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University Heights – San Diego Neighborhood Spotlight

In this episode of Live Laugh Learn, we check out all the fun things to do and see in the University Heights neighborhood of San Diego, CA.

Why is it called University Heights when there’s no university in the neighborhood? What’s with all the ostriches? And where is Shirley Ann Place?

Get answers to these questions plus tips on places to eat, drink and play. Enjoy!

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Marston Hills Neighborhood Spotlight & Balboa Park

If you’re anything like me — a long-time resident of San Diego who had never heard of Marston Hills — you’re not alone! Marston Hills is a true gem within a gem, nestled in between Balboa Park and Hillcrest.
There’s Marston House, built by George Marston, considered San Diego’s first resident. The 8,000-square foot Marston House was designed by architects Sterling and Gill. This gorgeous estate was built in 1905, with 70 luxury estates surrounding it.
The original homes in this neighborhood were designed by Gill and Hebbard and built 1923-1936. With their luxurious, mature landscaping, some boast the first garages in San Diego as cars became more commonplace. The area is also known for its urban finger trails, which connect to larger trails leading right into beautiful Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is the fourth largest urban park in North America. The park is home to 21 museums, including the Museum of Man, the Timken Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts. With gardens, the zoo and so much more to do, grab a drink or meal afterwards at one of the many restaurants in the park, such as Panama 66 or Prado.
So, that’s an introduction to world-famous Balboa Park and the neighborhood of Marston Hills. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Live-Laugh-Learn with Chris!
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Bankers Hill San Diego Neighborhood

Do you know which neighborhood in San Diego is famous for having the first hotel to offer indoor plumbing? In this episode of Live, Laugh & Learn with Chris, Danielle and I take you on a tour of Bankers Hill, a little-known gem here in San Diego. We explore everything from historic landmarks to Victorian homes to show you everything this neighborhood has to offer.

Historic Meets Modern

Bankers Hill is a beautiful neighborhood in San Diego with a variety of unique features. One example is the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, built in 1912. It’s also part of the larger, famous, San Diego 7 Bridges Walk, three of which are located in Bankers Hill.

In addition, there are a lot of historical homes blending with modern ones—as well as emerging young professionals and new buildings. It’s a perfect blend of history and modern-day living. 

What’s In A Name?

Interestingly, Bankers Hill is the latest iteration of the naming of this neighborhood. Other names in the past have been Park West (which makes a lot of sense) and Florence Heights. During the neighborhood’s time as Florence Heights, it borrowed the moniker from the Florence Hotel.

Built in San Diego in 1905, the Florence Hotel was the first hotel in San Diego to have indoor plumbing. Unfortunately, the beautiful building burned down in a fire in 1950.

Food And Fun

Bankers Hill features a variety of great places to grab some great food and get a drink. A prime example is the Royal Food Mart, offering delicious sandwiches, sides and luxury grocery items. After that, you can head next door to Mia Trattoria to enjoy a delicious Italian meal.

Don’t forget to try Mister A’s, a restaurant with some of the most spectacular views of San Diego and amazing cuisine. Additionally, Hob Nob Hill is one of the oldest, most classic restaurants you’ll find in Bankers Hill. 

In addition to food and drink, a burgeoning bevy of boutiques is popping up all over the place. You’re also just a hop, skip and a jump from everything that Balboa Park has to offer. It’s one of the most amazing public play spaces in the entire city and county.  

Home Styles And Prices

When it comes to housing options in Bankers Hill, San Diego, there are a variety of options. The neighborhood features many historical landmarks such as the Timken and Marston houses, both Victorian-era homes. You’ll also see a lot of Spanish Revivals and Spanish Colonials, which are excellent examples of Richard Requa’s and Frank Mead’s work.

Scattered throughout Bankers Hill are also some Georgian Revival homes, which are fairly rare in San Diego. Craftsmen, bungalows, luxury condos and some older condos are featured in this neighborhood, as well. Because of this mix of homes, there’s a really wide range of budgetary options to choose from.

Homes in Bankers Hill start from the mid $500,000s to $2-3 million, with the median price of a home around $1.25 million.

Love Your Life In Bankers Hill

I hope you’ve had an enjoyable time looking around Bankers Hill with us. It’s a really fun, incredible walking neighborhood in San Diego. With amazing views from local bridges to historic homes, this area has it all. 

