Low Inventory in Los Angeles

September is almost here and we have been feeling the heat in LA!

The ocean has been especially warm these last few weeks so it's a great time to sunscreen up and hop in! I like to go to the Pacific Palisades and park on Temescal to walk down to the water, or pop down to Venice and walk around the canals.

Labor Day is this weekend so there may not be as many Open Houses as Angelenos don white pants for the last time and rush the beaches. If you can get your beach time in before the weekend- definitely try! After this weekend, perhaps PCH and the beaches will have less traffic? Let's hope!


If you're out looking at houses on the Westside, keep in mind that inventory is incredibly low and there are quite a few Buyers out and about (Check out this video featuring Joe Light which talks about the lack of inventory, and the Housing Market Recovery!) Once you decide you're ready to purchase (or almost ready!) get to a lender and get Pre-Approved for a loan. Being Pre-Qualified does not mean much in the Westside Los Angeles market these days- you need to know exactly how much you can spend, and the Seller of the home you fall in love with will want that assurance as well. Since there are so few properties on the market- you want to be prepared to put an offer in as soon as absolutely possible after you've seen your dream home. If you still need to get your funding ducks in a row- chances are, someone else will snap it up.

Joe Light talks about the Real Estate Recovery, and comments on Warren Buffet's

TODAY'S TIP: It seems counterintuitive but now is the BEST time to have your heater serviced and your chimney cleaned. As the air starts to cool and people begin switching from AC to heat, all those heating technicians get busy! Better to get in and get everything cleaned and prepped for winter (and who knows... maybe keep an eye out for specials or deals).

New Year- New Ways

So we are well on our way into the New Year and celebrating today one of our historic leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King embraced change and progress; championing a way forward. While we enjoy a day of relaxation to remember Dr. King and the the changes he helped bring forward we too must progress and embrace change.

This is an exciting time for real estate as we embrace new changes in all aspects of our community. From allowing all members of each community to access lists of Open Houses online, to sites like Zillow and Redfin, to those great QR codes on signs you can scan on your phone and see Virtual Tours and all the details for the home you are standing right in front of- technology is coming and coming quick.

Check out this LINK to see another new technology we are going to be seeing soon- taking a page out of the video game industry's book.

TIP OF THE WEEK- Take down all your Holiday decorations, and properly dispose of anything that is flammable. Many troups of Boy Scouts will collect your Christmas Trees and Hanukkah Bushes for free. In addition, cities like Santa Monica have designated areas you can drop them off to keep them from sitting in your front yard until trash day.

Happy January! Special TIP #2- Now is a great time to go through your sock drawer and empty out any old or mismatched socks. Do you really need them? If it's even a question, the answer is probably no!