WEST HOLLYWOOD CONDO REPORT: May 2009 versus May 2008 Average Selling Price: $545,000 / $582,000 - 6.3% decline Average List Price:  $579,000 / $604,000 - 4.1% decline Median Price: $502,000 / $522,000 - 3.8% decline Total Sold in Dollars: $14,170,000 / $15,137,000 - 6.4% decline Number of Units Sold:  26 / 26 - no change Lowest Price Condo Sold: $265,000 / $326,000 18.7% decline Highest Price Condo Sold: $900,000 / $1,029,000 12.5% decline Average Days on the Market: 124 / 101 - 22% more time (Statistics extracted from The CLAW MLS and rounded off for ease of comparison. Statistics are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed) 06/09/2009

It's that time of the year again when the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community celebrates Gay Pride in Los Angeles. In fact, June is recognized as Pride Month by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrate LA Pride in West Hollywood each year. "Events are held in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City on June 28, 1969, which most historians consider to be the birth of the modern LGBT civil rights movement" "At the time, police raids on bars catering to LGBT patrons were common, but that night, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back. While historical accounts of the night vary, the violent response ignited a national firestorm of activism that brought new visibility to the... 06/08/2009

The Lux 925 marries uber cool chic with high quality materials and manages to achieve something often lacking in many new construction projects - a very usable, well flowing floor plan. I was blown away when I walked through the door of these town homes last week. Featuring dark espresso hardwood floors, floor to ceiling windows, a massive living room, and gourmet kitchen, every room in these residences is meant to impress (and does so quite nicely). One feature that I have not often seen is contrasting hardwood floors in the lux master and guest bathrooms. As I had mentioned, the floors throughout the unit are dark espresso, but the bathroom floors have a very light colored pine-ish wood creating a striking aesthetic. As always, what prevents these from being an official Hot Prop is th... 06/08/2009

Santa Monica, California Photgraphed using my iPhone - June 6, 2009 Copyright © 2009 Penn Properties.  All Rights Reserved. 06/07/2009

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt" - Abraham Lincoln There's no better quotation that applies to Sarah Palin than this one. At an event in Anchorage this past week while opening for Michael Reagan, Palin re-introduced "Alaska's First Dude" and then proceeded to deliver another ridiculous speech in which she opened with "Screw Political Correctness" (Turn up the volume on your computer). She promoted the arrogant Bush ideology and closed-minded thinking of "Us against them", and "You're either with us or against us". She stated: "We need to be aware of the creation of a fearful population, and fearful lawmakers." I get it that she was somehow referring to the Obama Administration, but doesn't she remember the fear-mongering of the Bush ... 06/07/2009

As those of you who read my blog know, I try to update as consistently as I can. Life has been hectic this last month, but I can usually carve out some time during the week to write. This week has been extremely busy! In exciting real estate news, we officially closed out all 11 units at 1140 Formosa! This was such a cool project to work on and proof that if the building is located well, priced correctly, and has something unique to offer  the market, it will sell (and with multiples). It was both energizing/tiring doing the walkthroughs and final closing paperwork on 11 units in 7 days, but now that it's done, the end is always bittersweet! I always end up becoming attached to the buyers, as well as all the other people involved in the process!  I want to give an extra special shout ou... 06/07/2009

In 1922 the celebrated Austrian-born architect Rudolph M. Schindler built his personal residence at 835 N Kings Road in West Hollywood. The house is considered to be the first house built in "the Modern Style" and is today a Historical Site recognized in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Kings Road house (later known as simply "The Schindler House") was designed as a live-work space for two couples with a shared kitchen and an apartment for guests. Schindler's design focused on the integration of interior and exterior space using complex interlocking volumes and strongly articulated sections. The house has no living room, no dining room and no bedrooms. Rather, the house features concrete walls & sliding glass panels to create versatile areas for work and sleep. Today,... 06/06/2009

I have an iMac and a MacBook Pro - and I love them both. They're smart, dependable, and low maintenance. What's really great is that I can operate Windows-based programmes on my Macs. Did you know you could do that? The newer Macs include a utility called Bootcamp, that effortlessly allows the user to partition the computer's hard-drive and allow Windows to run on one of the partitions. It's important to note that you need Windows XP with Service Pack 2 to work your Mac. Forget about Vista and the other products that Microsoft brought to the market. Just stick with the basics (XP Home or Professional). DISCLOSURE: I'm NOT a computer geek or some genius techno guy, but rather a curious Broker who received exceptional service and outstanding support from the staff at my local Apple Store.... 06/06/2009

Watch Dick Cheney express his warped perception of reality   thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Economic Crisis 06/05/2009

There was exciting news today for anyone who follows Apple. Steve Jobs is ready to return to work as head of Apple. In January this year Jobs took a six-month break as CEO for medical reasons. According to The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, had earlier exhibited significant weight loss, and cited a nutritional problem related to a hormone imbalance." He has since been treated for the problem and is said to be "coming along" with his recovery. Apple Stock Price is doing particularly well and is currently around $145, down from it's high of almost $190 but well of it's low of $78 seen in the last 4 months of 2008.. Steve Jobs was listed as Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Businessman of 2007. The intriguing question being asked is if Jobs will announce th... 06/04/2009

