No, Mr. Bank, I don't want half of a short sale, I want a WHOLE short sale............ I recently initiated a short sale with Bank of America on Equator.  I uploaded the preliminary docs. As customary with Bank of America, the borrower must phone in themselves to request whether or not they want to pursue a HAFA short sale. This morning, I received an email stating that the file had been removed from the system. I could not understand why, so I contacted BofA.  They informed my that the borrower had declined the short sale. I knew something was wrong, because that could not be true. Well, the issue is that the borrow speaks limited English, and is working with a close friend for interpretation. Apparently, when the BofA rep asked the borrower if they want to pursue a HAFA short sale, sh... 08/05/2011

Sherman Oaks Ca /Neighborhood Boundary Map Click the plus+  or  the  minus-  to zoom in or out  and see the neighborhood boundaries  View Sherman Oaks (SO) in a larger map The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Studio City to the east, Van Nuys to the north, Encino to the west, Bel Air and Beverly Hills Post Office to the south. Sherman Oaks is situated along the Los Angeles River, Ventura Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Beverly Gle Boulevard, and Sepulveda Boulevard. The southern boundary has always been Mulholland Drive. The western boundary is Firmament as it crosses Ventura Blvd. The current northern boundary is Oxnard and the eastern boundary is Coldwater Canyon Avenue from Burbank south to Magnolia where it jogs west so as to reach Fulton Avenue at Ventura Boulevard The line then foll... 08/01/2011

If you want a to beat the heat and hang out somewhere fun this summer, then head out to the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Sherman Oaks, California! The Sherman Oaks Galleria is located at 15301 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Whether you are looking for specialty shops, a place to stuff your face, ice skating, catch a new flick or just want a place to hang out the Sherman Oaks Galleria is the place to go. While you are at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, be sure to check out “Restaurant Row” which consists of 12 various and delightful restaurants that will satisfy your tummy as well as your wallet. For more information regarding the Sherman Oaks Galleria please visit the link provided: http://www.shermanoaksgalleria.com/ What a great way to spend the day and cool off from the heat! 07/27/2011

ActiveRain MasterMinds Challenge - July 2011 - Tenant Occupied Short Sales:  Which is the best approach to take? OK, MasterMind Groups. Time for you to do what you've done best: Develop the best solutions. Here is the challenge for July, 2011: Tenant-occupied short sales are a very delicate situation.  There are so many variables to consider with several interests in the property from different parties.  It may even be possible for a buyer to inherit an unwanted landlord-tenant situation without their consent in some cases. Your team's solutions must be posted HERE on this blog post no later than August 5th, 9pm Pacific Time in order for the team to be assigned the bonus points.  (I am allowing 4 more days than usual due to the late post this month) Also, you must list each team member ... 07/20/2011

So you are looking for a great restaurant that serves delicious food that you can sink your teeth into and not sure where to go, well then get yourself down to the Marmalade Café in Sherman Oaks, California! The Marmalade Café is located at 14910 Ventura Boulevard in the neat town of Sherman Oaks. The Original Marmalade Café opened its door in 1990 in Santa Monica, California and started out as a catering company. This awesome place became so successful that the owners opened quite a few more locations all over Los Angeles County and in the Santa Barbara area as well.  Each of the Marmalade Café’s locations serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner to satisfy your hungry appetite! The Marmalade Café offers so many mouthwatering sooth your soul entrées that your taste buds will be begg... 07/19/2011

On our trip to Canada this week, we spent some time with Richard's family. It was great, we did some sight seeing and also went over to Niagara Falls, which is beatiful. I'll be writing some blogs with pics this week all about that journey. In the meantime, during our stay there, Richard and I went out and bought some plants and flowers and did some planting and cleared up some weeds in a certain part of his Mom's house and planted a large bed of flowers. I love gardening, and Richard's mom was thrilled. 06/17/2011

Just want to formally announce - I am NEVER answering a phonecall again that comes up as restricted!! I just received my LAST hangup from a restricted number. I hate when that happens!  It really burns my buns!! But I refuse to let it affect the positive energy around me, so therefore I am cordially announcing to God and everyone's grandmother that I will no longer be answering my cell phone if your phone number comes up as restricted. So if you need to have your outgoing number set to restricted, fine.  But you'll have to leave a voicemail with your call back number otherwise you'll have to look into the skies and look for flying pigs before you see me answer a restricted phone call. So there ya go. All "O"-fficial and all........ Much love and positive energy, The Ralphster   Los Ange... 06/14/2011

