One of the original counties of California, San Diego County is named in honor of the Franciscan St. Didacus of Alcala, known in Spanish as San Diego de Alcala de Henares. Located in the far southwest, bordering Mexico, it is the third largest County by population in the State of California.

Sun, sand and surf is a way of life with people in San Diego. The county is blessed with year round good weather making it a favorite with first time visitors as well as residents. No wonder then San Diego County is a preferred choice of people looking for prime real estate. The entire County is known for its natural splendor, and whether it is the North County area, Central San Diego, East County, or the South Bay, real estate is buzzing throughout San Diego County.

Although most of the communities make for great real estate, each one of them has a distinct identity of its own. Coronado, located across the bay from downtown San Diego, for instance, is a world famous tourist destination offering a peaceful life to its residents. La Jolla, located 15 minutes from San Diego offers up beachside market comforts with fabulous restaurants, art galleries, museums and the famous Scripps Institute of Technology. The list goes on and on.

Whether you are buying, selling or renting property in San Diego County, your choices are plenty. It all depends on what kind of property you are looking to buy or sell. A simple online search can yield you great results with virtually thousands of properties up for sale.

When buying or selling a home, you should know that there are a variety of factors that influence a home’s price. Perhaps the largest contributor is the price of similar homes in the same community. Other factors include a home’s proximity to the ocean, the quality of schools, crime statistics, availability of local hospitals, proximity to police stations, availability of recreational facilities, etc.

Be sure to find a knowledgeable Realtor who can guide you throughout the home buying and home selling process. A good agent will assist you with locating a home that meets your needs, negotiating a good price, and will guide you through the home loan, escrow and closing processes.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Bonita is situated in the southern region of San Diego County within the state of California. There are approximately 18,396 residents in this Zip code (91902) and 5,986 households. The median age of residents is 40.45 years.

TEMPERATURE

The temperature in Bonita is relatively moderate. The warmest time of year occurs in July during which temperatures reach an average high of 70°F. The coldest time of year occurs in January with average temperatures falling to 57° F.

HOME AND REAL ESTATE PRICES

The housing options in Bonita include single-family homes and properties, condominiums, townhouses, and apartments. The price of housing is as follows:

·One bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the mid $200,000s.

·Two bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the low $300,000s.

·Three bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the low $400,000s.

·Two bedroom single-family homes start in the high $400,000s.

·Three bedroom single-family homes start in the mid $500,000s.

·Four bedroom single-family homes start in the low $600,000s.

REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS

As with most products and services in the United States, price shifts in the real estate industry are subject to the forces of supply and demand. Whether it’s a buyers market or a seller’s market, it is useful to evaluate home sales data for the most recent month available (June 2006), compared against the same period in the previous year (June 2005).

The median price of single-family homes dropped from $849,990 in June 2005 to $782,500 in June 2006, which represents a 7.9% decline. However, more homes sold in June 2006 (20 homes) than in June 2005 (7 homes). The average time to sell a home increased slightly from 68 days in June 2005 to 69 days in June 2006. The ratio between the asking price to the sales price increased over the past 12 months. On average, sellers obtained 93.6% of their asking price in June 2005, and 94.5% of their asking price in June 2006.

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time. Therefore, the data must be evaluated over a longer duration to understand enduring market trends.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed— it’s certainly hard to miss— but the landscape around Austin is changing. As is the skyline. As is the… well, the feel of the city. The flavor.

Some Austinites are not excited about the changes going on. The corporations moving in, the family-owned and operated businesses go down while the thirty-six story condos go up. People who have lived here all their lives (or even just more than ten years) say that this is a different city than the one they remember. Back when they might not even have called Austin a “city.”

There was a time when Motorola was just a type of phone people had, not a place where they worked. When video games were a thing people played, not designed. Where Dell was a thing from a song about a farmer, not a computer company. In short, there was a time when Austin was a big, friendly village where everyone seemed to know everyone.

Now, it’s hard to see the sky without noticing the foreboding skeleton of an incoming condominium projects or a crane in your periphery. Developers are buying up land and displacing local businesses in order to get the best spot downtown for a high rise that will dwarf all the others, that will sell for more money, that will be nicer and closer to all the downtown Austin attractions.

But what are those attractions?

There will always be a Congress Bridge, and so there will always be bats. But will people want to walk from the Sheraton to see them, then get a drink at the Coyote Ugly Saloon franchise? Will they want to eat at the Baby Acapulco’s? What will make the town special when Las Manitas is gone, when all the little businesses that got us to this point are gone, and the only choices for restaurants are in the lobbies of the newest hotels?

What will make Austin Austin? It’s a good question.

It’s easy to see that the city has lost some its appeal. Its uniqueness, its originality. Big business has a way of doing that. But is it so bad? Is it really true that there will be nothing left?

Those small, local places brought people here, it’s true. And they certainly gave Austin its flavor. But millions more people are here now. The city has grown by leaps and bounds. People still need places to live. And the more people there are, the more money is being spent. There is much to be thankful for when we think about this new “bigger” Austin. The Austin real estate market values go up. Many businesses prosper. The city has more money to improve infrastructure and city services like parks. Its hard to allow it to change some of what we love, and some of the changes I’m not happy with. But overall I think it will be okay.

The key is that the people are still here. The same people that made Austin the coolest city in the… well, in my opinion in the entire country —are still here. They’re still waving at you from their yard, still smiling at you on the street. The buildings aren’t the personality in the city —the people in them are. So let’s make sure those people don’t go anywhere, and we’re all gonna be just fine. Yes, we may have to part with a couple businesses and landmarks dear to our hearts, but as long as Austinites keep true to what we love about this city, we will retain the part of our identity that is the most important.

When people call me, typically one of the first requests they make is for a house in a “nice” neighborhood. And this makes sense to want a neighborhood that is safe and enjoyable. But there are some benefits to buying real estate in the rough part of town or on the wrong side of the tracks. This article highlights some of them.

- There is less worry of your neighborhood going downhill because it is already downhill. Good neighborhoods can get bad and bad neighborhoods can get better. Since the price usually reflects the current condition, buying in a neighborhood that has room for improvement might be a good idea.

- If you are buying a rental, you usually get better cash flow in rough neighborhoods. If you are renting your property, there are more renters and they are more long term. It’s difficult to rent in good neighborhoods because fewer people are looking to rent and those who do are generally there short term while they look for a house to buy.

- You can look better in comparison to other landlords. Landlords in rough areas frequently don’t maintain their properties as well as people in nice areas. Therefore, if you maintain your properties, you can blow away your competition, and charge more for it.

- If you are in a rough neighborhood, you can propose that your property change will improve the neighborhood and you have a better chance of getting a different zoning. Conversely, if you are in a good neighborhood, it’s hard to make the same argument.

- You can buy more property. If you want to spend 500k, you can either buy one house in an upscale neighborhood or six or seven houses in a rougher neighborhood.

- They’re more recession proof. When the economy goes south, real estate in rough neighborhoods is less affected.

In summary, I am not saying you have to buy in a bad neighborhood. But simply that if you are looking for long term investments sometimes its a good idea to wander over the tracks and look around a bit.