5055 Dassia Way

March 29, 2013 by 1 Comment

Hottest New Listing in Ocean Hills Country Club!

Tasteful Living Room
5055 Dassia Way is the hottest new listing to hit Ocean Hills Country Club this week.  It is the popular Paros floor plan.

Listing Remarks: Built in 1998, one of Ocean Hills newest homes, this Paros model has a great culdesac prime location.  Lush front yard, dramatic front courtyard entry with stamped concrete complete welcome you.  Park like, and very private, rear yard with raised dining area & built in bbq provide a great place for relaxing or entertaining.  Newer, neutral carpet and tile, plantation shutters, built in speakers in lr, mbr and family room add to inside charm.    The master bedroom is downstairs and has a soothing spa tub..  Upstairs is a professional built in office & guest bedroom.  Enjoy the spacious kitchen with island, built in pantry, and eating area.

Supplement: Ocean Hills offers the best in over 55 real estate at the upscale, affordable, retirement living community.  Ocean Hills is like living at a vacation resort. This exclusive guarded and gated community sits high on a hill 30 miles from downtown San Diego.  It is inland about 5 miles from the coast. There are greenbelts throughout the Ocean Hills to give the feel of separation and space.  There are no green fees since these are included as part of the association fees.  Ocean Hills Country Club homes enjoy the great year round San Diego mild weather.  Health Care: There are good health facilities near Ocean Hills. Tri-City Medical Center is a designated cardiac and stroke treatment facility.       Shopping: There is also an abundance of shopping available near Ocean Hills homes.  Besides the many fine neghiborhood shopping centers, there is Carlsbad Regional Mall.  Just to the south, also in Carlsbad is the Carlsbad Outlet Center featurning high end fashion at discount prices.       Architecture: The architecture found in Ocean Hills Leisure Village and the street names are  inspired by Mediterranean Sea Villages and Aegean hill towns, with red tiled roofs and bougainvillea-covered white stucco walls.  There are 1633 of these 55+ North County senior homes in the Ocean Hills.       Association and Management Company: The association maintains all Ocean Hills homes exteriors.  It also maintains the front yards from your front gate to the street.  Ocean Hills Country Club is managed by Professional Community Management (PCM).  This Ocean Hills retirement community has won over 10 major national and regional awards including the Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Retirement Senior Community.

This Ocean Hills home was listed by Gary Harmon, Real Living Lifestyles, Friday, March 29th.  If you would like to see this home or just get more information about this listing or Ocean Hills homes, contact Gary Harmon.

For other listings available in Ocean Hills see Ocean Hills Country Club homes for sale.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why Ocean Hills Sellers call Gary Harmon

March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

More Exposure – Faster Sale – More Money!

Why?

Answer: 87 % of all buyers start their home search on the Internet. Most Ocean Hills Country Club buyers start their search at Gary’s websites, www.OceanHillsHomes.com and www.HomeInfoSanDiego.com. Check for Yourself! Go to www.google.com or your Google search bar and type a related search term like “ocean hills real estate, ocean hills homes, ocean hills homes for sale, ocean hills listings”, or other related Ocean Hills searches. You will note that Gary’s websites show up at the top of the search for most terms relating to Ocean Hills. (See actual search example below 3/25/2013)

ocean hills real estate

Maximize the chance of selling your home!  List your “Ocean Hills home for sale” with an Ocean Hills Realtor whose website attracts the most buyers. Contact Gary Harmon, today.

Filed Under: Real Estate, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Write a Winning Purchase Offer

February 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Once you have looked at Ocean Hills homes, writing the offer becomes very important. After working hard all your life for your money, you don’t want to pay too much.  However, you do want to be successful in buying that Ocean Hills Country Club home. It is time to  contact Gary Harmon, your Real Living real estate agent and write the purchase offer.

Most things are negotiable in the offer, but in San Diego North County there is a standard to follow on most items. A good rule of thumb, using an old clicke, is to make any purchase offer a win-win for everyone. Your North County Realtor will know how to advise you.

