According to a recent article published in the Los Angeles Times, real estate prices are expected to drop across the board in California . In 2008, the California Association of Realtors forecasts that the median price of existing homes will decline 4% to $553,000. In contrast, during 2003-2005, home prices increased at a rate of 16% per year. The glory days seem to be over as the market readjusts to general softness in home sales. Even though home sales experienced a downturn of around 23% for 2007, homes are optimistically forecasted to increase by 3.5% to a record of $576,000. It comes down to another fundamental lesson in supply and demand. The housing market simply is not immune to general principles of economics, as the supply of new and existing homes in California as of August 2... 11/19/2007

11.02.07   n-PRO Headline NewsDo Most Closings Seem Like Touch and Go?Well FORTUNATE for me, I had a closing today on a Padre Island home. I represented the Buyers - a Great family... first time home buyers. They're definitely new friends that I've made for life.We passed the original closing date by about six days, but we closed on 4th and Goal today! Hoorah!Do most closings seem touch and go?Even with the best of attempts to make everything go smooth, it seems as though delays in closings is a natural part of the system. Why? Because there are so many players involved in making a home sell. OPTIMISM is contagious! And it's all a matter of viewing On Top of the Box, All Around the Box, Under the Box, Outside of the Box, and yes, In The Box!Cheers, KIM.Contact Mr. C. KIM McGuire, n-PRO ... 11/02/2007

Last Friday a fixer/teardown on Kelton in Westwood had 14 offers on it! The home was situated on a 5,400 square foot lot, which is among the smaller lot sizes in Westwood. The sale is estimated at $100,000+ the asking price. Another fixer/teardown on Kelton closed last week that had multiple offers on it as well and went very close to the asking price. A fixer/teardown on Lauriston, south of Olympic, recently had multiple offers as well. The fixer/teardown's are still a HOT commodity in Westwood. With most of them going multiple offers. There are still a few fixers available on the market in Westwood priced under $1,000,000. 10/22/2007

ATTENTION BUYERS IN CALIFORNIADid you know that you can BUY YOUR NEXT CONDO or HOUSE with NO DOWN, NO CLOSING COSTS, 30 year fixed @ 4.125%  as of June 2018.  NACA.com offers two options, one for First time Buyers and the second one for to qualified refinancing purposes to save people's home.    Here are the main highlights of THE BEST PURCHASE PRODUCT IN AMERICA by NACAATENCION COMPRADORES DE CASAS, CONDOS O DUPLEX, SABIA UD QUE PUEDE COMPRAR SIN ENGANCHE, SIN GASTOS DE PAPELO excepto PRE-PAGADOS CON EL PROGRAM DE NACA.  COMUNIQUESE CON LUPE SOTO REALTOR PARA MAS INFORMACION (818)276-6882 - COMPRA DE CASA CONDO TOWNHOME SIN ENGANCHE - NO ENGANCHE - NO GASTOS DE PAPELEO .As a registered Realtor with NACA. I will represent the Buyer interested in buying a home in Los Angeles County, San ... 10/20/2007

I received an email today from a prospective buyer stating how he and his family are looking for a home in Los Angeles. He also mentioned how there are ‘bargains' to be found here. Is it because of the headlines of "Mortgage Meltdown" and "Record Foreclosures" spell discounts for home buyers? Not necessarily. The areas where homeowners are currently receiving a Notice of Default, (Palmdale, Riverside,etc.) are the areas that have seen price declines. Every time there is a foreclosure in these areas, a home is sold for less than it would otherwise, so it then becomes a "comp", ultimately affecting the value of the neighborhood. At the moment, there are very few foreclosures in desirable areas of Los Angeles, therefore prices have remained stable in these areas. The current sentiment remi... 10/07/2007

You just took the mutt for a day trip to the mountains, to the beach or to Melrose. Quench your thirsts at one of these places where you'll both feel at home: Venice French Market Cafe - offering traditional baguette sandwiches in a gourmet market. Indoor seating is scarce, but pets are frequently found tableside at the larger outdoor patio. 2321 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (310)577-9775 The Otheroom - You and your little canine buddy are welcome inside this location. Select from an endless list of beers and wines, while you watch the action unfold on Abbot Kinney. 1201 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (310)396-6230 WeHo BLD - Breakfast mecca BLD has blueberry-ricotta pancakes for you and water in pastel-colored bowls for your pet. Score a roadside seat and tie the leash to your chair leg. 7450 Beverly Blvd.... 10/05/2007

