Carlsbad Arts – The Cannon Art Gallery 2012 Invitational Art Exhibit in Carlsbad CA

The Cannon Art Gallery continues its reputation for exhibiting outstanding works of art at the newest exhibition, the winter 2012 Invitational show running from January 22 until March 11, 2012.

Carlsbad has garnered quite a reputation as an arts community and the Cannon Gallery, a City-owned gallery, is certainly a vital part of that tradition, with multiple shows and events related to those exhibits (e.g., family open studios, live performances) throughout the year.

The Cannon Art Gallery 2012 Invitational showcases a wide range of work by Robert Ecker, Becky Guttin, Roy Jenuine, Robert Nelson, and Sasha Koozel Reibstein. Artists were selected by gallery director/curator Karen McGuire from the 2011 Juried Biennial exhibition.

While wandering through the Cannon Gallery the other day I was struck by the diversity of these works of art, and the talent displayed in their execution. And Director Karen McGuire, as always, has such a talent for assembling the Gallery’s exhibits in a meaningful, cohesive manner that is pleasing to the eye and the emotions.

The Cannon Art Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 – 5; Sunday 12 – 5; Closed on Monday

Cannon Art Gallery

1775 Dove Lane (adjacent to the Carlsbad Public Library)

Carlsbad, CA 92011

(760) 602-2021

OMG They’re Taking the Toilet Seat!!

MLS listings sometimes list items sellers are not leaving with the home at closing.

This is useful, and essential, particularly if the non-conveying items might be important to the buyers, or when normally they would be items left behind as standard practice (e.g., fixtures).

Better to know up front what things are not going to remain.

The issue of what conveys and what does not can often result in disagreements between the parties if not clarified, in writing, in the contract.

I expect this is true to some extent in other state contracts, but paragraph 8 of the CA Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA) addresses specifically the issue of “items included in or excluded from the purchase price.”

Whether washers, dryers, refrigerators and other appliances stay or not can often result in a dispute, but it’s not uncommon for chandeliers, hardware, wall sconces, hot tubs, and other things to be listed as non-conveying items.

I’ve seen, on rarer occasions, specific plants, for example, noted as being exclusions.

I had to laugh when reading a recent $700,000 listing this morning while searching for a view home for some Carlsbad buyers. The confidential remarks noted, among several other things, that the TOTO washlet toilet seat was, sadly, going with the sellers. Guess it’s good to be put on notice. [In case you’re really interested, the link will let you read more about this invention. What will they think of next?]

While the non-conveying toilet seat struck me as funny, the issue IS an important one - if you want to keep it, better to have it in writing so there is no question from the buyers.

Despite being in the MLS it also pays to have iexclusions in writing in the actuial contract in case there are discepancies.

Anyhow, I thought this might prove to be a humorous way to generate some discussion about the issue of items that convey or not, issues that arise about what conveys and what does not, funny or maybe not-so-funny stories, and your own thoughts.

I wonder what kind of seat the sellers will leave in Toto’s place? Uh, let's hope they leave one!

Let’s Talk Trash in Carlsbad – It’s Gonna Cost You More to Get Rid of It

Happy Valentine’s Day! February 14^th is the day in Carlsbad for the public hearing to discuss the proposed solid waste rate increases over the next 5 years, proposed by the City of Carlsbad.

The new rates, if approved, will be effective on July 1 of each of the next 5 years, beginning July 1, 2012.

Residents should all have received the flyer describing the proposed changes but you can review it below and download the flyer if you like.

The City’s solid waste hauler, Waste Management, will have a new contract that includes several new or enhances services so additional funding is needed.

The following are the general improvements offered by Waste Management in the new contract resulting in the proposed higher fees:

New “green” trash trucks mean less pollution

Single stream recycling – everything in one bin

Free rolling carts for trash/recycling/yard waste

Curbside bulky item/e-waste collection

New rates will vary with the size of the bins selected, and rates are proposed to change for multi-family and commercial customers.

Carlsbad residents/property owners have the right to complete and sign a written protest of the proposed rate changes for the City Clerk on or before the close of the hearing on Valentine’s Day.

For more information, call (760) 602-4646 or visit the City of Carlsbad website.

