Check List Of Things To Do For Your Open House

There are a lot of states and areas that don't hold open houses when their house if for sale. It doesn't really do a lot of good in some suburban areas where homes and neighborhoods are more spread out. But here in LA, if you are looking to buy a house, chances are you've driven to your desired area on Saturdays and Sundays looking for the signs pointing you in the direction of open houses. I hold a lot of open houses and just wanted to put together a list of things you should do before having your house open to the public.
1. Clean you house...this includes but is not limited to, sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathtubs and toilets and getting dirty dishes out of the sink and emptying bathroom trash cans.
2. Put all kids/baby toys away.  If you use your living room for your kids, hide the toys somewhere. Put them in closets, or storage bins neatly stacked away but don't leave them out in site.
3. If you have a smaller kitchen or your counters are filled with appliances and kitchen nick nacks, moved things off the counter. Even things you think you may need right after the open house like a coffee maker or toaster. Just store things away for a bit to make open space on your counters.
4. Open up as many blinds and shades as you have and if your place doesn't fill up with natural sunlight, turn on as many lights as you can. The lighter and brighter, the better.
5. Put down the toilet lids and put away all personal bathroom items from make-up, to toothbrushes, and medicines.
6. Hide well, or take with you all smaller objects that may be of value. Don't forget things like kid's piggy banks, watches, jewelery, signed memorabilia, gift cards, antiques, check books and any important paper work should be stored away as well.
7.  If you own a gun make sure it is either out of the house or safely stored away with no ammunition. (I've never heard of anything happening with this on the safety side of things, but I put this under the category of "hiding objects of value)
8. If your realtor doesn't do it for you, maybe think about putting a sign on your door that states the hours of your open house. A lot of times the realtors signs that are our in the streets are put there hours before an open house starts and it helps to keep buyers from knocking at your door to early or late.
9. Light a candle that has a light/clean smell to it, especially if you have pets.
10. Clean your litter box well and if you can, put it somewhere outside the house.
11. Take your animals with you or leave them with someone during the open house.
12. Turn off your answering machine or turn the volume off (it is kind of funny when grandma is leaving a message for everyone at the open house to hear but you may not want certain messages shared with the public)
13. If it's nice outside, open all your windows but if the weather is too hot or cold, turn on the air accordingly.
                                
Best of luck at your open house and selling your house and if you haven't already found your real estate agent to help you, please call me, I would love to help.
                            

Southern California Home Prices Level Off

LA Times writes "Southern California Home Prices Level Off" Click the link below to read the article

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77383524/

Why Using A Local Real Estate Agent Is Very Important

It's not uncommon to hear someone using an agent that is not from the area.  Maybe it's your Uncle or your Dad's college buddy that lives close by, but not in your city.  And maybe this may sound like an old Western movie but other agents may speak with another agent from another area and say something like, "You're not from around the parts are ya?"  I would never recommend using someone who isn't local unless this out-of-town agent is more familiar with your city than you are. If your out-of-town agent doesn't know things like the new grocery store that is going up in the middle of town, or the construction that is about to take place on a major street near you for the next year, than you should not be working with this agent and find someone local.  I know you may be thinking "why does this agent need to know about grocery stores and street repair?", right?  Well here are a lot of reasons and things you should think about.  If you are looking for a home, your agent should know if the major street outside your neighborhood is going to turn into one lane for the next year.  This could impact the value and defiantly the quality of living.  And if your agent doesn't know about the big grocery store going up soon, how do you think they will know about the latest disclosures that talk about hillside ordinances which effect adding square footage to your home and putting things like a pool in the yard.  Are you going to buy a house that has a nice wood burning fireplace that may need to be rebuilt because it's older and been through a few earthquakes, only to find out you may not be able to build a wood burning fireplace in LA County anymore?  If your agent is from Santa Barbara but you are buying a home in LA, they aren't going to have the relationships and connections with other agents.  And here is the thing I shouldn't say (but it's true), a lot of local agents won't even work with out-of-town agents. Sometimes they won't even look at offers from them.  And this only gets worse as the price point you are looking into goes up.  And the reason is, the agent selling the house, knows everything I'm saying here...which is someone who isn't from here, doesn't know their way around the market the way they should to get the deal done right.  You are also going to need a local escrow company to handle your transaction and your agent should know a person in your area to turn to for this.  Using a real estate agent from another city is as unwise as learning all the DMV rules and driving laws from Maine, then coming to California and putting them to use.  There may be some basic rules like driving on the right side of the road but there are lots of other things that differ from area to area. And real estate agents spend a lot of time keeping up with all the rules and laws in our own area that there is no way possible for someone who is not from here to know all them.  Let your Uncle from out of town do some asking around and find you a good local agent.  You deserve to have someone in-the-know working for you.  And as a Los Angeles agent myself, I can tell you that I would not work for someone in Palm Springs, or San Diego (even though I use to live there).  I would refer to you someone who lives there now.
                                                               

