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February 2014

Palos Verdes Luxury Homes with Views to Remember

By | February 26th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes|

Tuesday's tour of new listings in Palos Verdes included a number of luxury homes with unforgettable views.  Yes, the homes were "stand alone" fabulous, but the views were what captured the eye (and added value) to these stunning properties in Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The unique location of Palos Verdes, a hilly peninsula surrounded on three sides by water and one side with lower altitude land, lends itself to grand vistas of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and all the glittering lights of the Los Angeles area and beyond.  It's impossible to view property [...]

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Monet Moment on Palos Verdes Walk

By | February 25th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Front Page, Inspiration, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes|

I must admit I think Monet's Giverny garden is one of the loveliest places on earth, but his paintings capture something a bit more ethereal.  It is as if one is viewing the world through the light fog of pastel colored glasses.  That was the feeling I had as I rounded the bend on yesterday's morning walk on the trails at Trump Nation Golf Course on my way to walk along the beach near Portuguese Bend Beach Club in search of a few more pieces of sea glass to add to my collection. Although our photo file of the Palos Verdes [...]

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Multi-Million Dollar Homes in Palos Verdes

By | February 22nd, 2014|Buyer Tip, Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Horse Property, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Palos Verdes View Homes, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates|

A prospective buyer recently searched for "multi-million dollar homes in Palos Verdes."  The results must have startled this searcher, as nearly all the single family homes for sale in Palos Verdes are over $1,000,000.  There are currently 130 Palos Verdes single family homes for sale, and only 17 are priced below $1.000,000 with eight of those being located in the Eastview neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes. With a list of over 100 homes, this buyer was overwhelmed and needed some help in eliminating those homes that were not a good fit for his family, commute and lifestyle.  By narrowing the [...]

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Income Property – Terms

By | February 20th, 2014|Front Page, Income Property, Los Angeles|

The analysis of income property has a vocabulary of its own. When you are looking over potential units for purchase, these terms will often be mentioned or included in the reports. Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate) - Cap rate or "cap" is very similar to an interest rate, such as on a bank CD or savings account.  Cap rate is the standard starting point when reviewing an income building.  The property cap rate provides an expected annual income return percentage rate by comparing the income after expenses to the purchase price.  Note that loan payments are not included because those would vary by [...]

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Do You Have the Right Stuff to Be a Landlord?

By | February 16th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Income Property, Long Beach, Los Angeles|

Owning income property is not for everyone.  Sometimes it feels like the odds are stacked against you.  Like most other life endeavors it is a good fit for some people and a nightmare for others.  Sometimes a mismatch occurs due to personality, and other times it happens due to personal circumstances.  For instance, a childless couple began acquiring rental fix-up properties early in their marriage.  It was a shared desire to build real estate wealth, and weekends spent at Home Depot pouring over kitchen sinks and paint chips allowed them to spend time pursuing a mutual interest. Those Home Depot [...]

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Seller Safety When Selling a Home

By | February 14th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Beach Cities, Front Page, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Seller Tip|

After a long day of paperwork and computer time I was more than ready to engage in an hour or so of cable television to disengage from work mode while I waited for prime time Olympic coverage.  With a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and the remote in the other, I clicked through a number of channels with no interest in lingering.  The channel that garnered my attention showed a man taking a flyer from a brochure box beneath a real estate For Sale sign.  Okay, maybe I was still in work mode, but I was hooked as [...]

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Palos Verdes Properties–Horse Property on The Hill

By | February 13th, 2014|Buyer Tip, Featured Posts, Horse Property, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates|

Equestrian property buyers often want to see the horse facilities before they tour the home; they know if the property does not work for their horses the place is not for them.  Consequently, I often employ a reverse showing schedule by checking out the barn or stables, access to trails, riding rings and such before opening the front door of the house.  The priorities of the horse owners often place equine needs above human ones.  As one prospective buyer told me,  "I can always remodel a house, but I can't put a riding trail behind it." Access to riding trails is [...]

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Buying a Luxury Home in the South Bay of Los Angeles

By | February 11th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Beach Cities, Hermosa Beach Homes for Rent, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Lifestyle in the Beach Cities, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes|

If you are in the market to purchase a luxury home in Palos Verdes or the beach cities of Manhattan, Hermosa or Redondo, the choices can be overwhelming.  We recently showed a client luxury homes from Malibu to Newport Beach.  Although that swathe of land covers an immense territory, the buyer's needs were very specific as to primary concerns of style, size, age and location of the home he and family wanted.  Once a property qualified in all the primary categories, we then progressed on to secondary concerns of traffic, schools, crime, air quality and value of similar homes in [...]

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Are You Ready to Pounce on the Right House?

By | February 6th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Inspiration, Seller Tip|

I just returned from a lovely "bush experience" in the wilds of Botswana,  Zimbabwe and  the tamer territory of Cape Town.  I tried to leave my real estate mind far behind in California, but I couldn't help but notice a few similarities between the bush and the sellers and buyers I left behind.   An animal may stalk his prey of choice for hours or even days.  He lies in wait until the most opportune moment presents itself.  Then, with no hesitation, and with lightning speed, he pounces, chases, fights or whatever it takes to succeed and achieve his goal. [...]

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Open House–Pros and Cons

By | February 4th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Seller Tip|

Spring is just around the corner and open house signs will proliferate throughout the front lawns of Los Angeles' South Bay communities.  The rush to find a new nest is a rite of spring (although in Southern California the signs of spring are difficult to detect).  Let it suffice to say open houses are a year-round staple in Los Angeles but with the advent of the Internet, virtual tours and a plethora of photographs, does the open house tool still belong in a Realtor's (and seller's) marketing toolkit? My answer is a yes, but with reservations.  My first concern is [...]

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