There is a critical shortage of housing inventory. An excessive amount of red tape helped cause that shortage. Now, the City of Chula Vista is considering additional regulations on Housing Providers.

The proposed "Residential Landlord and Tenant Provisions" will impose the following:

• Regulations that make substantial remodels, owner move-ins, and withdrawal from the rental market more difficult by adding stricter noticing requirements and relocation assistance requirements.
• The creation of laws that allows for civil action and damages of $1,000-5,000 per violation per day.
• The criminalization of any violation of the ordinance and the creation of fines in the thousands of dollars.

Mayor Mary Salas requested the creation of this ordinance in response to calls from tenant and rent control advocates. Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of this ordinance would end up harming tenants as well.

The unintended consequences of this ordinance will include the following:

• The added difficulties of being a housing provider in Chula Vista will discourage the creation of much needed additional housing. This will hurt all of us, including those who would have a much harder time finding a place to rent. 
• The added difficulties of undertaking substantial renovations would deter owners from upgrading unsightly buildings. This hurts the tenants who would live there and the livability of the surrounding communities. 
• Provisions in the ordinance meant to prevent harassment of tenants would actually deter property owners from dealing with tenants who cause nuisances. This would hurt the tenants and all neighbors who live nearby and would have to deal with the nuisances.

It is well established that when you add regulation to something, you get less of it. We need more housing, not less. The State of California has recently enacted protections for tenants by enacting AB 1482. If there are problems for tenants, the City could focus on finding better ways to enforce existing laws, rather than adding more regulations that will negatively impact our already scarce housing supply.

Please send an eComment to the City stating your opposition to this misguided ordinance by clicking on the button below, and then clicking on the "Leave Comment" button:

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Not sure which Councilmember represents your neighborhood?  See below.

Links to virtual showings, tours, and open houses are no longer exempt 

Due to recent lifts to COVID restrictions in our service area, we have lifted the exceptions to CRMLS Rule 12.5 that we implemented in March 2020. These exceptions allowed listing agents and brokers to place links to virtual showings, virtual tours, and virtual open houses into public remarks fields.

CRMLS has returned to enforcing the original definition of the rule, which reads in part:

12.5 Misuse of Public Remarks.

Information in the public remarks shall only relate to the description, features, and condition of the property and related amenities. The following types of information may not be included in the public remarks:

• Contact information of any kind;
• Branded content;
• Links to external websites of any kind, including but not limited to, agent or broker sites, video tours, virtual showing or open house tools, vendor sites, or offer submission/application/auction platforms;
• Showing instructions or open house information;
• Information regarding lockboxes, alarms, gate or other security codes, or occupancy status of the property (a statement that the property shall be delivered vacant is not a violation of this section);
• Information deemed to create an unsafe or unsecure circumstance related to the listed property, property occupants, real estate practitioners, or the public;
• Information directed toward agents or brokers, including but not limited to, references to compensation or bonuses;
• Solicitations or invitations for the public to contact the listing agent or broker or any third parties affiliated with the listing agent or broker, and;
• Content that violates Fair Housing law or that is deemed discriminatory, illegal, defamatory, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate. CRMLS reserves the right to remove and issue citations for any inappropriate content.

Violations to this rule may result in a citation and associated fine. Visit https://go.crmls.org/crmls-rules-and-regulations/ to read the full text of Rule 12.5. For further information or to chat with a Compliance Analyst, please contact us via the Compliance page on CRMLS.org.

CRMLS offers a variety of resources to educate you on our products and services. Click above to visit the CRMLS training center.

If you need MLS support, please click above or call (800) 925-1525 to be assisted.

Your listing data is safe, clean, and accurate. Click above to chat live with a CRMLS Compliance representative.

Questions remain about the City of San Diego’s pending ‘No-Fault Eviction' Moratorium.

On April 4th, after almost six hours of public testimony which included comments from PSAR volunteers and members, the city council passed the ‘No-Fault Eviction' Moratorium ordinance. The ordinance must come back for a second reading a month after the first reading and will go into effect 30 days after final approval.

Thanks to the efforts of PSAR and our colleagues, the original ordinance was amended to include an end date or sunset on September 30, 2022 (or 60 days after the end of the local emergency) whichever is sooner.  Realtors are wondering about how this ordinance will impact property owners who want to sell.

• No termination of tenancy is allowed for a substantial remodel unless mandated by the government or court order.
• Owners who wish to move into their homes or move in family members will have to serve a 90-day notice to terminate the tenancy. An immediate family member is limited to a parent, child, grandparent, and grandchild.

