Real Estate

Carlsbad Bargain Home of the Week

by Eero Lloyd Neutra on January 19, 2023

This week’s bargain $2.6 million dollar home is located in Olde Carlsbad on Oak Street. And what a delight it is. The freshly remodeled 1,900 square foot cottage features four bedrooms and three baths–all updated in the latest modern farmhouse style that photographs perfectly for posting to Redfin, Airbnb, VRBO, or Pinterest? (Do people still use that?)

Aside from the bedrooms, all the interior walls in this home have been artfully removed to allow for one flowing living space that includes entry way, living room, dining room, kitchen, and breakfast nook with a stunning brick fireplace as its center piece. The entire house features “White oak floors” that look just as good as the always popular vinyl flooring featured in so many homes for sale in the area.

The largest of the “bedrooms” (or what was previously the garage) could also be rented out as separate living quarters (to help pay the mortgage). The open-beam garage ceiling was left and painted white, as one does when flipping houses. The garage floor appears to have been covered in the same durable flooring used throughout the home and the old garage door was at some time in the distant past replaced with an expansive picture window offering stunning views of the multi-textured driveway and festive retaining wall. For the eco-minded buyer the bespoke, aged asphalt and concrete driveway also features decorative cracks with organic grass growing through out for a delightful mixed surfaces look.

The asking price for the property rolls in at $1,366 a square foot (or about two times the median selling price for a home in the zip code). But remember, this includes an enormous 1/3 acre lot of unimproved, flat, brush land that only needs your dreams to turn it into a garden haven, an ADU, or the perfect place to park all your cars, as there is no longer a garage. It appears that land on two sides of the property is about to be “developed,” so the time to buy is now before the lot gets ringed by three-story condominium complexes.

And best of all. . . free bird house.

[Link: Redfin.com]

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Next Measure A Result Update Tomorrow

by The Editors on February 24, 2016

carlsbad-no-signs

While the vote tally currently looks good for those hoping to defeat Carlsbad, California’s Measure A (the “no” vote is currently in the lead by 186 votes), the election is far from over. The County of San Diego Registrar of Voters says the next update to the election results will be Thursday, February 25, 2016 sometime before 5 PM.

This count will include approximately 4,100 mail ballots. The registrar is also in the process of reviewing about 3,000 “provisional” ballots, ballots that need additional verification before they can be counted. Those results are not expected until at least Friday, and possibly not until Monday, according to the registrar’s office.

In the yesterday’s election “provisional ballots” made up about 7.4 percent of the total. According to the PEW Charitable Trust, in the 2012 General Election 8.1 percent of California’s cast ballots were “provisional” so it seems like Carlsbad’s number is pretty much normal for an election in our state. It’s those late mail-in ballots that could get interesting.

To stay updated on the latest, please click here www.sdvote.com. Photo: San Diego Free Press

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Carlsbad Referendum Gets The Signatures

by The Editors on October 27, 2015

Caruso Affiliated’s plans to sneak their lagoon mall plans past the citizens of Carlsbad (and environmental checks and balances) are over for the time being, according to a  news release from the City of Carlsbad.

The County of San Diego Registrar of Voters has verified that a referendum to overturn the City Council’s Aug. 25 decision to approve The Agua Hedionda South Shore Specific Plan has the required number of signatures to move forward to the next step in the process.

So what is the next step? Well, the City Council has two options — they can either repeal the ordinance they passed on August 25, 2015 (which would be the cheapest way to go) or they can put the matter up for vote at either a regular election or a “special election.” It will be interesting to see which way they go as they claim a “special election” could cost the City of Carlsbad up to $550,000.  For the official word from the City of Carlsbad, please follow the jump.

[click to continue…]

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Sign The Referendum & Vote On The Mall

by The Editors on September 11, 2015

Caruso Bad
Anti mall sticker as seen on the seawall.

We believe that placing a shopping mall on the shores of Carlsbad’s Hedionda Lagoon is such a ridiculously dumb idea that we’ve found it difficult to even comment. Exactly why it’s foolish seems so obvious as to make listing the reasons redundant. We’ll cut to the chase: The Carlsbad City Council believes putting a mall on the lagoon is such a good idea that they approved Los Angeles based developer Rick Caruso’s plans without even asking the citizens of Carlsbad to vote. Luckily a group of Carlsbad citizens (Citizens For North County) believe we should vote on it. That’s why they’re out getting signatures for a referendum that will overturn the Carlsbad City Council’s approval and put the Hedionda Lagoon Mall up for vote to everyone in Carlsbad.

If you think the citizens of Carlsbad should have a voice in deciding the future of the community and a beautiful piece of open space on the shores of the Hedionda Lagoon, then you should sign the referendum.

This afternoon (Friday, September 11, 2015) you can sign the petition at the corner of Highland and Basswood from 2 PM to 6 PM. Or stop by the Dove Library (at Dove and El Camino Real) to sign. All your signature means is that you’d like the people of Carlsbad to have a vote on the Mall.

For a little more background on the issues and the current state of chicanery surrounding this mall project please follow the jump for a nice overview by Richard Riehl. [click to continue…]

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North County Times Says Hurray For Lowe’s

by The Editors on July 9, 2010

LowesHere’s a shocker. The North County Times “opinion staff” is all in favor of one of their advertisers opening a 153,974 square foot big box home store in Carlsbadistan.

That’s why they’ve written an editorial congratulating the Carlsbad Planning Commission for giving “initial approval” to the Sudberry Development company, for a “153,974-square-foot Lowe’s home improvement store, a gas station, food court and small bank” in the hole on the Southwest corner of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Rd. Yes, it is a lot that once was home to the Olympic Resort.

