Daily Business Report — Oct. 12, 2009
San Diego County home sales rise
Home sales in San Diego in September reflected an increase over last year’s September sales and were up over August 2009 as well, the San Diego Association of Realtors reported. Sales of attached homes increased almost 4 percent, while detached were up 1.5 percent from September 2008. September sales outpaced those of August by 3 percent for attached and almost 4 percent for detached properties. Year-to-date sales for both types of properties are up over 20 percent compared to 2008.
The median sales price for detached homes was also up, exactly 2.53 percent since August and the same percentage compared to last year at this time. The median sales price for condos and townhomes, however decreased 9.5 percent over the previous month.
“We are pleased that sales continue to outpace those of 2008 and that the median price for homes is at an increase yet again,” said Erik Weichelt, SDAR president. “The $8,000 Federal Tax Credit for first-time home buyers has played a critical role in the recovery of the market. There are an estimated 350,000 sales nationally that were a direct result from the tax credit and nearly 40 percent of first-time homebuyers said they would not have purchased a home without the tax credit. We are working with our national and state association to urge Ccongress to extend the tax credit past the November 30th deadline so more buyers may take advantage of it.”
Highlights:
Total Sold Listings Comparing September 2009 to August 2009
• Detached: 3.9 percent increase
September 2009 = 1,753
August 2009 = 1,687
• Attached: 3.1 percent increase
September 2009 = 964
August 2009 = 935
Median Sales Price Comparing September 2009 to August 2009
• Detached: 2.5 percent increase
September 2009 = $384,000
August 2009 = $375,000
• Attached: 9.5 percent decrease
September 2009 = $204,950
August 2009 = $226,575
Total Sales Volume Comparing September 2009 to August 2009
• Detached: 5.6 percent increase
September 2009 = $855,135,844
August 2009 = $809,609,684
• Attached: 0.6 percent increase
September 2009 = $256,682,808
August 2009 = $254,967,554
Public meetings set to gain opinions on high-speed train system
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is hosting public scoping meetings this month to invite comments about a proposed high-speed train system from Los Angeles to San Diego via the Inland Empire.
San Diego area meetings will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.:
• Tuesday, Oct. 13: Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla.
• Wednesday, Oct. 14: Ramada Limited San Diego Airport, 1403 Rosecrans St., San Diego.
• Thursday, Oct. 15: Escondido Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido.
• Monday, Oct. 19: Murrieta Public Library, Eight Town Square, 24700 Adams Ave., Murrieta.
A total of 12 scoping meetings are scheduled from Oct. 13 to Nov. 3 along the proposed high-speed train corridor. The meetings will provide an open forum for public information and comment for visitors. The meetings mark the start of the project-level environmental process for this section of the train system. The Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration will prepare an Environmental Impact Report and an Environmental Impact Statement to meet state and federal environmental law requirements.
“The dream that began in 1994, when President Clinton signed my legislation into law identifying the route from San Diego through the Central Valley as an official high-speed train planning corridor is closer than ever to becoming a reality for California,” said High Speed Rail Commissioner Lynn Schenk. “The section between Los Angeles and San Diego via the Inland Empire presents a vital high-speed transit connection given the growth of the inland empire and congestion on I-15.”
Meeting visitors will be able to view maps of proposed routes and station locations, including maps of the 800-mile statewide High-Speed Train System and the more than 160-mile Section between Los Angeles and San Diego via the Inland Empire. Project planners will be on site to provide information and answer questions about the proposed routes and stations, the environmental process, the technical studies to be conducted, the electrical steel-on-steel technology, connections with other transit systems and the long-range schedule. Information also will be available about estimated travel times between stations for the train, which will feature 220 mile-per-hour maximum speeds on a mostly dedicated, grade-separated track.
During the environmental clearance process, plans call for the study of various routes to connect Los Angeles, San Diego and the Inland Empire. The Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration are scheduled to select a preferred alternative and complete the environmental documents by late 2013.
Hispanic Chamber to host E-Commerce Business and Tech Expo
The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce has announced it will hold its first Hispanic Business and Technology Expo in San Diego on Sept. 10-11 next year at the San Diego Convention Center. Tayde Aburto, president of the chamber, said San Diego was selected as the host city because its proximity to Mexico offers businesses the benefits of a globally strategic location. “This region has a high-concentration of Hispanic-owned businesses as well as a strong technology sector which provides the ideal climate to host the first Hispanic Business and Technology Expo,” said Aburto.
The Hispanic Business and Technology Expo will feature a Business Showcase where exhibitors will have the opportunity to increase their company’s awareness within the Hispanic community.,“The Business Showcase will provide outstanding opportunities for branding, sampling, product testing and market research,” said Aburto.
The Expo will also promote the use of the Internet as a sales and marketing tool. In addition, attendees will learn how to maximize business efficiency with the latest IT developments. “We want people to walk away with strategies, tips and tactics to help their businesses grow, profit and succeed,” said Aburto. “We are lining up educational and practical seminars geared at building business growth and development opportunities.”
Information about how to become a sponsor and/or an exhibitor at the 2010 Hispanic Business and Technology Expo can be found at www.hbshowcase.com or by calling the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce at (858) 768-2483.
Federal Contracts Awarded to San Diego Companies
• Salerno/Livingston Architects, San Diego, won a federal contract valued at up to $1.5 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, for architect and engineering services. Place of performance will be in Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.
• Geomorph Information Systems, San Diego, won a $96,937.27 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, San Bernardino, for professional, administrative and management support services for the Angelus Oaks Understory Burn Project. Place of performance will be in Angelus, Calif.
• Geomorph Information Systems, San Diego, won a $75,974 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, San Bernardino, for hazardous fuels and vegetation management activities. Place of performance will be in San Fernando.
Port of San Diego to offer free bus tours of the tidelands
The Port of San Diego will offer a new series of free bus tours that will take members of the public along the tidelands and behind the scenes of the waterfront. Participants can choose to start their tour in one of the Port’s two member cities — Chula Vista or Coronado. On the narrated, two-hour tour, the public will learn about San Diego Bay and what the Port and tenants are doing to protect the tidelands, become familiar with Port operations, see shipbuilding and repair facilities and get an up-close look at both the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and the National City Marine Terminal.
The bus tours run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and are available on the following dates:
Chula Vista:
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Wednesday, Feb. 17
Coronado:
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Tuesday, Feb. 9
Make your reservations online or by calling (619) 686-8008. Due to shipyard security restrictions, participants must be 18 years or older and must also show proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.
San Diego Pride drive to help charities during the holidays
San Diego Pride has established a “Milk Money” drive that will bestow monies to three San Diego charities throughout the holiday season. The drive commemorates Harvey Milk’s philanthropic legacy. Individual or corporate donations made to the Milk Money drive will directly support meal deliveries to those living with cancer or AIDS through Mama’s Kitchen, provide funding to The Trevor Project’s national suicide prevention hotline for LGBT youth, and assist in the Toys for Kids’ annual distribution, sponsored by the Imperial Court de San Diego.
“Each organization provides a vital role in assisting the most needed segments of the community, especially during the holidays, said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride. “No one should have to go hungry while suffering from a life threatening disease. No teenager should feel so isolated that suicide seems like the only option. And no child should be forgotten when we all have the ability to brighten their holidays with toys.”
Contributions can be made online at MilkMoney.Kintera.org, up to Dec. 15, or checks may be sent directly to San Diego Pride, P.O. Box 34366, San Diego, CA 92163. For more information, call the Pride office at (619) 297-7683 or visit the Website at SanDiegoPride.org.
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