Public Hearing

City of Carlsbad, Council Chambers

1200 Carlsbad Village Drive

Carlsbad, CA  92008

Tuesday Feb. 14 beginning at 6 pm

Things to Do in Carlsbad - Carlsbad Marathon is this Sunday January 22, 2012

in Carlsbad CA

The Tri-City Medical Carlsbad Marathon will take place this weekend, on Sunday January 22, 2012 in Carlsbad.

The Carlsbad Marathons are always popular, with world class runners and plenty of viewers along the course, a significant portion of which is along the beautiful Carlsbad coastline on the historic Route 101/Coast Road (a.k.a. Carlsbad Boulevard).

And of course how many places can you run a marathon in January and not freeze your you-know-what?!

Take a drive with me along historic Route 101 (VIDEO)

In addition to the full marathon, there will be a Half Marathon, as well as a Kids Marathon Mile held at the world-famous Legoland in Carlsbad.

If you live in the area or are visiting, be aware there are some significant road closures for the event, beginning very early Sunday morning (to name a few - east bound lanes of Palomar Airport Road from El Camino to the Coast Road; Carlsbad Boulevard [the Coast Road] from La Costa Avenue all the way to the Buena Vista Lagoon).

Here’s the Spectators’ Guide so you can pick YOUR viewing spot!

Carlsbad Marathon is a qualifying marathon for the Boston Marathon.

The Health and Lifestyle Expo is Friday January 20 from 2 until 6 pm at the Plaza Camino Real Shopping Center off El Camino Real in Carlsbad (just south of the 78 freeway), both the Start and Finish lines are nearby. The Expo continues on Saturday from 10 until 5 and then on Sunday, race day, from 7 am until 12 noon.

How I Choose my Blog Post Topics – Localism

Writing local posts has been a focus of mine for a number of years.

It really came about as a result of my relocation from Boston to Carlsbad, a place I had never visited and knew virtually nothing about. Once I became licensed in California it was critical for me to get to know my way around Carlsbad and nearby.

Part of that was purely practical since I lived here and obviously wanted, and needed, to know about shopping, dining, the beaches, things to do, services and so on.

The other primary reason, naturally, was to be able to help buyers and sellers in the area. Hard to do that effectively if you don’t know your way around and can’t talk, at least in a general way, about the area.

More importantly, with my focus on relocation (been there done that 4 major times) it was obvious I had to really get to know the area, with buyers from other locales asking specific and general questions. Writing localism posts (well before Localism here on AR was created), based on research and traveling around, was the best way to get to know the area.

And of course a side benefit is having relocating buyers find you on the Internet because of the things you write about.

I’m not yet a walking encyclopedia about Carlsbad and other nearby communities, but I do know a thing or two. And if I don’t, well, I’ll find out AND write about it. Plus send it to people who might be interested.

Carlsbad Arts - International Guitar Night in Carlsbad CA January 23, 2012

The 12^th Annual International Guitar Night, sponsored by the Museum of Making Music, will be held in Carlsbad CA on Monday January 23 at the Ruby Schulman Auditorium at the Carlsbad Public Library.

The founder of International Guitar Night, Brian Gore, will be featured along with 3 other internationally-known acoustic guitarists for solos, duets, and quartets.

Lulo Reinhardt (son of famed guitarist Django Reinhardt), Adrian Legg and Marco Pereira along with Gore will showcase their talents in a variety of musical styles – Latin jazz, fingerstyle, and much more – and on a number of different instruments.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, and $15 for Museum Members. Tickets can be ordered on-line and picked up at the event.

International Guitar Night

Carlsbad Public Library – Schulman Auditorium

1775 Dove Lane

Carlsbad, CA

Enjoy some music from last year’s event which was stunning!! I’ll be there – will you?

Why I Like Living in Carlsbad CA

It’s easy for me to help buyers who are moving to Carlsbad, because I know the community well.

But I also really like living in Carlsbad so it’s easy to be enthusiastic about all the great reasons to live here.

So that, in many ways, is at the basis of how I choose what to write about - to share what I love, the things I enjoy doing, and what I think others will find interesting. If you were considering moving to Carlsbad, woudn't you want to know why people enjoy living there?

