's Bird designs are made completely from gourds or cuttings from gourds finished in metallic finishes that would simulate aged and weathered bronze. These pieces are truly stunning!

Another artist, Susan Smith, who I had the pleasure of visiting with is a world traveler and has her art studio in Spanish Village in Balboa Park. Susan uses computer software to create her work by enhancing her photography creating the affects of oil, acyclic and water colors. One of my favorite pieces that Susan has done is shown below titled "Vernazza II" ~ Cinque Terre. A true Artist and a lovely person to boot.

Throughout the entire Arts and Crafts Fair, there are so many wonderful items reflecting some of the outstanding talent to be found here in San Diego. I was taken with a very novel idea of unique garden art as presented by "Creative Garden Art".

The artist uses old chairs, furniture, antique objects from decades past and creates some of most unusual garden planters you will ever see.

Planting chair seats might never have occurred to you but when you see them, it is little wonder why everyone wants one.

One of the biggest and permanent contributors of art at the Winery is the Stone and Glassworks Studio located near the entry gates of Winery.

Since the glass blowing and artistry takes place right there on the site, wandering in to their display will delight the senses. Some of the more creative and beautiful glass works I have ever seen can be found here. James Stone is the Master Glass Artist and using the word "master" would be no stretch at all. To see the magic he creates is something you will likely never forget. Take a look at one of his most recent glass wall sculptures and be dazzled with a love seat in glass.

With so many wonderful art and crafts, this show is such a wonderful representation of the many Arts and Crafts artists we have here in San Diego.

This show will be repeated this October and I would recommend strongly that if you have never been here, that you should make this a priority. And it will be perfect timing for the Christmas Holidays.

There is plenty of parking nearby and come early and plan to stay for lunch and enjoy the wonderful settings, antiquities, the art and crafts, the food and don't forget to visit one of the most fabulous bakeries in all of San Diego.

The Bon Bon Bakery and Chocolates. Their offerings are so outstanding and beautiful they rightfully belong in the art show itself. Here is just a little sample to tempt you. The genius behind these amazing delights is Joanne Hansen.

No photograph could ever do justice to these colorful chocolates, exquisitely hand decorated. The cakes and pastries are nothing short of amazing and the collection of chocolates will certainly whet your sweet tooth.

From the time you walk through the gates at the Rancho Bernado Winery, you will be awe struck with its lush vineyards and the mediterannean influence of the gardens in this exquisite setting.

The antiquities are found over the entire poperty and you will see things that you have likely never seen before. Please plan to do a wine tasting and visit the museum. In short, plan to make a day of it and you will walk away having experienced one of "San Diego's Best Kept Secrets".

A Sense of Disappointment and Saddness on This Mother's Day.

Sun, 10 May 2009 14:28:12 -0500

I wrote a post that I was personally excited to offer my readers. It was titled My Real Estate Has Gone To The Birds And They Are Loving It!

It was all about a couple of Morning Doves that decided to bring there family into the world here at my home in a specially prepared nest that I provided for them. I have been keeping my eye out on them as the mother has been sitting on her two eggs for several days in anticipation of the little ones she would rear until they were ready to go out on their own.

I heard out there this morning huge screech and I opened the door to see a large black crow had attached the mother and robbed her nest of one her eggs.

The mother of course flew off and I feared she she might not return. She has returned to nest to find that one of her eggs is gone and she has literally torn the nest almost completely apart in trying to find the missing egg.

I have never seen a Dove in such a distressful frenzy as she has learned the fate of her missing unhatched egg. Both she and the father have returned and each time ignoring the one egg that remains, as they in distressful actions and sounds are still looking for the missing one.

While I understand the laws of nature, one can not but help to feel the anxiety of these would be parents in understanding they have lost one of their own. I also feel her sadness. I can only hope the future Mother will accept the current situation and come back to rear the one egg that remains. As I am writing this, I just looked out at the nest and she has returned and is sitting the one egg that remains. But the Crows are flying near by and I fear they know there is one egg left and will return to take it.

