I just listed a stunning home in Carlsbad. It is a view home just a few miles from the beach in the gated hilltop community of Mar Brisa. It has 5 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The BEST part is that this home is upgraded to the hilt!I am holding an open house this Sunday, March 21, from 1:00-4:00, so come on over and take a look!

Features: Slate flooring downstairs with custom inlays (so beautiful), hardwood upstairs in all bedrooms, granite kitchen counters and oversized eat-in breakfast bar plus large island, Plantation shutters, separate dining room with built-in granite serving buffet, cozy family room with surround sound and monster wiring, vaulted ceilings, open living room with built-in bar area…

The master suite is very large and open with vaulted ceilings, and has exceptional views of the mountains, canyon, rolling hills, golf course, plus peek ocean views. The master bathroom is complete with a slate shower and sunken tub, plus granite counters and a big walk-in mirrored closet. All the bedrooms are well-sized and there is a convenient upstairs laundry room.

One of the biggest selling points of this home is the yard, which is an entertainer’s delight. The owner just completely remodeled it, complete with custom hardscape that has beautiful tiled inlays, raised gazebo sitting area, retaining wall, serene fountain and a stainless barbeque. The foliage is just beautiful and you can literally sit in your yard and really enjoy the outdoors and the incredible views. There is also a grassy area…no expense was spared.

The home boasts a large 3-car garage with tons of storage, and is located on a prime lot directly next to the Olympic sized community pool and spa, so you practically have a pool in your yard without the maintenance!

This home is listed for $799,000 and any or all furniture may be purchased as well. Please contact me for any further information and visit the open house this Sunday from 1:00-4:00. To see the virtual tour visit http://flashitfirst.com/Gallery/1400_sapphire_dr_bt1/

If you are a Carlsbad resident you need to be aware of a very important issue that could impact your property values and quality of life for many years to come. There is a proposal to build a new power plant on the existing power plant site on the coast just north of Tamarack Avenue on Carlsbad Blvd. The California Energy Commission will meet in February 1 and 2 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbad. Public comment begins at 6 p.m. on both days.

For those who are unaware, there has been a bitter battle over replacing the existing plant with a new plant. Many local residents and Village and beach lovers oppose this idea and are in favor of building the plant further inland, away from the coast (as the plant no longer needs salt water to run, which was the reason it was built by the coast originally, many years ago). Doing so would save the coastal land and allow for other uses, prevent pollution along the coast (it is estimated the new plant will increase pollution 10 times the current rate), prevent an eyesore (the current tower would be overshadowed by two 14 story towers and multiple industrial structures) and prevent potential danger from having a power plant so close to Interstate 5. The City of Carlsbad is opposed to the new plant as well.

Please view the video to get further information on the proposed changes and please attend the February meetings if you want to voice your opinion. Let’s keep Carlsbad the pristine beach town that it is, and not bring more pollution and ugly industrial plants to coastal property.

For more information from the City on the proposed power plant please go to http://bit.ly/92USKj.

On Tuesday, January 12 the Carlsbad City Council was presented the Community Vision. This is a plan for the future of Carlsbad and focuses on growth, sustainability, preservation and future planning. It is a very positive step in the collaboration between City officials and residents, and is great news for Carlsbad.

The Envision Carlsbad Program, sponsored by the City of Carlsbad, played a major role in obtaining input from over 7,000 residents via surveys, interviews, workshops and citizens’ committees. The process really focused upon the needs and wants of Carlsbad citizens, and on and continuing to make Carlsbad a wonderful place to live, work and visit.

Topics of interest included maintaining a beach town feel, education, the arts, culture, nature preservation and trails, recreation, transportation, neighborhood revitalization, connectivity, local economy, tourism, livability and sustainability.

The next step in the process will be for the City to compare the residents’ vision to the plans, regulations and policies of the City of Carlsbad. The City will then be able to determine how to effectively incorporate the vision into it’s General Plan. The acceptance is a wonderful indication that the City wants to work with residents and help drive Carlsbad into the future with purpose and fresh ideas. To learn more please visit http://www.envisioncarlsbad.org.

This is the first in a series of blogs that will focus on the happenings at local parks. Poinsettia Park, a beautiful 42 acre sprawling park located in South Carlsbad between Poinsettia Lane and Palomar Airport Road, just off Hidden Valley Road, is a busy place right now!

