This weekend is the official kick-off to Summer Concerts in the Gardens.

Once a month through the Summer, the City of San Marcos hosts live music at the Wood House Gardens in Woodland Park. 

Concerts start at 7pm & gates open at 6pm.

Tickets are $6 pre-sale or $8 at the door. $3 for kids under 12.

Season pass is only $25!

Purchase presale tickets at the San Marcos Community Center or the San Marcos Senior Center up to 1 day before each concert.

Bring beach chairs or blankets for lawn seating.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase.
760-744-9000

Here’s the line up:

Saturday, May 19
Skelpin (Irish/Spanish Fusion)

Saturday, June 23
James Kruk (Elvis Tribute)

Saturday, July 28
Savor (Santana Tribute)

Saturday, August 25
Sue Palmer (Queen of Boogie Woogie)

Friday, September 7  *6:30 pm start time, gate opens at 5 pm
Clay Colton Band (Country)
Featuring Phil’s BBQ on-site cooking
Food is not included in admission price

For more info visit: http://www.ci.san-marcos.ca.us/index.aspx

Chocolate Festival

San Diego Botanic Gardens

Saturday, May 12, 2011
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Love chocolate? 

Need to do some last minute shopping for Mom?

Or take Mom for the day?

Head to the San Diego Botanic Garden this Saturday May 12^th for a Chocolate Festival. Enjoy dozens of delectable chocolate tastings, demonstrations, a chocolate fountain, and more. This family-friendly event! There will be lots of children’s activities and a variety of Mother’s Day gifts. “Tasting” tickets will be sold on site.

• Enjoy dozens of delectable chocolate tastings from our many chocolate vendors
• Demonstrations about Chocolate in the walled garden
• Children’s Activities for ages 2 – 12
• A variety of Mother’s Day gifts

Chocolate Taste Tickets
Purchase at entrance to Chocolate Area.
Tasting prices vary.“Tasting” tickets will be sold on site the day of the event.

Cost: Free with admission or membership, plus tasting tickets will be sold on site. 

Admission
Adults $12
Seniors, students, active military $8
Children ages 3-12 $6
Members- children ages 2 & under FREE

Craft Activities For Children Of All Ages

• Face Painting
• Kite Wind Chime
• Mother’s Day Keepsake
• Garden-themed Plaster Ornament
• Plant Potting with Pot Decorations

For more information about the event or the gardens, visit: http://www.sdbgarden.org/chocolate.htm

Sunday May 6th from 8am-5pm Carlsbad is hosting their bi-annual street fair in the heart of the village.

The fair features over 850 unique vendors, making it the largest street festival of its kind in the county. The art fair offers a variety of everything, including arts and crafts, antiques, unique clothing, items from around the world, home goods & more.

This year you’ll find the international food court featuring more than 50 booths serving everything from Thai to Hawaiian cuisine. Plus, the children’s area will entertain the little ones with games, a super slide, a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, face painting and arts and crafts.

Of course the street fair wouldn’t be the street fair without a beer garden hosted by The Rotary Club of Carlsbad. The Beer Garden will be featuring local beers from breweries like Stone, Pizza Port, Lost Abbey & On the Tracks Brewery.

The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad will continue its 25-year tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at the Carlsbad railroad depot. The meal, which includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, will be served between 7am-12pm.

For added convenience, complimentary shuttles will run to and from the faire. Shuttles will pick up and drop off passengers at the Poinsettia Coaster Station and the northwest corner of Sears at Westfield Plaza Camino Real.

• Carlsbad Village Street Faire
• Sunday, May 6, 2012
• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad
• (Grand Ave. from Carlsbad Blvd. to Jefferson St.)

What do you do? I have to admit when people ask me that question I tend to cringe because I know the minute I open my mouth & say, I’m an agent, people automatically put their guard up. I’m sure they thinking, Oh man this lady is going to try & sell me.  I mean how could they not, that’s the first thing I think when someone tells me their an agent. God help me if they work in the same area. (eye roll)

This brings me to my initial question of, what do you do? As an agent, there’s so much that goes into the “job”. Not only do I help people with facilitating one of the most expensive transactions in their life but I am also their therapist. Yeah, a therapist. It’s true. Haven’t you heard that buying or selling a home is an emotional process? It’s always a ride & a wild one if you hire the wrong agent.

So how can you tell if you’re dealing with the wrong agent? It’s easy if you ask what questions to ask & have a solid conversation. Here are some of the questions I suggest & topics I would bring up if I were in your shoes.