  Last weekend I had the opportunity to have a Booth at the Yoga Walk - Go Green at the Convention Center in LA.  It was a pretty Diverse Convention ranging from Energy Efficient Cars (Saturn), Cleaning products (Green it yourself), Yoga, Yoga Teachings and so much more.   I even had my    taken.  This was hilarious.  They had an "Aura" Camera at the Show.  Come on, I know!  I had to try it.   I am, I swear, I am in there somewhere. As you can see it is surrounded by RED.  And this translates into what they tell me is " VITALITY".  Apparently the colors of  your Aura are associated with specific abilities or qualities you have.  Here is a suggested brief description of range of colors for my AuraRED = Activity, Extroversion, movement, vitality, health,  emotionality.  I have also a Ligh... 09/29/2007

Hello All: First of all, I now have a blog that I'm trying out.  Please visit my Notary Public blog. It looks like a fun and easy way to connect with the community.  On the blog, I did include some information about a great source for half priced tickets.  I found the half priced ticket service about a year ago.  I have been enjoying many plays, concerts, and comedy houses now that they are affordable through this service.  I have sworn off ticketmaster due to their poor customer service and ridiculous service fees.  I highly recommend following the link I posted above and checking them out.  Please let me know about your experience too.  I just have nothing but wonderful things to say about them.  Enjoy! 09/23/2007

This past Saturday, Sept. 15th, was World Wide Staging Day for the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP). Our local West Los Angeles Chapter's project was the Day Center at the Downtown Womens' Center (http://www.dwcweb.org). The Downtown Women’s Center provides 40,000 meals, 47 permanent  housing apartments, and a wide array of  other supportive services to over 2000 homeless and very low-income women each year. The Day Center is a space where homeless women can come during the day to take a shower and a nap and have something to eat.With generous donations from CORT Furniture Rental and Fashion Furniture, our local ASPs were able to transform a once dreary room into a warm, homelike sanctuary for these women. I can't tell you what a rewarding experience it wa... 09/17/2007

Part of "HOW TO SAVE FOR A HOME" Series Topic: Cars What is the most cost effective way to own a car?  Leasing, buying, replacing, or keeping your car? Folks, don't waste money on cars!  They present an image yes, but what good is an image of success if you have nothing to back it up?  Better yet, buying that first home adds so much to your security and sense of pride.  Nothing says "SUCCESS" better than hosting various events in your own home. Follow the advice given below.  Buy one of the listed reliable (and cool) cars and the $31,000 you save can be your down payment on a NEW HOUSE! Did you know you can...... Drive Your Car to Death and Save $31,000? According to Consumer Reports magazine, by keeping your car for 15 years, or 225,000 miles of driving, you could save nearly $31,000!... 09/06/2007

Last night our office in conjunction with our preffered lender enjoyed a treat that I felt the need to share.We had the opportunity to go on the NEON BUS TOUR.  Now I have always been a fan of being a tourist in your own town as it can be fun to see what visitors do and this was a prime example.The NEON BUS TOUR is a 3 hour trip on a double decker bus through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood.  It highlights the architectural history of the buildings and their backgrounds.  There are also stops in China Town and Canter's in Hollywood.The tour guides are a lot of fun and the tour is informative as well as entertaining.  This is must do on anyones list whether you are a tourist or a resident.  I have lived in Los Angeles my entire life and walked away learning a few new th... 09/02/2007

There is a lot of blame going on right now as to who, what, where and why we are experiencing the challenges we face today in the California real estate market and other markets throughout the country.  Who's to blame?  Some think It's the Appraiser's fault, no wait, it is the real estate agents, the subprime market, or possibly lenders, mortgage brokers, underwriters, it's the economy stupid? Is it? __________ fill in the blank.First of all, let's all stop panicking and GET A GRIP! It is not one group or another, but a series of mostly predictable events and some not, which is part of the real estate cycle and the challenges we are faced with today.  I am going to break this California Market down into a series of  events which has lead us to where we are today.  This is the first of a... 08/31/2007

Now is the time to buy in Las Vegas. Depsite the doom and gloom we have been hearing in the media, this is the best time to buy a home in Las Vegas! We all know the saying " Buy Low and Sell high".  Well now is the time to buy, buy, buy. There are terrific deals in Las Vegas especially with new home builders. They are cutting prices and adding tremendous incentives that our market has never experienced like this!! If your credit is good and you have 5-10% for a downpayment you can have your dream home. Call me I will show you and get you into the right house, at the right price, at the right time!!! Vanessa Epps702.575.9499vepps@earthlink.net 08/20/2007