If you’d like to learn anything more about Bankers Hill or any other neighborhood in San Diego, give me a call at 619-925-2322. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel so you never miss a new episode of Live, Laugh & Learn with Chris, and stay tuned to see where Danielle and I tour next!

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B2B Interview: Why You Need a Trust

Did you know that creating a trust is one of the best things you can do for your family? In this episode of Live, Laugh & Learn With Chris, I talk with Adam Sherry, partner at Spector & Sherry LLP. We’ll learn why trusts are important, how to create one, and the benefits they can bring to both you and your loved ones.

Talking About Trusts

When it comes to trusts, talking about them can be a little scary at the beginning. However, a trust is one of the best things that you can do for your family, your earnings and everything that you’ve worked so hard for. 

Adam Sherry is an attorney—and he’s also a really great guy to talk to about that scary conversation that is great to have once. I put it off for many, many years, but I’m so glad that I had it. Adam is going to guide us through the ins and outs and the whys of trusts so you know exactly what to expect.

Why a Trust Is Important

At Spector & Sherry LLP, Adam and his partner focus on the things that are most important to their clients. They focus on property, loved ones, health and children when they’re part of the picture, too. Taking a holistic approach, they prepare documents that allow you to carry out your wishes at the point that you’ve either passed away or you no longer have the ability to do so. 

Of course, those are all really scary things that are very uncomfortable for people to think about. However, these are also great reasons why people should have a trust. This is especially true because there can be a negative impact if you don’t take care of this before the inevitable happens. 

For example, California has a very interesting law that relates to transferring property from one generation to another. Post-death transfers involve probate. One of the biggest problems for the people that Adam works with is simply the cost associated with probate. 

The Cost Of Probate

I help a lot of people to find wonderful homes, which is a journey in itself. Afterward, though, this can be a different story. If you continue to hold your home in your name as an individual on your death, you’re going to incur additional, court-related costs in order to transfer it—and these are totally unnecessary. 

For instance, if you were to sell a $500,000 home, court-related costs to transfer it to your children or someone else would be $13,000. If it were a million-dollar home, it would be $23,000. That’s not necessary. Rather, it’s just something that happens if you haven’t had a conversation with somebody who can help you do a little bit of planning. 

This planning ensures that those sorts of costs are not imposed upon your loved ones. Probate is like taking that money right out of your pocket. This is money that you worked hard to pass on to somebody whom you love and want to be the beneficiary of your hard work. Additionally, it’s totally preventable. 

Isn’t a Will Enough?

The cost of working with a trust attorney to get all of this set up ahead of time is much cheaper than going through probate. Additionally, a big learning lesson for me was understanding the difference between a will and a trust. I thought that if you had a will, then it just transfers—but I was mistaken.

Adam explains that wills allow you to identify to whom you want your property and monies to go. It can cover everything from your record collection to your new electric bike or skateboard. However, the actual process of transferring it is different. When you rely only on a will, it involves courts and delays—and you incur those costs. 

The will works in that the property goes where you want it to go. However, the process of getting it from your estate to your intended beneficiaries will involve unnecessary costs associated with court process, probate, and more. So while a will works, it’s a very expensive way to get things done. The will also doesn’t stop the fact that it has to go through probate when you pass away. 

How It Works

A trust is the only way to circumvent your property from going through probate. You transfer ownership of your assets into a trust while you’re living. Then, at the point that you pass away, it’s able to go directly to beneficiaries without having to run through the court supervision process referred to as probate. 

That was another huge life-learning moment for me. It really prompted me to have that scary conversation with Adam, who came highly referred to me by a great friend of mine. I’m so glad that I met with Adam, though I was hesitant at first at having to pay a couple of thousand dollars to get everything into a trust. 

Now that I know how much it costs to go through probate, I was happy to pay just a tenth of the potential cost—which could potentially be more. He saved me a bunch of money, which I’m very grateful for.

About Incapacity

Another thing that’s really important when considering these issues is the in-between time. Incapacity means you’re alive, but you lack the ability to direct how your affairs should be carried out. Of course, Adam and his team focus on transferring assets and making it easier for your family. They’re also concerned about keeping things moving and making sure that your wishes are carried out in the in-between time.

