Dreams of a Sherman Oaks FIXER!The demand for great homes has definitely not subsided in the best parts of northern Los Angeles in these final hours of 2013. I have never been busier in November/December than I have this year! Dreams of a Sherman Oaks FIXER!Especially when I came across the famous and ever so hard to find "cosmetic fixer" in the coveted Fashion Square neighborhood of Sherman Oaks CA that motivated buyers salivate over & dream of calling their own. Even more so than a completely "done done done" upgraded home in the same area, a cosmetic fixer offers a buyer the opportunity to purchase a home in otherwise good condition that needs a complete cosmetic overhaul allowing them to create their own personalized dream home! Dreams of a Sherman Oaks FIXER!I sold several homes li... 12/20/2013

56 homes sold in Sherman Oaks during the month of November 2013. From those sales 4 were homes on short sale, 1 bank owned home and 1 reo home aka bank owned and 50 standard home sales.   Minimum Listing Price $419,000 Sales Price $460,000, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 945 sq ft and 2 days on the market Maximum Listing Price $1,799,000 Sales Price$1,873,000,  5 bedrooms, 4 bath, 3478 sq ft and 143 days on the market. Average Sales Price $836,625 Sales Price $828,645,  3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, 2032 sq ft and 54 days on the market. Click the link below to preview all available homes for sale. Sherman Oaks Homes For Sale 12/18/2013

57 Homes sold in October 2013, from those 3 were short sale, 2 probate home sales, 2 bank owned homes also know as reo homes and the rest were standar home sales            Minimum Price Listing Price $349,000 Sales Price $400,000  With 2 Bedrooms and 1 bath , 933 sq ft and 1 day on the market. Maximum Listing Price: $2,650,00 Sales Price $2,580,000 With 5 Bedrooms and 6 Bath, 6688 sq ft and 143 days on the market Average  Listing Price Price:  $952,009 Sales Price  $942,477  With 3 Bedrooms and 2.75 Bath, 2172 sq ft and 51 days on the marketSales By Price Range Between $300.000 and $400,000 Homes Sold 1; Between $400,000 and $500,00 sold 3;  Between $500,000 and $ 600,000 sold 5; Between $600,000 and $700,000  Homes Sold 10, Between $700,000 and $800,000 Sold 9; Between $800,000 a $900... 12/18/2013

Top Ten Turnaround Cities - Real Estate Recovery   Great news for my fellow Los Angeleans....Los Angeles made the list for the Top 10 Turnaround Towns in the housing recovery!! Our median price is UP 30% from this time last year! And our days on market have been reduced by 27%!! Although we cannot sustain this kind of growth, it's nice to see such positive reports, and let's hope that we slow down to a sustainable recovery rate in 2014!! With interest rates rising and the elusive QM taking effect in January, I think those factors will help to give our marketplace the balance it needs to sustain further growth at a much healthier pace!    Here's to optimism in the LA Real Estate Market for 2014....Cheers!!!    PLEASE SEE THE CHART BELOW FOR OTHER TURN AROUND TOWNS & THEIR NUMBERS.....   ... 12/03/2013

BUYERS BEWARE!! KEY TIPS ON HOME BUYING   Over the course of 13 years Selling Real Estate I have represented countless Buyers and experienced countless opportunities to learn from the various situations that arise along each roller coaster called an escrow. The following are some KEY tips from a professional. Trust me, this is NOT my first rodeo. You can learn from others mistakes and follow this advice closely when purchasing your next property!   BUYERS BEWARE!! KEY TIPS ON HOME BUYING 11/26/2013

This Month In Real Estate - November 2013  Check out the latest Real Estate news for November 2013 and watch the video HERE.   This Month In Real Estate - November 2013 11/19/2013

  What Does a Red Front Door Mean?Over the past 13 years selling homes, I have always been very drawn to homes with red front doors, in fact so much so that we painted all the exterior doors on our home crimson red this year! For me it was a compelling warm positive energy the moment you arrive on my doorstep...What Does a Red Front Door Mean?For my listings, it offers a charming & inviting curb appeal; we've painted many front doors red in recent years & had great success in the sale & closing on the home! Coincidence? I did some homework on "red front doors & the cultural/historical meanings" that I wanted to share....What Does a Red Front Door Mean?I bet you all agree with me that the #1 answer is the NUMBER ONE answer!!! Wish that was my reality. ;-) 1. A red door in Scotland means... 11/06/2013

