Aviara’s Argyle: A Restaurant for Four Seasons

by Roberta Murphy The Argyle Steakhouse at the Aviara Four Seasons Resort in Carlsbad, CA has been a favorite with golfers, locals and visitors since it first opened in 1991. The views over Aviaras Arnold Palmer signature course and the beautiful Batiquitos Lagoon provide additional year round ambience to what is already a very wonderful restaurant. Until December, 2006 the Argyle served only breakfasts and lunches. It is now much…

May 3, 2007
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Do You Neighboroo?

by Roberta Murphy One of the more interesting sites to follow this past year has been Neighboroo. In fact, we now recommend it to both local and relocating San Diego area real estate clients when they begin the process of searching for homes. Though still in beta format, Neighboroo is amazingly rich in the type of information home buyers are seeking. Local housing market Average prices Neighborhood and community safety…

May 2, 2007
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Luxury Home for Jets and Toys

by Roberta Murphy Even private jet owners from Dubai might want to stop in Carlsbad, California for fuel, red carpet service and a concierge service second to none. Celebrities, business tycoons and savvy fliers already know about the Premier Jet facility at the McClellan-Palomar Airport and the buzz is starting to spread. With U.S. Customs opening an office at Palomar in June, a $24 million facelift in the works, and…

April 29, 2007
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La Costa Chateaus: A Tale of Two Sisters

by Roberta Murphy It was a developers mistake that should have never happened. Sometime around 1970, the developers of the original La Costa Resort and Spa allowed for the construction and sale of two 48 unit condominium buildings inside what would eventually come to be known as œthe gates of La Costa. These two buildings are the first to be seen by anyone approaching the resort from its main entrance….

April 25, 2007
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La Jolla, California: A Coastal Jewel

by Roberta Murphy Some cities are the embodiment of luxury,and La Jolla, California is no exception. La Jolla is a paradise for both the traveller and the resident. Sitting just north of San Diego, it offers a spectacular coastline with heart-stopping views. Add to the natural beauty a charming village, upscale shopping, fine dining and lodging, a top-ranked university (UCSD) and medical school—along with a climate that is arguably the best on earth—and…

April 24, 2007
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A Carnival of Luxury

by Roberta Murphy In case you have never visited or participated in a blogging carnival, please allow me to extend a hand and introduce you to a dizzying world of fun, opinions and amazing information. I have participated several times in the real estate blogging carnivals and look forward each week to reading the winning entries. I imagine it takes huge effort on the part of the host to read through all…

April 22, 2007
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Instant Homes Values via Your Cell

by Roberta Murphy Disruptive technologies are a special favorite on this blog, and HouseFront is the newest to hit my desk.  And it happened about twenty minutes ago, when I opened an email from James Eberhard, CEO of Housefront. The premise is simple. Want to know the value of a home? Follow these simple steps with your cell phone: 1.  Text any address to 46873. 2. Open your results a few seconds…

April 13, 2007
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The Bigger the Home, the Harder They Fall?

by Roberta Murphy A recent study of publicly traded CEO homes found a correlation between the size of the CEO’s home and the company’s stock price. It may come as a surprise to some, but the larger and more luxurious the CEO’s home is, the poorer the company’s stock tends to fare. The study is an interesting one, with credit going to Arizona State Crocker Liu and New York University’s…

April 11, 2007
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Fun Recipe for a Luxurious Lawn

by Roberta Murphy Paul Michael at Wise Bread swears that this lawn tonic recipe will do wonders for grassy yards, especially since it is the secret recipe of former Colorado golf groundskeeper Tim Heffron. It is also a recipe shared each year on his local Colorado station. Pauls article offers much more detailed explanation of how each ingredient works, but well provide his secret recipe here:   Gather from your…

April 5, 2007
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The Mortgage Graveyard: RIP

by Roberta Murphy The inevitable has happened. Fallen mortgage companies now have their own graveyard and we can also see those headed in that direction. Want to know which mortgage lenders are dead, struggling or being acquired? The Mortgage Daily has created a new online destination: THE MORTGAGE GRAVEYARD Here we can see the fallen, the failing, and those that have been acquired all the way back to 1999 -and…

April 5, 2007
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