When was the last time you sold a home?

A true hard working full time agent has sold at least one home within the last 30-90days. If it has been longer than six months since their last sale, I would be worried. The market trends change so often that you really need someone who’s got a pulse on what’s happening today. Not last year. Not six months ago. Today. In fact, just this year alone we’ve experienced some major changes in the market & especially in mortgage finance. Please, seek advice from an active real estate professional not a friend of a friend who has their real estate license.

Why do you choose to work in this area?

This isn’t a question that comes up often but it’s so important. This question will give you insight to their expertise of the area. A passionate & well informed agent can explain why they recommend certain cities & neighborhood. All too often I hear of agents that work all of San Diego. Really? It’s not really possible that an agent could do that well. I’m a San Diego native & I don’t the entire county. I mean, I know where cities exist on the map & what freeway to take but I don’t know every neighborhood within each city of San Diego. Now, if you ask me about North County. I know this “hood like the back of my hand. I can tell you what side streets to take to avoid rush hour traffic, the best places to eat, fun things to do for a date night & awesome trails to hike. Sure there’s Google & Yelp but a vetted perspective is invaluable.

Tell me about the client you’ve helped. Did they sell/buy? Was it a distress? How long did it take? What was involved? What was the outcome?

This conversation will tell you so much about the agent. Sure someone could BS the heck out of you but in all reality this type of question will elicit more than just a response. It will help you determine the agent’s communication style & how well they can articulate their experience. I have so many stories that I usually share multiple examples whenever possible.

For instance, I’m representing clients who are buying a lovely home on two acres in Escondido. We’ve completed a series of inspections from the general home inspection to a roof inspection to having contractors give bids on potential work for the soon to be owners to consider in the near future. One of my biggest challenges with this transaction has been the listing agent. Not only has he failed to provide all of the disclosures within the contractually obligated time frames but he also has no idea how to facilitate a transaction. To make certain that all is being done according to plan & in the best interests of my buyers, I’ve picked up the pieces this agent has left behind. From following up with the termite & septic inspectors to providing updated forms for his sellers to fill out because the forms he was using are so outdated (circa 1980). To top it all off, I’m answering all of his questions about what’s required of him in a real estate transaction. Really? I couldn’t make this stuff up!

I wonder if those sellers ever thought to ask these questions of their agent. I guarantee if they had they wouldn’t be taking a bath on the sale of their home. Lesson learned, tough stuff. Please do yourself a favor & have a conversation with the agent you choose to represent you. When you pick the right agent, you won’t be scratching your heads saying, what do you do?

—–

Want to have a conversation about your real estate questions? Call me 760-593-7393  or email me: carol@ncsdproperties.com

I just got back from RETSO this week in Atlanta Georgia. WOW! What a week it was! This is by far the best real estate technology conference I’ve been to yet. There were so many brilliant people speaking transparently about the ever changing industry & world that we live in today.

I was fortunate to room up with my buddy, Kelly Mitchell. What a power house! She hosts a show called Agent Caffeine…every Thursday at 6pm PST. Check it out!

The first day of the conference is always the most exciting because of the anticipation of what to expect. With so many relevant topics, everyone can feel the buzz of excitement…the energy level was high!

Jeff Turner with Zeek Interactive opened up the conference by suggesting that we “unplug” & when we are “plugged in” to have a strategy. This came as a surprise as were attending a Real Estate Technology Conference but with that being said all too often we, real estate agents, don’t have a business plan & chase the shiny objects as they are presented to us at these events.

Jeff shared a story about Linsey Planeta with the OC Real Estate Voice & an agent that she coaches. This agent had a social media strategy but realized he hadn’t sold very much real estate that year. Sound familiar? Linsey helped him get back to the basics by making calls, meeting with people face to face & hosting open houses. Within just a couple months, that agent sold more homes than he had the entire year before.  It’s not to say that you should go out & host open houses; it means you need to have a plan. Jeff went onto say that people think they have a strategy but that really it’s just to make X amount of dollars. That is not a strategy.

In between sessions people were migrating through the halls. I had the chance to connect with the Geeky Girls just before Dan Stewart from Happy Grasshopper spoke about “Dedouching” the Sales Process. Dan spoke about how we as consumers don’t want to be sold & can smell it a mile away. His email nurturing system allows agents to stay in touch with their current & past clients by providing a consistent & relevant message that gets response. I’ve personally used this service for the last 6 months & can honestly say its sparked conversations with people who hadn’t replied or even clicked on my previous email campaigns. Cool stuff!