Credit for Closing Costs......Show me the MONEY!! Billions! The media is constantly painting this ugly picture of Real Estate Professionals as greedy money hungry, no better than used car salesman type individuals who will stop at nothing to close an escrow and fatten their pockets. Now I know there are sure to be a few bad apples in the bunch but I want you to know that is not the case with most of us!I just read on my favorite Mortgage Broker's Blog last week that they recently had a conversation with the President of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, Don Frommeyer, who told them that mortgage brokers are contributing millions of dollars a year to consumers in the form of closing costs credits.  In fact, he believes between all mortgage origination entities there could be ... 10/25/2013

THE CARLOS GUITARLOS BAND WILL BE APPEARING AT THE SHERMAN OAKS STREET FAIR SUNDAY OCT. 20, 2013 VENTURA BLVD. WILL BE CLOSED FROM KESTER AVE. TO VAN NUYS BLVD. FROM 10:00 AM TO 6:00PM THE CARLOS GUITARLOS BAND WILL BE ON THE MAIN STAGE ON VENTURA BLVD. NEAR VAN NUYS BLVD. AT 4:00pm   The Carlos Guitarlos Band brings you Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Rock-N-Roll, Folk, Cajun, and deep true original ballads brought forth from a lifetime of experience and hard living.     The Carlos Guitarlos Band features CARLOS GUITARLOS - One of the world's greatest Americana, Roots and Blues songwriters / guitarists from the infamous TOP JIMMY & THE RHYTHM PIGS - a seminal LA blues band from the 80's -- Carlos has played with/for: Marcy Levy, Jim Keltner, Tom Waits, The Great Gene Taylor, Ray Manzarek, Los ... 10/19/2013

Discouraged Buyers - "We missed the boat!" I've been hearing repeatedly from my Buyer clients and new prospective Buyers I meet at my listings lately that they are frustrated with current market conditions. Understandably so! There are 5-10 if not more, qualified buyers in my area competing for every well priced listing in desirable locations. Discouraged Buyers - "We missed the boat!" But look on the bright side my friends, this number is down significantly from recent months during the 2013 Spring & Summer buying frenzy that we saw this year where I had no joke 30+ offers on several of my listings and they were selling nearly 5-10% over list price! Discouraged Buyers - "We missed the boat!" I believe the season change coupled with fluctuation in interest rates & the craziness that is... 10/09/2013

  Government Shut Down & Real Estate Business It's Day 4 of the government shutdown, many are saying nothing has changed, but what will this mean for real estate and those of us that sell it?  Fortunately, FHA has not shut down, so mortgage processing will not be affected for the Single Family Mortgage Loan Program, but the Multiple-Family Program will be shutdown. FHA, VA & USDA make up 45% of all loans being processed in the country today.  The following comes from the National Real Estate Post, a popular Real Estate info site with Frank Garay & Brian Stevens:    "FHA said they were going to shutdown with the rest of the Government, then changed their minds and said they were going to stay open insuring FHA loans.  What’s remarkable is that they’re going to stay open with only 4% of ... 10/04/2013

Winter Is Coming, Market Slowing Down, or Leveling Out? As usual this time of year, Real Estate agents see a decrease in listing and buying with summer in the rear view mirror.  A report came out last month and you may have heard about it on the news, "HOME SALES DOWN 13%!!!!" well, what some of you may have missed in that report was NEW home sales were down 13%.  Most of the real estate transactions I, and many of my colleagues deal with are existing home sales, which actually have continued to slightly increase.  But the shocking stats like the one above are the ones that make it on air. Winter Is Coming, Market Slowing Down, or Leveling Out? With the market having been so hot leading up to and throughout the summer months, (no pun intended), it is expected that a pull back of this su... 09/17/2013

All The Single Ladies......Are Buying Houses!According to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors, single women made up 16% of homebuyers nationwide, while single men made up 9%.  The percentage of single women homebuyers has averaged at 20% in recent years past.  This has been a growing trend since the 90s, women purchasing more than men.  It stands to reason as more women have become the primary earners in their households.All The Single Ladies......Are Buying Houses!Women are the breadwinners in 40% of American families with children and two-thirds of them are single!  One out of every five homes sold in this country are being purchased by single women, over a three year period the estimated amount in sales is roughly $550 billion!All The Single Ladies......Are Buyi... 08/28/2013

