San Diego Fun this Labor Day!!!

Hi there, Joe Omeara your local San Diego Realtor wants to tell you about some fun things going on this weekend for Labor Day!

Festival of Sail:

August 29 TBD; August 30 - September 2; 9am - 7am; September 3rd 9am - 5pm

$5 per person

Maritime Museum of San Diego

1492 North Harbor Dr.

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 234-9153

The largest tall ship festival on the west coast kicks off unofficially before the weekend starts, on Thursday and is one of the biggest Labor Day events in San Diego. Open to the public, visitors can head down to the bay and watch ships sail in under a salute of cannon fires while enjoying snacks from vendors. Friday through Monday feature daily activities including visits with ships and their crews, on-stage entertainment, arts and craft vendors and a variety of food options.

Hormel Black Label Bacon Fest:

August 31, 1pm - 5pm

$60.00 GA, $100 VIP

Preble Field at NTC Park

2600 Cushing Rd.

San Diego, CA 92106

(858) 518-8888

This 21+ Bacon Festival pays homage to all things bacon. Kill two birds with one stone and celebrate Labor Day in San Diego and International Bacon Day together with this unique festival. Leave the kids at home and enjoy the myriad of food, brewery, winery and distillery vendors. All of the bacon, cocktails, drafts and wines are included in the ticket price. Participating vendors include Samuel Adams, Hillcrest Brewing Company, Sea Salt Sandy Co., Blue Wave Grill, Stack Wines, Dos Armadillos Tequila and, of course, Bacon Vodka.

La Jolla Concerts by the Sea, featuring Sue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra:

September 1, 2p.m. - 4p.m.

Free Ellen Browning Scripps Park at La Jolla Cove

1133 Coast Blvd.

La Jolla, CA 92039

(858) 454-1600

Sue Palmer and her band take center stage at the last of La Jolla Concerts by the Sea’s free Summer Concert series. Head down to La Jolla Cove for an afternoon featuring live music, raffles featuring prices such as gift certificates to local San Diego activities and restaurants and enjoy a variety of food including typical festival fare such as chips, candy, popcorn and ice cream. This summer concert is a great family-friendly event.

84th Annual Labor Day Pier Swim:

September 2, 7:30am - 11:30pm

$35 with Pre-Purchase or $40

Oceanside Pier

1540 N. Harbor Dr.

Oceanside CA, 92054

(760) 435-1031

Sponsored by the Oceanside Swim Club, water enthusiasts can take advantage of the Pier Swim to get their last fill of the ocean for the summer. Featuring a one mile course with awards based on age, gender and division swimmers of all levels can participate. Swimmers need to be 12 or older (minors with parental consent), and should be aware of water temperature and surf conditions. Make sure to grab a T-shirt to commemorate participation in this great San Diego Labor Day event.

Hornblower Labor Day Brunch Cruise:

September 2, 11am

$60.00 (not including tax) per Person

San Diego Grape Street Pier

1800 N. Harbor Dr.

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 686-8700

Bow out of the summer season with a bang - indulge in Hornblower’s Labor Day Cruise and treat yourself to this 2-hour delight. Enjoy free flowing champagne and standard beer paired with a full brunch buffet, seasonal dishes and, best yet, a dessert buffet. DJ Entertainment is included, so get out on the dance floor or listen from a private table. Cruise-goers can head up to the sundeck for a narrated tour of San Diego Bay, or just to enjoy the view.

With all that San Diego has to offer, make sure to go out and indulge on the unofficial last weekend of summer! Print out this list of Top Things to Do on Labor Day Weekend from SanDiego.com, pack up the kids and wrap up the summer in style.

- See more at: http://www.sandiego.com/san-diego-blog/best-san-diego-labor-day-events-2013-announced-sandiegocom#sthash.0OPpeUYt.dpuf

Joe OMeara
ph:(619) 925-1972
www.joeomeara.com

San Diego County home values largest jump

The pace of U.S. home-price increases began to slow by mid-year but not in San Diego County, where values took their largest annual jump in more than eight years, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed on Tuesday.

San Diego home prices in June rose 19 percent from a year ago, which marks its largest year-over-year hike since March 2005. The latest data also shows San Diego is outpacing national home-price growth, which was 12 percent when tallying all 20 areas in the index.

This is often the storyline for supply-constrained counties like San Diego: A limited amount of land means a limited number of homes can be built, which tends to drive up prices, said Michael Lea, a real estate professor at San Diego State University.

"We have more land constraints than most other cities," Lea added. Similar areas include Los Angeles and San Francisco.

