Posts

Showing posts from 2007

Houston, we have an offer

In sum, we have cash and loans adding up to $1.1 million. You have a house we want, on a piece of land we want, in a neigborhood we want. You seem to feel your house is worth $1.5 million Zillow seems to feel your house is worth $1.3 We feel that your house is worth $1.1 to us. It's been 100 days. We will make this offer again in 30 days- but the amount will go down again.

$1,279,000 Teardown in Cheviot Hills

Great neighborhood, good elementary and middle schools. Odd existing house that faces backwards. Living area, backyard and kitchen are downstairs. Bedrooms, entryway and garage are upstairs. Subterranean water damage and some visible termite damage indicate that the house has some pretty severe deferred maintenance issues. So now we are divided between offering on two houses- 10,000 lot and teardown house in lower Bel-Air or 6,600 lot in Cheviot Hills. I prefer the commute from Cheviot, the breadwinner prefers the quiet of Roscomare Rd.

House Perfect

Great house on Greenfield Ave- Westwood Charter, Emerson Middle. Good floorplan, 4 bed 3 bath, good sized kitchen- problem? 6,000 sq ft lot with 3000 sq ft house and just about 1000 sq ft dedicated to driveway and front yard. Asking price is $1.8 million, but I think the market has made room for negotiation. BUT- the swingset of doom will take the entire green space.

2155 N. Beverly Glen- listed $995,000 sorry, no sale

There's a big difference between 5000 sq ft and 7500 sq ft. There's a big difference between 4 bed, 2 bath and 2 bed 2 bath. It's a million dollar shed with stainless appliances, marble tile baths and a 100 year old oak going through a portion of roofline. Pass.

A commenter via Westside Bubble

Rosebud says- There was a comment about rich people all sending their kids to private schools, ergo the quality of schools didn’t factor into this discussion… think the same poster said that the schools were good, but not great. The best school in the district is in Northern SM, which is in the top 1.5% of all elem schools in the state. Top 1.5% is great not good. I’ve said it before, this is a huge factor when deciding where to buy for those that have kids or are thinking about it. With the top private schools costing 3k per month, per child, a family with 2 kids can afford nearly $1MM more on a mortgage by sending kids to the great public schools. Even if you feel you need to send them to a private high school, you rack up significant savings beforehand. The rich pay for their kids’ education out of the same account that they pay their mortgage. For those counting, this is OUR deciding factor. We currently have a house that meets our needs for shelter, but is too small and is in a LO

Is it 1989 all over again?

Instead of the sudden exit of aerospace contractors in a softening market, we have the sudden cessation of all movie and tv production and allied trades. What is this going to do? No writers= no shows, and the news writers are scheduled for November 15, the actors for this summer. No shows or movies = no best boys, gaffers, studio runners, producers, etc. No marketing, no advertising, and most importantly, no lunches at Craft or Mozza. No Starbucks, no dry cleaning, no dog-walkers or daycare for those affected by the production stop. I just sold my house in September to a lovely couple who toil in special effects for television. Unless they have considerable assets banked that are not currently in the house, I fear the bank may end up with that house within a year or so.

Is it still 2004?

It seems that Cheviot Hills is in some sort of time warp. Ok, there was a house on Dunleer Drive (not to be confused with Dunleer Place). I say WAS because Broker's Open was Tuesday and the house was already in multiple offers over asking by Friday. It was close to perfect. Great public schools, 10,000 sq foot lot, big house (although the bedroom situation would have required some work.) Sigh. Onward...

Fire in them thar hills!

Image
OK, the fates have narrowed the field for our house hunting. 520 Thrift and its neighbors on Birdella- we loved those houses. Big, big yards, lots of house, great schools. While the neighborhood is currently OK, the narrow switchbacks and roads greatly hamper fire personnel. Also, there's no ingress or egress untill all the road closures are lifted. If you live in one of these areas, it is certainly tempting to invest in the services of a gel company to come and spray your property if the fires get close. It costs about $50,000 to buy a truck rig and about $2000 per property to spray. It's a bit like slime. There are home kits for the do-it-yourselfer, but if a fire is that darned close, it may be the very last thing you do. So fire clearance is now on the list of mandatory requirements for our home. No narrow streets, no neighbors with overgrown brush, no shake roofs, no overhanging trees that happen to be oaks (since oaks require permits to be cut down). It's a good th

What's YOUR story? - please re-post

There’s no baby like your baby. Every baby is different, and every baby’s parents have a story. The March of Dimes cares about ALL babies – those born healthy and those that need our help to survive. You and your baby can show your support for the March of Dimes by telling the world your story on the Every Baby Has a Story Bus. Farmers has pledged $20 for each person who climbs aboard the Story Bus and tells their story. The Story Bus is traveling across the country, gathering baby stories. It’s equipped with "story stations" where you can tell your baby story via video or type it in. You can even add your baby’s story from your own computer. When you’re done, you can see your story and other baby’s stories online or send a link to share with others. Not every baby’s story starts with "Once upon a time," but with the help of the March of Dimes, every baby has a chance at a "Happily every after." Check out the Story Bus at www.everybabyhasastory.org OK Moms

