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Rain in Los Angles: much needed, loved, hated and dreaded!
Rain in Los Angeles: much needed, loved, hated and dreaded! Here is Los Angeles, we had one of the worst droughts in the past 100 years. There were many ways we tried to mitigate this problem. Some of us voluntarily cut back on washing our cars, the local governments tried to control watering of the gardens and I could go on and on. Well last week we finally had our big storm and everyone rejoiced. In addition to the obvious benefits of the rain, such as better looking gardens, cost benefit for farmers on not having to water, anyway I could go on and on. There are negative implications as well: flash flooding, mud slides on the Santa Monica Mountain Range as well as homes being damaged. Many home owners have not realized that their roofs were not up to par as well as not having gutters can damage the foundation of homes as well. Anyway hopefully the next storm which is on its way will just bring positive benefits and not the negatives that are also associated with rain. The Greater Los Angeles area is bracing for another Rain Storm from Monday through Wednesday. In the meantime enjoy the reprieve for now. On a side note I took these pictures after the other day’s storm. Check out the retro/tricked-out/vintage truck! If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations. ...
read moreThe 52nd Annual Marina Del Rey Boat Parade!
The 52nd Annual Marina Del Rey Boat Parade If you have never seen this event you must put this on your must see list. If you have no plans for tonight then you are in luck! Name: 52nd Annual MDR Holiday Boat Parade Date: December 13, 2014 Time: 5:55 PM – 8:00 PM PST Website: http://www.mdrboatparade.org The biggest challenge is parking and getting there so plan on leaving earlier. Speaking of earlier check out some of my posts about this great event: The 50th Annual Boat Parade http://actvra.in/MJb The 51st Annual Boat Parade http://actvra.in/48bH 2010 the Rock & Roll Themed Holiday Boat Parade http://actvra.in/MJ8 Anyway I could go post more and more, instead why don’t you go and you post pictures this year?:) If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations. ...
read moreHoliday Party Invitation: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beverly Hills Office
Holiday Party Invitation : Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beverly Hills Office! As most of you know who read my Blog Posts know ,I have been very happy to make the move to Prudential California Realty and then even happier when we became Berkshire Hathaway. Nothing but positive energy has been flowing from the higher ups, the corporate powers to be and needless to say from the most important contact I have my Manager! He is truly the key to a happy business environment! Well check out this invitations and see for yourself. Would you just not want to work for this guy? If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue...
read moreMerry Christmas from our house to your house!
Merry Christmas from our house to your house! If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations...
read moreUpdate on wiley: our back yard stray cat!
Update on Wiley: our back yard stray cat! As most of you who have been keeping up with Wiley know, he decided that our home would be the best place to settle down. We in turn concurred and after he got used to us feeding him regularly, we managed to capture, take him to the vet, spay & neuter him. While he was recovering we tried to have him get socialized to incorporate him into a home. Sadly it was past that small window that cats can be human socialized and instead of release him somewhere else we decided that our back yard is where he called home should be where we release him… He decided to hang out in our back yard. We in turn decided to get a home for him to protect him from the elements and lucky for all he finally went into his “house” a few days before we got the much needed “rain storm”. Clearly he was lucky again and did not have to be out in the rain. Now things are back to “normal” he sleeps in his house when he is not out and about in the back yard or the neighborhood. He knows Diane will feed him breakfast for which he is patiently waiting for every morning around 6:30 am. He also knows that I will feed him some snacks around 10:00 am or so depending on my schedule as well as early afternoon when I am around. Then he knows that around 6pm depending on my schedule dinner is ready for him. As you can see clearly Wiley is here to stay with minor disruptions such as yesterday when the Animal Rescue Organization we support (Rescue Angels) held their annual Yard Sale in our drive way, which is food for another post. Speaking of food look at the progression of Wiley’s appearance from a couple or so months ago and today! Clearly he is better off today than before. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations...
read moreHave you heard what happened to Sony Pictures? a Cyber attack!
Have you heard what happened to Sony Pictures? Today the President of Sony pictures stood in front of the cameras and had some serious bad news to report. Evidently all their employees’ private information has been “hacked” and disseminated on the world wide web. First you would say “well so what” it has happened to other businesses like Home Depot, Target and the list goes on and on. This is different: According to the Cyber Security Experts this was a fully prepared assault on the company by a Foreign Nation. Where I come from this is an attack by a foreign nation. Tell me where I am going wrong with this. Sony Studios a Culver City land mark Studio was planning on releasing a comedy about “assassinating Kim Jong Un” starring our well know Seth Rogan. The speculation by Cyber Security Experts is that North Korea did this act in retaliation for the movie to be released soon. If that is the case it is an “act of war” from where I come from, there needs to be some action taken. If you like to read the details check out this link: http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/sony-hack-%e2%80%98unparalleled-and-well-planned-crime%e2%80%99-cyber-security-firm-says/ar-BBgrjmz?ocid=LENDHP Now keep in mind you do not see me going off without evidence, clearly when all the Cyber Security Gurus point this way it is time for the Government to wake up and do something about it. This to me is also the difference of living in a free society, we can write comedies express out point of view without retaliation. It is time for the Government to step up and protect these rights….just sayin… If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations...
