by Roberta Murphy

I have always felt such a sense of peace when I am in the garden fooling around with dirt and plants, but never gave it much thought until this morning.

I read an article today relating research that confirms my senses: Garden Dirt actually serves as an anti-depressant. And could take the place of Prozac.

I don’t suffer from depression and have never taken Prozac, but I do notice a difference in myself when I am in the garden, fooling with dirt, and daring to go barefoot (which has different research supporting the practice). I feel a delicious sense of peace and connection with the earth. It now turns out that beneficial microbes in the soil can enter the body through both breathing and our skin (Perhaps I should remove gloves more often?).

It appears that antidepressant microbes, specifically Mycobacterium vaccae, in the soil cause our cytokine levels to rise, resulting in the production of increased levels of serotonin. There may also be some evidence that the microbes help create an increase in cognitive ability and better concentration on tasks. These effects may be felt for up to 3 weeks, if current research with rats is any indication. According to the article in Gardening Know How.

“Mycobacterium antidepressant microbes in soil are also being investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease and even rheumatoid arthritis.”

After reading this article, I can’t help but wonder how a garden might be helpful for memory care residents, or even those in assisted living of some sort. Not only would they get the gratification of growing flowers or vegetables, but it just might elevate spirits and cognition. I know a couple of elementary schools in Encinitas and Carlsbad have cultivated gardens as a learning experience for the children. Might the soil organisms also make them more attentive in class?

Makes you wonder.

I know that in an hour or so, I am going to go fool around in the garden, play in the dirt, and spread more worm castings while I’m at it. And this time,  I’m not wearing gloves!

 Want to know more?

Read more at Gardening Know How: Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/antidepressant-microbes-soil.htm

The post Garden Dirt as Anti-Depressant? appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Lately, have been thinking about the fact that I am tracked by Google almost everywhere I go–as long as my cell phone or tablet is with me.

To the left, you can see results from an amazing program I discovered yesterday at Junkee, and mental wheels are turning. Panic hasn’t set in, but that’s probably because I’m a law-abiding citizen and really don’t have anything to hide. But still….

Like most of you, my cell phone is rarely far from me–unless I happen to drive off and accidentally leave it at home.  And that’s a panic-inducing event. But to have Google tracking steps and stops in my own home (just zoom in!) or where I wander on Sunday hikes? Something short of panic might be my feeling of unease–and uncertainty.

The intrusiveness of not only Google, but the NSA, IRS, the HCA and other three-lettered government agencies is beginning to chafe at our collective psyches. And with new apps and programs, we can see what may be going on behind the scenes–and sometimes dish it out ourselves (or so we think).

I use a little program called YesWare that tracks my outgoing email. It supposedly allows me to see when an email is opened by the recipient. That may be true, but what is more interesting is that a local Carlsbad, CA email might show it being opened in Mannassas, VA,  Germany, Amsterdam, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world. I have changed email passwords to no avail.

It it the NSA? Foreign hackers? A buggy program?

These things are a concern and raise alarm bells about fundamental rights to privacy. On the other hand, if I were kidnapped with my phone I would be tracked by Google and could be easily found.

Email is another story.

The post Are You Being Tracked by Google? appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

At San Diego Previews, we deal with a number of people who are relocating to the San Diego area. They may be from from the East Coast, the desert, Bay area, Midwest or Europe, but all have pretty specific ideas about the lifestyle they anticipate in sunny Southern California.

Many of these seekers are seasoned and affluent home buyers–ones who can be pretty specific about the features they want in their next home. Their demands might very well include:

• A formal and separate entry with natural stone or wood flooring.
• An office off that lovely entry
• Formal dining room with outside patio for al fresco meals.
• In Southern California, a great room with fireplace off the spacious and well-equipped kitchen. Great for wine and cheese soirees, family fun and casual entertaining.
• At least one bedroom with full bath on ground level.
• Spacious master suite with balcony for sunset wine sipping–and spa bath with jetted tub. Huge closet also a plus!
• Outdoor kitchen for year-round entertaining is a must.
• Some want pools and some don’t, but most would like a private rear yard large enough to accommodate one.