While we generally agree that attracting high-tech industrial, engineering and biotech companies ought to be the priority, we recognize the role that retail and like commercial services have for both nearby workers and residents,” the paper said.

Personally, we’d rather travel to the Lowe’s big enough boxes in Oceanside or Vista and keep Carlsbadistan free of big-box blight.

[Link: North County Times]

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The Lossings To Eat Up Even More Of Carlsbad

by The Editors on June 30, 2010

Thelossings-Tm-Tm-1At the City Council meeting last night (June 29, 2010) the City announced that to cover the $4.2 million in loans it has made to “keep the golf course in the black” it is now planning to “transfer” and possibly sell two pieces of City-owned property, according to a story in the North County Times.

Initially, the two lots were to be leased to golf-related businesses, but they have stood vacant since they were created. . . One parcel is about 5 acres and the other is about 7 acres. They sit on each side of College Boulevard on the eastern edge of The Crossings at Carlsbad course. . . Joe Garuba, who is handing the issue for the city, said after Tuesday’s meeting that there has been “some interest” recently in the properties, but declined to provide specifics about the negotiations. . . . “I’m not going to talk about who or what,” he said.

We have one question: How much of Carlsbadistan is this golf course going to eat up before someone puts a stop to it? The Lossings has already cost the City of Carlsbad nearly $70 million and now the City want’s to begin slicing off pieces of itself to pay for more?

If the City is going to sell anything to cover its golf course loans it should simply cut it losses and sell the golf course to Legoland. They can throw up a few block sculptures, create some Lego golf carts, call it the “World First Lego Golf Course” and charge $350 green fees.

We’re not usually in favor of privatization, but The Lossings has been a revenue suck for over a decade and the sooner the City gets out of it the better. Then the City can spend a tiny fraction of that money on things everyone will use like parks, swimming pools, and skateboard parks. . .

[Link: North County Times via VoteJonWantz]

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Kiko Beach

We’ve been fans of the Wolf Design Build’s Kiko Beach House on Carlsbadistan’s Ocean Street since the project was nothing more than a color Xeroxed flyer stapled to a fence. That’s why we were filled with holiday cheer to see it is on the market and a perfect gift for the person who has everything.

The five story tall, 7,000 square foot beachfront home features five bedrooms, seven baths, its own glass elevator, and a jacuzzi that rises above the pool like a champagne glass. The house was designed and built with the kind of quality and craftsmanship that suggests cost was not a factor. With an asking price of $17 million the Kiko Beach House is the single most expensive gift we’ve ever suggested in three years of the Carlsbadistan Twelve Days of Christmas. It won’t fit under the tree, but don’t let that stop you.

Tom and Peggy Cozens, Century 21 Sea Coast, (760) 930-9336

Previous Carlsbadistan Days of Christmas Gifts:
1. Ben Sherman At The M Collection
2. iPhone Boombox From Livespeakr.com
3. Prince Lionheart Balance Bike From Geppettos
4. Nambé Yaro Salad Bowl From The Poached Pear
5. The Stratos II From Spy Optic
6. Spa Samudra Beach Escape Package
7. New Village Arts’ Give 15
8. 27 Inch iMac From The Apple Store
9. Carved Teak Candle Holder From Maku Ecoshop
10. Box of Truffles from Carlsbad Chocolate Bar
11. Taryn by Taryn Rose Radiate Calf Leather Boot at Fairen Del

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Rancho Carlsbad Partners Go To Court

by The Editors on November 4, 2009

Things are not all peaceful and quiet at Rancho Carlsbad, according to a report on Courthouse News Service.

Twenty investors say their property manager and general partner embezzled more than $20 million and covered it up by calling it a “loan,” or “interest.” Rancho Carlsbad Partners say William Geary then engaged them in phony property deals to make it look like he was straightening things out. . . .Rancho Carlsbad Partners say their partner Geary, a Los Angeles-based real estate manager, defrauded them by diverting for his own use money that belonged to the group when they needed it most. . . The partners say Geary’s frauds lasted for 7 years, from 2002 until 2009.

There is much more to the Superior Court complaint, but we’ll let you read that in the story.

[Link: Courthouse News Service]

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Council Votes To Vote Next Week On Mall

by The Editors on August 12, 2009

The City Council has decided last night to put off voting on a shopping center that may be built at the corner of La Costa Avenue and Rancho Sante Fe Road until next week, according to a story on San Diego 6.

Some say the shopping center would bring in upscale retail shops within walking distance of their homes. . . But opponents say it would bring in more traffic to an already busy area, and the possibility of big box discount stores like Wal-Mart.

There’s nothing funnier than voting to vote later. Then again, the longer it goes without being approved the happier opponents will be.

[Link: San Diego 6 and North County Times]

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Barratt American Bites The Dust

by The Editors on August 11, 2009

Uti1407678 T350Carlsbadistan based homebuilder Barratt America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2008, however, that didn’t work out for them. Last week, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune, they dropped down to a full Chapter 7 when creditors say that “reorganization would be futile.”

Richard M. Kipperman, the court-appointed trustee for Barratt, said all that is left of Barratt’s many projects are two single-family homes under construction, one in La Jolla and the other near Lake Hodges. The owners are current on payments to Barratt and will have other contractors complete them.

But not to worry. Barratt President Michael Pattinson says he’s going to start a new company next year “after learning the lessons of building in a boom and bust.”

[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]

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