Official sources, so you can check my work
Every link here goes to a government body or a public agency. None of them are mine, none of them are affiliates, and several of them can contradict me. That's the point.
A site built purely to capture leads doesn't send you to the records office. I'd rather you were able to verify what I've told you than take it on trust — partly because it's the right way round, and partly because a client who has checked is a client who can make a decision.
Look it up yourself
- California DRE — public licence lookup
Search 01188294 to verify my licence, its status and any disciplinary history. Do it for every agent you interview.
- County Treasurer–Tax Collector — parcel search
The actual tax bill for any parcel, searchable by address. This is where Mello-Roos stops being a rumour — look under Fixed Charge Special Assessments.
- County Assessor — property records
Ownership, assessed value, and property characteristics of record.
- County Auditor — every active Mello-Roos district in the county
The best single document on this page. The register of every active Community Facilities District in San Diego County, listed by the agency that levies it. This is where you discover that San Marcos has over eighty of them, and — the part that catches people — that school districts levy them too. Carmel Valley and Carlsbad buyers check the city's list, find nothing, and wrongly conclude they're clear.
- County Assessor — Mello-Roos
What these districts are and how the special tax works.
- City of Carlsbad — its own CFDs
Worth reading if you're buying in Carlsbad, because CFD No. 1 is a one-time charge at building permit rather than an annual homeowner tax, and that distinction confuses almost everyone.
- Treasurer–Tax Collector — tax collection
Payment schedule. Instalments are due 1 November and 1 February, delinquent after 10 December and 10 April.
- City of San Diego — permit records (IB 110)
How to research permit history on a property. Note that Poway and the unincorporated areas including 4S Ranch are separate jurisdictions with their own records.
Money and programmes
- CFPB — Owning a Home
The federal consumer bureau's guide to mortgages, closing costs and comparing loan offers. Independent of anyone selling you anything.
- CalHFA — Dream For All
California's shared-appreciation down payment assistance. Funding windows open and close, so check current status rather than assuming.
- City of San Diego — Community Facilities District information
Which districts the City has established, and when their special taxes are scheduled to end.
- State Board of Equalization — Proposition 19
Base year value transfers for homeowners 55+, and the parent-child rules.
Hazard and insurance
Check any San Diego County address against these before you get an insurance quote — and get an actual quote during your contingency period, not an estimate.
- CAL FIRE — fire hazard severity zones
The official maps. Directly relevant to insurance availability and cost across much of this county.
- FEMA — Map Service Center
Flood zone determination for any address.
- California FAIR Plan
The insurer of last resort, which exists because standard carriers have withdrawn from some areas. Worth knowing about before you need it.
- California Coastal Commission
If you're buying anywhere in the coastal zone — La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, parts of Carmel Valley — the Commission has real jurisdiction over what can be built, added or altered. Establish what's permissible before you buy a house you intend to change, not after.
Your rights
- DRE — consumer resources
Including how to file a complaint about a licensee. That includes me, and you should know it exists.
- DRE — Disclosures in Real Property Transactions (RE 6)
The regulator's own guide to what must be disclosed. Long, dry, and the definitive answer.
- HUD — fair housing
Your rights, and how to file a complaint if they've been violated.
You'll notice I link to school districts and hazard maps rather than reproducing their data or ranking areas against each other. That's deliberate: I point every client at the same sources and let them read the same thing, rather than steering anyone toward or away from a neighbourhood. Ask me anything you like about an area and I'll answer — I'll also tell you where to check it.