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January 29th, 2012
Have you visited the NEW La Costa Resort?
I live in La Costa Oaks, and one of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to the La Costa Resort’s Spa and lay by the pool – complete with a day of sun, swimming, champagne, and a spa lunch!
As one of the premier resorts in the United States, the La Costa Resort put about $50M in renovations into the property in 2011 to ensure that they continue to offer the best amenities available!
With upgraded rooms, improvements to the pool, kids’ club, the spa, and the golf course, La Costa Resort has focused on remaining a top notch family destination – some times even being a local hang out for La Costa family staycations!
Due to the economy, and increased vacancies in high end hotels, this might be a great time to treat your family to a weekend of luxury – in your own back yard! They are offering specials with some packages being as low as $325/night – including up to $280 in resort credits!!!!
For more information, visit The La Costa Resort.
January 25th, 2012
Celebrity Homes – Jennifer Aniston
Mike and I came by our career in real estate through a genuine love for homes. Your home is a place that you spend so much time, and it is ultimately a reflection on your personality, loves, style, and lifestyle! Before becoming so busy – we used to spend weekends just walking around new construction model homes, just because. We still do a lot of this – but our “just because” time has dwindled.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still love a great home – and celebrity homes really are the pinnacle – right?
Photo from Curbed
Photo from Curbed
January 7th, 2012
Refinancing Do’s And Don’ts
Low mortgage rates may have made you think about refinancing your San Diego home. If you currently have equity in a home in San Diego or Carlsbad, this might be a great thing to consider!
Locking in an interest rate below 6 percent could end up saving you thousands of dollars if interest rates begin to rise in the future. The following tips should help you get the best deal possible if you do decide to refinance.
Do talk to your own lender first. You may be able to skip some expenses, like an appraisal, if your mortgage is fairly new.
Do compare fees and closing costs as carefully as interest rate. These can vary widely.
Do see whether your lender is able to switch your escrow from the old mortgage to the new one, so you don’t have to prepay. This isn’t common, but it’s very handy.
Do make sure to get the loan you want. We have heard so often from prospective clients that maybe did a negative amortization loan or didn’t include impounds (taxes and insurance), just to get a lower payment, not understanding what that meant to their long term loan!
Don’t refinance for small gains. Mortgages cost money – often costing 2-3% of the home value in refinance costs. The typical rule of thumb is to only refinance if the rate is at least one quarter of a percent lower than your current rate. Considering the hassles – it may be more like a half a percent!
Don’t believe “no closing costs.” If a lender is advertising no closing costs it is likely that they make their profits with higher interest rates.
Don’t dismiss an adjustable rate if you know you’ll move — for example, a 5/1 ARM. Today with good credit and no points, you could lock in less than percent interest for five years. Your rate will move after that, probably up. But if you have no intention of still being in the property this might be the best option for you. If there is a likelihood that you will stay in the home though, consider a fixed rate mortgage – especially with these historically low interest rates!
If you have any questions at all about your current property, mortgage rates, and how it affects you, please contact The Mewborn Team! We are always happy to answer your questions and forward you to a resource that would meet your objective!
September 4th, 2010
That one thing you might be missing to set you above the rest
With over 90% of home buyers searching online for a new home your home must make a great first impression. The first impression is a lasting impression! In a buyers market sellers compete with sellers. If buyers are not impressed what they see online they will move on to the next listing. Ready, Set, Stage! works with you and your Realtor to put your home on the “must see” list for today’s home buyers. We offer a marketing plan and photos to assist with the sale of your home.
January 14th, 2010
Burglaries & Advice From The Carlsbad Police Department
Over the past 8 – 10 months La Costa Oaks has been hit with a rash of burglaries, presumably by the same criminals since the MO has been similar in most cases.
Through Neighborhood Watches and other avenues our neighbors have been in constant contact with the Carlsbad Police Department. In a recent conversation with a CPD detective, one neighbor was given this sound advice:
- Carlsbad has a “no solicitation” law meaning it is unlawful for people to go door to door soliciting business or delivering flyers. There is an exception for business owners, real estate agents, etc. that are promoting their own business or live in the neighborhood. The detective mentioned that if we see anyone doing this to call the CPD non-emergency number (760-931-2197) and report it. CPD will dispatch officers when available to make contact with these solicitors and notify them of the law.
The important thing about this is that officers will have a reason to stop, speak to and gather information (name, address, etc) about the solicitors walking our neighborhood. There is a strong suspicion from CPD that current and past burglary rings use this as a method to case our homes. The detective also stated that it doesn’t matter if these solicitors are working daytime or nighttime, or how professional they look (or how professional their flyers look)…that we should call every time they are in our neighborhood.
- It is important to gather as much information as possible about suspicious vehicles or activity. Obviously getting an entire license plate is ideal, but if for some reason you can’t get the license plate, that you get the exact make and model and a few license plate numbers because they are then able to use that information further. A quick picture from a camera phone is an excellent idea. A partial plate without an exact make in model is not something that they can use to search their databases.
- CPD dispatch personnel are not at all bothered by people reporting suspicious activity or vehicles. They want us to call every time we see something out of the ordinary in our neighborhood. They don’t want us to feel like we are bothering them.
Even though they’ve caught a person or two, we know that there are more of them still out there and we need to continue to be vigilant for our neighborhoods.
Sounds good to us…
January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year and an Even Better 2010..!
Amy and I have had a very good 2009 and we sincerely hope that you have too..! We want to take time to thank everyone who has helped us this past year and we want to wish all of our friends, family, clients and neighbors the very best of luck and success in 2010..!
Have a great new year everyone..!
Mike & Amy
September 11th, 2009
Thank You San Diego Military
So, I grew up outside Chicago. I led a charmed life, and seemed to think that bad things really didn’t happen to good people. I didn’t know many people who had gone off to war, and so much of what happened in the world, just really didn’t seem to affect me. I moved to San Diego 15 days after September 11th.
My husband, Mike, is a Realtor full time, but a navy reservist “a few weeks a year.” As I started to plug in around San Diego, I started meeting all these wonderful military wives – at military functions, at church, or just around town. These are some of the most wonderful, unselfish, women and men I have ever met! Read the rest of this entry »
Mike & Amy Mewborn Real Estate Specialists
Mike: 858.205.2000
Amy:760.213.6653
Recent Posts
- A Weekend Favorite – Claire’s On Cedros
- Have you visited the NEW La Costa Resort?
- How accurate is Zillow’s Zestimate?
- Bank Owned Homes and Pre-Foreclosures sell at Lowest Prices
- No Increases in San Diego Home Prices Until 2014?
- Celebrity Homes – Jennifer Aniston
- La Costa Oaks New Construction – Available Right Now
- La Costa Oaks Neighborhood Meetings This Week
- San Diego Restaurant Week EXTENDED!!!
- Carlsbad Marathon on Sunday – Road Closures
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