"The sale of our property was greatly respected - I know that Stewart will be a valuable asset in representing your property and that you could not be in better hands" - (Barry Meyer - Chairman & CEO Warner Brothers) A huge part of the thrill I get from selling Real Estate is the sense that I'm doing good for my clients. I feel great when I find Buyers a home they love, and I'm equally excited when I know I've achieved well for my Sellers. So when a client expresses their appreciation in writing I relish the compliment. Do you have a powerful testimonial to share with the ActiveRain Community? 06/04/2009

Stewart Penn | Penn Properties | 310.866.1818 1277 S Beverly Glen Blvd #107, Los Angeles, CA Wonderfully spacious & private 2-Bed Condo with extra-ordinarily large patio area. 2BR/2BA Condo offered at $629,000 Year Built 1974 Sq Footage 1,690 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $500 per month DESCRIPTION "MOTIVATED SELLER" - This is exceptional value & NOT a short sale!!! AGGRESSIVELY PRICED TO SELL QUICKLY!!! Stunning, sophisticated and spacious. Quiet, private and serene. Spacious 2 Bed 2 Bath condo with "designer touches" features sumptuous master suite with fireplace, fitted shutters, upgraded slate bathroom & walk-in closet. Eat-in kitchen has granite counters & newer appliances. Washer/dryer inside unit. Espresso har... 06/04/2009

Six Flags Magic Mountain - Los Angeles, California This kind of reminds me of the Stock Exchange .... :) Copyright © 2009 Penn Properties.  All Rights Reserved. 06/03/2009

There's a new Yogurt store on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood that's causing quite a stir ..... it's called Yogurt Stop. With loud Trance and Club Music beating in the background, you "Pump your own Yogurt" from one of several machines.  There's a fun selection of "decidedly gay" flavors to choose from: "Original Weho Tart", "Fierce Vanilla Bean"; "Cookies and Cream Queen"; "Tickle UR Toffee"; "Cappuccino Crush on You"; "Snicker-doodle Surprise Me"; "Pecan Praline Pride" and many others. You then choose from a huge selection of toppings including "Red Velvet Cupcake Crumble"; "Weho Chocolate Brownie"; "NY Cheesecake" and other tempting delights. They also have a good selection of fresh fruit toppings (to challenge Pinkberry which is just down the street) Finally, you weigh it and pa... 06/02/2009

Almost a year ago to the day I blogged about General Motors and "Who Killed the Electric Car , and Why?" My blog focused on the 2006 Documentary about General Motors' Electric Car - the EV1 and the concerted effort on the part of the company to stifle the production and viability of the vehicle. Clearly, General Motors was responding to outside influences, be it the oil producers or other parties with vested interests in seeing the Electric Car's demise. The market has a way of dealing with such behavior. June 1, 2009 - After receiving over $50 Billion in government assistance, General Motors finally declared bankruptcy. The company is selling off Hummer, Saab, Pontiac and Saturn and the reorganized Genral Motors will produce Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick. What's interesting is tha... 06/02/2009

I don't like buying too many products online. I'm old-fashioned in the sense that I like to see the product, touch the product and examine it before purchasing it. However, there is online online vendor that I highly recommend for computer accessories, software, as well as digital cameras - Newegg.com. Newegg.com has an excellent range of products and their prices are always highly competitive, if not the best available. Their service is faultless, right from an easy and quick ordering and check-out process, to reliable and fast shipping, as well as exemplery after sales service. In a time of lower standards of customer care it's refreshing to have a vendor that values their their customers. I give Newegg a score of 10 out of 10. 05/31/2009

Speechless Sunday - May 31, 2009 Los Angeles - 101 Freeway Copyright © 2009 Penn Properties.  All Rights Reserved. 05/31/2009

I recently had a situation regarding a Property Inspection on a condo. The condo was built in the 1960's and had radiant heat installed in the ceiling. Over time, one of the owners had smoothed the ceilings and removed the "popcorn" acoustic ceiling. During this process the radiant heat was damaged and became non-functional. Replacement heating had never been installed to remedy this loss of a permanent heat source. During a recent property inspection, the inspector correctly brought this to my buyer's attention. When the buyer asked me how this could be remedied, I recommended that he call a heating specialist to determine the most efficient fix. I also suggested installing permanent baseboard heaters which I've used in condos I own. The baseboard heat is cheaper and in my opinion, mor... 05/31/2009

The Huffington Post featured a post with the funniest photo of one crazy, crazy woman, who tried to hand-deliver a letter to President Barack Obama when Air-force-One landed in Los Angeles this afternoon. According to the article, the person in question was Brenda Lee, a writer for a small Georgia newspaper. Airport security officers carried the woman away by the feet and arms as she protested her removal. She was attempting to hand deliver a letter to the President of the United States in which she stated her views opposing gay marriage. The over-enthusiastic imbecile, who lives in Anaheim, California -  claimed to be a "Roman Catholic Priestess". I grinned as I read the on-line article, imagining that Leslie Nielsen was about to walk onto the tarmac and ask who was interfering with hi... 05/30/2009

Last year I blogged about the fate of the traditional Real Estate Brokerage Business Model and commented how I believed the large corporate owned offices would need to drastically change the way they did business. The ever increasing importance of the internet would result in 'Virtual Offices" which would facilitate the survival of Real Estate firms. I've operated as a Realtor out of some of the biggest National Real Estate offices in Los Angeles. About 3 years ago, after carefully considering the benefits of remaining with a large corporate-branded brokerage, I concluded it would be in my best interests to obtain my Brokers License and operate independently.  I fully appreciate that being an independent is not for everyone (we all have different needs and methodologies and I respect t... 05/28/2009