How Well Do You Know Your Landlord/Tenant Laws? According to a recent Zillow press release, an overwhelming amount of tenants and even landlords have vast misconceptions about current laws in place to protect both parties.  It's always important for anyone to understand their rights when it comes to entering into a contract, real estate or otherwise.  The results of this Zillow Rentals Survey is a bit shocking. How Well Do You Know Your Landlord/Tenant Laws? A whopping 82% of tenants and 76% of landlords have a misunderstanding of laws on security deposits, credit and background checks.   Landlords and tenants alike reported in the survey they believed a landlord had up to 60 days to return a security deposit, either in full or itemized for damages and return the remaining balance.  ... 02/27/2014

  The Home Buying Process Is A Lot Like Dating... Have you ever fallen in love.....with a house?  Many of my clients have and it has overpowered the fact that they may not have had that extra 200 square feet they were looking for, or that center island kitchen.  When you're in love, you're in love.  The Home Buying Process Is A Lot Like Dating... Realtor.com conducted a survey of 1,082 people and 69% of them reported having a "home crush" as the survey called it.  Much like modern dating, almost 80% of home buyers find that one house that catches their eye online, then roughly one-third of them actually go see it in person. Not surprisingly, men and women define their discovery of house-love a little different.  How familiar does this sound ladies?  41% of women fall in love with a hom... 02/16/2014

Political Correctness In Real Estate Advertising Political correctness is increasingly becoming an issue in Real Estate advertising. As an agent I am constantly looking for words to describe my listings in a positive light without offending anyone who may be reading my descriptions...For example, you cannot say "steps to the elementary school" or "walking distance to shopping and restaurants" because that is considered discrimination against individuals who are physically incapable of walking. Political Correctness In Real Estate AdvertisingOr, when describing a large home with an expansive master suite, it's now not appropriate to say "his & hers closets or bathrooms" because this would exclude same sex couples. I am constantly writing and then re-writing my property descriptions to g... 02/03/2014

5 Reasons Homes Don’t Sell in Sherman Oaks And how to make sure these common seller mistakes don’t stop you from selling! Provided by Joe Neuah of Keller Williams Realty Email: joen@kw.com Phone: 818-481-0751   Are you making a common seller mistake that’s stopping your home from selling? What else can you be doing to ensure that your home is going to sell?   In this report, 5 Reasons Homes Don’t Sell in Sherman Oaks, you’ll discover the biggest mistake home sellers make, a proven marketing secret, how to “sweeten the deal” for buyers, what buyers don’t want to see in your home, the three key places you want looking the best, and finally, how to stage your home and make it look its absolute best.   Now I know that was a mouthful, but believe me, these topics are crucial to selling your ... 01/28/2014

Homes Near Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks, California   5041 SUNNYSLOPE AVE. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423   Find all for sale Homes Near Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks, California.  Information for property that is for sale/rent is a direct feed from the Los Angeles MLS and is updated several times daily. Homes Near Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks, California have an easy access to schools, parks, shopping, entertainment and restaurants. It has everything you need to live and play.  Living near Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks, California every day can be your dream come true too! Is it time to sell?  Please review our Property marketing plan for homes in Sherman Oaks, California. Request a free custom evaluation for your California Home in Sherman Oaks.   Nearby... 01/28/2014

Home Improvements That Pay You Back Home improvements can be fun & exciting to do and enjoying the end result with your family is so rewarding! They can also offer a great financial benefit when selling the property, but be careful of which improvements you choose to do so you get the most bang for your buck!! Home Improvements That Pay You BackIn my experience selling homes for many years, updated kitchens & bathrooms offer the most value to a property on resale. So be sure to give those areas special attention especially if you plan on selling your home within 5 years of the improvements. Home Improvements That Pay You BackHere's some other useful info I received on home improvements from the California Association of Realtors... 01/17/2014

Retiring Boomers = Downsizing Into The Golden Years According to the trusted Wall Street Journal, Aging "Boomers" are responsible for the rising demand for Condos, Townhomes, and Multi-Family dwellings. I find this to be TRUE as well! Retiring Boomers = Downsizing Into The Golden Years I just listed an amazing penthouse unit in Sherman Oaks, CA and the market response this first week of 2014 has been tremendous! We have had our fair share of young couples coming through, but primarily I have witnessed older couples, downsizing from their large homes around Los Angeles and even across the country on the East Coast come through this lovely condo at www.14960Dickens.com looking for their "downsized" luxury home to unwind and enjoy retirement in.... Retiring Boomers = Downsizing Into The Go... 01/12/2014

  2014 Real Estate Predictions... Happy holidays! It's that magical week between Christmas & New Year's Eve when there's NO traffic on Los Angeles freeways, and everyone is catching up with friends & family enjoying some down time from the daily grind marathon called life! All of my trusted market analyst sources have been gearing up for 2014 and I'd like to share a few predictions with you.... 2014 Real Estate Predictions... 1. The Real Estate market in 2014 will most likely be kinder to well qualified Buyers! More homes to choose from & more strict lending guidelines will thin out the competition some and all the Sellers looking to capitalize on the raise in pricing should help to loosen up the inventory creating a more favorable environment for the motivated qualified Buyer! 2014 Re... 12/27/2013

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