Property owners who wish to terminate a tenancy in order to withdraw units from the rental market, this includes selling a home, must provide a 6-month notice.

The ordinance is likely to receive final approval next month and it will cause unintended consequences. Additionally, some of the language is vague and confusing. Once the ordinance is finalized, PSAR will schedule legal counsel to brief our members on its impact. PSAR will continue to review the ordinance and is prepared to challenge it again at the second reading.

Before working with a client to terminate a tenancy, it is important to speak with your broker and legal counsel. This ordinance will put many owners in difficult positions.

A copy of the proposed ordinance may be found here.

This web page item #200 has links to the PowerPoint and backup information for a deeper dive.

By March 30, 2022, SentriCard key cards will no longer open lockbox key compartments (unless you own the lockbox)!

The SentriKey phone application must be used by non-lockbox owners to open key compartments!

The City of San Diego No Longer Requires a WATER CONSERVATION CERTIFICATE At the Point of Sale

The City of San Diego no longer requires property owners to file a Water Conservation Certificate when selling their property. The City Council approved the change to the Municipal Code which went into effect on February 27, 2022.

In 1992, the City of San Diego developed several permanent water conservation provisions which were more stringent than industry standards at the time. The provisions were added to the Municipal Code and required property owners to remove non-conserving water devices and install ultra low-flow toilets and other low-flow fixtures in all new construction or permitted remodels. The City also required property owners to submit compliance disclosure information upon the sale of a property. The City determined that review and enforcement of a Water Conservation Certificate are no longer necessary nor legally required.

California approved Senate Bill 407 in 2009 and requires owners of residential single-family, multi-family properties, and commercial properties to replace all non-compliant plumbing fixtures with water-conserving plumbing fixtures. SB 407 requires the disclosure of non-compliant fixtures between the seller and buyer at the time of property transfer. This requirement can typically be disclosed on a Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS.)

Learn more about water conservation laws and disclosure obligations at CAR in the risk management section under legal Q&As and disclosures here. (Log-in required.)

For more information, visit the City’s website.

The PSAR family wishes to extend its condolences, thoughts, and prayers following the passing of PSAR member Jibran Hannaney. He was 75.

Jibran was a frequent attendee at the PSAR East County Pitch Session regularly held on Thursday mornings at the PSAR East County Service Center in El Cajon. He also was active with the PSAR Global Real Estate Council (GREC).

His family said he had worked in real estate sales for the past 10 years and had lived in El Cajon for about 20 years.

Jibran Joseph Hannaney was born in Baghdad on Oct. 29, 1946, to a family with six children, including five daughters and Jibran. He passed on Jan. 26, 2022.

In his mid-30s, he came to the U.S. to attend graduate school as an engineering student at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. In about 1990, he opened his own engineering firm called HEMC Environmental Management Corp., based in El Cajon. He continued to operate the firm until his passing. The firm is multi-licensed in engineering, contracting, business management, and facilities management.

His family said that Mr. Hannaney loved music, life, and laughter, as well as being a father and grandfather. He also loved learning, which attracted him to the real estate profession. No matter what was happening to him in his life, he would never miss an opportunity to make someone else smile. To say that he was widely loved, admired, and cherished in the community is an understatement. Mr. Hannaney is survived by five sisters, two daughters, and two grandsons.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 10, at St. Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Church, 1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon.

Burial will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery, 4470 Hilltop Dr., San Diego. A luncheon reception, expected to begin at approximately 1:30 p.m., will be held following the burial at St. Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Church.

His family said memorial donations can be made to any nonprofit assisting Iraqi refugees. One such organization is www.Helpiraq.org, which is operated by Chaldean Catholic Charities.

Mr. Hanney is joined by members of the PSAR Global Real Estate Council

The Board of Supervisors will meet on Wednesday, February 9th at 9 am to discuss the implementation of a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Policy which could end hopes that San Diego will meet the housing needs of its residents.  

Please urge the Board of Supervisors to keep housing a top priority in San Diego County.  

You can submit written comments by clicking here: submit comments.

This proposal is item 7 on the Agenda, if you would be willing to testify on this, you can sign up here:  Sign up to speak

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Recently, PSAR sent a three-page letter to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors expressing our opposition to the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) proposal.  See a copy of the letter by following this link.