If you have driven by the park lately you may have noticed a lot of big dirt movers, men in hard hats and safety cones. Currently two new parking areas are being installed at the park, to be completed shortly. This is part of the master plan for the park and will be welcome by park users, especially during baseball games, heavy tennis times and summer concerts in the park.

Recently Poinsettia Park completed an addition of seven new tennis courts just over a year ago, bringing the total to ten lighted courts. Two years ago the tot play area was rehabilitated. The park also has lighted basketball courts, barbeque areas, walking/running trails throughout, lighted baseball fields, childrens’ play areas and a synthetic turf athletic field. It is the largest public tennis complex in the City of Carlsbad. In the summer Poinsettia Park is one of the parks to host Friday jazz concerts in the park.

The master plan for Poinsettia Park includes the addition of a Recreation Center (much like the one at Stagecoach Park), but due to current economic conditions that is on the back burner for now.

Many local residents, myself included, have wondered whether Poinsettia Park will ever open a dog park area. Well, according to a representative from the Parks and Rec Department for the City of Carlsbad, that is not planned for the immediate future. The closest city dog park is located Ann D. L’Heureaux Dog Park, just off of Carlsbad Village Drive, east of El Camino Real.

If any dog lovers are interested in working with me to petition the City Council for the addition of a dog park at a South Carlsbad Park, such as Poinsettia, Aviara, or other parks, please contact me!

Poinsettia Park is a beautiful park and has something for everyone, including many places to relax. Be sure to check back here soon for a review of more Carlsbad Parks!

I wanted to blog on this topic because I was in the middle of a chat session on another site where a question was asked of realtors. The question was, “Why is there such a negative attitude toward real estate agents?” You can imagine the slew of answers that resulted from this. In these answers some respondents mentioned that they felt a lot of agents were whining. I am not going to whine…quite the contrary.

Being the best you can be at what you do is no easy task, no matter what profession you call your own. It is easy to just go to work, do your job and come home. I surmise that a large majority of people are in this category. But to surpass adequacy you need to stretch yourself–you need to not only work hard, but always keep in mind that you are representing and helping PEOPLE, and that you can make an enormous difference in their lives. So, what does it take to be a stellar agent?

LISTEN: A stellar agent has to listen to her/his clients. You are helping your client and need to understand what they need, what is important and what their limits are. Listening is the most important element in any relationship, and a stellar agent knows this.

DILIGENCE: You have to work hard for your client, but work is not measured in terms of hours or number of homes shown. Instead, it is determined by your efforts and your attitude…by the true genuine nature of the work you put into every transaction.

HONESTY: This one is a given, but you’d be surprised by the lack of it sometimes (I’m not talking just real estate, I mean in general). You need to be honest with your clients. If you listen well and they find a home that they think is hands down “it,” but you know something that may sway the decision, you have to share it. I am not telling you to make any decisions for your clients (that is not our job…despite the fact that many clients try to have you do so!), but I am saying that we have to lay all our cards on the table for our clients.

CARING: If you don’t truly care for your job or for those you help it will show. If this is the case you need to find another profession where you do not have a great impact on peoples’ lives.

KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE: As with any job, the degree of knowledge you possess is a reflection of the type of agent you are. You can learn as you go along or when a situation arises, or you can make the extra effort and continue to study–the market, the neighborhoods, the changes in laws. A stellar agent never stops learning.

INTEGRITY: I am not listing these characteristics in any particular order, but this one is definitely one of the most important. The stellar agent lives up to very high ethical standards. There are enough people in this world who do not heed the importance of integrity–some of them are very successful. If you have integrity and always honor it, you will not only succeed, but you will have a better attitude and go further than average agents.

ATTITUDE: It’s all in the attitude. Many people have said an agent must have thick skin, and that is true. It is also true that if you do something you love you will be a more satisfied person. Your attitude is a reflection of you and your work.

COMMUNITY: A stellar agent contributes to his/her local community and stays involved. I am not talking of traditional marketing and ads. What I refer to is blogging, answering questions on internet forums, reading and responding to other real estate blogs. The nature of our business has certainly changed with the invention of the internet. It is no longer about just plastering your picture on a truck or posting ads in the paper to get clients. The stellar agent takes advantage of the opportunities out there to connect with people and display their knowlege, to learn concerns and be helpful.

I am a stellar agent and plan to continue to be one. Yes, it is time-consuming but it is worth it because I actually love what I do for a living. I can incorporate my love of the law, my passion for writing (I already published a book to help people facing foreclosure), my fondness for working with people and my thirst to continue to be a lifelong student, into one job! What more could you ask for!