I have hit a couple of close by Crows with the water hose to chase them off. I hope this works for the longer period while the mother and I try to protect the one that is left.

The History of Mothers Day

Sun, 10 May 2009 13:39:45 -0500

Though Mother's Day today is one of America's most successful commercial holidays of the year, it's origin and how it became significant across America has a long history. Many women have done and contributed much to the history of America. Some would argue that the observance of honoring mothers had its origin as far back as the Egyptians, but many historians credit a social activist by the name of Julia Ward Howe and a school teacher by the name of Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis for our modern-day holiday.

It was Julia that first used the words "Mother's Day" in her "Mother's Day for Peace" movement back in 1872. If Julia were alive today, she might be categorized as a modern day peace activist in that she promoted peace after having observed the carnage about the Civil War and Franco-Prussian war. Her campaign was to inspire women the world over to rise up against war.

Her "Mother's Day for Peace" was first observed in London at the International Women's Peace Congress in 1872. All the while, a second woman Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis in her efforts to heal the nation after the Civil War attempted to improve sanitation and child care that she learned from her brother who was a doctor, for what she called the Mother's Friendship Day.

Ann Reeves Jarvis a school teacher from Philadelphia is given credit for saving thousands of American lives in America after the Civil War through her teaching women in her Mother's Friendship Clubs, the basics of nursing, child care and sanitation. Ann's daughter, Anna Jarvis though is the one that succeeded in introducing Mother's Day in the way we celebrate today.

Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother after her mother's death in 1905 and decided that all mothers should be honored with a special day designated as Mothers Day. She stated that effort with a letter writing campaign, urging businesses and congress to declare a national day of honor for Mothers. Her efforts she hoped would increase respect for parents and strenghten family bonds.

In 1908 in Grafton, West VA, a church service would honor Anna's mother and that church would ultimately became known as the International Mother's Day Shrine. Anna's efforts would continue and in 1912, the Mother's Day International Association came into being.

Anna continued to lobby the US Congress and convinced them of the need to honor all mothers which lead to a Congressional Resolution honoring mothers in 1913.

In 1914 on May 8th, by presidential proclamation, Woodrow Wilson officially set aside a national day, the second Sunday in May for the observation of Mother's Day to honor all mothers. As Mother's Day became very popular commercially, Anna became infuriated that the real sentiment of the day was being sacrificed by greed and profit. She even did a door to door campaign as well as a letter writing campaign to have the holiday, Mother's Day rescinded, feeling that it was not being observed the way she had intended. But despite her efforts that Mother's Day should not be about gifts and flowers but genuinely expressed appreciation of motherhood in writingby ones children, Mother's Day remains commercially profitable today in America and has spread throughout the world.

In the true sentiment of what this day means, let us each in our own way express to our Moms how much they mean to us and our appreciation of their sacrifices they made to rear us, protect us and love us. Let us then set aside this day in reverence of our appreciation to them.

Happy Mothers Day!

City of San Diego Now At Level 2 Water Emergency

Wed, 06 May 2009 20:15:01 -0500

The city of San Diego is now at Level 2 Water Emergency.

San Diego City Council yesterday voted eight to zero to impose mandatory outdoor water usage restrictions throughout the city of San Diego, effective June 1, 2009.

The newly enacted measures call for the following:

Watering of lawns and landscapes throughout the city and its jurisdictions can only be done from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Outside watering ( applicable to residential and commercial properties) can only be done three days per week and each property owner must follow the assigned days of week according to the property address.

Homeowners and Commercial properties are assigned the following watering days:

Odd number addresses will be assigned Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday only.
Even numbered addresses will be assigned Monday, Wednesday and Saturday only.

Apartment Buildings, Condominiums and Commercial properties are assigned Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.

The watering time limit on all property both residential and commercial is 10 minutes.

There is a further restriction for car washing at residences can only be done between the hours of 6PM and 10AM.

This proposal and enactment yesterday by unanimous city council vote supersedes the previous and more onerous proposal that would have capped each water customer to a specific overall amount of water usage and then charged that customer extra if they exceeded the capped amount.