VMT is a proposal that would slap new fees on housing development in car-centric communities. The fees would be calculated based on the additional “vehicle miles traveled.” Housing developments in rural or suburban areas would face fees that would disincentivize their construction.  Any homes that do get built would need to factor in those additional fees, pushing the dream of homeownership further beyond the reach of most aspiring buyers.  

Under the proposed VMT, to get approval for a project, a housing developer would have to show that their project would generate fewer vehicle miles traveled than the area’s average. 

PSAR’s letter to the Board of Supervisors states: “Homeownership is the bedrock of building strong communities and intergenerational wealth. REALTORS® know firsthand that buyers are moving to Riverside, Imperial Valley, and Mexico to own a property and build a future. They subsequently commute for hours on San Diego freeways, defeating the intent of the VMT policies.

“There are numerous economic and regulatory barriers that discourage developers from building both attached and detached “for-purchase” housing for all levels of income. If the County is forced to adopt a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) planning tool that is being considered with a regional planning focus, the cost of new housing in the unincorporated portions of our region will be increased significantly, adding to the current housing shortfall.

“This policy will severely restrict future generations from realizing the dream of homeownership and a better quality of life for themselves and generations to come.”

The letter also states that PSAR is supporting six recommendations from the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego County. BIA’s recommendations include an Infill Area Option, VMT Mitigation Program Options, and a programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze VMT impacts.

PSAR is opposing VMT implementation because of the potential impacts on historically disadvantaged communities who would find it harder to realize the dream of homeownership.

PSAR’s letter states: “Homeownership is an essential steppingstone for families to build wealth. By adding requirements that will make homeownership opportunities more expensive for working families to purchase, we will be removing a crucial steppingstone for those who have not already had an opportunity to purchase a home. We would essentially be closing the door behind those who have already been fortunate enough to purchase a home.

“Society has been making a lot of strides towards providing historically disadvantaged communities with opportunities that had previously been denied to them. We should not be halting that progress by limiting access to homeownership opportunities. The book `The Color of Law’ by Richard Rothstein provides a very detailed analysis of how unequal access to homeownership due to government policies directly resulted in economic harm that continues to hold back communities of color to this day. Considering the fact that communities of color in San Diego are still suffering from the multigenerational impacts of redlining and segregation, we should not be implementing policies that cement these impacts by stopping the creation of new opportunities for homeownership or confining new housing opportunities for lower-income residents to certain areas.”

At their Jan. 26 meeting, the Board of Supervisors received a report from county planners that laid out ways to implement VMT. The board directed the planners to return on Feb. 9 with additional details on VMT options.

Please urge the Board of Supervisors to keep housing a top priority in San Diego County.  

You can submit written comments by clicking here: submit comments.

This proposal is item 7 on the Agenda, if you would be willing to testify on this, you can sign up here:  Sign up to speak

Why you may see 'SD' at the end of listing IDs and what you need to do 

Learn how to properly identify SDMLS listings below 

You may start noticing that certain listing IDs in your MLS have a new suffix: 'SD.' For example: 2200000582SD.

On 1/1/2022, San Diego MLS changed its listing ID conventions. This change meant that some new SDMLS listings now use duplicate IDs. The new listing ID numbers are the same as IDs of older listings from our data share partners. Using the same listing ID for multiple listings causes data collisions in the MLS and confusion for real estate professionals who want to find specific listings.

To avoid these issues, CRMLS updated IDs for the listings. These listings and all SDMLS listings will appear with the letters 'SD' at the end of their ID numbers.

This change will impact your MLS ID searches in all MLS platforms. See below:

If you are using Power Search…

Searching for a 2022 SDMLS listing ID without the 'SD' suffix in Power Search will return all listings that begin with that listing ID, including the SDMLS listing and an older listing ID from a data share partner. The listing ending in 'SD' is an SDMLS listing from 2022.

If you are using Quick Search…

If you don't include the 'SD' suffix in Quick Search, Paragon will only return the listing that exactly matches the number you enter. To ensure you find the right listing, make sure you include the 'SD' ending.

             
               Doesn't show the newer listing                             Now shows both but must add suffix 'sd'

On third-party sites…

Depending on the site, you and your clients may see either the listing ID ending in 'SD' or the listing ID without 'SD.' When you're unsure which ID the site will use, it's best to reference other details for the listing, as its Active date or address.

Meet Camille Bruno, who was recently elected to a two-year term (2022-2023) on the PSAR board of directors.