For those of you who do not know who Hal Fishman is, He was a local TV anchor here in Los Angeles at KTLA Channel 5 since 1965. He passed away August 7, 2007 after recently being diagnosed with Colon Cancer.Hal Fishman had an irresistible personality and charisma, you could tell he loved his job and I would crack up on his genuine sense of humor.  I learned that in many instances he would ad lib, say if the teleprompter were not working and not miss a beat.  He also did commentary on news events from time to time and you could tell he was passionate about what he was commentating on.  I would write in to the station sharing my 2 cents on his commentary from time to time expecting it would go to the spam folder.  I usually got a response back from Hal a day or two after, thanking me for ... 08/10/2007

Yup, Los Angeles is the birthplace of the French Dipped Sandwich.  It happened in 1918 when Philippe Mathieu dropped  the French Roll he was using to make a sandwich into a roasting pan just out of the oven filled with drippings.  The policeman he was making the sandwich for said he'd take the sandwich anyway.  The next day, he came back with some friends and they all wanted to try those "dipped" sandwiches.  Thus the French Dipped sandwich was born.Philippe's is nestled in Los Angeles just across from the Postal Annex, train station, just up the street from Olvera Street and backs up to Chinatown.  It's become a great place for locals to gather and for folks like my best buddy and fellow Rainer,  Lynda Eisenmann and myself to gravitate to every time we get up to Los Angeles.  Lynda int... 07/17/2007

If you want to do something different this weekend, stop by the pool on the campus at USC.  USA Diving is having their Zone D Championships at the MacDonald Pool on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It's an opportunity to see some of the best young divers in the United States compete for the chance to go to the National Championships later this summer.Events are as follows:Schedule of Events:                               Time                 Event # Event_____________    Friday, July 20                                   11:00 a.m.        1                      Women’s 1 M                                                           11:00 a.m.        2                      Men’s 3 M                                                 Followed by finals      Saturday, July 21                       ... 07/17/2007

CALCO Management          Improve Cash Flow & Profitability!                  Get Hands-On Supervision                                   &               Peace Of Mind Performance.The right property manager can give you the edge you need to build and maintain your real estate assets.  With CALCO Management, you will find you have a resource that further distinguishes your property from others in the marketplace.We give personal care and attention to the property?s immediate needs while keeping an eye toward the future value of your investment. Our managers are experienced, resourceful, and skilled at problem solving. We keep a sharp eye on your bottom line. Don?t put your investment in jeopardy by cutting the wrong corners. Contact InformationDonna Ferrell, Broker818-827-2198Contact Repl... 07/15/2007

Do you seek a realtor who is knowledgable, detailed, and not bothersome?  I am a go-getter.  I represent buyers and sellers.  I listen to your criteria and do not push you higher in price.  I research bank-owned and scheduled-for-auction properties.  You do not have to request area comps, market analyses, or property profiles to ascertain property value or how long the sellers have owned the property.  As soon as you indicate an interest in a particular property, I provide all the information so you are well-informed.  Time constraints?  I will preview properties on your behalf and provide you with an honest assessment (advantages and disadvantages).  I do not want to waste your time or mine.  CONTACT:  Susi Gilmartin (Prudential California Realty) at (310) 230-3751 or email at sgilmart... 07/15/2007

PARENTS - I represent undergraduate and graduate students!  Why permit your students to study in crammed dorms?  Interest rates remain low.  Pursue the popular parental alternative.  Purchase a condo, loft, or townhome during your students' crucial academic years! I listen to your criteria and offer a relaxed atmosphere to assist you in locating properties within your budget. CONTACT - Susi Gilmartin (Prudential California Realty) at (310) 230-3751 or email at sgilmartin@prula.com.  07/15/2007

PARENTS ... Why should your students study in crammed dorms?  Interest rates remain low.  Follow the popular parental alternative.  Purchase a condo, loft, or townhome during your students' crucial academic years!  CONTACT:  Susi Gilmartin (Prudential California Realty) at 310-230-3751 or email to sgilmartin@prula.com.  I listen to your criteria and provide a relaxed approach to your search for the property that meets your budget.  07/15/2007