                                                      

When Looking For A House To Buy You Should....

Have you ever pulled up at work and you can't even remember the drive there? Well, a lot of times, if you are out looking at a lot of houses, it feels like that. You think you'll remember about a particular house, but even looking back at photos, you don't remember the details. So when you are out looking at houses, take notes on the information sheet we give you about the house. Write the things that stick out like "Blue Fireplace" or "green shag carpet".  Also write what you like and don't like about the homes "no garage", "great layout", "open kitchen", "worn looking roof" etc. You may feel excitement for a house while you are there but by the time you get home and you've looked at 6 different houses, you may not remember why you were excited. And I know you think that if you were happy about a place, you would remember it, but just like the drive to work, it can be a smooth easy drive and you don't remember any of it, whereas if you come across an awful driver on your way there, you will remember that. Bad houses sometimes stick in our heads where the good ones can be less memorable sometimes...so take notes. Cheers! 
                                                               

What Would You Have Done Differently?

I always like to hear people's stories of the home buying and selling process. It's just one way I can get to know what clients' needs are even more-so.  So, my question to all you out there is...in your last home sale or purchase, what would you have done differently? Looking back was there something you wished you understood better or knew about? If you could give one piece of advice to the realtor that helped you, what would that be? I would love to hear your feedback! Please post below in the comment section.

I Am In The LA Times Again

It feels really good that the LA Times called me again and asked for my thoughts on the real estate market. And it's always good to see your name in the paper, especially when it's not for a crime or in an obituary. Check out the latest article about our market today and what I have to say http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77383524/

A Couple of "Forget Me Not's" When Buying or Selling Your Home

Well...I'll use this idiom of "Forget Me Not's" in a different context than what it's normally used as but here goes....Don't Forget To:
1. Change the locks on the doors if you choose when you first move it
2. Write down the name of the paints you use to paint the rooms, including the mix #, the brand, gloss or flat, and what room it went in.  And if you're a nice seller, pass this info to your buyer as well
3. Remove any baby-proofing locks you may have on your cabinets
4. Ask the sellers who they used to garden their lawn...this person may already be familiar with the landscape and how to work it well
5. Try to have the utility services "transferred" from the seller to buyer as oppose to having them turned off then starting a new account (this could save you some $$)
6. Get the names and #'s of all your neighbors when you move in...you never know when you'll need a helping hand or they may need yours
7.  Hire a pest control company to come "control" would-be pests once a month...the amount to spend if damage happens can be a lot.
8. Look into putting your property into a Trust. You will need to talk to an attorney, your finance manager and/or your tax person about this. Talking about Living Trusts and Wills is not everyone's favorite subject but trust me, from a broker's point-of-view, you are better off going through the process of making a trust and transferring your property into it rather than someone having to go to probate with your property if something happens.
9. Last but not least, don't forget me! That is, to call me when you are thinking about buying or selling your home here in LA.
Cheers!
                                                                       

                                                                    

New Wine Bar In Toluca Lake

As much as I love real estate and writing all about the market...my first love is wine.  And we are getting a new wine bar in Toluca Lake and I can't wait. I walked by the window the other day and saw the sign "Spin The Bottle". I'm hoping they have a spread of great cheese, cured meats and other fun things to go along with their wine. I'm sure I will be taking some of my clients here for meetings if it turns out to be a good place.