If you need a night out to kick your heels up, then the Oaks Tavern is just for you! The Oaks Tavern is located at 13625 Moorpark Street in the beautiful Sherman Oaks area. At the Oaks Tavern, everyone can let their hair down and kick up their heels, while enjoying some awesome cocktails and fun entertainment with their family and friends! Don’t miss out on the “Summer Kick Off Party” on June 25th, 2011 to bring in the summer season. So grab your grass skirts and celebrate with Oaks Tavern’s luau style, equipped with Mai Tai’s, awesome pool table and so much more! For more information regarding the Oaks Tavern please visit the link provided: http://www.theoakstavern.com/The_Oaks_Tavern/Home.html What a great way to bring in the summer season!   06/13/2011

   So you are looking for some yummy sushi to eat and not sure where to go, why not dive into some sushi at Nami Sushi in Sherman Oaks, California! Nami Sushi is located at 4454 Van Nuys Blvd. in the Sherman Oaks area. Nami Sushi welcomes everyone from all walks of life that has an appreciation for great sushi, fantastic service and incredible prices! Nami Sushi offers so many awesome dishes that will make your taste buds beg for more! For more information regarding Nami Sushi please call 818-986-7060. What a great way to tantalize your palate! 06/13/2011

Sherman Oaks Short Sale Are you behind on your mortgage payments and have already tapped your credit cards, friends and family? Getting out from the weight on your shoulders can seem impossible, but moving on is exactly what you are going to need to do. If you are considering a short sale then call Simon Mills of Mills Realty who will guide you through your Sherman Oaks Short Sale. Mills Realty will show you how you can relieve yourself from the debt of your home without any out of pocket expenses. Your lender will pay our fees, so our program will truly cost you nothing out of pocket. It makes no difference who your lender is or how many loans you have on your property Simon Mills of Mills Realty will guide you through your Sherman Oaks Short Sale. Our goal is to make the process as st... 06/10/2011

Calling all investors!  There are some unbelievable deals to be had in Sherman Oaks, California!  For those of you not familiar with this city, it is in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles and is a fabulous place to live.  Single family homes can be purchased from the $500ks up to multi-million dollar homes, it's a safe and beautiful place to live, the freeways are easily accessible and it's not unusual to spot celebrities at local coffee shops and eateries.  Disclosure:  Charlie Sheen lives in Sherman Oaks! But that's not what I want to talk about:  I recently showed Sherman Oaks condominiums in great neighborhoods, priced under $200K.  These same condos were selling in the mid-$300ks approx four/five years ago and represent tremendous value to anyone looking for investment property o... 03/14/2011

Below is a snapshot of Bank Owned Homes and Condos | REO Properties Listings in Sherman Oaks and Studio City as of February 1 2011. If you would like more information about these properties please feel free to call my team at anytime to schedule a showing or get a complete listing report. The List includes 3 Residential Single Family Properties and 3 Condos l. Call us direct at 818.584.1922 or visit our website for detailed property listings www.realestate-818.com or www.searchbankownedhomes.info 02/10/2011

My buyers are renting a home that is in a short sale with a Trustee Sale posted: Here's my discussion with them......... I have a really nice couple with 2 kids.  They live in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.  The husband's mother is going to be purchasing a home for them, with a conventional loan. We already have a pre-approval with direct underwriting and are ready to go. Here's the dilemma: The home they are renting is in a short sale, with a trustee sale scheduled for mid-February The landlord initially told them in December to forget about the rent, and they agreed to use the security deposit on hand as applied rent. The landlord afterwards, in January, gave them a 30 day notice to vacate (they have been living in the house for 2 years) The landlord, as of 2 days ago, h... 01/30/2011

