Start off on the right foot when putting your home on the market. To speak with Kim on how she sold this home after an agent couldn't, call 310-737-8173 11/30/2010

Real Estate and Social Media - Love, Hate Relationship? FaceBook, Twitter, FourSquare, YouTube...the list goes on and on.  As a realtor, I know the importance of being on top of your social media presence and how many folks you can access on the internet super highway.  But it takes time, patience and a sound strategy to make it most useful and efficient.  Here are some of my tips. LOVE FaceBook and Twitter...these are great tools to keep up to date with clients and friends. HATE the time it takes to add updates and posts.  ANSWER:  Schedule, Schedule, Schedule! Designate 15 minutes in the morning to Tweet or update your FaceBook profile. LOVE the ability to add and share your location via FourSquare. HATE adding location from home! DON'T DO IT!  ANSWER: Go ahead an... 11/29/2010

  The most recent sales activity for the last 30 days, 11-19 to 10-19, 2010.   Homes, Condos, Income Property Sold: 64 Average DOM: 77 Average Price: $1,172,793 Average Price per Square Foot: $577.23 Average Sales Price to List Price: 93.28% 14% of these sales were distressed properties, 4 short sales & 5 foreclosures. The highest number of sales were 32 condo's with an average of 76 days on market.  Next, are single family residences with 25 sales and 69 days on market.  Finally, income property had 7 sales with the average days on market 114.  More people are buying condos but, it is taking a week longer to get an offer then homes. The slower part of the market seems to be income property with 7 sales and 114 days on market. Looking for a home in Santa Monica search by zip code for yo... 11/19/2010

Santa Monica: The Police will conduct DUI Checks on November 19th, 2010. I was reading in today's Local paper( for Marina Del Rey, Westchester, Santa Monica, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Mar Vista, Del Rey and Venice) Wow, this is unbelievable, not what you think. I have no problem with the Santa Monica Police conducting a sobriety/driver's license checkpoint in the city of Santa Monica during the evening of Friday November 19th, 2010. My point is, why is there a quarter page announcements in the paper? The Law is the Law, if you choose to violate the Law, then I would expect, if you get caught then pay the fine or whatever the law requires as the punishment. The State is in a financial quagmire, the city is not doing much better, why not just capture the guilty parties and let them pay ... 11/18/2010

Happy Thursday everyone! ICE is back! I have had lots of fun with my family and friends at the outdoor ice rink in Santa Monica. Here are the details…. Open November 5, through February 15, 2011 Location: 1324 5th St.Santa Monica, CA 90401(Corner of 5th St. & Arizona Ave.) (310) 496-9880 Hours of Operation: Monday – Thursday: Noon-10pm Friday: Noon-Midnight Saturday: 10am-Midnight Sunday: 10am-10pm Admission & Skate Rental: $10 For more information, please contact Bayside District Corporation (310) 393-8355. Chill out this holiday season by booking your next event at ICE! Get inspired and skate through the season in our fun-filled event cabanas. Whether it’s a birthday party, corporate event, or family get-together, ICE can accommodate all your needs for groups of 15-300 people. For mo... 11/18/2010

Picking An Elementary School In Santa Monica California A close friend has a daughter ready for kindergarten next year and she is frustrated with all of the options, philosophies, forms, applications, deadlines and choices that have to be made. That got me thinking about my own neighborhood of Santa Monica and how these school choices are so important to young parents looking to buy. I started investigating all the options in and around Santa Monica and wanted share what I've uncovered. Picking An Elementary School In Santa Monica California 101 If you're completely new to the area, start with the internet. Here are some good links: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District MAP of Santa Monica Charter Schools  (definition for what a Charter School is) MAP of Magnet Schools in Santa Mo... 11/17/2010