For more information about this new measure that is effective June 1st, 2009 and the consequences for not abiding by it can be found at http://uniontrib.com/more/conserve

My Real Estate Has Gone To The Birds And They Are Loving It!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:38:06 -0500

Literally! Yesterday, A new young couple of Morning doves were testing out several of my planters for their new nest. I have experienced this before and this time I was ready. I would rather not have them moving in on my Fuscias (because they require lots of watering) so I had prepared an unused planter with nesting materials and removed the Fuscia plant they had decided would be their nest to bring their little ones into the world.

In its place I hung the newly prepared planter to see if they would be happy with the new nesting area I had prepared for them. When I got up very early this morning both parents were comfortable in the new hanging planter so I know I got an "A+" for effort on the Nesting Prep Dept.

Because I know they like things a certain way, I was careful to prepare the nest properly that would ensure safety and comfort for the new family.

To prepare the nest I used small twigs, small pieces of driend Palm fronds and I recalled having some Spanish Moss from a plant basket I received at Christmas. I think they are liking it. Living on a golf course with lots of trees and shrubs around, finding the materials for nesting was not difficult. I know that it is also important to be sure that during this time when the new couple will lay their eggs that I will make provisions for additional food and water to be nearby. Does anyone know what you feed you Doves? I can get birdseed if that is appropriate.

Because the basket is hanging under an open lattice-work patio cover, I will also be securing the area above this new family to protect them from inclement weather. We don't get a lot of rain here in Southern California but invariably it will rain and once the little ones are hatched, it is important to make sure that there is proper cover to keep them dry and out of any bad weather.

With the world in a dither of late with all the unsettling economic news, it is comforting to know that I was blessed with the good fortune to be able to share my home with this young couple ( Morning Doves)who are starting a new family. I have read about them in my internet searches and also discovered that once this species choose their partner, it is for life.

I may do a couple more posts to share with you the wonderful occasion of the mother laying her eggs and when they hatch there will be opportunities to show them as they begin to grow. I don't want to disturb them by taking lots of photos but I seem to have won over their confidence that I will help keep them safe and not disturb them.

What a rush it is to be able to play a small part in this little miracle of life.

So, You Want to Write A Book

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:48:22 -0500

Ever want to write a book?

I suppose most of us that have been in real estate over a decade have thought of it. While it might be easy to actually write one, there are a lot of other things to consider.

The first question that comes to my mind is, why do I want to write a book in the first place? The bookshelves are already crowded, so what is going to make my book be sought after and stand out in the crowd. And for as crowded as the book shelves are, you must also know that the majority of books written never even make it to the bookshelves.

For those of you that are serious about writing a book and are determined to accomplish that in your life, perhaps these ideas will be useful and help you get that book from your draft into print.

Unless of course you think you have a bestseller on your hands, consider contacting a self-publishing company and determine the types of costs involved. Here are a couple links to some, there are of course many others that you can contact. Author House, Tate Publishing,and Publish America.

When you determine you have the content altogether and have written at least a draft of your manuscript, it might be a good idea to consult with an editing service to see what it would cost to have it edited for grammatical and typewritten errors and how it is to be formatted.

Then consult with a graphic artist , you will want a cover and perhaps some graphical work inside the book as well as defining the design of chapter headings, etc..

Other considerations, you need to check about if you go the self-publishing route is, how are you going to market this book. Unless you are lucky enough to attract one of the big book publishing, marketing companies like Simon & Schuster, the marketing task of getting your book out to the public that you wrote it for, will likely be a time consuming and daunting task. There are many sites on the internet that are marketing companies as well as co-op groups that are set up to promote the self published books. By and large, you will be the one that needs to get the marketing message and image out there.

Our adventures in real estate can be chronicled in our blogs, and they are already out there published free for us on the Internet. But for a serious book writer, having that bound edition actually being purchased is a dream that can't be quieted by writing a blog.

Margaret Rome -an active and well loved member of ActiveRain recently published her first book ,” Real Estate the Right Rome Way”.

Margaret's insight in the process would be very valuable for anyone still considering writing and publishing their own book and I'm sure she would gladly share her experience and the success she is having with here first effort.

Being a published author is a dream not easily put off by any serious writer with a book in them. The way is not necessarily easy but then Mt Everest is not easy climb either. But the determined still try.

San Diego Celebrates ART WALK

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:40:16 -0500

On a beautiful spring day in downtown San Diego's Little Italy, San Diego came out en masse to celebrate today's of art, entertainment and musical dance, San Diego's style.

The main street of Little Italy, India Street, was blocked off for pedestrian traffic with four intersecting streets, used primarily for the artists display. All local restaurants were serving specialty fares, featuring alfresco dining for the much enjoy people watching.

The artworks, consisted of sculptures, realistic oils and watercolors even to include the brightly colored pop art which is always to look at, though I seriously doubt I would want to own it. There was an enormous amount of photographic art of the local architecture, city scenes, Balboa park and the famous San Diego sunsets out over the ocean.

San Diego has become a mecca for artists from around the world as they seek to tap into the generosity and good case of San Diego Art lovers and collectors.

There were six stage areas, providing some very sophisticated entertainment from Somba dance lessons, contemporary guitar, rock bands and cultural exhibitions.

Our ART Walk ias just one of the many events that take us through the spring, summer and fall months. I'll be bringing you many more of these events as the "San Diego Happenings" throughout the year.

In Celebration of Earth Day Here are a Few New Tips for the Green Homeowners

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:57:15 -0500

If you are not totally green yet, that is OK. Some of these tips are so good, it might change your mind and cause you to pick up the pace in being more green in the way you live. As REALTORS we have the good fortune to get a great monthly REALTOR magazine and the newest issue had an article by Wendy Cole , " 10 ways to make your life greener".

While I can't re-publish her article she did offer links to some sites on the Internet that are very useful and perhaps you will like some of the ideas.

One of the links was to Saazs' One. It is a different type of energy efficient lighting that can last upwards of 20 or more years. No one knows for sure since we will have wait 20 years and see if it is still around. The creators behind this new type of illumination are an example of thinking out of the box when it comes to technology. The new light source design is called Planilium. When I went to their site I can see that while this is new today, I expect we will see be seeing applications of this new "green" type of lighting commercially as well as residentially. We used to think the future is way off in the distance and from what I can tell of this lighting, the future is here right now.

Another of the great links she took me to was the Montauk Sofa Company. Taken from their vision statement "Montauk's goal is to provide the most stylish, comfortable, fashionable sofas with no impact on the environment and to embrace ecologically advanced incentives." Their focus is reduce greenhouse gases and to provide clean biodegradability and closed loop recycling. What that means to us as consumers is that they use materials that are recycled to build their furniture and when you are are done with it, you can send it back and they strip it down and recycle it again. Having been in the design industry before real estate, this is a significant contribution to going more green and this raises our consciousness about it.

Another link Wendy provided was cfpwood.com and it is a company that fabricates Kitchen cabinets with wood and wood products that are free of formaldehyde. The cfp stands for Columbia Forest Products. The significance of formaldehyde in that it is the key compound of the resin used as adhesives in the fabrication of plywoods and wood laminates. The problem here is that in its free state, formaldehyde is a volatile gas and a common volatile organic compound ( VOC) . Formaldehyde has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a "known human carcinogen". Ever been in a new mobile home on a warm day? They often have a strong odor. Little wonder if most of the walls are wood paneling. Now guess what the resin bond used to make that paneling has in it? Formaldehyde when reacted with urea produces a hard thermoset resin commonly used in the adhesives for fabricating hardwood plywood, particle board and medium density fiberboard (MDF.) There are solutions and when we learn about these harmful things that have been in our lives for decades and decades, the best course we can take is to start refusing these harmful substances in our lives. Columbia Forest Products, for instance, uses a soy based resin that is not volatile nor harmful. Again, thinking out of the box which provides safe wood products for in home use.

If you have been watching HGTV and all the home remodeling shows, you have seen the beautiful glass tiles made from recycled glass. It is a really cool technique of grinding up on the glass that comes from empty bottles of all colors into granules and using very high temperatures to fuse the granules into glass tiles. The tile products are really attractive and it represents material that is recycled glass trash.

