Residential Sat, Jan 23, 2010 03:25 PM RES MLS # Status P V H T Q Type A/D Address City Area Zip TGNO Trct/M Bd B t/f Sty Gar SqFt Yr Blt Price DOM   1  F1792230  S   20     H  T  Q  SFR  D 136 N LE DOUX Rd  BHL C01 90211  632J2  OTHR/0  3  2/1  1  2 D  2,024  1925  $1,050,000  27     2  CLW-08308217  S   17     H  T  Q  SFR  D 128 N STANLEY Dr  BHL C01 90211  632J2  /  3  2/       1,924  1932  $1,312,000  152  *   3  CLW-08301423  S   20   V  H  T  Q  SFR  D 227 S LE DOUX Rd  BHL C01 90211  632J2  /  3  2/    A  1,974  1928  $1,200,000  161  *   4  CLW-08329617  S   18     H  T  Q  SFR  D 216 EL CAMINO Dr  BHL C01 90212  632G2  /  4  3.5/       3,085  1929  $1,849,000  83  *   5  CLW-08331841  S   30   V  H  T  Q  SFR  D 118 N ELM Dr  BHL C01 90210  632G2  /  4  4.5/       2,800  1930... 01/23/2010

New Listings: 35 Average Listing Price: $ 2,388,356 Listings Under Contract: 13 Average Listing Price: $ 1,605,366 Listings Sold: 46Average Selling Price: $ 1,845,744 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 90.62 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 79.87 % Average Days on The Market: 130  http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans.                                                          Beverly Hills Hotel                                                                     01/23/2010

“Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven’t been taxed before.” – Art Buchwald Less than 3 months remain before your federal income tax return must be sent to the Internal Revenue Service. Now is the time to start preparing so you can take all of the deductions and credits authorized by law. True, you can file IRS Form 4868 and receive a six-month filing extension, but you still have to pay the full amount of the tax you owe for last year, which means you at least have to prepare a careful estimate of your liability. A good first step in determining your tax obligation is to go to the IRS Web site, where you will find a host of publications to download. Perhaps the most comprehensive publication is No. 17, a 280-pa... 01/19/2010

Beverly Hills homes are among the most expensive in the country, most of them north of Santa Monica Boulevard and up into the hills.  The flats of Beverly Hills, south of Santa Monica is a mix of single family homes, condos and multi-unit properties   The statistics below are taken directly from the MLS and are for single family homes.  They also don't take into consideration condos, income property and private sales. 12 Listings sold in December '09 up 100% over December '08. The most expensive was $13,000,000 in the hills, and the least expensive was $1,238,050 in the flats. The median price of $2,465,000, up almost 20% over December '08. However the days on the market for sold listings increased by over 100%. Overall, the Beverly Hills market remains steady. Below is a breakdown of ... 01/17/2010

Pool at Twilight Today's Hot Prop has a bit of sentimental value to it. When I was a young, naive agent years back, one of the first things I learned in old school real estate 101 class is something called "door knocking". Basically door knocking is just as horrific as it sounds; walking from house to house, knocking on doors, and asking if the owner would like to or are is planning to list their house in the near future. I don't know about you, but when someone rings my bell (which is more like a piercing buzzer), I literally have a heart attack unless I'm expecting Mulberry Street to be delivering my favorite pizza. If as an agent I have that reaction, you can only imagine the thrilled look on owner's faces when I rang their door bell trying to get them to list their home with me at ... 01/16/2010

Home prices in Los Angeles County bounced back in December, the first month since the housing bust that the median price for both homes and condos was higher than the year before. The median price of a home was $348,000, up from $339,000 in November and $345,000 the year before, according to data supplied to the Business Journal by HomeData of Hicksville, N.Y. The median price of condos was $315,000, up from $305,000 in November and $310,000 in December 2008. But there are signs that the road to recovery may be a rocky one. The number of homes sold dropped by about 7 percent from November, but it was 30 percent higher than November 2008. Analysts viewed the rising prices as further evidence that the real estate market is rebounding, though some characterized the upswing as a temporary r... 01/13/2010

