July 31th, 2025 Happy Thursday All eyes were on the Fed decision yesterday. No rate cut (yet) for the 5th time in a row, but the tone is shifting. Fed Chair Powell said this about mortgage rates: It’s a subtle but important note. While the Fed doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, their messaging drives bond markets, and that’s what really moves the 30-year fixed. For buyers, this is a signal: the floor may be forming. We might not see a dramatic drop, but the big jumps are likely behind us....
7 days ago • 4 min read
July 24th, 2025 Happy Thursday I recently toured a home listed at $30 million. The owner, a designer with a 40-year career, said this was the culmination of everything she had ever learned, $20+ million poured into the build, every inch was WOW... It’s a bold bet. Rancho Santa Fe is one of the few places where this kind of vision might land. It's not Beverly Hills or the Hamptons, but it attracts people who value privacy, space, and security over flash. And while most people won’t buy a $30...
14 days ago • 4 min read
July 17th, 2025 Happy Thursday A few weeks ago, I had a buyer get cold feet and cancel escrow. We were at the top of his budget. The house was nearly turnkey, needed some window repairs, but nothing major. Still, my usual inspector cancelled morning of, and the backup inspector painted a picture that spooked my client. Fast forward to today, we’re in escrow on a different home. This one, pre-inspected, fully repaired, and owned by sellers relocating for work. It’s almost poetic. Sometimes, a...
21 days ago • 4 min read
July 10th, 2025 Happy Thursday Why Buyers Don’t Pay for a Test I met with a homeowner recently who said, “We just want to test the market.” But here’s the thing: Buyers don’t pay top dollar for a test. They pay for homes that are priced right, prepared well, and presented with confidence. I just listed a property where the seller wanted to try $1.4M. But comps were in the high $1.2s. If we went too high, we’d be sitting. Price reductions don’t fix that perception. Buyers assume the longer it...
28 days ago • 4 min read
July 3rd, 2025 Happy Thursday The 4th of July always has that way of making people pause: sun’s out, kids are home, burgers are fired up. It’s also when the relocation bug bites hard. Whether it’s ditching the heat for a coastal breeze or finally trading that condo for a backyard, lifestyle moves peak in these summer months. This week? We’re seeing that transition energy build. New listings are dipping a bit, but buyers are stepping back in, especially when there’s leverage. Here’s what’s...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
June 26th, 2025 Happy Thursday Behind the scenes: When slow markets build real confidence Sometimes the best moves come after a long pause. This weekend, I had a client making a huge life transition. Leaving his home of 30+ years and relocating to North County. We wrote an offer slightly under asking. The sellers countered. And here's the twist: it was a multiple counter, which meant another offer was in the mix… but no details on how strong it was. He hesitated. Was it legit? Were we being...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
June 19th, 2025 Happy Thursday Every week, I go to a Realtor network session where local agents pitch new listings and buyer needs. Normally, the new listing pitches take 15 to 20 minutes. Tight, efficient, and manageable even with 60 to 100 agents in the room. But lately? It’s a whole new rhythm. There are so many new listings right now that we had to flip the order of the meeting. Buyer needs used to come at the end. Now they’re squeezed to the beginning because the listing pitches are...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
June 12th, 2025 Happy Thursday A lot of people keep asking me, “Who’s even buying or selling right now?”The answer? Same people who always move: those facing life changes. The Real Estate world has a name for that... the 5 Ds: death, divorce, diamonds, diplomas, and diapers. Markets shift, rates fluctuate, headlines swirl. But life keeps happening. And when it does, people need housing to match their next chapter. Here’s what’s happening in real estate today: 3 properties to watch, 2 news...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
June 5th, 2025 Happy Thursday A few weeks ago, the market felt like it was cracking. Rates jumped. Headlines screamed. Buyers hit the brakes. That was April. Since then? The S&P 500 has quietly climbed more than 19% since bottoming out on April 8. The Fed stayed put. Inventory across North County kept building. You wouldn’t know it from the headlines, but under the surface, North County’s market is quietly recalibrating. Inventory’s ticking up. Pending sales just posted their sharpest drop...
2 months ago • 4 min read