A Novel Green Mansion

by Roberta Murphy Any verbiage I add to this photo would probably be superfluous, since this chatty picture already exceeds the expected thousand words. Hats off to someones clever recycling of mobile homes. Not sure if the intent was green construction, but the designer certainly managed to minimize the footprint of this little mobile home park. I also wonder about the relation of people who live here. And what about…

March 14, 2008
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A Luxury Home Bargain: Rancho Santa Fe Farms

by Scott Murphy Discriminating luxury home buyers in the San Diego area are starting to raise sophisticated eyebrows at some of the better real estate buys in luxury neighborhoods such as Rancho Santa Fe. One of the best buys on the market these days is a magnificent 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath single story estate on two level acres that was recently remodeled. This Rancho Santa Fe Farms home features a lagoon pool,…

March 8, 2008
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The Luxury Shower (and 5 Tips on How to Create One)

by Roberta Murphy Once upon a time, the lowly shower offered faint competition for the jetted bathtub. The bathtub was where one went to luxuriate, while the shower was a functional cleanser. Not any more. These days the lowly shower is one of the hottest home luxuries in demand. The shower stall might contain a steam shower, a multi-headed storm of warm water, or simply a place to stand under…

February 29, 2008
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Kinkos: The Ultimate Business Luxury

This past week, I have been attending Mike Ferrys Real Estate Productivity School in San Diego but played hooky today to meet with Pat Kitano, who thinks outside a totally different real estate box. But that is a blog for another time. Pat Kitano has just reported some juicy news that should cause luxury readers to jump with bridled glee: It is now cheaper to have Kinkos copy, collate and…

February 14, 2008
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Azulera: Costa Rica Luxury

by Roberta Murphy Azulera Resort Village on Costa Ricas breathtaking Guanacaste coast promises to be the luxury resort destination within the next two years. By then, it is projected, Greg Normans challenging beach-to-mountain golf course will be completed as will the five- star Hyatt Regency Hotel and the 64 ultra-luxury condos that will be contained within this gated Brasilito complex. The bio-sensitive Hyatt Regency Azulera Resort and Spa will coexist…

January 29, 2008
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2008 Luxury Home Design Trends

by Roberta Murphy This piece is for those of us unable to make the biannual trek to Paris for the biannual Maison & Objet trade show that features the hottest home decor designs produced by the smartest and most influential names in the industry. Those in the luxury home business are always on the prowl, trying to spot the latest trends that might help update, inspire and improve the luxury…

January 20, 2008
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Bargains in Luxury Real Estate

by Roberta Murphy To paraphrase Charles Dickens, these may be the best of times and the worst of times at least with San Diego real estate. Few are surprised that the real estate bubble popped in the plethora of new home subdivisions that peppered San Diego County in the last few years. Stupid loans and and unwitting buyers created a marriage that has crippled the real estate industry. But not…

January 12, 2008
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OpenHouse.com To Open Doors to All Brokers

by Roberta Murphy Today, Realogy is announcing that OpenHouse.com will become available to all real estate brokers, which should send up a collective cheer from home sellers around the country. The site will be comprehensive, easy-to-use, and postings will come from an automated feed from each broker’s office. Real estate brokers may also be smiling because this should sooner rather than later do away with the need to advertise open…

January 9, 2008
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San Diego Real Estate Exchange

by Roberta Murphy Bob Dyson is a real estate legend who recently launched Sothebys real estate offices in the San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas markets. He has kindly agreed to share some exciting news with us about a new real estate exchange program that is set to rock the San Diego real estate market mid-January. This program will do much to liberate locked-up equities in homes throughout Southern…

January 8, 2008
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WCR to Unveil California Blog Network

Updated note: This was written during the heady, early days of real estate blogging–when we are all going to be connected and syndicated in every direction. It never quite turned out that way. First came the Great Recession and many early players moved on to different ventures. As a seasoned and toughened San Diego Realtor, I continue to list and sell homes and write when the opportunity arises. Many of…

January 7, 2008
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