Supplemental airport nixed

by Jason Wells

May 05, 2006

A supplemental airport in North County failed to muster enough support for further review by airport officials in a largely symbolic discussion at a May 1 meeting.

The board for the San Diego Regional Airport Authority voted 6-3 against a recommendation to do a more in-depth analysis on a single-runway airport just north of Escondido, about 40 miles from downtown San Diego. The scenario would keep Lindbergh Field open as the primary airport after undergoing significant upgrades meant to maximize capacity.

“It’s just as clear as a bell that you can’t put an airport that far from downtown,” said board member William D. Lynch.

The board nixed the concept in February after a broad market feasibility study found that the supplementary airport would have a difficult time competing with airports serving the Los Angeles area. Additionally, low passenger use would make it impractical to pay for, and extremely high per-passenger costs would drive airlines away.

Pacific Beach Smoking Restrictions

Old concerns and new members dominated the regularly scheduled meeting of the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC), 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at the Earl and Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.

Revisiting the Tobacco Control Ordinance discussed in April, the PBTC voted 31-4 to endorse the proposed smoking ban on city beaches, bays and parks by writing a letter of support to City Council. PBTC member Art Larson made the motion, which was seconded by fellow member John Logan.

“At the last trash cleanup it was almost all cigarette butts. Someone who might not throw trash on the beach has no problem throwing cigarettes,” said PBTC member Karl Jaedtke following the meeting. A smoker who supports the ban, Jaedtke added, “I don’t think smoking should be outlawed, but the beaches are [treated like] a giant ash tray.”

The ordinance would not apply to the boardwalk. Many council members, including residents who live in oceanfront homes, voiced concerns about smokers congregating by the beaches.

Others wondered whether a ban could be enforced as city budget cuts continue to reduce the number of enforcement officers patrolling local streets.

At the council’s April meeting, Adrian Kwiatkowski of the American Lung Association said he believed the ban would be self-enforcing. Citing the success of similar bans in Los Angeles and Orange counties, he explained that once smoking is not allowed, people change their behavior.

Record Million-Dollar Home Sales in Golden State

California million-dollar home sales in 2005 surged to a new peak for the fourth year in a row, as appreciation pushed a higher portion of overall sales into the seven-figure category, a real estate information service reported.

A total of 48,666 Golden State homes sold for a million dollars or more last year. That was up 47.0 percent from 33,107 in 2004. The total was 19,080 in 2003 and 13,871 in 2002, according to DataQuick Information Systems.O

One in thirteen homes sold for more than a million dollars last year, up from one in twenty the year before.

The most expensive confirmed purchase was a 13,636 square-foot 6-bedroom, 12-bathroom La Jolla house on six acres which went for $23,500,000 in September. The largest was a 7-bedroom, 8-bathroom 18,369 square-foot house on 2.2 acres in Solana Beach in San Diego County which went for $6,200,000 in August.

The median-sized million-dollar home was 2,480 sq.ft. with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The median price per square-foot for all million-dollar homes was $516, up 5.6 percent from $489 a year ago, DataQuick reported.

Top 5 California Zip Codes
Ranked by the number of million-dollar homes sold in 2005*

Community	Zip Code	2004 Sales#	2005 Sales#	2005’s Most Expensive
92037	La Jolla	464	478	$23.50 mill.
90266	Manhattan Beach	458	444	$5.25 mill.
94010	Hillsborough	384	396	$6.50 mill.
92130	Del Mar	327	379	$7.50 mill.
92677	Laguna Niguel	295	378	$6.74 mill.

8TH ANNUAL SUMMER LONGBOARD CLASSIC

When: Saturday, June 3, 2006
Location: Tourmaline Surf Park
Time: All Day. First heat at 6:30 a.m.
Entry Fee: $60 for adults
$50 for surfers 19 and under
Payment: make checks payable to:
Pacific Beach Surf Club
Mail to:
Star Surfing
4652 Mission Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92109

Deadline to postmark or drop off entries is June 1st. Space is limited. This contest fills up every year, so sign up early. Drop off these entry forms at: Star Surfing or mail to the address above. For more information or to contact the Pacific Beach Surf Club, please visit our website at www.pbsurfclub.org. For directions to Star Surfing go to www.starsurfingco.com. Click the following link for a PDF file of the entry form to download and print out.

PBSC 8thSC Entry Form.pdf

Volunteers! We could still use some help. If you’re interested in volunteering for a couple of hours that day, please contact the president, Kathy Austin, or the editor, Richard Steadham,

Differentiation Sells in a Softening Market

Everyone knows the old adage when it comes to real estate – location, location, location. But when it comes to successfully marketing and selling your listing in a softening market our mantra should be – differentiation, differentiation, differentiation.

As we should all be aware according to the National Association of Realtors^® Home sales are slowing as interest rates continue to increase, and this trend is not expected to change anytime soon. So, how does West of the Five sell your listings in this softening market? Differentiation over marketing is the answer.

True, marketing is the first important step in securing prospects for a listing. But in a market where buyers are at a premium the question we need to ask is why should a buyer purchase your listing? The most obvious answer is price, and surely your listing should be priced at market. However, differentiation will cause your listing to be the cream that settels to the TOP of buyer’s hot lists.

At West of the Five we have systems to differentiate your listing. Contact us to discuss further. 858-232-2008.

Home Price Analysis for San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos

http://sdar.com/pdf/NAR/EconomicOutlook.pdf

With home prices rising strongly in most parts of the country, there has been widespread media coverage on the possibility of a housing market bust. A thorough analysis of the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metro market, as detailed below, reveals that there is little danger of this. In fact, the local housing market is in excellent shape with a potential for significant housing equity gains, particularly for homebuyers who plan to remain in their house for the long run.

Because prices have risen faster than income, the ratio of price-to-income is currently above the historical norm. This measure is frequently cited to imply that there is a housing market bubble. But this ratio is a misleading measure in assessing bubble prospects. A more relevant measure is the mortgage servicing cost relative to income. This ratio is at a very manageable level. It implies no widespread financial overstretching to purchase a home in the region. Furthermore, the nationwide supply of homes on the market relative to home sales is very lean, suggesting similarly tight market conditions in the local area.

Read more at;
http://sdar.com/pdf/NAR/EconomicOutlook.pdf