We have recently listed a newer 5 bedroom, 4.5-bath home at 7289 Calle Conifera in Carlsbad, which offers all these features and more–including a butler’s pantry, large laundry room, 3 fireplaces, Brazilian cherry and polished travertine flooring, granite surfaces, 3-car garage, 4225 square feet, and numerous other custom upgrades. This La Costa Oaks listing is also in the highly desired San Dieguito school district, has reasonable taxes– and a price tag of just $1,150,000.

The post Luxury Above La Costa appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

We are seeing luxury scaled down on many fronts, and luxury hotels and timeshare resorts are taking it on the chin as well.

For the first five months of this year, according the the Wall Street Journal, U.S. hotel occupancy has declined 53 percent. This is the lowest drop in occupancy since 1987, when Smith Travel Research began tracking these numbers.

While both luxury and budget hotels are ailing with declining revenues, those hotel investors suffering the most (just like homeowners) are the ones who bought their real estate at the top of the market with loads of debt. Defaults on these hotel loans have spiked, and securitized mortgages (where loans are chopped up and sold to different investors as bonds) are also expected to rise from 4.7 percent to over 8 percent by year’s end, according to Morgan Stanley.

Timeshares are faring not much better. The biggest timeshare operator in this country, Wyndham Worldwide Corp has seen timeshare sales plunge 39 percent from a year ago. Another big loser is Marriott International, whose timeshare business reported a $17 million loss in the first quarter of this year.

And then we have luxury hotel operators like Four Seasons, which manages a number of luxury hotels, and is facing pressure from hotel owners to discount room rates in response to economic pressures. Recently, the owners of the Aviara Four Seasons Resort in Carlsbad, CA (north of San Diego) tried to divorce themselves from Four Seasons, who have a 30-year management contract with Broadreach Capital Partners of Palo Alto, CA. The owners are trying to preserve financial viability, while Four Seasons is trying to protect its non-discounting luxury reputation–and its contract.

Four Seasons, incidentally, was the only luxury hotel not to discount room rates after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This was broadly seen as a brilliant move. Four Seasons, with its 82 hotels around the world, maintained both its profitability and its luxurious reputation.

These harsh economic times, though, are weighing heavily on the luxury hotel market. Their fixed costs are higher with staffing, valet service and maintenance–while corporate travel has shrunk and leisure travelers are bargain hunting. This has caused many hotel operators to discount room rates and offer bargain travel packages.

This is a market that surely has not only the venerable Four Seasons on guarded watch, but also the Ritz Carlton, the St. Regis and other five-star destinations throughout the world.

The post Luxury Hotels and Timeshares Struggling? appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

One Can Modify Luxury Home Loans, too?

Not all clients took my conservative mortgage advice over the years, and some ended up with home loans that have turned downright nasty.

In one case, a client and dear friend was persuaded to take out a Negative Amortizing Adjustable Rate Mortgage (Neg Am) along with a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) a few weeks after the purchase of her $1.8 million Carsbad home.

I just heard that in a couple of months, her mortgage will reset to an intolerable level and she is seeking a way to manage payments and keep her dream home.

Late last night, I discovered that fellow real estate blogger Ryan Rockwood had written an ebook on How To Get A Loan Modification that is packed with information for struggling borrowers–and chock full of insider tips.

For example, I know that many borrowers agonize because either they or their mortgage broker overstated income levels when applying for mortgage loans during the real estate bubble years.  At the same time, attorneys have discovered that many lenders may have violated provisions in the Truth in Lending Act and/or the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Rockwood states that there is plenty of blame to go around, and lenders as a rule aren’t pursuing earlier income exaggerations.

That information alone might spur some to pursue loan modifications for their mortgages.

If you are having difficulty with your mortgage, I encourage you to visit the 60 Minute Loan Modification site, where you will soon be able (if not already) to purchase one of the best books I have seen about how to get a loan modification.