For example, let’s say that you’ve lost capacity because of a car crash and you’re in a coma. Or maybe you have something like Alzheimer’s or dementia. We put documents in place to make sure to carry out your wishes and keep your life going in the way that you want. We work on addressing those issues as part of the process. 

This is huge for me personally, as I’ve had family experience with dementia. It’s a growing issue that’s being diagnosed earlier and earlier, which is great. This allows people to plan better and get newer, better medicines to help them live a quality life for longer. 

Securing Your Family’s Future

I hope this gives you a better understanding of what trusts are all about. As you can see, it’s not such a scary scenario when you are dealing with a professional that you can trust, that makes you feel comfortable, that you have confidence in, and that’s going to do a great job for you and your family. 

If you have any questions or need further information, please give me a call at 619-925-2322. It would be my pleasure to put you in touch with Adam Sherry of Spector & Sherry LLP. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel so you never miss an episode of Live, Laugh & Learn With Chris. Stay tuned to see what I feature next!

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Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego

Did you know there’s a neighborhood in our great city that’s known as the Brooklyn of San Diego because of its amazing architecture? In this episode of Live, Laugh & Learn With Chris, Danielle and I take you on a tour of amazing Mission Hills, a great community here in San Diego. We’ll explore the food, fun and architecture that this neighborhood offers so you can see what it’s all about.

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Enjoy San Diego Summers At The Mission Bay Beach Club

Did you know there’s a great beach club in San Diego that once used to be an information booth in the 1970s? In this episode of Live, Laugh & Learn With Chris, my gal pal Danielle and I visit the Mission Bay Beach Club, San Diego’s newest waterfront destination. We’ll explore everything from the coffee and juice bar to beach rentals offered so you can make the most of your summer days.

Everything’s Better At The Beach

The Mission Bay Beach Club is located on San Diego’s beautiful Mission Bay. The building used to be an old information booth in the 1970s, which ran derelict before being resurrected. There’s a café, rentable bikes, an ice cream cart and more. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy those endless summer days!

Aside from offering great amenities and places for people to sit and relax, the Mission Bay Beach Club also hosts a variety of activities, such as yoga in the park. They plan to host events in summer, such as concerts and more.

Vegan Options At Superbloom

If you want to grab a soothing cup of coffee or an organic, cold-pressed juice, you’ll want to stop at Superbloom. They have an amazing assortment of vegan treats, including hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies. Though I’m not normally a huge fan of vegan food, Superbloom’s selection is actually really tasty.

Superbloom is definitely a spot you’ll want to come and check out. Made with vegan ingredients, you might be surprised at how delicious their options are.

Enjoy A Day At The Bay

I hope this gave you a good idea of the food, fun and beautiful scenery you can enjoy at the Mission Bay Beach Club. Make sure you stay tuned to the next edition of Live, Laugh & Learn With Chriss for more pop-up fun with my gal pal Danielle Berkeley.

If you have any questions about living or real estate in San Diego, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to help!

 

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Is It Time To Sell Your House In This Hot Market?

Have you thought about how awesome it would be to take advantage of selling your home in this unprecedented seller’s market, but your property needs a little TLC? In this video, I’m going to explain your options and show you how to get the most out of your home sale. We’ll look at how we helped one family get over $250,000 more for their property with zero out-of-pocket costs for them.

Selling Your Home

Here at Big Block Realty, we have options for you. If you have your own funds to put into a renovation designed to make you heaps more money, then we can execute that plan for you. We’ll bring it to fruition and market your home for you for top dollar.

If you don’t have your own money for a renovation, we have a financing option for you, too. We’ll front the money for you for the whole project so that it’ll be zero out-of-pocket expense for you upfront. This will allow you to renovate your home and bring it up to today’s market and standards.

Even after the costs of financing the project, fronting all the construction fees, and everything else, you will still make and net significantly more than if we just stuck a sign in the ground.

We Can Help

We helped one family net over one-quarter of a million dollars more than if we had simply stuck a sign in the ground. First, there’s the cleanup, then the construction, and finally, the staging. This all helps us get to an amazing finished product that got this family top dollar on their home sale.

If you have any questions on how we can help you maximize the value of your home and investment, please give me a call at 619-925-2322. I look forward to hearing from you!