Keep Your Offer Simple

Keep the purchase offer on the Ocean Hills home for sale as simple as possible. For example, don’t ask for closing cost back unless you need the cash.   Ocean Hills Country Club sellers will only be looking at the net price. Don’t ask for repairs up front. You can handle those later in the request for repairs. Structure you offer to keep things simple and clear for everyone to understand. If there are any items of personal property you are requesting that don’t normally come with the home, do them separately after you have an acceptance on the home. Don’t forget the big picture which is to buy your Ocean Hills home, not to get a good deal on a refrigerator, etc.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Focus only on what is important. The first important thing is the sales price. Your Ocean Hills buyers agent, Gary Harmon, can provide you with comps of other Ocean Hills homes to help you pick the right offer price. In this current Ocean Hills real estate market, homes are selling at or above listing price. If you offer low, many times you won’t get a counter offer, so put your best foot forward. The deposit, in Ocean Hills, usually at least three percent of the purchase price, is the next important item. How long an escrow will you need? It takes at least 30-45 days to get all the loan details worked out. Other items to consider are who pays escrow, title, and other closing cost. Ask your Realtor, Gary Harmon, what is customary in Ocean Hills Country Club.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Rental Advantages

February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Advantages of renting before you buy in Ocean Hills?

  • May be cheaper than a mortgage payment on your Ocean Hills home
  • Fewer (if any) maintenance costs
  • No down payment required (less deposit)
  • No real estate taxes (renters insurance optional)
  • Less stress (who cares, it’s not yours!)
  • Freedom to move or downsize when necessary
  • No risk of home price depreciation
  • “Free” amenities such as golf, pool, clubhouse, gym, security, and more
  • Money can be used for other, more profitable investments
  • Can’t be foreclosed on
  • Can rent to see if you want to live in Ocean Hills Country Club homes

If you would like to know more about renting in Ocean Hills Country Club homes, contact Gary Harmon.   Gary can help you find a rental that meets your needs.

 

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Reverse Mortgage Changes effect Ocean Hills Seniors

January 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The changes to reverse mortages are as follows:

  • Fixed Rate Interest options will be eliminated (post Feb 2013) and all future mortgages will be variable interest rate only. The specifics of the variable rate options (indexes, margins and rate caps) will be priced according to each lender. The HECM fixed rate program is the primary reason the program is showing an estimated economic value of negative $2.8 billion.
  • Creation of “set asides” for payments of taxes, insurance and HOA dues. As with all groups there is a percentage of individuals who exploit “loopholes” in any given program. In this case, a small minority number of seniors took a “lump sum disbursement” of equity (cashed out) and later (as housing values plunged) simply quit making their property tax, insurance and HOA payments. Or in many cases seniors became (increasingly) debilitated , many simply lost the ability to keep up with the paperwork demands of paying the bills.  This led to massive losses as homes reverted back to investors as seniors passed away or left the home for convalescent care. How exactly the “set-aside” issue is handled will be the most challenging.  The tradeoff of giving access to their full equity ( 50-80% max ltv) while still protecting the investors.
  • “Full Equity Disbursement” (aka FED) Currently seniors can receive their equity in one “lump sum” or a series of withdrawals (i.e. HELOC). This option will be scaled back (probablly eliminated) for several reasons. Many HUD housing counselors feel that this mass infusion of cash into a senior’s bank account often leads to poor financial planning for their long term future. Whether it be a crooked care giver, “impatient” future inheritors or just poor purchasing decisions (it is felt by HUD) that a large wad of cash is more easily mismanaged than a series a series of managed withdrawals. Scaling back FEDs will also solve issue number 2 (listed) above.

To get more information about how a reverse mortgage can help you buy in Ocean Hills, contact Gary Harmon today.

Above info supplied by Daniel Dobbs, Capital Mtg. Services.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Merry Christmas – Ocean Hills Woodchucks

December 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

For Sale Amenities Information Floor Plans

Every year in December, the Ocean Hills Country Club Woodchucks club organizes a toy drive for the kids at Camp Pendleton.  It is always a great success.  The members of the club spend countless hours making the toys shown below.

Toys made by Woodchucks Club

More Great Toys

The “Sewing Club” also contributes by making craddle quilts, etc for the craddles.  Each cradle has a doll with its own pillow and cover.

The Woodchuks also invite everyone in Ocean Hills to participate by bringing new unwrapped toys to the clubhouse (see photo below).  The response is overwhelming with bicycles, dolls, Legos, and all kinds of fun toys.  Everyone who brought toys or donated in any way should be gratified that they helped our future generation of kids know that grownups still care and think of them.