SmokeFree Self Contained Fireplaces are a big hit is the design world. They may be put in any room of the home or even used outside because they are portable and require no chimney or utility connection ( gas). They are fueled by denatured alcohol which is clean burning and a renewable resource.

So in celebration of Earth Day it is not enough to just know about these things. It is time for each of us to make the commitment to do something to help make the difference. Like I have said in many of my posts on the subject, the changes, big or small all lend to taking care of what we have.

Please understand that to be "Green" doesn't require that you make wholesale changes in your life or the way you live. If we were just less wasteful, more of the resources can remain for more generations to have access to them. If we are just more careful about what we use and how we dispose of it. So, be it fixing a dripping faucet, cutting the waste of excessive water use, adding in some trees and plants to our landscapes to shield the heat away from our homes, changing out a few light bulbs to use less energy and create less heat, using some of the ideas of remodeling with recycled materials, not dumping harmful trash in the land fills, recycling glass, metal, paper and plastic, eliminating or refusing the use of known harmful products anywhere, turning off energy sources when you aren't using them, every little bit we do to help can make a difference. And if we all helped out a little, the difference would be huge.

Happy Earth Day!

Growth Leader Report Since Last Update

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:09:44 -0500

I have plenty of prospects still pretty active but no new leads the past few days with the last lead noted on April 14th but a total of 19 during the first 22 days of April. As we near towards the end of month and I suspect that the advertising budget may be depleted,things have quieted down significantly as far as new leads but there is still good activity for the 80+ active leads getting listing updates.

There are about a half dozen or so that I expect will want to purchase during the next 6 months of the year. The average price profile suggests that there is still a lot of pent up demand for short sale in the more modest areas of San Diego. San Diego real estate in some areas of the San Diego real estate market seem heavily concentrated with REO's and Short Sales and many of the leads are focused on them with daily listing alerts.

I received an invitation to attend the advanced training again which took last month and I have decided to sign up for it again, polishing the edges, if you will. Each time we go through the many features of the program, it is good to stay familiar with the features that can turn the tide for some of these leads.

There had been requests for a group type of e-mail which is not available as yet but I believe sometime in the future the designers of the program will see the the benefits for announcement type email that might spur some of the leads to take action. One of those might be about the $8000 tax incentive for new buyers and what the federal definition is of the “ New Buyer” . In the lead generation system, it is not always clear who is first time or not but too much information is better than too little. I think it is important enough to create the message and then send it out individually since that tax benefit provision expires on Dec 1, 2009. It could I guess get extended, but no word of that thus far. But judging from how many buyers have jumped into San Diego market, it seems to be resonating well with those that know about it.

I am still very supportive of this lead generating system and know it will only be a matter of time before some of the conversions from leads to clients takes place.

Daily Musings April 20th, 2009 by The Voice Of San Diego Real Estate

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:28:51 -0500

Daily Musings April 20th, 2009 by The Voice Of San Diego Real Estate

Today is the launch of my new format. "Daily Musings by The Voice of San Diego Real Estate". I got the idea for this from a fellow ActiveRainer to cut down the size and difficulty reading some of my more detailed posts. It is a sort of a fill-in post of my impressions and experiences through the day of all the things I think are interesting but not in themselves worthy of a separate post. I have read lots of blogging authors outside of real estate who use this type of approach and I am trying this out to see what my readers think of it. Yes, I will always write the bigger and more important posts through the week but I am trying this out for a limited time to see what the reaction will be. So please let me know what you think of this idea.

Summer Hits San Diego Early. On my back patio yesterday the temperature hit 96 degrees. We went from the cooler temperatures of Spring to real Summer heat all in one week here in San Diego. Not only was it hot, the humidity was only 12% and that coupled with the wind, it felt like the late summer Santa Anna winds we are known for. And we are going to have another just like it today.

I met with a client today and discussed a new pricing strategy while bringing her home back on the market that had fallen out of escrow on Friday with a very low appraisal. I had to tell this client that just because you had 2 over full price offers on a home that they spent a fortune totally remodeling every aspect of to a spectacular conclusion doesn't mean you get that amount unless the out of area appraiser says so. The fact that it is such a stand out means nothing. Back to real estate 101.

I read about a cool new cell phone app for cell phones to get all the local property listings on the market. It has some amazing features in that if you can afford about $20 a month, everyone that subscribes from your website ( free for consumers) and looks at properties, it will generate that person as a lead to you, even if the properties they are looking at are not your listings.

Ever hear of Femtocells-They are not cheap but some say they may soon to be as common in your home as the coffee maker. That is unless you don't have or use a cell phone. Don't laugh, it could happen that a home could have inhabitants that don't have or use a cell phone.

I read an editorial in todays paper and it disputes the contention that the San Diego Housing market price decline is stabilizing. The author of the comment said that every category of housing sales showed a decline in price despite the same median price as was recorded last month and the month before. He was quoting MDA Data Quick that said that San Diego's home prices remained flat in March. I suppose one could make the case either way depending on what ones interest is. Sounds like a real estate agent or a buyer getting ready to make a low ball offer to some lucky seller.

Free Tip of the day. If you use Outlook for your email, there is a free search tool add-on for locating e-mails, attachments, key words, or even people. Xobni. You can't beat free!

Things To Do in San Diego That Are Free or Inexpensive....Part 2

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:39:15 -0500

Some of the best treasures in San Diego are free or near so. The number of enjoyable experiences at Balboa part for instance are so vast that you could go once a week for months on end and not repeat the same type of experience.

Of course the San Diego Zoo is a part of Balboa Park and as fantastic as it is, is not a part of this post of the free or very inexpensive things to do in San Diego. But for sure , one of the best values in all San Diego is becoming a member of the San Diego Zoological Society. You will have free and unlimited passage to both the Zoo and the Wild Animal park. They have all sorts of package deals so be sure not to pass up this fabulous opportunity.

In today's post, one of the wonderful ways to enjoy coastal San Diego is to go to any of the many popular beaches, always free. Parking sometimes can be a challenge and most of the public parking parks have paid parking. But where there is a will, there is a way to bypass the need for most paid parking. The key is planning your beach times during the week or at least very very early in the morning on weekends and street parking might then be more easily found.

Go Fly a Kite, literally that is. You are in for some real fun if kite flying interests you. Along Mission Bay Park , there is a large grassy area that is ideal. Over the years I have seem some amazing Kites. Dramatic and colorful and in shapes you wouldn’t guess could fly. But fly they do. And these kite flyers of all ages take their sport seriously. Picking up the Bay breezes always insures success and the Mission Bay Park provides family entertainment no mater what your interests.

For those of you that have bikes, bring them over to the Mission Bay Park and enjoy the bike paths around a large section of the Bay. The Mission Bay Park is 4500 acres of aquatic park. From kyacking, swimming, rollerblading, jogging along the waters edge the park, picnicking or just taking a snooze, the park provide a great escape from our San Diego daily lives.

For the Star Gazers in the family, The San Diego Astronomy Association provides a look into our “Outer World” on the first Wednesday of Every Month in Balboa Park. So plan to see the heavens, San Diego style through the huge telescopes provided by the the association.

If you want to take a driving tour, a short one hour scenic trip East from Downtown San Diego that I recommend is to Mt Laguna. It stands 6,000 feet above sea level in the Cleveland National Forest and Mount Laguna is an amazing alpine area noted for it’s man pine and oak trees. They say it is one of San Diego’s Best Kept Secrets. Mount Laguna is a perfect playground for hiking, mountain biking, camping, family activities, star gazing,or just enjoying some of the beauties of nature.

Visit the Arco Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista and take a tour from the Copley Visitors Center offered daily. This is a national training site for various Olympic teams that compete in the Summer Olympics. This s a 150 acre facility with catering to Archery,Tennis,Cycling,Softball,Track and Field and Field Hockey among other Olympic sports .

