You always figured that a rodent who drives his own car would be able to withstand the recession, right? As retailers ramp up for the all-important holiday shopping season, at least the toy stores know that have a hit on their hands. Fuzzy, electronic toy hamsters called Zhu Zhu Pets are flying off the shelves at major outlets like Walmart and Toys "R" Us. Demand for the pets is so high that Zhu Zhus, which retail for $8 at Walmart, are going for $60 on secondary-market sites like Amazon.com and eBay.com. The hamsters, which have names like Mr. Squiggles, Pipsqueak and Num Nums, scoot around and coo like real pets. Kids can add accessories like a car, a skateboard and a wheel to their own little hamster world - without the inevitable mess or traumatic death. "This is the hottest toy of ... 11/28/2009

New Listings: 68Average Listing Price: $ 776,379Listings Under Contract: 15Average Listing Price: $ 481,840 Listings Sold:49Average Selling Price: $645,683 % Difence Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 97.57 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 50.00 %Average Days on The Market: 98 http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Tarzana Hills Real Estate, Statistics, Mortgage Loans, Foreclosures    10/29/2009

New Listings: 64Average Listing Price: $ 715,978Listings Under Contract: 7Average Listing Price: $ 408,428 Listings Sold:29Average Selling Price: $613,724 % Difence Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 92.63 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 82.99 %Average Days on The Market: 79 http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  Tarzana Hills Real Estate, Statistics, Mortgage Loans, Foreclosures  10/29/2009

New Listings: 55Average Listing Price: $ 798,301Listings Under Contract: 6Average Listing Price: $ 391,650 Listings Sold: 39Average Selling Price: $735,666 % Difence Between Listing Price versus Selling Price: 95.83 %% Sales Price Versus Old Listing Price: 91.84 %Average Days on The Market: 61 http://www.stoppayingrentinla.com  West Hills Real Estate, Statistics, Mortgage Loans, Foreclosures  10/29/2009

One of my client's contacted me today  and left a voice mail and asked me: '...I have an investment home in Tarzana, Should I sell now or wait until January when there are more intrested buyers?..." You can imagine how interesting this voice mail was to me. I have blogged about the need to sell now vs. later. Reference: Tarzana real estate market. I have analyzed the data and wanted to share with you. There are some serious price decreases. I have enclosed some of the statistics for your review. In comparison to September 2008 and September 2009 the median Sold Price has dropped by 44%. The Inventory supply is about 14 months. What that means is a long Marketing and Sales process is what we will be facing.   Reference: The question of waiting until January to market your house would be ... 10/19/2009

I often get calls from Realtors who say, “I have a family who is actually going to be living in their home while it’s on the market. They would like to use their own furniture. Do you do that?” It always amazes me that they have to ask whether a full service Home Staging company would be willing to work with (gasp) someone’s OWN THINGS?! But I know why they have to ask. There are some Stagers out there who refuse to work with anything but a completely blank slate. I once did a consultation for a guy who had a beautiful view home and completely workable furniture. His place just needed some updating and new accessories to make it appeal more to today’s buyers. He told me that the last Stager he interviewed told him she’d only take the job if he removed ALL of his own belongings and let h... 10/07/2009

I know most short sale transactions are nightmares, but I want to share a recent great experience:  I represented a cash buyer (I know, that in itself is a great experience), the listing agent already had six offers on a property but told me what was necessary to beat the other cash buyers out.  The seller accepted my client's offer and the offer was submitted to the bank for approval.  The approval was received in six weeks giving us eight days to close. Crucial difference in this short sale transaction?  The listing agent, who obviously knew his stuff, opened the escrow with the buyer's good faith deposit and the escrow papers were signed prior to the bank's approval. Upon approval, all the reports and disclosures were dealt with and we got the transaction closed in eight days.  I kno... 06/04/2009

 You've started the process.  You made the decision to purchase a home, perhaps even your first one!  Now that you have found the one you want, what's next?  Your agent will help you,  read more for some tips and insight as to how the process works.  First, you  need to make an Offer.  What that is, is basically an expression of your desire to purchase the property and at what price you are willing to do so.  Your offer will be the first step in the negotiation process.  Just like any other offer you make, it would be highly helpful to take the other party (in this case, the seller) and his/her expectations into consideration when making your offer.  The seller has set an asking price for the property, but remember this is not set in stone! Often, you as a buyer, can save lots of money... 02/21/2009

We are sponsoring the Tarzana region of Los Angeles! Come and check out our photos and community details. Tarzana is a community located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Tarzana, a district of Los Angeles, is surrounded by Reseda to the north, Woodland Hills to the west, Encino to the east, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. Tarzana was originally part of the San Fernando Mission. The towns' namesake is owed to Edgar Rice Burrows best known as the author of the Tarzan stories. Burrows purchased the land and build a large home which he named Tarzana Ranch. The area was named Tarzana in 1927 in honor of the author and his character. The majority of the population lives in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Tarzana is home to two Country Clubs, which are both ... 09/09/2008

I blame the government for not regulating the mortgage industry for this housing crisis.  Homeownership being the number 1 investment vehicle for the United states should have had more protection than to let a bunch of mortgage brokers fool people into these silly loans.  This mortgage meltdown is now affecting people that had NOTHING to do with the loans, even renters.  I recently heard about a condo complex near me whose HOA fell $30,000 under because so many people foreclosed in the complex and the HOA dues are not being paid. The HOA is now late on their bills and may have to pose an assessment.  Rental prices are going up because homeowners now have to rent.   With all these bad things going on it's spells a great time for first time homebuyers.If you missed the last wave, you bett... 04/16/2008

In the last year over 100 mortgage lenders have gone out of business due to the "mortgage meltdown" as most of you might now it is getting much more difficult to qualify for mortgages in Tarzana. The reason it is difficult to qualify for your Tarzana mortgage is because guidelines have changed drastically. Even reverse mortgages in Tarzana are getting harder to qualify for, leaving many looking for a honest mortgage company in Tarzana.Since many mortgage brokers in Tarzana are going out of business, and others are not able to get you qualified, you need to call a reputable company to help you with your home mortgage in Tarzana. We here at America One Mortgage Group are a national company headquartered out of Southern California. We have offices in many states and fund millions of dollar... 10/22/2007

It is interesting where Tarzana is today in terms of it’s development.  Where it was once the central point from which the developmental land sprawl in the San Fernando Valley began, it is currently one of the last remaining sections of Ventura Blvd that has yet escaped significant revitalization.  Dilapidated strip malls with vacancies still remain dotting the boulevard.  Nowadays, small independent new businesses are springing up as mostly neighborhood eateries.  Redevelopment is indeed arriving though painfully slowly with a plan by Bryan Gordon of Pacific Equity Properties Inc. a real estate investment and Development Company. It recently purchased 85,000-square feet in Tarzana, formerly called the Brown Center, and will create an upscale urban living center with retail, restaurants... 10/04/2007

I have recently read an article in Dailynews.com entitled, "Fix it up to help it sell".  I have been saying this for some time and even though I am repeating myself, it is something I truly believe.  Prepare your home so that it will stand out among other similarly priced offers.  When home sales drop, sellers who are serious about selling their home will do everything possible to make their home an irresistible value.  These days, those who can afford it are hiring professional stagers and staging companies to prepare their homes in a way that is very attractive to prospective buyers.  This article offers DIY tips for folks who cannot afford the services of a staging company.From improving the landscaping, making the entrance of your home more inviting and redoing floors to adding stai... 09/13/2007