Smart Car, Smart Realtor!

Why I got a SMART Car for work!

A significant portion of my job is spent in the car. Being a resident of Los Angeles is a little different than other cities I have lived in. While we are making great strides in notching up our public transportation (ie the new EXPO Line, and our ever-improving bussing systems), the sad truth is that our city is not set up to conveniently support public transit yet. In addition, to be a good Realtor, I must be available to my clients. A typical day requires me to jump unexpectedly into the car for any number of reasons including seeing a house with a client that has just come on the market, previewing houses to see if they are the right fit for clients, attending inspections and appraisals, dropping off paperwork to Escrow companies, meeting new clients at their homes, and any number of other random activities.

It was time for me to get a new car, and I spent a lot of time thinking through this decision.

My decision was a SMART car for my work vehicle. While the general consensus amongst Realtors used to be that a 4-5 person car is necessary for agents, a new wave is coming. With all the driving we do as Realtors, I believe it is important to lesson our impact on the environment by being as respectful of our roads as we can be.

Not only do Smart cars use less gas than many cars, take up less room on our crowded streets (especially in areas like Santa Monica and West Hollywood where parking is at a premium), and their light weight is also less damaging in the long run to our roads. With road work being such a problem in LA, especially with the freeway expansions forcing more and more drivers onto surface streets, I feel it is my responsibility to be as friendly to our streets as possible.

Of course the first question I get (aside from the safety aspect) In general, I have found the majority of my clients prefer to drive themselves when we are looking at property. I understand they want to get a feel for driving in their soon-to-be neighborhoods, and that they like the privacy it affords them to have frank discussions about what they've seen and a chance to process their thoughts before we speak next. This works for them, and it may or may not work for you.

Yes, I can take you out to look at houses if you want to carpool! No, I cannot take more than one of you at a time in this car looking at property. Never fear though, I do have another (family) car if our party expands past two people!

So make sure to wave the next time you see me! I hopefully left a great big parking spot for you, while squeezing into something you may not have fit into.

Social Media, LinkedIn and Your House...

Social Media, LinkedIn, and your house...

Sellers across the country are looking for maximum exposure for their homes. In addition to the unparalleled  global resources Sotheby's International Realty Provides, as well as my vast, personal network of Buyers and Real Estate agents (the quickest way to market your home to thousands of motivated Buyers), I am incorporating Social Media into what how I best market the homes of the Seller's I work with.

Today we'll look at one particular way I can get your home seen by a large number of professional's with the resources to be true, prospective Buyers. LinkedIn now has reached 200 Million members. That is an unbelievable amount of people.

I work diligently to connect with not only people I know and trust, but people that they know and trust to take advantage of this platform. By posting pictures and details of your listing on LinkedIn, I am guaranteed to reach multitudes of people both in and out of Los Angeles who either are themselves, or are closely connected to Real Buyers who could potentially be the right fit for your home!

To sweeten the pot, I was recently notified that my profile was in the top 10% of profiles searched in 2012. Out of 200 MILLION members, my profile was viewed in the top 10%! Imagine the possibilities for taking advantage of that exposure and getting your home out to the professional public!

Low Housing Inventory meets Thousands of Eager Buyers.

The new year is in full swing, and the inventory crunch has not gotten much better for Westside Home Buyers. With many homes being snatched off the market in a week or less, some Buyer's are feeling frustration.

An enormous portion of the homes I have seen in the last three months have sold with multiple offers, some receiving dozens of offers per day!With interest rates so low, and the prices seemingly on the rise, many Buyers are hoping to get in while the getting is good, and are finding this is much easier said than done.

We are seeing many Buyer having to wait significantly longer than they did even 6 months ago to find a home, and as such as much more willing to really fight to get it when it comes available. We are seeing the result of this in the prices, as a large amount of homes as selling well over asking.

This article in the LA Times shows some of the trending. They also note that while rates are low- bank criteria is still incredibly stringent and only the Buyers who are absolutely prepared and ready can close in 45 days. This means that if your lender or mortgage broker asks you for something- make it your first priority to get it back to him/her. I generally like to give my clients the Three-Hour rule. If you can get the loan officer or lender the documents they have requested within 3 hours- they can often complete the task that day. If you wait longer, you risk pushing back that part of the process and that could lead to a delay in Escrow.

Today's Tip- Clean out under your sinks. We all know that nice, large area under our sinks can become cluttered with cleaning materials, grocery bags and odds and ends. Take some time to clean it out this week! If you need to do an emergency repair to your sink, or lose something down the drain- the extra accessibility will be so appreciated!

Also-we're hitting record low temperatures in LA, and while our cold is nothing compared to many places across the country... our heaters and fireplaces are in full swing. Practice caution and make sure to keep everything flammable away from those areas!

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).

Almost June!

It's almost June and we are ready to welcome Summer with some exciting news for homebuyers, and homeowners looking to refinance their homes! According to Zunaira Zaki of the Yahoo News team, mortgage rates are reaching new record lows! Most astoundingly, a 15 year mortgage rate is being offered at 2.97%!!

Of course it can be difficult to find or obtain these loans, and near perfect credit is a must, but they are out there! If that isn't a good reason to pack up and 

This week I'd also like to talk about the importance of a good Escrow Officer. California handles the Escrow process differently than many other states in that we employ an independent company we call an Escrow Company to act as liaison between Buyer and Seller in the transfer of documents, funds, etc. (For a very lengthy and in-depth look at Escrow Companies check out this Department of Real Estate resource HERE).

As you run around this summer looking for houses, or just enjoying your time outside- make sure to continuously apply sunscreen!  Consumer Report issued a statement recently on the best and worst sunscreens to keep an eye out for.

BEST BUYS:

• No-Ad lotion with aloe &vitamin E, SPF 45, $.59/ounce
• Walgreens continuous spray sport, SPF 50, $1.30/ounce
• Coppertone oil-free foaming spray, SPF 75+, $1.67/ounce

WORST CHOICES:

• Alba Botanical natural very emollient sunblock sport, SPF 45
• Banana Boat Kids tear-free, sting-free, SPF 50+