Camille grew up in San Diego. She graduated from Madison High School in Clairemont (class of 1981). Prior to selling real estate, she worked for 10 years with Campbell Soup Co. as the San Diego representative serving all major grocery stores. Camille and her husband recently celebrated their 32nd-year wedding anniversary.

Camille and her family have lived in Chula Vista’s Eastlake community since 1988. “It is a wonderful area for families,” she said. “We raised our own family here. All three of our children, Bianca, Dominic, and Bella, have attended EastLake schools. I know the area very well.”

She began her real estate sales career in January 2000. “I love serving my clients and helping people with the dream of homeownership,” Camille said. “I’m now serving some of my clients’ children who have grown up.

“Real estate is a demanding job and it takes a lot of patience and understanding,” said Camille. “But, if you love what you do then it’s not a job.”

This is Camille’s second time serving on the PSAR board. She previously served from 2006 to 2009, including the roles of treasurer and secretary.

Since 2017, Camille has served on the PSAR Grievance Committee. She explained her reasons for returning to the PSAR board.

“When you’re involved with the association, then you learn more and become informed about what’s going on,” said Camille. “Our business is changing on a daily basis. And, you can better serve your clients by becoming as informed as possible. If you’re involved, then you’re better informed.

“Also, I’m serving on the board because I have more available time since our children are grown and out on their own (Bianca is a courthouse journalist, Dominic is a financial planner for a bank, Bella is a nursing student). When the kids were small, it was difficult to juggle both family and work.”

Camille believes REALTORS® can benefit from serving. “It’s good business to give back to the community and our association. Sure, you can just pay your dues and do nothing. But, it’s better to be involved. It helps with networking with other real estate professionals.

“I would encourage every PSAR member to get involved and serve with the association. There are many benefits of thinking more about other people instead of yourself and giving your life away. You will find satisfaction and significance by using your expertise, knowledge, gifts, talents, and abilities to serve other people.”

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PSAR's mission is to empower REALTORS®.

REALTOR® Paula Gonzalez was recently elected to a two-year term (2022-2023) on the PSAR board of directors.

Paula is a California native, born in Granada Hills, in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. She graduated from Canoga Park High School (class of 1994).

“Growing up, I always wanted to live in San Diego,” said Paula. “We would visit my mom’s side of the family who lived in Chula Vista, and I thought it was such a nice place.”

After high school, Paula got a job at a call center that processed orders for products advertised on infomercials. She was eventually promoted as supervisor of the call center. When her call center was sold to another company, resulting in layoffs of nearly every employee except Paula, she negotiated with her new boss to work from home.

“That’s when I saw my chance to move to San Diego, and I took it,” said Paula.

Paula purchased a condo in Otay Ranch and had a pleasurable experience with her real estate agent.

“I could see myself being successful in real estate as a career. So, I studied and passed the test the first time,” said Paula, who began selling on a part-time basis. “After only a few deals, I was hooked. I loved everything about the transaction process and decided to devote full time to real estate.”

Paula has been a full-time REALTOR® since mid-2006.

“The market began crashing during my early days in real estate, but I didn’t know any better because nearly every month saw more income than the previous one,” Paula said. “I learned the REO market and stayed busy with short sales and cash-for-keys deals.

“Over the years, I’ve adjusted well to changing market conditions, thanks to the educational classes offered by PSAR. PSAR has always been there in good times and bad with training opportunities so we can take advantage of the current market conditions.”

Paula survived a diagnosis of uterine cancer in 2014. “As a result, my philosophy of life is to live life to the fullest. Life is short and I believe you should do what you can to enjoy it and be happy. To find joy, give your life away. Ongoing happiness only comes when you give your life away in service. The truth is, the most helpful people are the happiest people. It feels good to use your gifts to help others. Happiness comes from serving. You never know what will happen in life, so don’t waste a moment being unhappy,” recalls Paula.

“I love to meet people, which is one of the reasons I wanted to serve on the board of directors,” said Paula, who has been a member of the PSAR Grievance Committee for about six years. “PSAR has helped me so much in my career. Serving on the board is my way of making a contribution and giving back.”

“I would encourage every PSAR member to serve and give back to the profession in some way through PSAR. There are no insignificant ways to serve. Some are visible, while others are behind the scenes, but all are valuable. When it comes to serving at PSAR, there is no correlation between size and significance. That’s because every act of service matters because we are all dependent on each other to have a successful association.”

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PSAR's mission is to empower REALTORS®.