The best choice of your home living

Archive for June 2nd, 2010

Article by Janet Strain

When you think about home security systems, what comes to mind? You might think of home security systems, safes, or locks such as deadbolts. However, a less costly option is the home security sign.

A Home Security Sign

You might have seen home security signs before, such as the popular, “Beware of Dog.” People with this home security sign posted might have a massive dog, or just a small dog. Maybe they don’t have one at all. Usually, though, an intruder won’t know that and might simply decide to stay away.

Another favourite home security sign says, “No Trespassing” or something like, “Private Property.” This might be useful for those living near public places or tourist attractions. It might also be that those using those signs like the terse wording. However, they’re not useful for keeping intruders out, only to let law-abiding citizens know they’re on private property and should get off.

Home security signs are not necessarily standalone, though. They might actually signify that a home security system is installed, such as a “This Home is Protected by “¦ Security” sticker place in your window.

There are also funny home security signs available, if you’re so inclined. These are easily found in catalogs. Examples might be a sign saying, “Beware of ferocious cat {rather than “dog”).” These are obviously meant for humor, not to protect your home.

Many different stores sell home security signs, such as department stores or home improvement stores. Prices will vary depending on what your sign states and how fancy it is.

Of course, home security signs are not almost as effective in keeping intruders at bay as a true home security system is. For your ideal protection, buy a system along with your sign.

Keeping Your Home Safe with Home Security Stickers

If you have a home security system, you’ll need to ensure that it’s not tampered with. If a home security system doesn’t work, it’s useless to you. In this case, home security stickers can help.

About Home Security Stickers

You’ve probably seen a home security sticker on someone’s window or front door. Stickers are place there for several reasons. If there’s an electrical problem in the home, the electrician or service mortal who comes to fix the problem should know about the home security system that’s installed. The home security stickers will help signal the service mortal (and remind you to tell him or her).

Home security stickers are also used to help discourage would-be intruders from trying to break in. Though not always successful, the signs might in fact stop an intruder from entering.

If you buy a home security system, the sticker will come with it. If your home security system is professionally installed, you’ll be given the sticker with the paperwork.

A question that many people have when they get their stickers has to do with where they should place the sticker so that is can be easily notices. Many people do not want to place the sticker on their window, as it would not look very good, and would probably be hard to remove too.

Thus, the other place that a home security sticker can be place is in the front door area. Where exactly will have to do with what the front area actually looks like. However, be sure that the sticker is place in that area, otherwise it might not be seen, and that is one of the things that definitely should be seen by service repairmen and robbers as well.

There are many ways to indicate to would-be intruders that your home is protected, and a home security sticker is one of them. They won’t keep intruders out by themselves, but they might just discourage them from going further once they have seen them.

About the Author

Janet is the author and publisher of http://www.homesecurityrecommendation.com a resource and information site about home sucurity

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Central San Diego Real Estate Market – Mid Year Snapshot of Median Prices (2006) – Single Family Homes

As of this writing, the San Diego real estate markets appears to have shifted from one that favors sellers to one that favors buyers. However, this premise might not hold true for all communities within San Diego, as median prices for some communities continue to rise while others fall.

While there are many metrics to evaluate the real estate pricing trends of a community, one commonly used parameter is to evaluate the median price of homes from one point in time against a prior point of time. The median price reflects the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The median price metric provides one method to examine the direction of home prices, but should not be used as the sole source of data from which to form conclusions.

The data below is a comparison of median prices for various communities in central San Diego County, comparing data from June 2005 against data for June 2006. This information is only one metric at a particular point in time, and other metrics or data from future months might support or dispute the pricing trends noted below. For some of the San Diego communities presented below, very few homes sold during June 2006, which diminishes the usefulness of the median price metric.

COMMUNITIES WITH INCREASES IN MEDIAN PRICE – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – JUNE 2006

The data below pertains only to the income of single-family homes, and does not include condominiums or townhomes. The data is organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the highest change in median price presented first.

For the Coronado real estate market, the median price was $1,775,000, which represents a 14. 7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (21 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Point Loma real estate market, the median price was $1,024,068, which represents an 11. 4% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 20 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the University City (UTC) real estate market, the median price was $780,000, which represents a 10. 6% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

For the La Jolla real estate market, the median price was $1,692,500, which represents a 10. 3% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 28 homes sold in June 2006 (38 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Logan Heights real estate market, the median price was $425,000, which represents a 7. 6% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Paradise Hills real estate market, the median price was $507,500, which represents a 5. 7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 8 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mission Hills real estate market, the median price was $927,500, which represents a 3. 1% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 11 homes sold in June 2006 (12 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Scripps Ranch (Scripps Miramar) real estate market, the median price was $759,250, which represents a 2. 8% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 34 homes sold this month (43 homes sold in June 2005).

For the San Carlos real estate market, the median price was $563,000, which represents a 2. 4% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 12 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Del Cerro real estate market, the median price was $557,500, which represents a 2. 1% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Normal Heights real estate market, the median price was $676,250, which represents a 1. 7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 20 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

COMMUNITIES WITH DECREASES IN MEDIAN PRICE – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – JUNE 2006

The data below pertains only to the income of single-family homes, and does not include condominiums or townhomes. The data is organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the highest change in median price presented first.

For the Old Town real estate market, the median price was $580,000, which was a 19. 1% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Golden Hill real estate market, the median price was $451,000, which was a 16. 4% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 10 homes sold in June 2006 (13 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Pacific Beach real estate market, the median price was $851,960, which represents a 14. 8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Tierrasanta real estate market, the median price was $570,000, which represents a 12. 6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 9 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005).

For the North Park real estate market, the median price was $560,000, which represents a 9. 7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 31 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the College Grove real estate market, the median price was $475,000, which represents a 5. 9% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 38 homes sold in June 2006 (40 homes sold in June 2005).

For the City Heights real estate market, the median price was $390,00, which represents a 5. 3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 17 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mira Mesa real estate market, the median price was $510,000, which represents a 4. 7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 45 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Linda Vista real estate market, the median price was $510,000, which represents a 4. 2% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 16 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mission Valley real estate market, the median price was $510,000, which represents a 3. 8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 7 homes sold in June 2006 (18 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Encanto real estate market, the median price was $435,000, which represents a 3. 3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 36 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Clairemont real estate market, the median price was $555,000, which represents a 2. 6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 30 homes sold in June 2006 (34 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Sorrento Valley real estate market, the median price was $861,000, which represents a 1% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 6 homes sold in June 2006 (5 homes sold in June 2005).

ADVISORY

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time, and is not conclusive of the pricing trends for any community. For some communities presented above, very few homes were sold during June 2006, which makes the use of the median price metric of limited value. The data must be evaluated over a longer duration, and involve multiple metrics to fully comprehend enduring market trends. Contact your Realtor to obtain information about enduring market trends for any given community.