Best Of The Summer 2013

 

 

Thanks to all my clients past and present for their loyalty and continued business, and for making it a great Summer.

New Listing - Two Story, 2 bedrooms in Prime Silver Lake

Terrific Silver Lake starter home. This classic two-story, 2 bedroom 2 bath home awaits your decorator’s touch. Formal living room and dining room, with original 1921 built-in, a floral-covered pergola and patio, and lovely landscaped yard highlight this home. Elevated above the street on a street-to-street lot. Located in the heart of Silver Lake, close to all that this exciting neighborhood has to offer. Property is commercially zoned (buyer to investigate). For more photos and a downloadable flyer Visit: www.1108westerlyterrace.com
Listed for $499,000

New Listing – 9706 Kirkside Road, Beverlywood

Unmatched value in prime Beverlywood. Short sale. Warm and inviting 5 bedroom with Den, 2.75 bath traditional. Property features 2 fireplaces, eat-in kitchen, private backyard, brick patio, 2-car garage on a lovely Cul-de-sac street. Lots of storage space in large attic. Room for growing or large family. Fantastic opportunity in a terrific location. Short sale negotiator in place.
Visit http://9706kirksideroad.com to see more photos and download a flyer
Listed for $1,150,000

How to convert a garage…

In today’s lending environment a great large number of loans are denied because of garage conversions that don’t past appraiser's muster. It used to be that no one cared whether or not a garage had been converted. It was seen as value added. But now, as banks become more conservative, underwriters are reticent to approve loans for homes where a garages may be used for other purposes. Mainly the red flag goes up when things like plumbing and kitchens are installed in garages. It makes appraisers and underwriters squeamish when additional “living space” is bootlegged into a property.

But let’s face it, here in Southern California many, many people’s cars never see the inside of their garages, and garages often become the family storage locker. Some homeowners, in an effort to create extra space, succeed in adding the much needed office, sauna, or bathroom. However, when it comes time to sell they find that the investment in their property pays no dividends. In fact, they may end up paying more by having to undo their project and restore the garage to its former state.

By contrast, some homeowners get it right. My clients Jeff and Frank who I helped purchase this gorgeous 1930 Spanish, recently completed a brilliant conversion on their detached 2-car garage. 

Frank is a Pilates instructor and massage therapist. It has been his dream to have an in home studio where he can teach, workout with Jeff, and treat clients. They called me a few months after moving in and asked my opinion on how they could convert the space while not jeopardizing a possible future sale.

What I basically told them was: to make sure that whatever you do never takes away from the functionality of the space as a garage. Don’t get too ambitious and add a bathroom or anything that will make it look like living space. Leave the garage opening available. Even if you remove the garage door, do yourself a favor and make it easy to pop a garage door back on when it comes time to sell.

Granted, I don’t think they will be moving from this great home anytime soon, but they have certainly avoided any future headaches.

Here is the how the garage looked when they purchased the house:

Inside, they installed drywall and enclosed an area that still serves as storage for yard and garden tools,

and hid it behind a mirrored wall.

And in what I think is a great choice, they hung the ceiling leaving a portion of the support beams exposed instead of covering the entire ceiling with sheetrock.

They added handsome sconces on the walls by Troy Lighting. On the floors they laid a rubber gym surface that comes in four foot rolls, made by RB Rubber from Linoleum City. It’s a great surface for their Pilates equipment.

Frank and Jeff removed the old solid wood door and replaced it with Marvin glass sliders from Benchmark in Culver City. The wood accents around the doorway are Oak with Mexican-style “clavos” for effect. They “hatchet-distressed” the fir lintel beam to give it some age. The lantern above the door is made by Artistic Lighting and Designs. All lighting was purchased through Capital Lighting and Wholesale Supply in Culver City.


They now have a terrific Pilates/massage studio/home gym. It is still essentially their garage, but as you can see it’s a hell of a lot more.

Are prices down in LA?.. No they are not!

Median Sales Prices For Single Family Homes in 25 selected areas

The news here is good. In only seven out of these 25 areas do we see reductions in the median sales price, and out of those 7 only 3 areas (Brentwood, West Hollywood and Malibu) show reductions in the the double digits. That leaves eighteen of the most popular areas of LA showing positive growth in this challenging economy. This data while representing only a portion of the LA metro area supports what I previously reported in this blog (via the Washington post) that prices are rose slightly last year in the LA, SF, SD and the Washington DC areas, while prices nationally continue to drop or are flat.

