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Formaldehyde in Home Construction Materials

May 17, 2010 By Adam Pascu

I received an email yesterday from my dad about the dangers of formaldehyde and it’s linkage to Hodgkin’s disease Cancer (I’m a Hodgkin’s Disease survivor). I’d heard this before, but forgotten it like many other dangers littering our walkway. When I did another round of research, I was drawn to the construction element in particular with how it relates to my niche working green homes for sale in San Diego.

It appears that formaldehyde off-gassing occurs from a number of building products, in addition to other consumer goods like nail polish, paint & permanent press fabrics. One of the main culprits in construction materials (and furniture) is pressed wood products. This includes plywood, particle board, paneling, and medium density fiberboards (very high formaldehyde concentration) used in some cabinetry. Other building materials to beware of are urea formaldehyde foam insulation, gas stoves and paint….ever heard of No VOC paint? VOC = Volatile Organic Compounds = formaldehyde. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my family breathing ‘volatile’ compounds :)  Of course, if these products are used in a specific manner, you can limit the amount of off-gassing.

There appears to be a cumulative problem that we need to tackle on a comprehensive scale through regulation and our choices as consumers. Apparently, the EPA agrees – in 2008 they issued a ‘Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” regarding formaldehyde in pressed wood products. Companies need to be held accountable and, at the least, be required to label products appropriately by disclosing formaldehyde concentrations. At the least, it is a topic that warrants further research to help determine safe levels and discover any products with significant levels.

Formaldehyde is definitely a green home topic that a San Diego Realtor & father like me finds important. It is my belief that to maintain a healthy living space, we need to begin limiting our formaldehyde exposure in the home.

Filed Under: Home Construction, Real Estate News Tagged With: , ,

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort

May 6, 2010 By

Formerly Known as the Four Seasons Aviara

For those of you who don’t know Aviara, it is one of the nicest neighborhoods in North County San Diego.  Streets are lined with well manicured trees, coastal breezes are in abundance, and every community seems to be well kept and pristine.  I usually tell my clients that it is the closest thing to Xanadu, or at least Xanadu in Carlsbad.  For those that do know Aviara in Carlsbad, the first thing to come to mind is The Four Seasons Aviara.  I’ve frequented the Four Seasons Aviara on many occasions and I’ve never been disappointed by their excellent service, fine dining, breathtaking views overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean  and all of the elegant features you would expect in a Four Seasons property.

Come June 21st, 2010 however the Four Seasons Aviara will become the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort.  After 13 years of managment and being synonymous with the Aviara area, the Four Seasons will be handing over their management to the Hyatt.  One of the main reasons for this transition is the challenging luxury hotel market in an economic downturn.  Bottom line is that there was a disagreement with the owners of the property on how the resort was being managed.

One concern my clients have voiced is whether this change of name and management will result in a change in the Aviara real estate market.   There is no question that the Four Seasons carries a certain panache that creates a feeling of exclusivity for the Aviara area.  I have had clients in the past that found it of importance to be closer to the Four Seasons resort and it’s amenities.  So to a certain extent I believe it will make a change in people’s perception of the area in the short term.  It may take some time for the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort to establish itself as the pinnacle of luxury resorts for Carlsbad and San Diego County.   In the meantime, for locals it will be a little awkward getting used to calling it the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort.  Let’s hope the transition results in a maintained level of service for the property.  The good news is that this may be an opportunity to make the Park Hyatt Aviara more affordable and accessible, so that more people can enjoy one of the nicest properties San Diego has to offer.

Filed Under: Aviara Real Estate, Carlsbad Real Estate, Real Estate News

Median Home Prices in Carlsbad

April 14, 2010 By

The San Diego Union Tribune recently wrote an article about the improvement in median home prices over the last year in SoCal.  The largest increase was 15.8% (March ‘09 to March ’10), which happens to be right here is San Diego County.  In addition to the median price going up, sales have increased 6.9%.  This is the second year the number of sales has increased and we are still 18% lower than our 20 year average in San Diego.  Tells you a little bit about the mess we were in.  I have noticed first hand that the number of REO’s or bank owned homes on market have been considerably less, and recent stats confirm that foreclosure resale’s are down a whopping 38.4%.  All cash buyers are still dominant; they comprise around 27% of the market in March.  This is decent news for San Diego County, but….