All 20 major metros in the Case-Shiller report showed price gains in June's report, but fewer cities saw faster growth this month than last month. In this report, six fit that bill. In the previous report, it was 10. Also, more than half of the areas in the index showed weaker month-to-month gains.

Joe OMeara
ph: (619) 925-1972
www.joeomeara.com

Provided by UT San Diego

New iphone cheaper to make but not cheaper for consumers...

As a San Diego Realtor, my iphone is a big tool for my business, and it is for many, many professionals.

Many analysts and investors have called for Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) to enter into the low-end smartphone market to lure in customers in China and other emerging markets. But the rumored iPhone 5C likely won't be any cheaper for consumers than the discounted iPhones Apple offers today; it will, however, be cheaper to manufacture.

According to the latest images leaked to tech blog Sonny Dickson, the iPhone 5C is a plastic-shelled, colorful version of today's iPhone 5. Why plastic? The casing of the iPhone 5C could reduce manufacturing costs by $17 dollars per phone, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Jasmine Lu -- no small amount when Apple is selling tens of millions of iPhones each quarter.

When Apple releases a new iPhone, the company's current strategy is to knock $100 off the price of its year-old iPhone and continue selling it as a "mid-tier" option. The two-year old iPhone remains on store shelves too with a $200 price cut.

Related story: Selling your old iPhone? Do it now

That strategy has become a problem for Apple: Older iPhones are an incredibly popular option among consumers, but the bill of materials on those devices is still exceedingly high. The two-year old iPhone 4S and three-year old iPhone 4 comprised just less than half of iPhone sales in the United States in 2013, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Gross margins have tumbled over the past year as a result.

The iPhone has never been a particularly cheap device to manufacture, but last year's iPhone 5 was the most expensive, resource-intensive device to produce yet. That's why it makes sense for Apple to take the iPhone 5 completely off store shelves when it unveils the new flagship iPhone 5S (or whatever it will be called). The iPhone 5C can slip in as the No. 2 phone in Apple's product hierarchy.

It's the best way to maximize profit margins without cutting into Apple's core, high-end market -- it would be foolish for Apple to cut corners on its best-selling, premium iPhone.

Apple declined to comment for this story.

But plastic doesn't have to mean "low-end." Plastic can actually add functionality and even fun. Plastic backs can endure more drops and hide more scratches than their glass and metal-clad peers. Colors can represent a form of personal expression for smartphone users who view their phones as extensions of themselves. It's why people loved the early iMacs, and colorful iPods.

The iPhone 5C can have an appeal that goes beyond value. If the iPhone 5C is a way to get consumers excited about a cheaper-to-manufacture device at the same price point, that sounds like a goldmine for Apple. 

 First Published: August 28, 2013: 6:06 AM ET at http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/28/technology/mobile/iphone-5c/index.html

Joe OMeara-  San Diego Realtor

ph: (619) 925-1972

www.joeomeara.com

DECLINE in housing inventory effecting your home search?

San Diego Realtor Joe Omeara talks about the housing market:

July’s real estate market data shows the nation experienced a 5.24 percent decline in housing inventory, which is the second month in a row with year-over-year inventory declines in the single digits. National median list prices increased 5.27 percent year-over-year while median age of inventory is down 16.67 percent. Which is making it even harder for buyers and their home search.

While California markets have dominated the list of markets with the largest housing inventory declines in the first part of 2013, they have been replaced by a new set of market leaders including: Detroit, Mich.; Boston; Denver; Honolulu and Naples, Fla. The large decreases in the for-sale inventory in these markets suggests the beginning of a housing market recovery process similar to what was observed in Florida in 2011, and in California in 2012 and 2013.

“The recovery is entering a new phase where inventory shortfalls are no longer the driving force behind changes in housing prices in many markets. Larger inventories, especially in the hotter markets that experienced rapid price increases in the spring, are expanding buyers’ choices and helping to moderate price increases,” said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Move, Inc. “This month’s report also underscores the uneven nature of the housing recovery and its dependence on the strength of the local economy.”

Joe Omeara
JoeOmeara.com
Email: JoeSDrealtor@gmail.com
Contact me HERE

San Diego Home Bidding Wars

San Diego County remains one of the most competitive housing markets in the nation, but local bidding matches appear to be easing, shows an analysis from online real estate brokerage Redfin. Competition softened in July due to an increase in listings and mortgage rates.

More than 70 percent of deals reviewed by Redfin in July faced multiple bids, a drop from 82 percent in June and a drop from 73 percent a year ago, based on the brokerage's data. The national rate is 63 percent.

San Diego and Orange counties faced the steepest decreases in competition month-to-month. Still, the two regions rank as the No. 4 and No. 3 most competitive markets in the nation. San Francisco and Los Angeles topped the list.

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