310-493-8333
FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterest

April 2014

Bye, Bye, Green Grass

By |2021-07-21T07:45:47-07:00April 30th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Los Angeles|

  In Los Angeles City upon the sale of a house it must be retrofitted with water saving devices such as low flow toilets and shower-heads.  I have always found this rather amusing and only the proverbial drip in the bucket when it comes to saving water.  Meanwhile the expansive lawns of green grass drink at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes. California, yes the entire State, is enduring one of the worst droughts of recent memory.  On my planet the token water-saving toilets and shower-heads are no longer enough.  I'd like to see lawns converted to "desert" friendly landscaping, [...]

Read More
 0

March 2014

Charlemagne Int’l Properties – Intro Video

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00March 21st, 2014|Beach Cities, Featured Posts, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes|

Charlemagne Int'l Properties    Our company name changed, but our service will be even better, and our contact information remains the same.  After several years of blogging to a local audience, as well as an extensive international readership, by way of our award-winning real estate blog, Palos Verdes Lifestyle, Josh and I decided to open Charlemagne International Properties.  With this new venture we plan to focus on local sellers and buyers, while we continue to reach out to the growing number of international buyers interested in purchasing property in Southern California. Our support staff includes a commercial consultant with an [...]

Read More
 0

Windows Inside and Out

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00March 17th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Beach Cities, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Hermosa Beach, Inspiration, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Lifestyle in the Beach Cities, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates|

I love windows.  They allow light and fresh air to enter our homes and add architectural interest to the home's design.  I snapped this photo while visiting Monet's home and gardens in Giverny, France.  Of course I took photos of the gardens and home but I was not too surprised when this particular shot turned out to be one of my favorites. The placement of windows in a home is very important and can add or subtract value to the home. A home with too many windows may present a challenge for furniture arrangement, and a home with too few [...]

Read More
 0

Palos Verdes Income Property

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00March 10th, 2014|Front Page, Income Property, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes|

Income property in Palos Verdes is sparse, and the fortunate few who own it tend to buy and hold and hold and hold.  In 2013 a client made offers on both of the two, yes two, Palos Verdes income properties offered for sale. There were multiple offers on both and our client's offer was not accepted.  We continue to watch the area for income property. Income units that sold in Rancho Palos Verdes The Palos Verdes Peninsula is primarily a residential area with small commercial areas scattered around "The Hill" as it is referred to by the locals. [...]

Read More
 0

February 2014

Monet Moment on Palos Verdes Walk

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00February 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 [...]

Read More
 0

Income Property – Terms

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00February 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 [...]

Read More
 0

Do You Have the Right Stuff to Be a Landlord?

By |2021-07-21T07:45:48-07:00February 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 [...]

Read More
 0

Buying a Luxury Home in the South Bay of Los Angeles

By |2021-07-21T07:45:49-07:00February 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 [...]

Read More
 0

December 2013

Is Your Agent Playing Word Games With You?

By |2021-07-21T07:45:51-07:00December 23rd, 2013|An Agent's Life, Beach Cities, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Income Property, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes, Seller Tip|

I received a call from a past client requesting me to list one of her properties.  Only problem was, it was already listed with someone from her social circle.  It seems the process was not going well and my former client decided she wanted to return to a known entity. Unfortunately, changing agents is not as simple as a phone call when contracts are involved.  While still on the phone, I checked the MLS and the listing was still showing as "Active" even though the seller assured me the listing was "Canceled" at her request. I explained I could not help [...]

Read More
 0

September 2013

What I’ve Learned and What I’ve Tried to Forget About Real Estate

By |2021-07-21T07:45:52-07:00September 30th, 2013|An Agent's Life, Beach Cities, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Income Property, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes, Seller Tip|

Let's begin with some cliches and how they apply to life as related to real estate. Nothing lasts forever.  The marketing that worked last year may not work this year.  The marketing that worked 20 years ago may still work this year.  It's up to the agent to discard the old and add new based on market conditions and trends. What goes up must come down.  The market has been high, low, high, low and heading back to high in the two plus decades I've been in the real estate business.  Historically speaking, real estate, like most markets, is fluid [...]

Read More
 0
Toggle Sliding Bar Area
Go to Top