San Elijo Hills is an award-winning master planned community built atop the highest point in North Country San Diego, beginning around 2002. While a good portion of the community is fully developed and occupied, there are still 5 neighborhoods that are being developed, in various stages of completion. San Elijo Hills is highly desirable due to its coastal location, fabulous views, new elementary school, town center, and the overall vision and philosophy that forms the basis of its creation as a community for the people - a town where people can get to know one another, with small parks and community activities (e.g., ball games, movies at night in the summer), and the ability, for many, to walk to the center to enjoy the local café, go to the post office or visit with friends. A new gr... 07/05/2007

Gardening and landscaping is a big deal in Southern California, with the year-round weather conditions. One of the better places to shop for your garden is Green Thumb Nursery in San Marcos. Located along San Marcos Boulevard, heading toward Escondido, this nursery has a fine reputation in the area for the quality of plantings, planters, fountains, gardening supplies, outdoor furniture and helpful, knowledgeable staff.This nursery offers something for everyone, and even the most knowledgeable gardener will likely run across plants they have not seen before, although certainly every plant that is adaptable to the Southern California climate is not found here. Staff is especially helpful for those gardeners who are brand new or have limited knowledge about what will grow. They can also an... 06/18/2007

Reason #1: Mortgages don't lower home values. Your house will grow in value (or not) whether or not you have a mortgage. In fact, most people discover that, over time, their mortgage balance falls while their home value rises - creating substantial wealth they never expected. Reason #2: Your mortgage is the cheapest money you'll ever buy. Most people need to borrow money during their lives, so why pay 18% to credit cards when you can borrow at rates of 7% or even less?   Reason #3: Your mortgage is the best way you can lower your taxes. Interest you pay on personal loans, auto loans and credit cards is not tax-deductible, but for most of us, interest you pay on mortgage loans is fully tax-deductible, making the cheapest loan you'll ever get, even cheaper. Just imagine borrowing money fo... 04/19/2007

San Elijo Hills in San Marcos, CA San Elijo Hills, in the south west corner of San Marcos, is a highly-rated master planned community on the hills of North County San Diego (actually the highest point in the county at over 3,000 feet above sea level). Located about 34 miles from San Diego, and a short distance from Rancho Santa Fe Road, San Elijo Hills  was awarded the Master Planned Community of the Year in 2002 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The population is around 6,500. Experience the San Elijo Hills lifestyle in this short slideshow:  Established in 2000, San Elijo Hills consists of more than 3000 homes in a number of different villages, all with easy access to a traditional Town Center (reminiscent of communities in other parts of California and back East). ... 03/29/2007

Lake San Marcos is a residential and resort community in the southwest corner of San Marcos, bordered by Rancho Santa Fe Road to the west, large hills to the south, and San Marcos Boulevard to the north, close to the Carlsbad line. While adjacent to a busy commercial area of San Marcos, along the boulevard, the community itself is primarily oriented toward a quiet residential and resort lifestyle.  This community is located about 8 miles inland from the ocean and perhaps 35 miles from San Diego. Lake San Marcos is perhaps best known as a golfing resort area with 2 golf clubs (one Executive). Greens fees are very reasonable by area standards. A beautiful man-made lake (hence the name - photo at left) provides tranquil views for the residents living along its shores and up in the hills, a... 03/24/2007

Sellers, don't get depressed from the media's inaccurate presentation of the real estate market. The media thrives on hype so they over-dramatize reality.Yes the market has changed from 1 year ago but that is because annual price increases of 25 - 40% are unsustainable over a long period. Prices have flattened but you must analyze the activity in your specific sub-market to determine the appropriate price for your home or land. Beware of general statements about real estate. Do your due diligence and hire a real estate professional that can advise you based on analysis and professional judgement.Call us at the Crake Team. We would be happy to advise you how best to sell your home and/or buy another home. You can reach us at 760-510-1554 or check out our website - CrakeTeam.com.Thank you. 03/21/2007

