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June 2012

The Journey to Your New Front Door

By | June 30th, 2012|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Inspiration, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive South, Palos Verdes View Homes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

    The journey from prospective buyer to inserting the key in your new front door can be short and sweet (somewhat rare) or rather long with many twists and turns (more common since The Great Financial Fiasco of 2008).  There are always a few war stories, and they often get better with each retelling, created along the path to homeownership.  Great friendships are also one of the many side benefits. A two and one half-year search culminated yesterday when I passed the key to two people my son and I met as strangers (Josh met them at an open [...]

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The Luxury of Living in Palos Verdes

By | June 28th, 2012|Buyer Tip, Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Featured Posts, Palos Verdes|

    It does not matter where you live on the Palos Verdes Peninsula; living here is a luxury.  Mother Nature was in a very generous mood when bestowing her natural gifts upon this little peninsula that juts out majestically into the Pacific Ocean.  Ocean waves meet land with either a gentle lap on the sand or a crash against one of our many towering bluffs.   The lay of the land includes towering cliffs, deep canyons and rolling hills.  We may lack miles of sandy beaches (but the Beach Cities are blessed with a delightful stretch) but [...]

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Buyer Tip–All Real Estate Sites Are Not Created Equal

By | June 24th, 2012|An Agent's Life, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Seller Tip|

This morning I received a call from a prospective buyer saying she needed some help to clarify the status of a listing.  Some real estate sites showed it as an active listing and others showed it was no longer available.  Real estate web sites have an agreement with local Multiple Listing Services to publish listings.  However, some sites update their sites hourly and others weekly.  I suggest if you want up-to-the-minute real estate information you do exactly as this buyer did--check with a local real estate agent.   I quickly logged on and discovered the listing status was [...]

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Yellow, Yellow Everywhere at the Yellow Vase Restaurant in Rancho Palos Verdes

By | June 20th, 2012|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes|

  June gloom had a firm foothold along the Palos Verdes coast the day I stopped at the Yellow Vase on Palos Verdes Drive West at Golden Cove Plaza in Rancho Palos Verdes.  Not only was it a chilly and gray day but I had just spent 45 minutes in a vacant house with no power--I reminded myself to replace the batteries in my flashlight before showing distressed and dark property again.  Yes, we do have a few short sales and bank owned properties in Palos Verdes, but only a few.   Our original plans were to stop [...]

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Palos Verdes Drive West Home Sales Report – May 2012 – Rancho Palos Verdes

By | June 18th, 2012|Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes|

Palos Verdes Drive West neighborhood real estate and home sales report for Rancho Palos Verdes, CA in May 2012. Homes for sale: 11 Homes are listed for sale priced from $999,000 to $5,295,000. Pending sales: 3 Houses are in escrow priced from $1,299,000 to $2,999,000. May sales: One home sold in May 2012: Address Sale Price Bed/Bath Sq. Feet. Lot Year Built Days Listed 91 Marguerite Dr. $5,500,000 4/7 7800 57046 1991 551 Homes for sale in the PV Drive West area of Rancho Palos Verdes: Most recent homes for sale listed in West Palos Verdes, RPV:

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3 Seller Tips for a Successful Sale

By | June 18th, 2012|Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Front Page, Palos Verdes Drive South, Palos Verdes View Homes, Seller Tip|

  The sellers I work with are smart and savvy.  They know today's real estate market is challenging.  They are adapting to the new rules of real estate with a shift in attitude, increased market knowledge and by playing their property's trump card with pride.  Today's sellers know the market is white-hot for homes properly presented and priced, but homes lacking either are not connecting with today's buyers.  Three tips to help sellers connect with prospective buyers in today's real estate market:     1)  Shift your mindset:  Pack your emotions away.  You are now a seller and that requires a [...]

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Your Assignment, Should You Want a House, Is to Have a Sit-Down with a Lender

By | June 17th, 2012|Front Page, Palos Verdes Drive South, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Palos Verdes View Homes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

I have some wonderful friends who love to look at houses.  Notice I did not refer to these very lovely people as prospective buyers, although they may be, because they simply refuse to complete the pre-approval process with a lender.  Oh, they've had the pre-qualification conversation, and I know what they make and I have a rough idea of what they can afford, but come on, if you want to buy a house don't risk losing the one you want because you are not sure you can afford it.  Get thee to a lender ASAP. It is really [...]

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Why I Chose Palos Verdes 24 Years Ago

By | June 14th, 2012|Buyer Tip, Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Featured Posts, Inspiration, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive South|

    It was late December 1988.  My family and I lived in a gorgeous 1920s home with a guest house and tropical pool in the Old Northeast section of St. Petersburg, Florida.  My four children were happily ensconced in a top rated private school. I was one of the founding member of the Ballet Society, and life was humming along in the happy lane.  Naturally, it was time to move. I was a reluctant house hunter. I thought Los Angeles was a fun place to visit, not to live.  As the jet approached the Los Angeles area the [...]

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The Palos Verdes Lifestyle–Open Spaces and Ocean Views

By | June 11th, 2012|Buyer Tip, Front Page, Palos Verdes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

I love it when a prospective buyer discovers Palos Verdes for the first time.  Honestly, many of them actually gush about the views and the open spaces that give the area a touch of country even though it is located in one of the most populous counties in the United States.  Yes, I know you pay for the location but there are many other areas in Los Angeles County with higher price tags--Malibu and Manhattan Beach spring to mind.   This weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with an out-of-the-area buyer seeing PV for the first time, and [...]

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How Do I Know My Home Is Priced Right?

By | June 10th, 2012|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Seller Tip|

Pricing a property is a subjective art.  Yet it is one of the most important services we provide clients placing their valuable asset on the open real estate market.  Set the price too high and the property will languish on the market for months.  Recently an agent confided she felt she 'had egg on her face' as her listing finally sold $300,000 below the original list price. On the other hand, if we set the price too low the seller is likely to be inundated with multiple offers, and all offers must be presented.  This increases not only stress for the seller and [...]

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