  Data provided by See more information on Santa Monica schools from Education.com Elementary {19} Middle {10} High {8} Elementary Schools in santa monica, CA 19 Elementary Schools found in the area. School Type Grade Level Enrollment Students per Teacher Canyon Elementary SchoolPhone: (310) 454-7510421 Entrada Dr, Santa Monica, CA 90402 Charter K-5 346 19 Edison Elementary SchoolPhone: (310) 828-03352425 Kansas Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Public K-5 424 16 Franklin Elementary SchoolPhone: (310) 828-28142400 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403 Public K-5 800 19 Grant Elementary SchoolPhone: (310) 450-76512368 Pearl St, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Public K-5 642 17 John Muir Elementary SchoolPhone: (310) 399-77212526 Sixth St, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Public K-5 304 17 McKinley Elementary Schoo... 11/16/2010

Near the Santa Monica Pier:" Hot Dog On A Stick" a must visit destination! Millions of Tourists from all over the world come to Santa Monica, CA. They all want to see the Santa Monica Pier and the ‘beautiful ocean views'. It does not matter if you are staying at 'Shutters on the Beach,' the quintessential southern California beach hotel( http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/)  or you are driving from Hollywood one of the budget hotels to see the 'beautiful ocean views'.  Once you get to the Santa Monica Pier, you will notice the bright colors of this food shack. Their Trademark striped Cap with the colors, you cannot miss it. If you are not stopping in to taste one of their signature Corn Dogs on a Stick you are doing a disservice to your culinary palate. http://www.hotdogonastick.com/fram... 11/14/2010

There is a new ocean front condo available in Santa Monica at 701 Ocean Avenue. This is a 2 bed 2 bath, 1,498 sq. ft. property on the first floor for $1,195,000.  HOA dues are $1,450 per month. On unit sold over the past year for $1,650,000.  Average days on the market were 29. There is another unit on the market for $3,150,000.  Days on the market for this unit are 229. Search condos for sale and lease at 701 Ocean Ave. 11/11/2010

ICE at Santa Monica - 1324 5th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Each year as the Holiday Season approaches, an open-air ice-rink is set up in the heart of downtown Santa Monica at the corner of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue. The rink is open daily from 10am-10pm weekdays and 10am-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, including Christmas Day and New Years Day. Admission & skate rental is $10 per person. ICE at Santa Monica boasts 8000-square-feet of real ice and this year, brings the addition of a 400-square-foot for children aged six and under. ICE is ideal for a fun time out and something different to do when in Los Angeles.   11/11/2010

Click to view large Download this gallery (ZIP, undefined KB) Download full size (34 KB) Deborah Bremner The Bremner Group at Coldwell Banker REALTOR, 00588885,  ABR, CDPE, eAgent, CSP, SFR, HRC, CRE (O) 310-571-1364 DIRECT(D) 818.564.6591 http://www.thebremnergroup.com/news/ 11/10/2010

Happy Tuesday everyone! I found this article from the Fresno Bee very interesting and felt the need to share with you.... Nov. 07—When Bank of America announced a stop on foreclosure sales nationwide, it added to concerns in the Valley, which has been hit hard by the housing downturn and has seen more than its share of foreclosures. Buyers in the middle of foreclosure transactions wondered whether there would be a delay. Some who recently bought foreclosed homes feared their paperwork might have problems. And some who lost their houses to foreclosure wondered whether they might somehow get their houses back. Turns out it was a lot of worrying for nothing. Experts say nationwide concerns about the foreclosure process have had virtually no effect in California, in part because foreclosure... 11/09/2010

Santa Monica - Market Report for October 2010: Number of Units Sold: 23 Average Days on the Market: 75 Median Price: $750,000 Average List Price: $806,000 Average Selling Price: $776,000 Lowest Price Condo Sold: $358,000 Highest Price Condo Sold: $1,561,000 Total Sold in Dollars: $17,855,000 Stewart Penn - Realtor for homes, condos & lofts in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Information obtained from The MLS is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. 11/07/2010

  What you NEED TO KNOW Before Moving To Santa Monica, California My list of NEED TO KNOW items are are not what to pack in case of an emergency or how to deal with the traffic (a given) but the common everyday IMPORTANT knowledge we take for granted in our own neighborhoods.  Let's say you're moving to Santa Monica. Great! Where are you going to get that morning cup of coffee? or exercise your dog? Like I said, IMPORTANT things. First things first...DOGS!  I have two sweet ole German Shepherds that love to run. The beach doesn't allow dogs off leash so where should we go? Try Joslyn Park, a dog park in Santa Monica.  It's the perfect place to meet "the regulars" like the yellow lab with the crooked ear and the retriever pups that are so adorable COFFEE! My next favorite coffee hangout ... 11/04/2010