Sherman Oaks REO Bank Owned Lender Owned opportunities, fixer uppers, Sherman Oaks homes and townhouses for sale, for a complete list with pictures and more, please follow me on Twitter.com/LupeSotoRealtor or call me to schedule property tours. Lupe Soto REO Agent in San Fernando Valley is available to show you REO Bank owned Propeties in: Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake & Burbank please call for faster service  SHERMAN OAKS REO BANK OWNED LIST, click here EASY TO SHOW - Call for faster service FIXER UPPER IN SHERMAN OAKS 3+2 2400 sq.ft, lot 14,000 asking price $549,000 - Call to schedule showing of this cash deal in Sherman Oaks and make an offer today! easy to show. Principals only. We show homes to buyers that do not have a Realtor.     Any inf... 01/24/2011

Pay It Forward - $10 to a single mom living out of a hotel room Earlier this week, I was driving home from my weekly meeting with my networking group, and was at a stop at a major intersection right before I got onto the freeway. There was a woman there who looked to be maybe in her late 20's on the corner with a cardboard sign that read: "Single Mom living out of a hotel.  Need help" God forgive me, but I am sometimes skeptical of the reasons why some people do these types of solicitations on the street corner. Yet at the same time, I know very well that many people are truly down on their luck, so my sense of wanting to "save the world" prevails and I try to do what I can. (which sometimes gets me into trouble as you can tell from some of my blog posts and comments) But the reason why... 11/21/2010

There is often a lot of confusion with various boundaries in Los Angeles and particularly in the San Fernando Valley. This next series of blogs will help define the boundaries of various neighborhoods. MAP OF SHERMAN OAKS BOUNDARIES View Sherman Oaks (SO) in a larger map   Mills Realty has provided this interactive map, based on the official City Council maps, for your convenience. Buyer and Seller are advised to check the official LA City Council maps to determine the actual boundaries of the various communities. Links to all San Fernando Valley BoundariesArleta, Burbank, Calabasas, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Hidden Hills, Lake Balboa, Mission Hills, North Hills, North Hollywood, Northridge, Pacoima, Panorama City, Reseda, San Fernando, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, S... 11/18/2010

  Come and join in the fun at the Pumpkin Fair in Sherman Oaks, California! This fun and festive community event is this Saturday, October 23rd and is from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. There will be fun rides, games, lots of entertainment for all ages, food and just plain fun! The admission is free! For more information regarding the Pumpkin Fair please visit the link below: http://www.dixiecanyon.com/pumpkin-fair What a great way to be festive!   10/21/2010

Welcome to Ralph's Weekly Feature: Two Truths and a Lie: Guess Which One Is The Lie? Each week, I'm going to feature one Active Rain Member, with their photo, and what they are going to do is tell you 2 Truths about them and 1 Lie. The object of the game is to guess which of the 3 bits of trivia about them is a lie! I will post the answer in that same blog at the end of the week on Fridays so you can all find out! It's a great way to get to know your fellow Active Rain members and staff. This week, we will be featuring: Rose Osman Originally from London, Rose is a top producing agent with the John Aaroe Group and works with residential properties in the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County areas of Southern California.  She has a high level of expertise with equestrian estate propert... 10/16/2010

Putting Zillow to The Test: My $948.60+ Adventure - Day 30 - Update Alright, peeps. So I'm 1/3 of the way through my 90-day benchmark with Zillow. Here is my activity listed on Zillow: If you look at my stats, although it shows I've had 9 contacts, I've actually had eleven contacts (not sure why?). One of those was before I became a premiere agent (Contact #3), and it was an inquiry for one of my listings (not in the zip code I have paid for). Here are my contacts thus far: Contact #1 - Another who wanted me to come to his open house Contact #2 - Same realtor wanting me to come to his open house Contact #3 - A prospect who wanted a showing on my Goodbee St. listing - non-responsive / dead end. Contact #4 - A prospect who wanted a showing on an REO property in my Zillow paid zip code (Ye... 09/10/2010

Zen Business Management - A good, affordable, trustworthy bookeeping service in the Los Angeles area. Zen Business Management is a mobile business management and bookkeeping service that works with the client in a number of ways in order to help them run their business more effectively and more profitably. The core of their offering is a bookkeeping service, which is on an as-needed basis. This is the most important foundation for proper financial management. They organize and manage your finances, keeping track of all money in and out, in order to generate the reports you need to run your business effectively, such as the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows, accounts payable and accounts receivable reports, and many more. They’ve also established relationsh... 09/02/2010