The former UltraStar Movie Theater in Carlsbad at the Plaza Paseo Real Center (Vons Shopping Center) in La Costa has been replaced by the new CarlsbadCinépolis Luxury Cinemas, which opened about a week ago.

What has been popular for some time in LA, and other areas, has made its way south – the Carlsbad Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas offers reclining leather seating, waiter service, food and a full bar, following the opening of the same chain theater in trendy Del Mar to the south.

There are 6 theaters at the Carlsbad Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, 2 of which are 21+ because of serving alcohol within.

With 532 total seats these theaters are pretty small, about 88 seats each.

The lobby at the Carlsbad Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas features a full bar, waiting area, and a concession stand selling gourmet food. You can also order food and drinks during the movie by pressing a button at your seat that alerts the server.

I haven’t been to the Carlsbad Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas for a movie, just to gander, and may not go, given the cost of per person PLUS the cost of whatever you decide to eat or imbibe. But no doubt it will be popular with some folks.

I talked with one of the employees and business is great, and people really enjoy working there, he said. I could tell, and that’s a good sign.

I have to wonder though – how much room is there in the theater, and is having servers running around waiting on people disruptive to those trying to watch the movie?

I think I’ll wait to get the word from several friends who are serious movie goers and no doubt will test this out before I jump on the bandwagon. Sitting at home in my own family room with a glass of wine and watching a DVD on the good ol’ flat screen with surround sound works for me. And the price is right, plus I don’t have to drive.

Carlsbad Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas

Plaza Paseo Real Center

6941 El Camino Real (at Aviara Parkway)

Carlsbad, CA  92011

Hours:  11 am until 1 am

(760) 603-8638

Check out their Menu below the photos.

Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas La Costa Menu

Your camera is a pretty important part of your real estate arsenal these days – true of many who are not agents, too.

Indeed, your camera just might be your BFF in real estate. For some it IS their business!

For sake of argument I’m including that camera that’s part of your Smartphone, but for some uses I think the digital camera is far better in terms of quality.

Yet, there are some who seem to have a fear of their camera, don’t like taking it anywhere in public, or otherwise act like it’s non existent. Fools!

I venture to say there are a myriad ways YOUR camera can help you  - working with buyers, marketing a property, blogging, and the list goes on.

Here are a few ideas; perhaps you can add to the list?

There is the obvious, of course, the MLS photos of the house, exterior and community. They need to be GOOD (how many articles do we see on THAT subject, yet so many seem to ignore the obvious – buyers WANT photos and make decisions about homes they want to see from them, right or wrong).

Help buyers remember the homes they visit when touring

Sharing information on homes you preview, especially those listings where the agent views photography as a disease to be avoided

Showcasing the neighborhood of your individual listings. And those photos should become part of your community posts, which themselves can be used in so many ways, including marketing listings

Documenting inspectional items such as potential repair issues. There are lots of inspectors who use the camera as a vital part of their inspectional and record-keeping process.

Showcasing neighborhoods you service – these can be the basis for your community profiles, which you should do for your blog

Documenting events you attend and places you visit: fairs, festivals, tourist stuff, art shows, openings of new facilities, restaurants, shopping destinations

Photos of interesting architecture, signs, sights, and landmarks in your community, etc. Sometimes a great photo will be the start of a blog post. What’s the history of that fountain or statue? The depot? The oldest building in town?

Build your repertoire of photos for blogging (I have over 10,000). You know by now, of course, to not copy other people’s photos. And sometimes clip art just doesn’t cut it. What are the photos that reflect you, your personality, and your community?

Take a collection of photos of your buyers’ new home to share with them after closing. Don’t you think they will love this and share them with friends?

Photos for use in marketing your services – your office, signage, equipment you use, marketing materials

Staging – those before and after photos are pretty important for your portfolio

Create tips for preparing your home for sale by using before and after photos

Conversation starter. I’ve had some people stop by to ask what I was doing, so I tell them about my blogging and being in real estate.  It also works well with business owners – stop in and ask about doing an article about their business with photos. Don’t forget to share that post with them!