2010 Compared with 2009 and percent change

Area	2010	2009	% +/-
Beverly Hills	$3,200,000	$2,900,000	+10.3%
Beverly Hills P.O.	$1,850,000	$1,699,999	+8.8%
Sunset Strip – Hwood Hills	$1,200,000	$1,200,000	+0.0%
Bel Air/Holmby	$1,590,000	$1,550,000	+2.5%
Westwood - Century City	$1,300,000	$1,300,000	+0.0%
Brentwood	$1,723,885	$2,057,500	-19.3%
West L.A.	$697,500	$665,000	+4.8%
Cheviot Hills/ Rancho Park	$1,200,000	$1,249,500	-4.1%
Beverlywood Vicinity	$800,000	$778,000	+2.8%
West Hollywood	$760,000	$850,000	-11.8%
Venice	$975,000	$980,000	-0.05%
Marina Del Rey	$1,550,000	$1,225,000	+18.3%
Palms - Mar Vista	$740,000	$700,000	+5.7%
Santa Monica	$1,634,000	$1,579,000	+3.4%
Pacific Palisades	$1,815,000	$1,930,000	+5.9%
Hancock Park	$982,500	$905,000	+8.0%
Beverly Center-Miracle M	$905,000	$880,000	+2.8%
Hollywood	$453,500	$413,000	+9.6%
Silver Lake/Echo Park	$600,000	$600,000	+0.0%
Los Feliz	$931,250	$920,000	+1.2%
Westchester	$670,000	$679,000	-1.3%
Hollywood Hills East	$922,500	$950,000	-2.9%
Playa Del Rey	$1,000,000	$940,500	+6.3%
Malibu Beach	$4,100,000	$6,150,000	-50.0%
Malibu	$1,725,000	$1,717,845	+0.04%

Los Angeles, San Fran, San Diego and Washington D.C. region post gains as home prices still falling in most U.S. cities

While this article paints a dismal picture of the national real estate market, there is some good news for our region…See below and click the link to the article.

Of the 20 major metropolitan areas tracked by the Case-Shiller index, only three regions aside from Washington posted year-over-year gains: Los Angeles, San Diego and San Franciso.

Washington region posts gains as home prices still falling in most U.S. cities

        

NoHo Arts District Rentals – Available December 1st – 3 bedroom and 2 bedroom with bonus space

Gorgeous Newly restored 3 Bedroom 2 bath Craftsman with private yard, formal dining room, covered rear patio, lovely landscaping, Central heat and AC, alarm system. washer /dryer, Brand new everything. 1 car Garage, and additional off street parking. Pets will be considered. Offered at $2,500/month.

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Recently remodeled classic California cottage. Spacious 2 bedroom with a loft, and over 150 extra sq ft of bonus space. New kitchen, new bath, AC,  washer /dryer, private secure rear yard. 2 parking spaces. Pets will be considered. Offered at $1,800/month

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Easy to show. Email Anthony – anthony@anthonydp.com

Homefront September Newsletter is now available online

This month's newsletter is now available. Click the link below. Feel free to share it online, or click the link at the top of the page to join the email list.

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HOMEFRONT SEPTEMBER 2010 EDITION

Just Sold - 3253 Benda Street, Hollywood Knolls

1937 Hollywood Knolls traditional with modern appeal. 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths plus wonderful gallery-like den/office with high ceilings. Stylish and tranquil house ffeaturing crown moldings, hardwood floors, newer double paned windows, copper plumbing, remote controlled lighting, and a cool vibe. Great outdoor spaces - front view deck off the living room, secluded brick courtyard, side patio and grass yard. Tuck under attached garage with storage/workshop area. Terrific house on a lovely leafy hillside street.

Coldwell Banker's Annual Awards Announced

Last month I was awarded membership in the Coldwell Banker’s International Diamond Society, a level achieved by only the top 5 percent of the approximately 96,600 sales associates worldwide in the Coldwell Banker® system. This marks the second year in a row that I have been given an award, and this is a step up from last year’s Sterling Society award. It comes with the accolades of the company's CEO.

“Coldwell Banker is recognized as a leader in the real estate industry because of professionals like Anthony Diaz-Perez,” said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “Anthony has been given the International Diamond Society Award because of his outstanding dedication to helping customers recognize the value of real estate as a long term investment and finding the home that’s right for them.”

I am honored by this recognition. It is nice to have the appreciation of my company, but what matters most is the appreciation and loyalty of my clients, without whom I could never have achieved this award.

Great New Condo Listing - 938 Palm Avenue #10, West Hollywood

Terrific price, spectacular location for this stunning West Hollywood condo. Two bedroom, 2 bath second floor unit in small pool building in the heart of prime WeHo, north of Santa Monica Blvd. Features include: open floor plan with newer Australian Merbau hardwood floors, designer kitchen with stainless steel appliances, 4 skylights, enormous master bedroom suite with Jacuzzi tub, and spacious closet, in-unit laundry, large dining room, recessed lighting, 2 side by side parking spaces and additional storage locker, building boasts a lovely, private pool area. No need to drive anywhere, this great home is walking distance to great shops, restaurants, bars, and grocery stores.

Listed For $485,000

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