San Diego Beach Blog

Beach Cottage Beauty

I just love these original cottages that are brought lovingly back to life instead of bulldozed for a boxy stucco skyscraper.  It's amazing to me how well my family adapted to a small 2 bedroom home here  after living in more spacious suburban surrounds when the kids were in elementary and high school in NY and NJ.  Here we spend so much time outside that we hardly miss the family room and I find that my 2 girls and 1 boy don't mind bunking up in one bedroom when they're home for vacation.  It's family togetherness !  And think about the saved energy !

This one is in Ocean Beach a few doors from the surf, and many people do just that .

Ocean View

This morning the realtors of Pt Loma and Ocean Beach were caravaning the new listings and one new property had a great view of the ocean, in fact it was on the ocean!    The light was beautiful and made us all stop to look at the natural shoreline.

 

This painter was also taken with it. To the south there are trails and remote beaches which seem just as they were years and years ago. 

The only current  inhabitants are  Point Loma Nazarene University which bought an old estate, and then there is the U.S. Navy which is headquartered on the Point.  There is also a large park area designated by the city which has beautifully maintained trails, wonderful tide pools and remote beaches.  The park starts at Sunset Cliffs Blvd and Adair St. where people often pull off the road to park and watch the sunset.  Then at Ladera St. the homes end and the natural preserve opens up to hilly trails that lead to breathtaking views and a feeling that you have just gone back in time to an earlier California. 

Pacific Beach Life

A quick break from the office to see what's happening on the beach.  The stiff breeze was giving some speed to the  windsurfing competition. They are really whipping over the waves every which way!

Back on the sidewalk.. everyone was enjoying the afternoon and strolling or rollerblading by.

Here at the end of Felspar St.  is Tower 23 which is a beautiful spot to have cocktails and watch the sun set.

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The pier is the prettiest on the California coastline I'll bet, with cute little cottages for rent !  Always something going on at this part of the beach.

 

Best Food Finds at OB Market

The weather was chilly and overcast today and most of OB was staying inside up until it was time for the Farmer's Market.   Then the warm drinks and food tasting got everyone energized.   The food selection gets better and better all the time.  I hear the Hillcrest market has the largest selection of  local produce but the OB market has beautiful produce too ( I feel like sitting down at an easel and making a still life painting whenever I pass by the artful piles of radishes and blue-green lettuces) and also some local foodies that create some cool products. 

The first one is perfect for Vday.  There are actually apples in there and they are good !                                  

These are all made by a woman named Shirin Tavakoli and she has a shop on W. Harbor Dr.

Then there's the local wildflower honey which does wonders for the common cold .  And they have a

few other flavors too.  You can sample as many as you want.   Next is Jackie's Jams which is always a favorite.  Jackie lives in Ocean Beach and makes her jams here.  "More fruit and less sugar" is her    motto.  I tried the "Triple Berry" which is new.  I loved it.  You can order from her website too: www.jackiesjams.com

I always have to take a picture of these llamas. They are so adorable!! (I hear they make great pets). The kids love to ride on their backs.

The Peace Pies are new and wow! are they delicious.  They're made from raw ingredients and not cooked in any way.  I had a cinnamon bun that was made from nuts and raisins and of course cinnamon and rolled up in a swirl topped with agave sweetened frosting.   Healthy food has sure changed since I was young !

Yum !  I mean, I like fluffy baked goods as much as the next person, but when nuts and raisins taste this good why go for all that processed stuff ?

Underground Coffee is a chain (they have 18 shops in the U.S. but not yet in CA) . They gave me a small steaming cup of "Mate" to try which is brewed mate tea, carob, honey and a little milk.  It's like a mellow mocha coffee drink.  They sell bags of the herb and carob mixture which you can make at home with a french press, or they make a Mate for you right there which is what most people were sipping. The Ocean Beach Market is every Wednesday afternoon on Newport Street.

Can You Refinance If Your House Is For Sale ?

If your property is on the market for sale you can still take advantage of the falling interest rates and refinance.  Banks don't usually like to do this because they feel the house will sell and the loan will be repaid too quickly.  But it's still commonly done especially in this market where the time it takes to sell most homes has been extended; you just have to take your home off the market for a certain period of time.  Mortgage brokers say that if you refi for rate and terms (and no cash out) you can close on the new loan 30 days after taking it off the market.  If you need cash from the new loan then it will take 90 days.

Vacation Rental Property

Vacationers love Pacific Beach where you can sail on Mission Bay and also enjoy the big wide stretch of beach along the ocean.  With  bay and ocean so close together there is oodles of  coastline to ride your bike, jog, roller blade or just gaze out at the beautiful water and palm trees.

Most of the vacationers come for the summer months because the temperature is so cool and breezy compared to Texas and Arizona.  About 80 to 90% come from Arizona and they are mostly families with children.  The spring and fall are also popular with people in colder climates looking for some dependable sunshine but demand tapers off after the summer months.

Most sun seekers want to be right on the sand and will pay top dollar to be there. Ocean front properties rent for as much as $12,000. / week during the summer.  The demand is about equal for both the bay and the ocean.  Families with young children usually prefer the quieter bay.  Surfers want to be near the waves and all the action of the ocean front.  This is a picture of the bayside: 

The narrow strip in between the bay and ocean is called Mission Beach.  There you find small pedestrian courts lined with cottages and  new condos that are close to both the bay and ocean.  These are also popular vacation rentals but typically only get $2,400 / week in the summer.

If you are further from the water then you can easily rent to college students who love the beach life and are a short drive from UCSD, USD, SDSU and the community colleges, but will not get much demand for weekly summer vacation use.  Families would rather pay more money to be right on the water or a short walk without having to cross a busy street. For information on renting a vacation property go to www.missionbay.com  or www.vrbo.com  (vacation rental by owner) or to get information about purchasing a rental property in San Diego call Me !