Marc Davidson from 1000Watt Consulting spoke about Disruption.

How the world around us is changing & those of us who embrace the change now will be recognized for disrupting the status quo. He used the Good Life Team as an example by how their brand is received by the public, as a technologically savvy real estate company who wants their community to live a Good Life. As opposed to the big box names that are recognized but just for selling real estate. Big difference.

Marc also gave us insight to some others disruptors, like Task Rabbit & Rapportive (a Gmail plug-in that crawls email addresses for additional information associated to that user. I.e., FB, Twitter, Linked In) I’ve used this plug-in & it has worked wonders for connecting with inquiries that just offer their emails. What resonated with me the most from Marc’s talk was that our industry as we know it today will not be the same in 5 years.

With services like Task Rabbit, consumers can hire out locals to show them around rather than contacting an agent right away. Plus, the local who’s hired isn’t bound by a code of ethics & can say which neighborhoods are quiet, gay & lesbian friendly or the best school districts. That statement alone made me realize that I have some work to do with my branding & showing people why I am important to the community.

What I enjoyed most about Marc’s talk was when he spoke about Alpha Waves. He said the best way to trigger these is by taking a bubble bath. That task was high on the agenda when I finally settled in at home from my trip.

The Following Day 

The lineup was just robust as the previous day. Matthew Shadbolt with the Corcoran Group speaking about why Social Media makes us miserable & I unfortunately missed this talk as I stayed up a little too late with some friends that night before. The personal connections are another reason why I loved RETSO. I had the privilege of hanging out some of pretty amazing peeps like: Inna Hardison & Jon Hardison, Suzanne Roy, Jeff Chalmers, Peter Toner, Coleen DeGroff, Kathleen Seide & Kelly Mitchell. These people feel like family to me. As if I’ve known them my entire life, just picking up from where we left off from last time even though we just met.
We talked shop but mostly laughed & enjoyed each other’s company. Connecting with each of these fantastic humans really made me want to learn more about their businesses, how I can support them & promote their hard work. In the end, it’s the relationships that you take the time to build that improve your life.  There were many others that I didn’t have the chance to dig  into deeper conversations with like Mana Tulberg, Elaine Hanson, Anand Patel, Maura Neill, Derek Overbey, just to name a few. RETSO was about growing my Real Estate Family, one personal connection at a time.

Friday ended with a bang

Daniel Rothamel reminding us that the flame within us will not die once we leave the conference. We are RETSO! We are the ones in this industry that are making & adapting to the constant change & challenges that forced upon us.

I am still buzzing from this conference.

My promise is to continue to raise the bar in this industry by being transparent & consistently sharing my experiences within this ever-changing business we call: Real Estate.

On a personal note…

Now I’m back home in San Diego & happy to be with my loved ones. I missed my husband dearly (it was only 3 days but this man is my bestie)

We met up for lunch at our favorite dive while I inundated him with my entire experience. He listened. He’s such a good listener.

When I finally walked through the door, there was Buddy, happy to see his Mama. Mind you, he hadn’t eaten for a day because he missed me so much. Here’s a picture of him the day I got back.

The cats, Red & May, well they ate of course but as soon as I unpacked they decided, next time they want to come with me. God it’s good to be loved.

There are so many Easter themed things to do this weekend in North County that I thought I’d compile a list of all these events for your convenience.

Easter Egg Hunts throughout North County on Sat 4/7:

Encinitas

• Encinitas Easter Egg Hunt & Festival
• 10am-1pm
• Ecke Sports Park 278 Saxony rd
• http://www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/index.aspx?recordid=3064&page=21

Carlsbad

• EGGstravaganza Spring Festival 10-1pm
• Activity card $5. Unlimited fun zone wristbands $5.
• Food & Beverage will be available. Bring cash.
• Poinsettia Park 600 Hidden Valley Rd
• www.carlsbadca.gov

Oceanside

• City of Oceanside Easter Egg Hunt
• 10-11am
• Buddy Todd Park 3000 Mesa Drive
• (760)435-5041
• http://www.oceansidechamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=1133

Vista

• Easter Egg Hunt
• 9am-12pm
• Brengle Terrace Park 1400 Vale Terrace Drive
• Free
• http://www.cityofvista.com/press/VistaEggHunts2012.cfm

San Marcos

• San Marcos Holiday Egg Hunt & Breakfast
• 8am – 12pm
• Walnut Grove Park 1950 Sycamore Drive San Marcos
• Tickets $5 adults, $4 youth for breakfast
• www.san-marcos.net

Paws in the Park is this Sunday March 25^th from 8-12pm at Kit Carson Park in Escondido.