Updated Nov. 6, 2009, to note new legislation. The new legislation extends and expands the first-time homebuyer credit allowed by previous Acts. The new law: Extends deadlines for purchasing and closing on a home Authorizes the credit for long-time homeowners buying a replacement principal residence Raises the income limitations for homeowners claiming the credit Q. What is the credit? A. The first-time homebuyer credit is a new tax credit included in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. For homes purchased in 2008, the credit operates like an interest-free loan because it must be repaid over a 15-year period. The credit was expanded in 2009 for homes purchased in 2009, increasing the amount of the credit and eliminating the requirement to repay the credit, unless the home cea... 01/11/2010

Breaking news in Beverly Hills, CA the L'Ermitage hotel is on the market. I was reading in the Commercial Real Estate News syndicated by LoopNet that there are multiple offers on The Raffles-L'Ermitage Hotel.  At first glance one would think, this is fantastic, on the other hand we need to look at the Real Story here. In the year 2000 the Beverly Hills property was acquired for $68 million This was major news then, since the per-room price at the time was a record for a Los Angeles area hotel not being on the beach.  Since then the property's performance has slumped. The occupancy rate is down to about 65% and without saying so is the cash flow. That means based on sources reporting a  high bid of $40 million and a cash flow of $1 million translating to a  Capitalization Rate of 2.5% , ... 01/07/2010

Happy New Years, Rich Kids!!! In case you are interested, I had the most amazing time in London. I have a couple of British clients that I think the world of, so I couldn't wait to experience London for the first time. From start to finish, I could not have asked for a better trip! I did lots of the touristy things: A Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" walking tour on Christmas Eve, a boat tour down the River Thames (which passed through The London Bridge, The London Eye, Big Ben, House of Parliament), had an AbFab Day (shopping in Knightsbridge and lunch at Harvey Nich's  - of course) and many, many nights of pub hopping.  I also went to Holland Park, Notting Hill, Marble Arch, and some other posh neighborhoods to check out what else...real estate. Being a real estate fanatic, I had a... 01/07/2010

L.A. 10: The Best In Los Angeles... From luxurious estates in Beverly Hills to fun-filled beach homes in Santa Monica, Los Angeles has distinguished itself as a leader in the US when it comes to real estate. And with miles upon miles of homes cascading the LA hills, you_ will be happy to have an experienced Realtor to assist you in your home buying or selling process. Below are the ten best real estate agents in Los Angeles:1. Valerie Fitzgerald – Coldwell Banker Real EstateWebsite http://thevaleriefitzgeraldgroup.comPhone 310-285-7515Address 301 N Canyon Dr Suite #21 Beverly Hills, CA 902102. Todd Michaud – Keller Williams Realty3. Bob Hurwitz – Hurwitz James Company4. Bill Chin – Re/Max Tri-City Realty5. Your LA Properties Real Estate6. Century 21 Excellence7. Fran and Rowena Los Ange... 01/01/2010

Happy New Year to all my Active Rain Friends. I've enjoyed getting to know you over the last year & you sharing your insights and thoughts. May your 2010 be happy, healthy and prosperous! All my best, Valerie 12/31/2009

New Listings: 55 Average Listing Price: $ 4,230,639 Listings Under Contract: 16 Average Listing Price: $ 2,120,437 Listings Sold: 16Average Selling Price: $ 1,685,330 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 93.34 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 88.42 % Average Days on The Market: 130  http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans. THE BEVERLY HILLS WITCH'S HOUSE SHOWN IN VARIOUS FILMS 12/30/2009

New Listings: 103 Average Listing Price: $ 3,123,805 Listings Under Contract: 11 Average Listing Price: $ 1,502,081 Listings Sold: 23Average Selling Price: $ 2,745,322 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 90.52 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 82.84 % Average Days on The Market: 115  http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans. 12/30/2009