                                                                

Meeting Your Agent For The First Time

I met with some new clients today at a local cafe. I like to sit down and talk about what to expect when looking for a home and also bring them a copy of the purchase contract to go over with them.  They had a lot of really good questions and we had the chance to talk about the time frames of the contract, the contingencies and a number of other things. I explained to them about the inspections and appraisal.  How those work, and what they can cost. We also talked about legal matters, good faith deposit vs down payment and some other things.  When we went to leave, the couple told me they had met a few other agents, but not one had gone over any of these things with them or taken the time to ask of they had any questions. I know it seems like a lot of our time is spent opening a front door and saying "here is the house, what do you think?" but if you are working with a good agent, they should take time out to explain the process to you and go over the contract well before you are looking to sign one. I know I'm not the only agent out there that does this but I must say I'm disappointed that I was the first this couple had met that went through this with them. But that is neither here nor there because they are in good hands now, but if you are working with an agent that hasn't done these things yet...please ask them to sit down with you and go over them.  It is really only to your benefit to understand how getting an offer accepted works and they days following an accepted offer might look.  Cheers and have a great labor day.

                                                                                       

NoHo Is The Place To Be

Wow, NoHo is on the move folks. This town is making some noise and bringing more and more people who want to call it home everyday.  According to this article I attached below, NoHo is ranked #3 on Walkscore.com. This has to do with the fact that NoHo has the metro red line, the orange line, bike paths and lots of great theaters, shops and restaurants all within a short distance.  What this article didn't mention, is that as a commuter, NoHo also has access to the 170, 134, and 101 within blocks of each other. And the places that are popping up here are drawing in people from everywhere.  Have you tried Bow & Truss, the Federal, Republic of Pie or been to the new Laemmle theater or 24 Hour fitness?  Or what about some of the great places that have been here a while like Pitfire Pizza,  Eclectic Cafe, or the famous El Portal theater? I have been to and frequent them all.  It looks like if you want to be where it's happening and you can go from place to place without even getting in your car, then NoHo is the place to be.
  http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com/index.php/noho-news/item/1966-nobody-walks-in-l-a-except-in-noho#.UiJR3oy9KSO

July 2013 And The Housing Market is Still Rising

You read it right...the reports have come out to say that July was a great month and they are predicting it to continue to keep rising and for August's numbers to reflect the same. According to this article from Zillow "July marked the 14^th straight month of annual home value appreciation" Read more here http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-08-19/housing-conversation-turns-to-the-future-as-market-turns-in-another-strong-month-in-july/?utm_content=32&utm_medium=9235&utm_campaign=Data&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_term=

Islands In Sherman Oaks

I don't know about you guys, but one of the reasons I love where I live and work has a lot to do with the selection of restaurants.  All these "ma and pa" places to eat out here are great. I love places like Miya sushi in Valley Village or Hayat's Kitchen in NoHo and Spumoni in Sherman Oaks.  Then, of course there are some smaller chains that are on my favorites list as well like Umami Burger and Lotería Mexican Grill, both in Studio City.  But you don't really find a lot of the big chain restaurants around here. But, right across from my office there is a beautiful building that is just finishing construction.  On the front of one of the entrances the sign for "Islands Restaurant" hangs there holding it's place in this new building. But I wonder how a chain like that will do here. I mean, when we go to visit the grandparents out in Palm Desert, this is where they always like to go.  And we always take them there and the average age of the clientele is about 70. Okay, I know that may have a lot to do with being in Palm Desert but that is just what my mind associates with Islands restaurant.  And we have a couple other big chains like Cheesecake Factory and El Torito but I always figured those places survived because of the lunch business people that go there.  So, I guess we will wait and see if the locals will venture out of their local watering holes and restaurants to Islands, or if they'll keep to what they know and like.