The post Even Luxury Home Loans Can be Modified appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Investors are moving back into the San Diego real estate market with impatient wallets. And luxury real estate investors are no exception.

They are seeking well-priced foreclosures, pre-negotiated short sales and most favored of all: Real estate investments with income streams.

So-called bargains in sub-marginal areas may not be the wisest real estate investment move anywhere. Perceived bargains in outlying markets may be nothing of the sort, and we persistently advise our clients to stay with blue chip real estate investments especially in volatile economic times.

We just received a whisper from La Costa Resort and Spa in balmy Carlsbad, California that buyers of their Villas will receive up to $125,000 at closing for leasing their properties back to them for two years. And of course, there is always the option of using their condos too.

This is a very limited offer, as only 10 La Costa Resort Villas whole-ownership, luxury condominiums remain. Each is fully furnished (just pack a toothbrush) with designer decor and high-end amenities throughout, and is located on the grounds of the world-class La Costa Resort and Spa.

Low out-of-pocket expenses enable resort ownership for minimal cost.

One-bedroom luxury condos start at $594,825, while two-bedroom units list for up to $1,033,000. With 75% financing, buyers can claim ownership with considerably low out-of-pocket expenses of up to $125,000. Plus, La Costa management will also waive monthly fees for two years to save La Costa Villa buyers even more.

A bonus of complimentary Villas Signature La Costa Sports Membership, valued at $16,500, is also included.

If you are interested in this exceptional value, please call Mike or Roberta Murphy for additional information at 760-402-9101 or 760-402-9102. We are including some luxury spa treatments for our buyers as well.

The post La Costa Villas Offer Big Investor Bonus appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Bob Dyson is a real estate legend who recently launched Sothebys real estate offices in the San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas markets. He has kindly agreed to share some exciting news with us about a new real estate exchange program that is set to rock the San Diego real estate market mid-January.

This program will do much to liberate locked-up equities in homes throughout Southern California.

But Ill not steal his thunder.

by Bob Dyson

How I See It: Lets Liberate Home Equities

With all the alarming issues facing us in Real Estate ownership and all the turmoil in Real Estate lending, I have been searching endlessly for fresh solutions to these problems. What if we could create a new and faster way to buy and sell homes in todays challenging market? What if real estate buyers and sellers could focus on the deal instead of getting lost in the details of granite surfaces, designer amenities and upgrades?

We believe our home exchange program will help stabilize our troubled real estate market and could be a program easily implemented in other cities outside of Southern California.

Quick Facts:

There are more than 25,000 homes for sale in San Diego County. We believe there are also more than 19,000 qualifed buyers who wish to purchase a home in San Diego RIGHT NOW.

So where are the buyers and who are they?

They are home owners living right here in San Diego.

They are home owners with œFrozen Equity – people who want to relocate right now but must sell their home first.

The Media:

Granted, there have real problems with the real estate lending industry . And the media has done an excellent job paralyzing the home buying public, scaring them away from purchasing.

Recent statistics provided by First American Title Company show that in San Diego County, the Palm Desert/Palm Springs areas and Las Vegas, foreclosure activity is centered in small pockets of those communities.

Areas like Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Indian Wells and Summerlin have experienced very little impact from local foreclosures; however, those communities have been brought down by media hype and generalities.

It seems that nobody at the media level, or especially the government level, is paying attention to details. Our congressmen who are holding hearings on these issue dont even know what questions to ask – much less are able to present viable solutions.

Been There, Done That:

In January 1993 – in a similarly challenging Real Estate Market – several of us in the industry began calling our listing clients and we asked them one question: œWhen you sell your home, are you moving up in price, down in price or out of the area?

From that calling session forward, our little group began selling homes at an incredible pace. In January of that year alone, we sold 48 properties.

How We Did It:

We took our clients who had good equity, good jobs and good credit and matched their wants and desires to move up with other clients selling their homes who desired to move down.