New Listings: 63 Average Listing Price: $ 2,906,587 Listings Under Contract: 20 Average Listing Price: $ 3,000,000 Listings Sold: 23Average Selling Price: $ 3,266,565 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 87.98 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 81.41 % Average Days on The Market: 114  http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans. BEVERLY HILLS CITY HALL 12/30/2009

New Listings: 82 Average Listing Price: $ 3,023,922 Listings Under Contract: 12 Average Listing Price: $ 2,087,089 Listings Sold: 22Average Selling Price: $ 2,076,862 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 89.86 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 83.53 % Average Days on The Market: 93  http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans. 12/30/2009

New Listings: 95 Average Listing Price: $ 4,621,079 Listings Under Contract: 4Average Listing Price: $ 4,218,500 Listings Sold: 27Average Selling Price: $ 1,918,592 % Diference Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 89.54 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 85.79 % Average Days on The Market: 114   http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Bell Real Estate, Bell Probates, Bell Foreclosures, Statistics, Mortgage Loans  RODEO DRIVE @ BEVERLY HILLS   12/30/2009

Entering 2010, many home sellers feel they’re mired in the winter of their discontent, but there are signs the real estate market is on the mend. Sales activity is up, homebuilders are finally moving inventory and values are rising slightly in many American cities. At year-end 2009, mortgage rates stood at historic lows, spurring a wave of new applications. But don’t be too jubilant. A recent report by Deutsche Bank estimates that by 2011, about 48 percent of all U.S. mortgages will be underwater. Short sales and foreclosures will continue to put pressure on home prices in 2010 as they work their way through the pipeline slowly. It was apparent in 2009 that lenders were holding back much of their foreclosure inventories and REO, or real estate-owned property, in an effort to keep value... 12/29/2009

You are about to discover the best kept secret to selling vacant real estate... Realtors and Homeowners are raving about www.virtualstagingsolutions.com, a low-cost, innovative, home staging site that’s helping them sell vacant properties faster than ever before with a new technique that virtually displays the properties furnished in order to show its potential. Today’s technology is letting the team at Virtual Staging Solutions do things that have never been done before. Virtual Staging Solutions has taken advantage of that opportunity and has become a leader and role model for the new and upcoming virtual home staging industry. “It is becoming a key marketing tool for real estate agents around the world,” says Bryan Bittner, co-CEO of Virtual Staging Solutions. What exactly is virtual... 12/24/2009

I wanted to wish all the rich kids out there a very Happy Holiday season and a wonderful new year to come. Something tells me 2010 is going to be an amazing year for us all! A big thatnks to all my readers, clients, and friends for your support over the last year - you don't know how much it means to me! I promise there will be plenty of slick new Hot Props, real estate porn, and buying/selling advice in the weeks to come. Never one too stray too far from the real estate world, I will have my Blackberry and laptop with me whilst (my first shot at British slang) travelling! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, etc over the holiday. I will leave you with a pic of my 2 most favorite British icons - Patsy and Edina from Absolutely Fabulous (probably one of the greatest sh... 12/22/2009

"Utopia" - The most opulent Residential Ocean Liner ever to be built. Utopia is offering 190 private residences which will go on sale in 2010. The Utopia website doesn't list the prices of these dream residences, but CNN Money.com reports that prices will range from $3.8 Million for a 1,400 sq ft condo to $24 Million for a 6,600 sq ft "estate". It's also reported there will be a single 40,000 sq ft home that will be priced at $160 Million. The ocean liner will travel to ports during major cultural and sporting events such as the Cannes Film Festival, Monte Carlo Grand Prix, The Olympics, Carnaval, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Melbourne Cup and other worldwide events of international acclaim (Talk about "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"!) The wealthy owners on Utopia will also be ab... 12/17/2009