read moreGoing down Memory Lane: The Connoisseur’s Guide Los Angeles
Going down Memory Lane: The Connoisseur’s Guide, Los Angeles, 1996 I was just browsing through The Connoisseur’s Guide (the published date was 1996). This book was in most upscale hotels in Los Angeles and vicinity. The hotels had them in their rooms for the convenience of their guests. So I decided to go down memory lane. I opened up the Cuisine Section, what a surprise some of you might say, Endre Barath checking out Restaurants NOT? Some of the famous and iconic names like “Maple Drive” in Beverly Hills that had some terrific food, CLOSED! “The Four Oaks Restaurant” a French country inn style menu in Bel Air on Beverly Glen Blvd, CLOSED! “Jimmy’s” in Beverly Hills, where you could find the Michael Ovitz and Frank Sinatra dining on Dover sole or a New York steak with fried red onions, CLOSED! “Schatzi on Main” in Santa Monica an Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Austrian –American fare like Wienerschnitzel with garlic mashed potatoes, CLOSED! Anyway I could go on and on, you get the idea there are many more iconic Restaurants that were in this book that catered to the rich and famous, the locals and the tourist who were willing to pay to for the once in a life time experience of fantastic food were closed as well. For the tourist, I found the attraction was more so to get a glimpse of the famous residents of Beverly Hills and vicinity aka the Hollywood A -list. So reflecting it is hard to believe that in eighteen years so many iconic Restaurants are gone. Now in all fairness this is clearly an indication of how competitive the Los Angeles Restaurant scene is. So next time I will write about some of the iconic Restaurants that are still here. A true testament to their resilience, customer service, good food and loyal client base. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations ...
read moreUltra Luxury Real Estate in Los Angeles: our fascinations with it & my observations about it!
Ultra Luxury Real Estate in Los Angeles: our fascination with it and my observations about it! When it comes to selling a home around the globe, generally there are a few critical points the sellers and the listing agents must achieve. If they accomplish these certain points, then it will guarantee them that they will have a successful sale. Most of you have read, seen or know that is generally the proper positioning of the property via good marketing, good pricing and making it desirable for a potential buyer. There is also a critical aspect that has to be there: “motivation” i.e.: the seller needs to or wants to sell. Then of course the ultimate selling tool “fear of loss” i.e.: the buyer is afraid someone else will “steal it” before they get a chance to buy it. Now with that said, when it comes to “Ultra Luxury Real Estate Sale” you need to throw the above out the window. (Well sort of) We have about seven or eight properties on the Market in the Greater Los Angeles i.e.: Beverly Hills, Bel Air and vicinity that I consider in this category, i.e.: they range from $70,000,000 to $195,000,000. Ironically these home owners do not need to sell, hence it adds a few additional dimensions into the sales process. Clearly time is on top of the list, followed by desirability and these can take many form. What I mean is, often it might take a few years to sell one of these Ultra Luxury Homes. A perfect example was Candy Spelling’s home (the widow of Aaron Spelling). Her home was listed for sale in 2009 for $150 million and there were no “price reductions”, the reduction came during the negotiation process. Ironically after being on and off the market for about three years it ended up selling for $85 million. Keep in mind it was still an impressive sale. How is that possible you might ask? That is what I call the desirability factor and motivation. It was obvious that Petra Ecclestone wanted what Los Angeles had to offer i.e.: a great life style consisting of fantastic climate, palm trees, getting access to Hollywood’s most recognized names and hanging out with them are just part of the many benefits Los Angeles has to offer as far as amenities are concerned. The best part is that the Greater Los Angeles does allow a great deal of freedom in remodeling, rebuilding and or tearing down, unlike other parts of the US and the world, where these acts are more restrictive. So how is the price derived at? Well that is the funny part it is “Ego Driven” i.e.; I own the trophy property and I will consider selling, if you give me an offer that will make me sell it to you. Now just to be clear, there is clearly land value which generally comprises anywhere from 40-50% of the actual value of the property. Then add to that, the usual factors of number of bathrooms, number of bedrooms, size of the living square feet and I could go on and on. Then there is the scarcity having the largest land, home in Beverly Hills, anyway you get the idea. Perfect example was a home that sold in April of this year...
read moreBobby Keys RIP a great loss! Rolling Stones and Fans mourn Bobby Keys!
Bobby Keys RIP a great loss for the Rolling Stones and their fans! Diane and I saw him last year and he was awesome, one of the best Sax players and if you ever heard Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones he makes that song PERIOD! Our condolences to his family and friends. There are many more in his illustrious career. I picked this so you could hear it in case you never heard it. So with that said if you are looking for a Pet Friendly Realtor in the Greater Los Angeles area, you found him! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations...
read moreDo you want “Old Tired Information” in Real Estate?
Do you want “old tired information” in Real Estate? I just do not comprehend why buyers and sellers are satisfied with “old tired information”. Everyone is so in love with Zillow, Case-Shiller, RISMedia information. Well partially I get it, they have established themselves and are on the forefront of everyone’s Internet Reads… Today December 1st, I received a breaking news time email from RISMEdia: Broad-based Slowdown for Home Prices: Case-Shiller As I read the article further I just get more and more annoyed “S& P Dow Jones indices released Tuesday the September 2014 home information dated for the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price indices, a leading measure of U.S. home prices…” Seriously if you would like information that is up-to-date why fall into the trap of “Headline motivated NEWS” Feel free to reach out to me, I just did what I considered a late Market Analysis for “OCTOBER 2014” honestly it is December 1st, 2014 if you want fresh information why not ask me about what your local market was like in November??? Forget September 2014 that is OLD NEWS the market is totally different NOW! So if you are not in my market: The Greater Los Angeles Area reach out to your local knowledgeable Realtor and he or she will be able to give you “FRESH NEWS” not 60 to 90 day old news. So with that said if you are looking for a Pet Friendly Realtor in the Greater Los Angeles area, you found him! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations ...
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