It’s a portable copier. Snapping a quick pic of a document, a check, etc. when you are out on the road makes lots of sense. And on that Smartphone you can email the photo where it needs to go on the spot later print it out for your file if you want.

Photos are more important on-line than ever before and those you post WILL get picked up by the search engines if labeled correctly (remember those keywords) and will help with SEO.

I’d say treat your camera as an appendage. Take it wherever you go so you never miss an opportunity to snap a photo. I can’t tell you how many great pics that got away before my camera became a constant companion. The more you use it, the more you’ll use it!

Got any other thoughts?

Hindsight is usually 20/20, and it seems that the great

According to dsnews, federal and state officials announced late last week that the government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address “loan servicing and foreclosure abuses.”

The settlement agreement with the nation’s top five servicers (Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally Financial) provides financial relief to homeowners and establishes new homeowner protections. “This historic settlement will provide immediate relief to homeowners – forcing banks to reduce the principal balance on many loans, refinance loans for underwater borrowers, and pay billions of dollars to states and consumers,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. It is also interesting to note that the settlement will not preclude the government from pursuing criminal or civil, and borrowers and investors can still pursue individual or class action suits against the banks for robo-signing grievances.

Sounds like a lot of money, right? billion dollars. Well, here’s the breakdown:

The billion will be distributed in two ways: billion is designated for financial relief to borrowers, and billion in cash will go directly to federal and state government agencies. 

The billion in financial aid to borrowers will further be broken down into three categories: 1) billion has been designated to principal reductions for homeowners currently delinquent or “at imminent risk of default”; 2) billion has been earmarked for the refinancing of loans for underwater homeowners; and 3) billion is to assist homeowners through other means such as short sales, forbearance, relocation assistance, and aid for service members who have taken losses on their homes due to relocation orders.

So, when someone ran the numbers, they figured out that foreclosed homeowners are estimated to receive about ,000 after losing their homes.

In addition to the billion, the five servicers have agreed to a new set of servicing standards. That is, servicers have agreed to notify borrowers 14 days before referring their loan to a foreclosure attorney; adopt procedures to oversee and ensure proper conduct from all third-party providers; and discontinue dual tracking (the processing of a foreclosure while a homeowner is pursuing a loan modification or bankruptcy). The servicers have also agreed to establish a single point of contact for all borrowers who contact their servicer regarding a difficulty to make monthly mortgage payments.

Just like all of the other attempts to help those that are or were in financial distress, we will have to follow this one in order to see how it plays out.

Source: dsnews

(photo credit)

Here’s a recap of some of the interesting stuff that went on this past week in the distressed property arena:

Robo-Signing Settlement Has Arrived It sounds like quite a bit of money ( billion). But when you look at the numbers, is it really enough? 00 for every borrower that erroneously lost their home to foreclosure? If it was me, I might take my chances in Small Claims Court; I believe you can get up to 10 grand there. 

Generating More Traffic to Your Website thru Facebook. This sounds like a pretty good webinar, brought to you by the folks at Inman and Lowe’s. If you are an information junkie, you can tune in for any of our upcoming short sale webinars. Check out the webinar schedule if you are interested.

Make Your Short Sale Bulletproof  Nobody wants their short sale listing to turn into an REO listing. This article provides a few tips and tools for making your short sale transaction airtight—without even purchasing a bulletproof vest. 

And…. it seems that Pinterest is the next latest, greatest thing for Realtors®. Are you pinning yet?

There’s lots going on in the distressed property arena. And, if you are actively working with ‘distressed’ borrowers, it’s important to keep up with all of the changes in the industry. Sometimes that’s hard, which is why we’ve provided you with a weekly recap right here.

photo credit

The Lofts at Moonlight Beach Are Available Again (February 2012)

Buyers who want to be close to the beach and who are looking for condos for sale in Encinitas take note.