It breaks my heart

The house on Dunleer just wasn't too be. The fact that the house itself was a tear down wasn't so bad... but the incredible noise of a future COMMUTER TRAIN passing through the back yard on a daily basis every 15-30 minutes plus the traffic noise currently experienced was a deal killer. I'm beginning to really like the Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park area. The schools within walking distance are good, the high school is the music magnet, the lots below Pico are large and homes are sized for larger families. At 5 PM on a weekend there were families in the front yards washing cars, riding bicycles down the sidewalk and tossing footballs. We haven't seen that in Bel-air.

Hi Hector!

So nice to hear from you today. Yes, we are still looking for the perfect house and of course we will call you up to start the loan docs the minute we see something. By the way, I hear that Countrywide Bank is offering 5.7% on their 6 month CD's. What's your current rate? http://www.bankrate.com is my new friend. I just found a local credit union with a 1 yr "special rate" CD of 6.02% Might as well park a portion of the house proceeds in a decent yield.

Just in time for Halloween

Image
This house meets none of our criteria- except perhaps aesthetic. 1. Size- it's 2 bed- 1 bath 2. Geography- it's in WeHo 3. Yard- there isn't one 4. Schools- 4/10 Greatschools However, I always wanted to live in Dracula's castle. 7924 ROMAINE ST http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?utm_source=myredfin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=listings_update&utm_nooverride=1&listing-id=752903

Erudition

Image
er·u·di·tion [er-yoo-dish-uhn, er-oo-] –noun knowledge acquired by study, research, etc.; learning; scholarship. Find a place, study the heck out of it, then go see if we can have a meaningful relationship. Our subject today- 2720 Dunleer Pl, 90064 asking $1,150,000 Big, big yard- needs some landscaping and fruit trees, but plenty of room. Beds: 3 Baths: 1.5 Small and dated floor plan. Needs updating and probably a second floor for us. Area: Cheviot Hills - Rancho Park Some of the best public elementary schools and middle schools in LAUSD. Excellent GREATSCHOOLS scores. Backyard backs up to the old Exposition Blvd train right of way and the school parking lot. House andard are bordered to the west by busy Overland Blvd. 30 days on the market Sales pitch: Great opportunity on cul-de-sac in Rancho Park - charming 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with beautiful landscaping and HUGE backyard. This house has an ideal layout. Large living room with fireplace and French doors to patio and backyard

Bleahhhhhh

Sorry, no open houses this weekend. The six humans had a miserable case of food poisoning. I'd love to blame the realtor sandwiches, but the kids didn't go on the Tuesday tour with us. The latest suspect is homemade cantaloupe ice.

Not a Soviet Housing System

Image
The beauty of this market is that we CAN be picky, picky, picky. Yes, we are currently in a too small space with a set of lousy schools, but we own this house (no, it doesn't own us) and we like having our own yard for the kids. We have set a price limit and expectations and are now waiting for a seller to meet those expectations. The house we want for the price we want is somewhere out here. It took me nearly 7 months to sell my house (over a year if you count my listing, then de-listing) so I know that there will always be more options.

Just say no- really

Image
Here's a home another annoyed Realtor thinks I should see. It has 4 bedrooms, three baths and shares the 90077 Bel-Air zip code. Asking$1,019,999 3,820 sq ft steep incline lot with 1,975 sq ft of house. "Plenty of room for a garden"In a pot? I think the green hedge is the only open area. The door on the lower level is a "small studio easily converted to additional parking" so an illegal conversion.

Bye Bye House

Image
Goodnight little house, goodnight mouse Goodnight stars, goodnight air Goodnight noises everywhere. That was a great party house. Hopefully the new owners won't do anything too evil like painting it pastel pink and adding lace curtains.

Perfect spot-if it wasn't going to slide into the yard below

Maybe we are overthinking the process, but we try to get inside the seller's heads before we make an offer on a place. Both of us have experienced home ownership, I've now sold two homes that I loved. Just like buying a house is a deeply emotional financial decision, selling a home is just shy of parting with child or pet. There's always the pull of every significant event that happened in the backyard, the fireplace where you lovingly restored each precious Batchelder tile and the spot in the kitchen where you were standing during earthquake in 1994. Those memories have a value. I know they have a value because the house I just sold would have sold for nearly $125,000 more if I had been able to take what was offered in 2005. I held out for $25,000 more and took the house off the market. It is now 2007 and the house sold for $125,000 LESS than the last offer in 2005. Now I'm the buyer. There is this crazy Ed Fickett home with a decent enough addition that is the perfect

An annoyed agent has my number.