ActiveRain MeetUp Los Angeles was a blast! Our ActiveRain MeetUp Los Angeles was held yesterday at the Cheesecake Factory in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. There were some new faces there, as well as ActiveRain members who have been around a while. We had a great time, and the food was delish! John Pusa - who is a great agent based out of Glendale, CA was there.  Very nice guy.  I enjoy speaking to John when I have the opportunity. Sharon Rollins and Janice Cohen from Keller Williams were there.  LOVE the both of them!  Richard and I have known them for many years from our Prudential days and they are both sweethearts. I met some new people this time around.  Tanya Knowles was there and she shared a little about her company called DaBest Solutions, Inc.  They offer some really great tools f... 08/20/2013

ActiveRain MeetUp Los Angeles!!  You're invited!  Monday, August 19th, 11:30am - Cheesecake Factory, Sherman Oaks It's that time again!  Time to come together and DISH! Not about Liza's weight problem, but about real estate, the market, business in general, and.......oh hell, Liza's weight problem is totally fair game!! I would love to see your lover-ly ActiveRain faces in person!  And what better venue than a great restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory! It's a great central location too, located in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, with abundant parking.  You can get your parking validated by the restaurant.  Right off the 101 and 405 Freeways. Location is:  Cheesecake Factory15301 Ventura Boulevard Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 818-906-0700     LOCATION:Located in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Plaza ... 08/14/2013

Foreclosures Lowest Since 2006 Another not-so subtle sign of economic recovery.  The national numbers on foreclosures are very promising.  Total foreclosure filings, including notices of default, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, dropped to 127,790 in June, down 35% over the past 12 months, according to RealtyTrac. Filings have hit their lowest monthly level since December 2006. Foreclosures Lowest Since 2006 The nation number of foreclosures has dropped 14% since May 2013!  Foreclosures are no longer an issue on the national scale.  There are still a few states with higher than average results, but the country as a whole is witnessing this sharp decline.  However, bank reposessions are climbing steadily to more than 420,000 per year.  The national average in years past was onl... 08/09/2013

ActiveRain MeetUp Los Angeles!!  You're invited!  Monday, August 19th, 11:30am - Cheesecake Factory, Sherman Oaks It's that time again!  Time to come together and DISH! Not about Liza's weight problem, but about real estate, the market, business in general, and.......oh hell, Liza's weight problem is totally fair game!! I would love to see your lover-ly ActiveRain faces in person!  And what better venue than a great restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory! It's a great central location too, located in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, with abundant parking.  You can get your parking validated by the restaurant.  Right off the 101 and 405 Freeways. Location is:  Cheesecake Factory15301 Ventura Boulevard Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 818-906-0700     LOCATION:Located in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Plaza ... 08/05/2013

Supply vs. Demand - New Construction WoesMost of us in the Real Estate business don't often deal with new construction homes.  I'd wager that upwards of 90% of the average agent's business is resale.  (More like 99% personally) But we must take a look at what is happening with the construction of new homes as it'll eventually, if not already, effect comps and the market as a whole.  We all see that the market is beginning to spring back into action.  As a result, the demand for new homes is slowly rising.  We aren't quite back at the level we saw in 2004-2005 when the home building industry was producing over 1.8 million new homes a year, the current annual home building rate is below one million, but slowly rising. Supply vs. Demand - New Construction WoesNow that the market is pickin... 07/17/2013

Rising Rates, Not Always A Bad Thing The Real Estate market is certainly booming.  Depending on where you're at in the Real Estate picture, higher mortgage rates can be a good thing.  While rates were low, so was inventory, it still is, but I've seen a slight increase recently as more sellers realize the price they can get for their home.  People who normally wouldn't be able to finance a home could and are still able to do so as it stands now.  However, rising rates, means an increase in sales.  Which is certainly a good thing!  Luckily the rise in rates isn't too drastic just yet. Rising Rates, Not Always A Bad Thing Of course it's not all good news.  The rise in rates can leave some people out in the cold with the banks.  I've seen this happen in my own business.  Just last week when... 07/01/2013

Issues With Neighbors Can Lead to Decreased Property Value Scary barking dogs, what seems like a used car lot, yard used as storage, no landscaping maintence.....all of these things can lead to bringing the value of your home down.  Guilty by association (or by proximity, really).  So what does one do if they want to sell their house and the value is less than similar comparables in the area as a result of a neighbors lack of care?   Issues With Neighbors Can Lead to Decreased Property Value An article in CNN's Money Magazine from July 2013 addresses this issue.  We've all seen the unkempt, sometimes dilapidated house in an otherwise "nice" or "descent" neighborhood.  These houses pose more of a problem than just an inconvenient eye sore.  Homes of this nature could bring down neighbori... 06/26/2013