Yes, it’s true, the Lofts at Moonlight Beach are available for purchase again.

The Lofts at Moonlight Beach were completed back in 2008/2009 and were marketed for sale, at pretty hefty prices I might add, despite being 3 blocks from the best beach in Encinitas – Moonlight Beach – and a short distance to the heart of the Encinitas shopping and dining area.

These contemporary condos (there are commercial units, too) did not sell, despite significant price reductions and they were acquired by several investors and rented in early 2009.

Read more: Buying a Loft – Make Sure It’s What you Want

The Lofts at Moonlight Beach are again for sale and at significantly reduced prices. 14 of the 18 units are either sold or in escrow but 14 remain in the 5,000 to ,210,000 range with living space from 1581 SF to 2283 SF (in the 0/SF to 0/SF range where formerly they were priced in the mid 0/SF to mid 0/SF range).

Read more: Moonlight Beach in Encinitas CA – Terrific Beach, Great Area to Live

There are multiple floor plans, with 2 bedrooms, and 2 to 3.5 baths on multiple levels. Some units come with roof decks, or a den or family room. Garage parking is provide (some units had 2 spaces and others have 1 space and an outside parking space).

Units are occupied by tenants so showings are by appointment in advance. I toured these homes several times before and the location is great. Give me a call at (760) 840-1360 and I will arrange a personal tour for you, answer your questions about the area, and help/represent you through the process.

Search for Leucadia Homes for Sale

Search for Encinitas Homes for Sale

Search for Waterfront Homes for Sale in Encinitas

Search for Townhomes for Sale in Encinitas

There aren’t many opportunities to buy a new home in Leucadia, but the time is right now.

READ MORE:

Encinitas – An Eclectic Seaside Community

Leucadia – Surfers’ Beach Community in Encinitas CA

There are new homes for sale in Leucadia at the Leucadia Collection, a small enclave of only 13 uniquely-styled homes several blocks east of the Coast Highway, and thus near the beaches (Grandview, Stone Steps, Beacon’s). I took a tour yesterday now that homes are well under way and I was pretty impressed.

Apart from the architecture, which is different from the typical tract home, we see in new SoCal home communities, the new homes for sale at the Leucadia Collection offer Millgard wood windows instead of the usual vinyl, and all doors to patios and such are French doors rather than sliders.

The Leucadia Collection new homes are now selling (2 are already gone with several in reserve), offering both single story and 2-story floorplans ranging from 2880 SF to 3372 SF. Pricing starts at about 0,000 which is impressive given the proximity to the beaches, the area and being new construction. Lot sizes are generous, too, many more than 12,000 SF!

Monthly HOA fees are only 2, low for new homes, and Mello Roos are only 0 per year, also low for a new community in our area. Great Encinitas schools, too!

Enjoy the coastal Southern California lifestyle in these new homes for sale in Leucadia. I’m happy to introduce you to the builder, take you on a tour and help you take advantage of the impressive buyer incentive!

And if a new construction home in Encinitas and Leucadia is not of interest, or your budget is something else, start your search for homes for sale in Leucadia and Encinitas below:

Search for Leucadia Homes for Sale

Search for Encinitas Homes for Sale

Search for Waterfront Homes for Sale in Encinitas

Search for Townhomes for Sale in Encinitas

Coronado Hills consists of homes that are architectural delights—with large open floor plans, custom kitchens, and one-of-a-kind backyard landscaping. 

Coronado Hills also has a feeling of tranquility and quiet. With its nearby walking and biking trails and views are far as the eye can see, residents feel the beauty of nature just a hop, skip and a jump from the modern conveniences of the suburbs.

Check out the video below. Then, if you are interested in taking a tour of Coronado Hills, or any of the other lovely communities in San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside and beyond, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Want to see all the homes for sale in Coronado Hills and surrounding areas (updated every two hours)? Bookmark this page or save it to your favorites, and check ‘em, out below.