Celebrate the bond between you and your pets! This event is held to raise funds and awareness for animals in need. Paws in the Park is the largest fundraising dog walk in North San Diego. The money that is raised at the event helps care for 5,000 animals each year and protect 150,000 more in our communities. Every penny raised at Paws in the Park will go directly toward animals awaiting a home at the Escondido Humane Society, and your participation in the event will make life better for animals in need.

Sunday 3/25 Paws in the Park event highlights:

8 am - Registration and light refreshments

8:15 – Meet Paws in the Park emcees Heather Myers from San Diego 6 and Sam Bass from KyXy 96.5

8:20  - Meet Paws in the Park 2012 Spokespet Bogey

8:40 – Walk warm-up with Tamilee Webb of “Buns of Steel” fame

9:00 – Walk kick-off!

10:00 -  Meet Gloria Winship and Shane Ayon with the Animal Actors International Talent Agency. They have recruited numerous pets for music videos like the Great Dane’s in Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” and “Telephone” music videos and other TV and print campaigns. Gloria, Shane and their Great Danes will be at the park all morning!

10:15 - Canine Couture Fashion Show

10:45 - Wet T-Shirt Contest (don’t worry, it’s for the dogs!)

11:30 - Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps will be on hand with Dr. Bronner’s Magic-Foam Truck. That’s right … there will be “snow” in Escondido! (Suggested that kids wear layers.)

All day: Paw Vendor Expo, opportunity drawing, giveaways, games for people, and pets

For more information visit: http://www.escondidohumanesociety.org/ehs_003.htm

Community support. That’s what I focus on with my Facebook page, 365 Things to do in North County San Diego.

I started this project in April 2010 with the intention of showcasing the best of the best in our community. The idea stemmed from many other agents across the country who decided to take this wildly intense project on for their communities. Why? For the love of it!

Though, I have to be honest, there were  are times when I don’t love it that much. I said, I was going to be honest.

I am extremely passionate about North County. Born & raised in San Diego, I know it like the back of my hand. Supporting local business owners, sharing the hot spots, posting pictures from around town, sharing this knowledge with you makes me happy.

But you know what I will never do, sell you.

People hate to be sold. I hate to be sold. I’m sure you can only imagine how often I’m approached to post (sell) things on my FB page. People think of all sorts of cleaver ways to self-promote. The latest was a person attempting to befriend me only to find out they were looking for a way to get me to post about what they wanted to sell. Yeah, not cool.

The thing that bothers me most is their insincerity. Don’t pre-tend to care. People can smell it from a mile away. Funny thing is all this occurred over email & I could still sense their ulterior motive. We are smart, people. Don’t try to sell us, we hate it.

My promise to you is to share my knowledge of the area & keep you posted about what’s going on in North County because I care about this community. You’ll see that I do this with benevolence. For the last two years, not a single dollar has been made from this page.

Crazy right? People think I’m nuts to continue the project. I’m not giving up on it because I want to be recognized as someone who cares about North County & in return I hope that you will see that I am a great real estate agent who is a valuable resource to this community.

North County’s 1st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival is being held on Saturday 3/17/12. The event is hosted by the Vista Village Business Association.

The day will start off with a parade at 10am & the festivities go on until 4pm.

There will be something for everyone, like:

• A scavenger hunt for GOLD! (You search for clues could lead you to be the winner of a gold coin valued at $250.00 by sponsor John Shakarian Jeweler)

• See Miss Celtic Queen of North County (The pageant will be held Friday, March 16th)

• Limerick Readings (Be part of the fun of this very old Irish Tradition)

• Mother Earth Beer Garden  (Try Mother Earth Beer, California Fruit Wine, & Chocolate pairings)

• Games & Contests (See your Red Head or Freckled child shine on St. Patricks Day)

• Chalk Art (Professionals & Amateurs alike can show their skills. Squares will be sold for $5.00 and include chalk.)

• Celtic Concert with Patric Petrie & Steelin’ Tin (Stage will be on S.Indiana between Main Street and Broadway in Historic Vista)

Want to avoid the traffic & dealing with parking?

Take the Sprinter! NCTD is sponsoring the event with offers of 2 for 1 SPRINTER fares all day on Saturday 3/17 and 2 for 1 Coaster fares after 2:00pm. https://www.facebook.com/GoNCTD

For all the details & full scoop on this event visit their website: http://www.northcountystpatricksdayparade.com/

We’ve come a long way!