30 year fixed mortgage rate finally dropped a bit

Good news buyers....the rates just dropped for the first time in a while. Check it out http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-08-27/30-year-fixed-mortgage-rates-fall-for-first-time-in-five-weeks/?utm_content=5&utm_medium=9235&utm_campaign=Corporate%20News&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_term=

Half Of Real Estate Is About Who You Know...But What About The Brokers You Would Rather Not Know?

Being in the real estate biz, I've learned that doing business is about half of what you know and half of who you know.  And even more so, sometimes avoiding the ones you know.  I mean, every real estate agent should be up-to-speed on how to do their jobs, knowing the contracts, laws and regulations (not that this is always the case though). But we should also know our fellow realtors.  Building relationships means that when you come to me to buy or sell, I have other people I can turn to, to help get the other side of that deal done. But there are also other realtors that some realtors won't turn to.  And you, as a consumer, may not be aware of this. Accepting an offer has more to do with than just the price on the paper a lot of times. There are some realtors that are very difficult to work with, and when word spreads about this, you would see that those people may bring in offers, but their offers may not be taken seriously because of the broker who is working on them. And it's one thing to be a hard-nosed realtor, someone who really fights for their clients, but it's a whole other thing to just be a bad business person.  Sometimes realtors won't even respond to those broker's offers because they've already had bad experiences with them.  And if you are selling a house, and you get one of these offers in, I would be frank with you and let you know my experiences with that bad broker and why accepting an offer from them could be risky and even costly.  But if you are out looking to buy, how do you know if your broker has that type of reputation that could keep you from getting your home? And same goes for selling as well...what if your thinking about hiring someone who has a poor reputation?  This could really impact the sale of your house because a lot of realtors won't even bring their clients to houses for sale by bad brokers.  Well, first off, I won't sign anything with a broker when you are looking to buy until you get to know them a bit and get a good feeling. Hopefully in just a couple of weeks, you could get a good sense of their professionalism and over-all personality.  Are they returning your calls or emails in a timely manner? Are they answering your questions well or are they answering questions before you even have them? And here is the last clue as to whether or not your realtor is someone that has a not-so-great reputation: ask a couple other realtors.  While we are not allowed to speak poorly of our fellow brokers, if you ask me about someone I know, as my mother said, if I don't have anything nice to say, I just might not say anything at all.
                                                                    

If The Walls Of Your Home Could Talk, What Would They Say?

Los Angeles has such a variety of homes, and a lot of them date back to 1950 or well before.  We have history running through the veins of our streets and neighborhoods.  And the valley is no exception.  Back in the 1930's we had 3 airports up and running and it wasn't long before we were the home of a lot of the major studios like Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, CBS, Disney Studios and many more.  The airports and studios drew in so many people wanting to live in the valley that between 1930 and 1940 the population doubled. We have had some of the most famous actors, singers, directors, and producers call the valley their home, and we still do. And while the stories of the famous are always interesting, so is the history of the people and homes that made the valley what it is today.  So, if you've read any of my other articles, I'm sure you can tell I love my job buying and selling houses. But one of the most fascinating things about real estate, is the history and architecture behind the homes. I have dozens of books about these things but the other day I ran across a website that contains an enormous amount of information about our Valley homes and areas, and the history behind a lot of them. This site even gives a breakdown of certain groups of homes and the story behind who built them, when they were built, and their addresses.  If you enjoy reading about these things as much as I do, you must check this out. Or maybe, you might even find your house on one of these lists and learn things you never knew before. Check it out here Survey LA