We simply exchanged properties. It was actually as simple as œIll buy yours and youll buy mine.

Two purchase agreements were drawn up, each contingient upon the concurrent close of the other. Both clients got new loans and became a buyer in one escrow and a seller in the other.

The process and the response exceeded our wildest expectations. We provided all parties with work sheets, we moved sales prices and new loan amounts around with our lenders and, in most cases, satisfied the needs of both clients.

Exchanging Properties in Todays Real Estate Market:

Today, we are taking our exchange idea of the 90s, dusting it off and are updating it with todays technologies.

What is evolving is an industry-supported effort to help buyers and sellers with good credit, good jobs and solid equity move NOW.

To best understand this new program please click on the following link to visit www.HomeExchangeProgram.com. The site is still under construction, but you can get a feel for how exchanges work.

Real Estate agents and sellers alike can participate in this program. The more of us who participate, the faster this Real Estate market will right itself and and help œAll Ships to Rise.

If you would like to discuss the Home Exchange Program, please give me a call at 858.481.2020 or email me.

And thats œHow I See It.

Bob Dyson

Bob Dyson is the Broker of Dyson & Dyson Sothebys International Realty in Palm Desert/Palm Springs, Calif. and Las Vegas, Nevada and Villa Sothebys International Realty in Del Mar, Calif. With nearly 40 years experience in the Real Estate Industry, Bob has become an industry innovation leader. In addition to his many years in the brokerage industry, Bob is also involved in real estate mapping and development and currently has several thousand acres in various stages of mapping and development in Southern Nevada and Southern California.

About the Company
Dyson & Dyson Sothebys International Realty and Villa Sothebys International Realty were founded in Southern California in 1988 under the name Dyson & Dyson Real Estate Associates. Offering a variety of unparalleled real estate services, the brokerage operates offices in Las Vegas, the Palm Desert/Palm Springs area, and Garner Valley under the name Dyson & Dyson Sothebys International Realty and in the San Diego County area under the name Villa Sothebys International Realty.

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Read also:

San Diego Real Estate Exchange: Barter and Banter

You may also wish to read about or search:

San Diego MLS

Aviara Real Estate

Carlsbad Real Estate

Coronado Real Estate

Del Mar Real Estate

Encinitas Real Estate

La Costa Real Estate

La Jolla Real Estate

Oceanside Real Estate

Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate

San Diego Real Estate

San Marcos Real Estate

The post San Diego Real Estate Exchange appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Opportunities for real estate fraud couldn’t have been more ripe than in 2005 and 2006, when real estate prices started to quietly soften–especially in fertile markets like San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Miami.

Home prices in these areas had rocketed to unsustainable levels, and some of the micro markets within these areas had already started to stall as early as 2005. By 2006, market time and “days on market” had begun to climb, to the discomfort of many sellers.

Many had listed their properties, hoping their homes could sell for at least as much as the recent neighborhood comparable sales or their own refinance appraisal–and perhaps even more. Some of these sellers were more motivated than others, and reduced their listing prices substantially to attract more buyers.

The stars were perfectly aligned for the real estate crooks:

• The housing market was declining, and there was general confusion in pricing;
• Mortgage money was easy, especially with stated income loans.
• Many of these shady real estate agents also wore the hats of loan brokers–and vice versa. This allowed better control of the transaction.

For example, we had an Imperial Beach home listed at close to $500,000, based on the owner’s 2005 refinance appraisal. Because the property needed so much work, the motivated absentee seller agreed to reduce the price to $399,000 and sell the home in as-is condition. Almost immediately, we had an offer for $500,000 (100 percent financing) with $120,000 to be credited back to the purchaser at close of escrow. The South Bay agent assured us the buyer was approved by their crooked in-house lending operation.

We presented the offer to the seller, and advised to him reject it outright. It was an obvious case of loan fraud.