When I relocated from Boston to the West Coast we had lots of choices of where to live in coastal San Digeo, and after a bit of seaching we chose Carlsbad. So here are some of my reasons why I like living in Carlsbad.

WEATHER

What else can I say about the weather except that it’s great – not too hot and not too cold. They don’t calling living here “paradise” for nothing. Yes, it will get into the 40s at night in the winter but you will get days of temps in the 60s or even 70s. And in the summer it’s rare to get over 80 except when the Santa Anna winds blow.

EDUCATION

There are 3 school districts for children living in Carlsbad depending on where you live. School rankings are high in general (check out SchoolDigger.com) with a number of award-winning schools – Carlsbad Unified School District, Encinitas Union/San Dieguito Union, and San Marcos Unified School District.

DINING

There are numerous dining options in Carlsbad varying from budget and fast food to upscale/high end restaurants, with a broad range of food types, and places with some great views.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

You won’t run out of things to do and see in Carlsbad. We have 7 miles of great beaches so you can enjoy all that beach life has to offer – surfing, boogie boarding, kite flying, swimming, sunning yourself and al fresco dining. There are multiple arts and crafts fairs, golf, world-famous Legoland, the Flower Fields, the Museum of Making Music, 2 terrific libraries, the city-owned Cannon Art Gallery with multiple exhibits throughout the year, the free TGIF Jazz in the Parks 9-concert series in the summer, plentiful shopping, multiple art galleries, and the list goes on.

 PROXIMITY

Carlsbad is on the coast with a major north-south freeway providing access to San Diego (30 – 45 minutes) and Los Angeles (abut 2 hours). You can get to the California desert cities in about 2 – 2.5 hours, to Mammoth and Big Bear in less than 4 hours, and to Las Vegas in about 5 hours.

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Car (with plenty of good commuting routes including easy access to the 5, 15 and 78 freeways); the Coaster commuter rail running between Oceanside and San Diego with 2 stops in Carlsbad; the Breeze, a public bus system; Amtrak (The Surfliner) to Los Angeles (the stop is in Oceanside). And of course you have your feet, surfboards, skateboards, in-line skates, bikes and even some horses.

AND OF COURSE HOUSING

There is a wide range of housing in Carlsbad to suit every taste and budget, from bungalows to condos to oceanfront estates, with prices ranging from about $110,000 for a small 2-bedroom condo to $29,000,000 for a gorgeous oceanfront home. Whether you want a primary home, a vacation home, or a rental property, you are sure to find it here in Carlsbad, our paradise by the sea in Southern California.

 READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBAD: 

  Carlsbad Village by the Sea 

 101 Things to do In and Around Carlsbad

 Carlsbad California and Historic Route 101 - The Coast Highway

SEARCH FOR HOMES

 Search for Carlsbad Homes for Sale

 Search for Homes with Views in Carlsbad

 Search for Waterfront Homes for Sale in Carlsbad

Take a tour of life in Carlsbad below!!

Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa in Carlsbad CA 

The landscape along the ocean and Coast Road in Carlsbad is changing, in a significant way.

The new Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa is under construction and due to open this June 2012. What was formerly vacant land for years in front of homes along the coast is now an expansive 3-story hotel with ocean views (across the road).

The Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa is supposedly one of the few hotels west of the Mississippi being built. And it certainly will make a significant impact here in Carlsbad, in many ways.

The Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa will offer fabulous ocean views, significant meeting room space (25,000 SF), a top-notch restaurant (I’ll be sure to check it out to see if that’s really true) called Chandler’s (with private wine room and 3 outdoor seating areas), the Ocean Crest Spa, a fitness center, pool, children’s splash pool and firepit, and ocean-view rooms.

I can’t help but think how nearby residents must feel. While plans have been in the works for years to develop the Ponto Beach area (the Ponto Beachfront Village Vision Plan was approved by the City of Carlsbad in 2007 – visit this link to see the full plan) with more retail, hotel and commercial areas to develop to the south as far as the Batiquitos Lagoon, some of the residents in the adjacent community (Hanover Beach Colony) now have lost their views, and others are now across a private street from a hotel.

While they were likely not ocean views because of the terrain, they were of open space and sky versus staring at a hotel – low rise, but a hotel nonetheless, with increased noise and traffic.

The Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa will provide jobs, increased tax revenue for the City of Carlsbad, and amenities for nearby residents to enjoy within walking distance, and is expected to become a popular destination spot along the North San Diego coastline.

Landmarks in North San Diego County – Carlsbad, Encinitas and Cardiff

Lots of cities and towns around the country become known for their landmarks, whether they are geographic features or human-made objects (buildings, statues, bridges).

Famous landmarks that come to mind include the Empire State Building, Flatiron Building and Statue of Liberty in NYC; the Liberty Bell and statue of William Penn in Philadelphia; the well-known monuments in Washington DC.; the St. Louis arch; the Sears and Hancock Towers in Chicago; the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz (you know where, right?); Mount Rushmore in South Dakota…the list goes on.

Some are landmarks historically, while others simply seem to become popular for a host of reasons – uniqueness, human interest, etc.

Here are my favorites in my area, with apologies to many others I have yet to see or simply did not include:

The WINDMILL, Carlsbad

ALT KARLSBAD, Carlsbad Village

The CARLSBAD VISITORS CENTER, formerly the Train Depot, Carlsbad Village

The BOATHOUSES in Encinitas

The SELF REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP in Encinitas

The CARDIFF KOOK Statue in Cardiff by the Sea – read more about the many costumes that have adorned this controversial surfing statue – The Royal Kook Celebrates the Royal Wedding in Cardiff, CA

The MERCANTILE BUILDING in downtown Cardiff by the Sea

What Happened in the Carlsbad Real Estate Market in December 2011?

The Carlsbad real estate market continues to shift, and the statistics for December show a number of changes from last month. These data do not include private sales or manufactured/mobile/multi-family housing; the numbers are derived from the MLS and are believed to be accurate but are not guaranteed.

READ MORE ABOUT CARLSBAD: 

 Carlsbad Village by the Sea 

101 Things to do In and Around Carlsbad

Carlsbad California and Historic Route 101 - The Coast Highway

Media reports speak in general terms, so their information may not represent the reality of our local Carlsbad real estate market. Having data, and knowledge, about the local market conditions benefits you as a buyer or seller so you can make informed purchase and sale decisions. 

In December 2011 there were 102 Carlsbad homes sold (92008, 92009, 92010 and 92011), a drop of 4% fro November sales. Here's the breakdown of overall activity. 

The number of Carlsbad home sales declined modestly overall, but with more detached homes sold in December than in November. Overall average sale prices also declined. There is still some negotiation going on and buyers, on average are getting their homes for 3 – 4% off asking price.

There were 112 properties (18% of the total) in Carlsbad at the end of December with the CONTINGENT status, 3 more than last month (i.e., homes with offers being reviewed for approval by short sale and REO lenders).

There were 620 Carlsbad Homes for sale at the end of December, the 6^th decline in inventory, by 7%, and the lowest inventory in over a year! This represents an inventory of 6.3 months for attached homes (down from 6.5 months last month) and 4.7 months for detached (up from 4.5 last month) based on the current rate of sales over the last 6 months. The real estate market in Carlsbad continues to be competitive and is getting more so. Recent changes may be due, in part, to the holidays.

READ MORE: How Important is Inventory when Buying or Selling? Very!!

In December the number of new homes coming on the market decreased again, with 141 new listings (down 23%) hitting the market.  This may be due to the time of year with the holidays. The number of homes going pending rose again, by 8%, to 97, from October pendings.  

This overview of the Carlsbad real estate market is based on information provided by the MLS. More details can be provided with regard to current activity as well as within the specific zip codes of Carlsbad.

Search for Carlsbad Homes for Sale

Search for Homes with Views in Carlsbad

Search for Waterfront Homes for Sale in Carlsbad

READ MORE:

Carlsbad Homes for Sale – What Happened in the Carlsbad Real Estate Market in November 2011?

Carlsbad Homes for Sale | Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report for October 2011

Carlsbad Homes for Sale | Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report for September 2011

Carlsbad Homes for Sale: Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report for August 2011

Carlsbad Homes for Sale: Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report for July 2011

Carlsbad Homes for Sale | Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report for June 2011