Another one great things to do in San Diego that costs nothing is exploring the tide pools in Point Loma at low tide. Check the paper ( on the weather page) so you know the times for the high and low tides.The marine life that gets trapped in these tide pools is pretty amazing. It is possible to see octopus, sea anemones and wealth of other magnificent marine life.

Another cool park, one of the largest in the entire state of California is the Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park which is comprised of 600,000 acres of desert. In the spring after the spring rains, it comes alive with magical explosions of colorful wildflower blossoms.

One of the most beautiful sights to behold are the spectacular sunsets along the coast. Each one is more spectacular than the last one and you will never tire of seeing the splendor as the day comes to an end.

Things to Do In San Diego That are Inexpensive or Free

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:10:03 -0500

The cost of living in Southern California is not inexpensive but in San Diego we have so many wonderful and affordable things to do here and sometimes we lose sight of those things that don’t cost anything or at least pretty affordable for the family.

Visit San Diego Museums in Balboa Park on Tuesdays. On a rotating basis, the featured museum of the month will be free on the Tuesdays of each week. Eventually you will be able to most everything of interest and you can spend more time in each one.

Plan a picnic at Petco Park and take in a Padres baseball game. There is small cost of $5.00 for park entrance, so spread a blanket on the grassy hill and enjoy a ball game on the huge monitors. You can enjoy the concessions and have free run of the ball park grounds and concessions.

Save gas and burn some energy. Rent a tandem bike and tour the beach areas of Mission and Pacific Beach in your bicycle built for two. Make a whole day of it for $45.00. The bike rents for $15 but the economy of scale suggests that a whole day make it very affordable.

Take in the Great San Diego Waterfalls and get your feet wet. Enjoy the soothing comfort of the falling water at several parks in San Diego. There is the Cedar Creek Falls in Julian, Kitchen Creek and Three Sisters Falls in the Cyamaca Rancho State Park and Green Valley Falls in Cleveland National Forest.

Stroll Coronado Island after first taking a ferry from Beautiful Downtown San Diego. Take the Harbor ferry located at the Broadway pier downtown and enjoy the beautiful skyline of downtown before landing on Coronado Island. Cost of the ferry is $7.00

Take in an evening movie on the lawn of the San Diego Museum of Art. Call 619–232–7931 for information as there is no current schedule. But I would bet kicking off your shoes and cuddling in a blanket in the cool of the gorgeous San Diego evenings would be great fun.

One of my very favorite things happens at 2:00 every Sunday. "Concert in the Park" at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. You have not enjoyed San Diego fully until you get a regular fest of the music that will stimulate your heart and sooth your soul. While your are there of course seeing the Botanical building and the many fountains and just enjoy a wonderful day in the park. Watch for the art shows in the summer they are amazing. Always plenty to do and don’t forget to see the rose gardens, they will blow you away.

If you want more museums, we have plenty of them in San Diego. The Museum of Contemporary Art is also free on the 1st Tuesday of each month.

If you would like to take a short drive and enjoy a longer visit, drive up to the top of Soledad Mountain park along the road side and tour San Diego in 360 Degree of beautiful Ocean and Beach views, fabulous Estate Homes, the mountains to the east and the much written about Cross ( now an expanded Veterans Memorial). The views are amazing, the sun will warm your heart and the breeze will lift your spirits. We here in San Diego seem to like all of our emotions at one time.

You have to go to Old Town, I have written about it here in ActiveRain on several of my posts and it is amazing. Other old towns that are fun are Poway, Ramona and a bit farther out East is of course the authentic western town of Julian. Of special note this year is that Poway has recently added new parking and the streets and sidewalks are brightened and expanded. A wonderful park exists behind the old railroad building that has many big trees for shade for picnicking. A visit to these old towns will be memorable, I promise.

If your into Urban Chic with a flair, plan to walk the Gaslamp District downtown. After that, you cross over to SeaPort Village and enjoy a stroll around the bay , take in some great shopping and get a sun tan all at once.

There are so many more things to do that are free or very inexpensive here in San Diego, I am going to have to do a part 2 because this list is getting too long. Watch for more Free and Fun things To Do in San Diego.