This from an agent trying to sell me a $1.9m top of hill in Mar Vista... "from where I stand the Real Estate market is humming along and although the pace may have slowed there are plenty of willing buyers and willing sellers. Many people in the Los Angeles area are buying upwardly and using the equity in their existing homes as their deposit or have saved over the years. I think this speaks to what most people hope and strive for and that is their own home. Because to most people a home is a commodity like no other and is more than just an investment it is an investment in the future as well as a place where people build and make their lives and memories. Also, in relation to the house on Inglewood and what a good opportunity this could be, a developer built the beautiful Craftsman in the 3700 block of Inglewood earlier this year. It sold within two weeks for just about $2 million. Can you see the potential and possible opportunity?" Am I really missing something? From where

The story thus far...

I'm not pretending to represent ALL house hunters, I'm just representing OUR family. For those of you who are curious or confused, my husband and I each have a previous marriage and we are now consolidating two households into one large home. My much loved house with the unusual roof line is now sold and we are now all sharing my husband's house. The schools attached to this house are fractionally better than the schools near my little gray cottage but still leave much to be desired. Our personal banker called this week (we never knew we had one). Apparently, when you have enough money in the bank, you get someone who wants to help you invest it. Back when I was turning in my $500 paychecks I couldn't get lousy overdraft protection, but now that I've deposited the money from the sale of my house "Hector" is always available to assist us with our banking needs. OK Hector, does "Fells Wargo" want to prequalify us for a loan? What a surprise! So we

Places to go, people to see

Thanks to the hundreds of real estate sugggestions from LA Land helping us search for a new home, here are the latest prospects... 11821 Wagner: 4/2 $789K- teeny, tiny yard and all of it is in front! 3900 Stoneview: 4/3 2440 sq.ft., pool, city view $989K- used up the entire yard for the pool- no room for swingset 9059 Carson: 4/2.5 $875K same problem as Wagner 3329 Sherbourne: Spanish,4 bdrm + guest house $999K- non permit rental unit in back, teensy yard, 1920's Spanish with bad re-muddling (no that isn't a typo) that removed the front door and replaced it with access from the driveway only. 9833 Vicar 4/3 $1.299M , MLS #: 07-215595 9066 Airdrome 6/2.5 1$.329M , MLS#07-201985 3121 Castle Heights 5/3 $1.315M MLS#07-203231 3159 Purdue 5/3 $1.495M MLS# 07-181923 2720 Dunleer Pl 3/2 $1.150M http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=1119343 - The yard is perfect! The house is too small. The price is laughable considering the current owner purchased in 2005 for

Oh the Pain...

Image
TUITION PER STUDENT (private highly competitive ) Pre -K Full Day(2:30 p.m. dismissal) $18,800 Short Day (1 p.m. dismissal) $18,100 Elementary K-1-Level 5 $20,745 Middle School Level 6-Level 8$22,075 Parochial (local Catholic) $7,700 + books and participation uniforms, lunches, transportation- all extra... sports.... extra art, music, drama... extra

Location, location, location-

Image
Why the Westside ? Because the person with the highest paying job and the most erratic hours wants to spend the maximum number of non-work hours with his children. After a long and painful conversation with our friendly banker and a decision to sell my much beloved house in a lousy school district (a place with a Great Schools score of 2/10 that was NEXT TO MY JOB) we started the process of narrowing the search area. We used the search tool at http://www.greatschools.net/ to find schools of the type we wanted within 5 miles of each of our jobs, then we used the intersection of the two sets (think Venn Diagram for those with kids) to narrow us down to a subset of neighborhoods. Then we tossed in the price filter, number of beds and baths and size of yard. There are tradeoffs - if the price and the lot size are right, we can go with a smaller house and add on. If the house is perfect and there's a park close by, then we could trade off lot size. School quality and commute time are n

Reverse Creationism- thanks LA Land

Image
Someone wanted to know what kind of buyers pay $1 million for a lousy post -war box on a postage stamp... well that would be us. While we both understand that we could live in Olathe , Kansas or somewhere off of U .S. 1 for less than a quarter of what we pay here, our jobs, families and friends are located in Los Angeles and here is where we are staying until our jobs move elsewhere. We both purchased homes we loved in our single years and now that we are married with kids, those homes in lousy school districts and "transitional" neighborhoods with no parking and endless parties are not exactly the place for us.So my house is currently in escrow for what feels like the 170 th day for $50,000 less than asking price and the ten of us -- my husband,three children, one exchange student and four cats -- are crammed into one of those 3 bedroom 1 bath post-war boxes in Culver City that everyone seems to love.We are seeking a home within a 30 minute commute of Santa Monica