By Jodi Summers In the U.S.A., existing-home sales - single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, rose 10% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million in September, according to the National Association of Realtors. In the big picture, that’s up from August, but 19.1% below September 2009, when first-time buyers were taking advantage of the government tax credit. In Santa Monica, according to Clarus Market Metrics if we compare the number of sold single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops in the past year it’s down 23%. Let’s temper that by noting that, if we go back to October 2008, the number of sold properties is down 13%. See, not so bad. Our prognosis is not so bad either. After two consecutive years of record-setting price declines, the California Associati... 11/02/2010

The "Southern California Oktoberfest" POSTPONED! Breaking news the Southern California Oktoberfest has been postponed by the Event Coordinators.  As far as I am concerned it was cancelled. They just sent a flyer around notifying all that regrettably due to some "security difficulties affecting their insurance coverage" they are postponing this year's Oktoberfest Southern California until 2011. To me that is "Cancelled" Anyway this is sad news for the greater Los Angeles, on the other hand keep in mind in the San Diego area there are at least six or eight Oktoberfest Celebrations going on. According to Jim Frimmer a Realtor in San Diego, (most of you know him) he thinks the El Cajon Oktoberfest is the best.  See the link http://www.germanclubsandiego.org/oktoberfest.html Have a great Oct... 10/07/2010

By Jodi Summers September was better in Santa Monica and the statistics are showing we have nothing to complain about. The old news was that, in August, sales volume declined throughout as prices inched up. Well, if you look at the number of residential properties that went under contract in September – 63 – not only are we up around 20% from August, we’re up 66% from two years ago. The California Association of Realtors median price of resale homes in California has risen almost 30% since February 2009, after falling 58.8% from its record high in 2007. In the past two years, the median sold price is down 8% from $850,000 to $784,500, a drop of $65,500. The upside to this housing downside comes if you’re feeling secure in your employment. Currently, more than 70% of families can afford ... 10/01/2010

Have you been to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany? No reason to rush to Germany, no worries about your Passport being updated or not. Just come to celebrate Oktoberfest in Santa Monica California at the Barker Hanger. The Southern California Oktoberfest will be held Friday October 8 thru Sunday October 10, 2010. The tickets are $20 per person, make sure you buy the tickets on line; because once they are sold out tickets will not be available at the door.  Please, plan on enjoying a few hours of fun, with fellow Oktoberfest revelers at this great event at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, CA. Bring your appetite for Pretzels, Spaetzles and Bratwrust and of course Beer. If you prefer wine, there will be wine as well. Most importantly there will be Traditional Oom-pah-pah music and dancing.... 09/28/2010

GLOW September 25, 2010 through September 26, 2010 Glow is an all-night cultural experience featuring original commissions by artists that re-imagine Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory temporary artworks.  For more information please visit:www.glowsantamonica.org.  Santa Monica Place is super excited to get involved!Below are offers from our retailers/restaurants for Glow:Pinches Tacos-15% off and open until 4amPizza Antica will extend their hours until 1amSonoma Wine Garden will extend their hours until 4amXino-Happy Hour and $4 Glow Cocktail, plus a live DJ until 4amZengo-Reverse happy hour from 10pm-2am and open until 4amLa Sandia-Reverse happy hour from 10pm-2am and open until 4amOzumo-Specialty cocktails and appetizer-ALL NIGHT LONG!  Open until 4a... 09/23/2010

There is a new listing at 101 Ocean Ave., a Santa Monica Beach Home. This is a 2 bed 2.5 bath, 2,902 sq. ft. condo listed for $3,200,000. The unit is serviced by a private elevator. The HOA dues are $2,999 per month. Amenities include, concierge, valet, pool, spa, sun deck and exercise room. There have been no sales the past year at 101 Ocean Ave.  One unit is in escrow, listed at $2,350,000. 3 units are on the market for a median of $1,695,000. Find condos for sale at 101 Ocean 09/23/2010