San Marcos CAA Thriving Inland Community San Marcos, in San Diego's North County, is located about 6 miles inland from the ocean, and about 30 miles from the downtown San Diego.  The community covers about 24 square miles and, as of the 2021 census, had about 95,000 residents. Census data also indicate a fairly diverse population. San Marcos, because of its inland location, tends to offer a somewhat warmer climate than adjacent Carlsbad, although the west side of San Marcos gets some of the same coastal weather (marine layer, ocean breezes, cooler temperatures). The town is a healthy mix of residential and commercial areas, as well as undeveloped space, and due to Route 78 provides easy access inland to Escondido and the 15 freeway (north to Riverside County, south to San Diego) and wes... 03/17/2007

Here are the summary market statistics from the MLS for January and February 2007 for San Marcos.It's important to note that firm conclusions about San Marcos real estate should not be drawn from these data, since we are looking at a limited sample of homes for sale (31 days in January, and 59 days at the end of February). The inventory in San Marcos is essentially the same for both January and February, which represents a drop of 37% from the peak inventory we saw in August 2006.We are still seeing some shifts in the median price from month to month, likely due to correction that is still going on as well as the changes in the inventory of homes for sale. The prices have dropped a bit for attached homes from the level we saw a year ago, but the median has remained pretty much the same ... 03/13/2007

Here are the end of the year statistics from the MLS for the month of December.I provide these every month to my past, current and prospective clients, because I believe strongly that an educated consumer is in the best postiion to make a wise purchase and/or sale in this market.The inventory in San Marcos dropped 13% from the end of November, although this is likely due, at least in part, to the holiday season. Any changes in the period after the holidays will give us a good indication of what the spring market might offer. As you can see, prices are remaining fairly stable as compared to the previous month as well as a year ago, with just a small change in the median price for detached homes.Despite the change in the inventory, there is much for buyers to see and choose from. This rem... 01/19/2007

Here are the market statistics from the MLS  for October and November 2006 for San Marcos. As in other North County communities the inventory dropped a bit from October to November. In San Marcos the absorption rate also dropped. There was a small drop off in median price in November for both attached and detached homes. Prices are fairly similar to those of 1 year ago.Being aware of trends is helpful, but be careful to not draw any firm conclusions based on a given month, as data change from month to month.If I can provide further market information or answer any questions, please let me know. Data are available from a number of other North County communities.AS OF OCT. 31, 2006ATTACHED HOMESDETACHED HOMESActive206471Sold in Last 6 Months146311Sold/Pending In Last 6 months178406Absorpt... 12/11/2006

Dec. 1 -- Inventory for CONDOS / TOWNHOMES in San Elijo Hills is down (2) this week with 32 available. The "Average Active Listing" has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1,438 sq.ft. -- and is listed at $470,920 (up) with a market time of 64 days (down). 3 homes are currently "Pending."Dec. 1 -- Inventory for DETACHED HOMES in San Elijo Hills is down (5) this week with 74 available. The "Average Active Listing" has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,870 sq.ft. -- and is listed at $765,363 (down) with a market time of 77 days (down). 18 homes are currently "Pending."2006 YTD SUMMARY: CONDOS / TOWNHOMES -- The "Average Sold Listing" - had 3 bdrms., 2.5 bthrms, 1,439 sq.ft. -- with a sale price of $453,857 and a market time of 75 days.2006 YTD SUMMARY: DETACHED HOMES -- The "Average Sold Listing" - had 4 bdrms.,... 12/01/2006

Here are the MLS statistics I compiled for the month of September for the San Marcos, CA real estate market. (I track monthly data for all the coastal communities I service in San Diego County). A couple of points: The ventory dropped from August for both attached and detached homes The number of homes sold in the last 6 months also dropped as compared to the end of August The absorption rate for detached homes rose as compared to the end of August (from 7.5 months to 8) The median price for both attached and detached homes dropped slightly (about $2K) for both   AS OF SEPT. 30, 2006 ATTACHED HOMES DETACHED HOMES Active 216 542 Sold in Last 6 Months 152 330 Sold/Pending In Last 6 months 185 403 Absorption Rate (Solds) 256 days 296 days Absorption Rate (Solds Plus Pendings) 210 days 242 ... 10/27/2006