Ocean Front Del Mar Real Estate

The biggest mistake that first-time Oceanfront Del Mar home buyers can make is to fail to properly estimate the costs of buying their new house. Beyond the mortgage payments that they have to make each month, there are many other additional costs involved in maintaining a home.

Before deciding on finally purchasing that dream home, buyers should estimate the amount needed for closing costs and future expenses. They must also have an absolute minimum of 1% of the home's purchase price in savings for improvements and unforeseen expenses.  This cushion can help protect them against walking away from closing with only pocket change. While it may not be easy to have, especially considering that buyers will have scrimped and saved up for their down payment, having at least six months of mortgage payments in the bank after closing increases their family's security in an unpredictable job market.

To be better equipped when determining the costs a new house might need, buyers should schedule a home inspection and be sure to attend it to ask questions. This way, as the inspector is working and going through the whole house, they can get important tips that might not be apparent in the inspection report, which they should still keep for easy reference. Inspectors will typically gauge the age of major components of existing homes and present a rough idea to the home buyer of when those components would need replacements.

Click Here: Search All Oceanfront Del Mar Homes for Sale!

With a basic idea of what you'll be dealing with in buying that home, along with the knowledge of what the sellers will repair or pay for before final sale, think ahead five years and write a list of possible big home issues that will have to be addressed. Create a timeline for this list.

Buyers must be careful not to depend on borrowing money for repairs as banks have tightened their regulations and it's much harder to get a home equity line of credit nowadays. Without budgeting for repairs, those repairs might just never get done when they're urgent.

It's very important to immediately address small problems before they turn into large-scale issues. A cracked or deteriorating bathroom tile is a good example. While a loose tile on the bathroom floor might not seem to be a big deal, it could leak and potentially rot the floor, turning a $15 repair into a huge $700. Plan to have about $500 to $1000 for a starter home's annual maintenance budget that should be enough to cover re-painting a room, caulking the bathtub, replacing tiles, etc.

New homeowners should be prepared with the monthly expenses of owning a property. Property taxes, home insurance, homeowner's association dues, and utility costs like water, sewer, and trash collection fees, plus miscellaneous expenses like lawn trimming and snow removal, are some of the more common expenses they should be aware of.

Buying an Oceanfront Del Mar home is one of the biggest investments you'll be making. If it's not thoroughly thought out, it might end up being more of a burden. But with careful planning and preparation, it will surely turn to be a huge asset. 

For more information on Oceanfront Del Mar Homes for Sale, contact:

Maxine & Marti Gellens
1299 Prospect Street,
Suite 303
La Jolla, CA 92037
Tel: 858-551-6630

Unsurprisingly, the end of the year holiday fever has had its effect on the Oceanfront Del Mar real estate market.

According to Sandicor.com, Oceanfront Del Mar's real estate market is slightly on the downturn with December 2009's average active listing price of $3,892,464 lowering a bit to January 2009's average active listing price of $3,775,527. The median price for active listings has also gone down a bit from $1,799,000 last December to $1,798,500 last month.

Oceanfront Del Mar luxury home buyers should not be alarmed however, as this is the first time in 10 months that the average active listing price has gone down. Potential home buyers should look at this as an opportune time to make that important move up they've been waiting for as Oceanfront Del Mar Luxury homes are now priced more aggressively with the average listing price of new listings at $2,594,345 last month, compared to December's $3,451,417.

This means that more and more incredible Del Mar luxury homes are priced for less, so astute buyers can finally be able to purchase that dream home near the ocean.

Sellers might have to wait a bit longer to list their homes as the average sold listing price last month was $1,140,750, still down from December's $2,486,750. However, move-up homeowners will more than make up for it with the current market's lower listing prices.

Oceanfront Del Mar is waiting for more happy homeowners to find their way into its unique luxury homes. Be one of them now.

For more information on Oceanfront Del Mar Homes for Sale, contact:

Maxine & Marti Gellens
1299 Prospect Street,
Suite 303
La Jolla, CA 92037
Tel: 858-551-6630

There are so many questions out there in terms of inventory for different markets and how it is affection by seasonal and current market conditions. In order to better understand market inventories, here are three examples of how different locations and la jolla communities can behave very differently.

There are a number of seasonal swings in the Rancho Santa Fe area. There has been a slight increase in inventory this year over the entire year and that seems to be very consistent in the Ranch area. Each month has shown growth and it should also continue to do so over the next year at least.

In many ways La Jolla real estate and La Jolla communities are affected by the same type of trends as the Ranch area. However, there is one major difference for La Jolla news. There are notable dips in October this year while there was a rise at the same time last year. Overall, there is more inventory in terms of La Jolla real estate this year but there are different trends.

In the Del Mar region we notice a very different trend than the Ranch or La Jolla seeing as this year the inventory numbers have fallen lower than they were last year. Thus, La Jolla communities and Ranch inventory is increasing while these year Del Mar Homes saw some trends in the opposite direction.

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Comparing these three areas and their inventory trends is one of the best ways to see which trends are popping up and what is changing in each market.

For more information on this Del Mar Luxury Home contact:

Maxine & Marti Gellens
1299 Prospect Street,
Suite 303
La Jolla, CA 92037
Tel: 858-551-6630              858-551-6630     

The Holiday Wonderland Event in the Village of Del Mar offers the perfect opportunity for the whole family to come together and enjoy a true old-fashioned celebration.

The event is rich in activities and allows families to create long lasting memories to treasure for years to come. 

The day can begin with a visit from Santa along with photos and frames to capture the magical moment. The children can then enjoy a good time at the Bully's Fun Zone offering face painting, a jumpy and giant slide, carnival games and even an obstacle course. 

Other fun activities include horse and carriage rides, cookie decorating and ornament making. 

You can enjoy live music and food tasting at over 20 participating Del Mar restaurants.  Food vendors will also offer fun treats such as cotton candy, hot dogs and popcorn, amongst others. 

The Holiday Wonderland Event also offers an exciting selection of holiday entertainment.  Enjoy holiday songs from the carolers, music from local school choirs, jazz bands and dance performances!

This year the festivities were held between 1pm and 5pm on Sunday December 6^th, 2009.  This is an annual event so if you missed out on all the fun this year, make sure to mark your calendars for next years Holiday Wonderland!

For more any information on Oceanfront Del Mar Homes for Sale, contact:

Maxine & Marti Gellens
1299 Prospect Street,
Suite 303
La Jolla, CA 92037
Tel: 858-551-6630

Over 250 people took advantage of the cool, overcast weather and the opportunity to see six magnificent La Jolla Oceanfront Homes last Sunday, May 31^st!!

With four of the six houses within walking distance of each other at 5310, 5316, 5380 and 5410 Calumet Ave., it made for an afternoon of touring these grand La Jolla Oceanfront homes.  The other two homes were located at 8542 El Paseo Grande and at 5730 Dolphin Ave. There were even refreshments along the way!!

This was a unique opportunity to see these exceptionally luxurious and well appointed La Jolla luxury homes, which La Jolla real estate noted for!! Dotted along the shore with the most amazing views and amenities, these homes had to be seen to be believed, and now there are at least 250 more believers!!

This rare chance to get up close and personal to see these beautiful La Jolla luxury homes was provided to you by Maxine and Marti Gellens, who always go the extra mile for you!

For additional information, or a personal tour of any of these or any other of our listings, check our website at www.gellens.com, or call the office at  858-259-1202