The hours, days and months that go into this project plus the toy and money donations show how important this project is to a lot of nice people in Ocean Hills Country Club.  I am sorry everyone cannot see these toys in person for I am amazed at the craftmanship and love that goes into each one.

Thank you Woodchucks!

 

Donations by Ocean Hills Residents

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Utilities and Helpful Telephone Numbers

December 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you are moving to Ocean Hills Country Club or some other area of San Diego North County, here are some telephones numbers that you can use.  Not sure who to call for your area, just  contact Gary Harmon for which utilities provide services to your new location.

While everyone’s utilities based on individual needs may vary, the following is a reasonable estimate.

  • Gas and electricity – $35 per month
  • Water, trash, sewer – $125 per month
  • Cable television and internet – depends on your plan
  • Phone (land line) – depends on service

Most people moving to Ocean Hills homes are able to reduce their utilities considerably.  Providers of utilities are:

  • SDG&E – 800-411-7343
  • City of Oceanside – 760-435-3900
  • Cox Cable -760-599-6060
  • SBC – 800-310-2355

For Ocean Hills homes, Waste Management is for your trash pickup and Cox Communications is for your cable television, internet, etc.  You can also reach Ocean Hills Country Club Homeownership Association at 760-758-7080.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Rent to Buy

November 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Photo by Gary Harmon

For Sale Rules Information Floor Plans Rentals

One of the comments I get the most from prospective buyers to Ocean Hills Country Club is, “Could we rent to buy.”   In other words they would like to take Ocean Hills homes for a test drive.  They would like to live here for a while to see if they like San Diego and Ocean Hills.   If they like it, and they will, they will buy.

With the current market being so good, sellers can just sell their homes in a few weeks.  There is no upside for sellers to offer “rent to buy.”   Therefore, rent to buy is pretty near impossible at this time.

If you would like to purchase an Ocean Hills home, I will make sure you get to see all homes currently available for sale in the Ocean Hills listed in the San Diego multiple listing system.  Many times I also have homes available that are not even listed.  You can use this website and my services as one stop Ocean HIlls shopping.  Save time by not having to call a different agent for every available listing.

Contact Gary Harmon today.

All original content by Gary Harmon.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Financial Strength of Ocean Hills September 2012

November 16, 2012 by 1 Comment

For Sale Amenities Information Floor Plans Rentals

One question I am often ask is, “What is the financial condition of Ocean Hills Country Club.”  Buyers do not want to make the mistake of buying in a community where their hoa fees may go up drastically or their home values go down quickly.  I am always glad to report the financial condition of Ocean Hills.  See the financial strength of Ocean Hills for the end of September 2012 under photo.

Photo by Gary Harmon

At the end of September 2012, Ocean Hills had reserves of $2,972,920.  Significant year to date below budged variances as of September, 2012 include Recreation payroll down $34,421 and Water down $38,099.  Ocean Hills Country Club total assets were $4,130,274 which includes $3,286,525 worth of FDIC insured CD’s.

If you are a potential Ocean Hills buyer or if your are thinking of renting in Ocean Hills, contact Gary Harmon today. 

All original content by Gary Harmon.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , ,

Controlling OHCC Hoa Fees

November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

For Sale Amenities Information Floor Plans Rentals

One of the great things about Ocean Hills Country Club is that the board is pro active in controlling hoa fees.  One great example is the re-landscaping of the area along Cannon Road.   See photo below for finished product.

Photo by Gary Harmon

Ocean Hills removed expansive areas of grass and replace them with low water usage plants.  They are expected to save over 90% of their previous water bill for this area.  They will also save considerably on landscape maintenance for this same area.

The best part is that OHCC did the entire job with only about $30,000 out of pocket.  This was accomplished because Ocean Hills applied for a grandt and received over $181,000 from the City of Oceanside for the turf conversion project.  A big thanks goes out to Tom Hoganand O’Connell and Van Dyke Landscape for making the project run smoothly.

If you would like to learn more about Ocean Hills homes, or schedule your own personal tour, contact Gary Harmon.

All original content by Gary Harmon.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »