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.

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

To read more about this gorgeous home in Bel Aire…

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!

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.

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…

Have a great new year everyone..!

Mike & Amy

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! 

San Diego has a huge marine contingent, which seems to me (along with the army) to really be on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These brave men leave their families, knowing they are going to fight for a cause that we in America often don’t understand.  Whether you personally agree with this war or not, I have found that when I talk to my military friends, they feel quite strongly about what they are doing.  They see first hand what is happening around our world, and are quick to want to do more!

One of my church friends this week lost her husband in Afghanistan.  He was due to come home in just a couple of weeks for the birth of his first baby.  He had already done previous tours, and was very well loved and respected by all who knew him.  Despite all my friends whose husbands are deployed, this was probably the first time that I have ever seen this war come so close to my back yard.  And it reminded me just how much IS sacrificed for me to go about my day!

To all of the families out there defending our freedom – whether it be the soldiers on foreign soil – or the wives managing the households all by themselves, THANK YOU!  Thank you for all your sacrifice.  Thank you for who you are!  We do remember, and we DO appreciate you.

We mentioned a week ago that we had gone to visit Copperwood at La Costa Oaks, the new community in La Costa Oaks by Colrich.  If you live in La Costa or Carlsbad and haven’t gone by, you really should.  The floor plans are unique and the decorating is inspired.

Some Basic Information about Copperwood at La Costa Oaks:

There are 53 homes planned for the La Costa community.
The Copperwood Community’s property taxes will be about 1.3%.
The La Costa Oaks North Community will have its own pool and bbq areas – called The Splash.  They will also have access to the pool and The Oaks Club in La Costa Oaks South.
The HOA dues are expected to start at about $242/mo, decreasing to about $223/mo at the completion of Copperwood and Rockledge (a coming La Costa Oaks community). 

The children will attend schools in the Encinitas Union and San Dieguito Union High School Districts.  The schools for Copperwood at La Costa Oaks are currently La Costa Heights Elementary School, Oak Crest Middle School, and La Costa Canyon High School.

There are $10,000 of incentives offered if you use the preferred lender.  If you choose to use our services, the Mewborn Team is also offering a $4,000 incentive toward closing costs.  You ALSO have up to possibly $18,000 of tax credits available – ask us how.   The financial incentives are HUGE!

If you have any questions about La Costa, Carlsbad, or any other San Diego communities, please contact us below.  We are always happy to answer questions.