What’s going on with Carlsbad real estate?  Well the answer depends where in Carlsbad. 

Change in Median Price from March 2009
Northwest Carlsbad (92008) +36.3%
Southeast Carlsbad (92009) -8%
Northeast Carlsbad (92010) -.3%
Southwest Carlsbad (92011) +10.7%

Looks pretty inconsistent throughout Carlsbad, doesn’t it? Well let’s take a look at what the median price really means.  A median price is derived from all of the middle value of all of the sold values.  So does this mean that prices are going up in Carlsbad?  Maybe, maybe not…  What it means to me is that the wave of market activity is changing in areas of Carlsbad.  For example, if there was an abundance of activity in the entry level and investment market, the median price would decrease although sales may have increased.  If the “move up” or luxury Carlsbad real estate market increased in activity, and sales decreased, the median price would increase.  So, median price tells us where the shift in market activity is taking place.  The Southeast Carlsbad area had the largest decline from March of ’09 to March ’10 (-8%), but has the most amount of activity (84 sales in the month of March).

Filed Under: Carlsbad Real Estate, Real Estate News

Carlsbad Real Estate Year To Date

April 12, 2010 By

What’s Up With This Market?

“What’s the market doing in Carlsbad??!!??”,”has the market stabilized???”, “is it a good time to buy???”…there’s a cacophony of questions reverberating in my cranium…is this what seems to be a 5 year nightmare or maybe it’s the reality of a shifting market.

The answer to these questions depend on what you’re planning to do in the Carlsbad real estate  market.  If you’re a seller with a $500k home in Carlsbad, you’re looking at a seller’s market.  This means there are more qualified  buyers in the market for your home than inventory.  If you’re selling your $2M ocean view home, than you’re in a buyer’s market.   The luxury market has not experienced the market activity that the entry level market has. 

Here are some recent Carlsbad stats (92008,92009,92010,92011) as of April 13, 2010 for the city of Carlsbad:

  • Active Detached Homes:  308
    • Short Sales:  40
  • Active Attached Homes:  215
    • Short Sales:  39
  • Pending Detached Homes:  104
  • Pending Attached Homes:  26
  • *Contingent Detached Homes:  53
  • *Contingent Attached:  53
  • Sold Detached Year to Date (April 13, 2010):  216
  • Sold Attached Year to Date (April 13, 2010):  112
Filed Under: Carlsbad Real Estate, Real Estate News

I’ve Heard of Impersonating an Officer, but a Landlord…

April 12, 2010 By

As a result of the excess of distressed property on market, there have been a plethora of scams to take advantage of property that is vacant due to foreclosure.  One of the top scams is impersonating a landlord.  Here’s the scenario, you have a vacant home that is foreclosed, bank owned, or any vacant property for that matter.  The scammer then places an ad to rent the property, using data from the web or from unauthorized Multiple Listing System access.  They use that info to post the ad using online services such as Craigslist, or in the local newspaper under an alias.  The price and the terms of the property are usually too good to be true, but they require first and last month’s rent, and a security deposit.  The fake landlord will either tell you that they are away on business and you have to mail them the payment, usually in the form of cash, money order or a cashier’s check.  Some of these scammers will even meet you in person at the property with a set of keys.  Unfortunately, once the renters move in and the listing agent or the property management stops by to inform you that you’ve been scammed, the renters are out on the street sans their money and a place to live.   There are several reasons why more of these scammers aren’t being caught.  One, they are requesting cash which are challenging for authorities to trace.  Two, because of the higher than normal inventory of vacant homes, banks and property management companies don’t have the resources to monitor all of their vacant inventory.  This scam is occurring across the nation including scammers taking advantage of distressed San Deigo and Carlsbad real estate.

Because this is becoming a more common scenario, legislation is in the process of escalating this crime from a misdemeanor to a felony.  If you see what appears to be the “impersonating a landlord scam”, contact your local police and the Federal Internet Crime Complain Center  www.ic3.gov

Filed Under: Real Estate News Tagged With:
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