A few months later, we had another fraudulent purchase attempt on a home we had listed in Carlsbad. It was a lovely listing in Rancho Carrillo that had also had a substantial reduction in price. We received a verbal offer from an out-of-area contractor who had never seen the property. His loan broker called from Northern California, and explained that their offer (100 percent financing again) required over $100,000 back because of all the work this contractor would have to do. They wanted me to write the offer, believing perhaps that if I “double-ended” the deal, I would be more cooperative.

We shot back a quick rejection. This newer home, by the way, was already in pristine condition–and was sold shortly thereafter to very qualified buyers.

This time, though, I called the San Diego office for the FBI, and reported all the information I had regarding this attempted fraudulent purchase. I provided names, telephone numbers and email addresses–and never heard anything more.

Since then, we have seen countless cases where homes were sold at highly inflated prices in 2005 or 2006 with 100 percent financing. That can be an immediate red flag for either buyer and borrower misrepresentation–or possible loan fraud.

There is also the technique of hiding a kickback in inflated commission, because lenders aren’t privy to real estate commissions paid. Though not exactly illegal, it is a practice that should be examined. I am inclined to think commission kickbacks should be considered a lender disclosure issue.

The untallied costs of these real estate and lending crimes and schemes have contributed enormously to the current real estate crisis.

In the meantime, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has wasted huge amounts of time and resources the past few years pursuing the National Association of Realtors (NAR) over ownership of MLS data and other obscurities. Their time, I believe, would have been far better spent pursuing organized and fraudulent real estate practitioners. Had they, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies been more aggressive in this arena, the real estate market might be in a different position today.

The post Real Estate Fraud: Cash Back and Consequences appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

I awoke at 4:30 a.m. yesterday morning with a sense of dread, quickly remembering that there is a demon called the Witch Creek Fire raging in the communities around our home in La Costa. It is just one of several mega firestorms raging in San Diego County–but is the one we fear(ed) the most.

Monday afternoon, our Reverse 911 system called to inform us we are under “volunteer evacuation” guidance. We chose to remain home because the fires were distant and the ocean even closer. A half-packed suitcase still sits by the bedroom door, and we are ready to leave with minimal notice.

As I tiptoed downstairs in the dark, I wondered which of our sons had been burning incense. I then realized that threads of smoke from the fires had slipped into our home. Why did it smell almost-fragrant?

Stepping outside in the pre-dawn hours, I saw reassuring stars in the sky. Monday, the sun was red as it glowed behind huge layers of smoke. The air is still full of floating ash and other waste from the fires. The winds are still, there are fewer lights in the hills and the bottoms of my feet stay black because of barefoot habits.

Television news stays on. Over 500,000 people in San Diego County have been evacuated, 25,000 are without power and we all hanging onto news reports and trying to sort out the rumors that are raging with the fires. I am following the aptly-named Witch Fire, because it is the one which endangered our own community.

Coastal Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, Solana Beach, Carlsbad and Oceanside are still intact. Rancho Santa Fe has suffered losses. Parts of The Bridges were in flames; several homes off Via de la Valle and across from Morgan Run Golf Club were burned; that Fairbanks Ranch was in the path of flames, and it appears firefighters were able to stop the Witch Fire at Escondido Creek, which would have put Encinitas and South Carlsbad in danger.

The Witch Fire, as it is now called, has very expensive taste.

The post The Witch Creek Fire appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Its always interesting to know how metropolitan communities stack up when it comes to median household income, and San Diego is no exception.

There were a few surprises.

I had no idea Carlsbad would outrank Encinitas, or that Poway would beat out Coronado. San Diego is full of surprises.

When to comes to compiling such reports (and a host of others), there is no finer source than the San Diego Business Journal. Their data is fresh, well-researched and provides some interesting reading.

This latest report regarding median household income within San Diego Countys incorporated cities is no exception.

Note: Rancho Santa Fe and La Jolla were not included, as Rancho Santa Fe is not an incorporated city and La Jolla is part of the City of San Diego.

The post Show Me the Money: San Diego appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.