Make a new habit
By: Lori Einhorn
The International Fire Chiefs Association and Energizer want you to adopt a new habit: change your smoke alarm batteries every March when you set your clocks forward one hour. The Association also gives out free batteries in hopes that everyone will take advantage of this important opportunity. Fire officials have stated that smoke alarms have reduced fire fatalities by 50%. This simple habit can help keep you and your family safe.
This gorgeous modern California Ranch style architectural estate is in the exclusive community of Rolling Hills. Approximately 14,374 sq ft of luxurious living space designed by reowned Cliff May. The owner states that 2 million+ was spent to remodel/upgrade the home in 2010 while staying true to it’s modern “California Ranch” architectural heritage.
This rare and “one-of-a-kind” property is situated on 4.19 acres of park-like grounds with panoramic city and ocean views, the home features a unique indoor pool with retractable roof and wet bar for a year-round use, North/South tennis court with large cabana, this is an entertainer’s paradise with all amenities with an expansive living area that boasts distressed American walnut wood floors, dry sauna, gym, 5 fireplaces, skylight, cathedral ceilings with an oversized media room and full bar, wine cellar, and gaming area. Gourmet kitchen features a commercial grade Wolf range and built-in sub zero freezer/refrigeration units and built-in coolers. Second master suite has a private patio. Detached guest quarters with full bath maybe used as maid’s quarters. It also features a built-in closed circuit camera security system and ample paved driveways with parking for up to 30 vehicles.
This property is listed at $12,950,000 by Diana Kim. 27 Crest Road, Rolling Hills, CA
The first positive signs in the house market
By: Lori Einhorn
The real estate market in 2012 is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are going to see a shift and settlement in several depressed factors within the real estate arena. New ideas and concepts are emerging, while other ones are being reinforced and perfected.
According to the National Association of Realtors the inventory of residential real estate is down more than 20% from a year ago and median list prices are up an average of 4% nationwide. Most individual real estate markets have reported an increase in prices and very few have seen a decline. This is a sign that there is stabilization and recovery in process. There is a good reason to believe that prices will start to increase slightly across the board by the end of 2012. Appreciation is still a distant concept – being a buyers’ market and the mentality that everyone wants to submit a lowball offer on an already low price is going to slow down a value recovery.
Mortgage interest rates will remain at historic lows, however home ownership rates continue to fall, due to lack of job stability and mortgage qualifying guidelines. This is leaving the door open to many foreign investments. USA is seen as #1 for real estate investments worldwide, both residential and commercial. Distressed properties actually represent the majority of housing inventory – this still includes a strong trend with short sales (lenders are improving and streamlining their short sale process, mainly due to strong government involvement) and foreclosures (REO properties – shadow inventory – are going to be released in the market more than in 2011.) Just Bank of America has claimed a 60% increase in short sales in 2011 over the previous year and they expect 2012 to be at the same level or more.
Several lenders have started offering lease option sales. Homes that have been foreclosed are leased back to the homeowner through a lease option program and eventually are allowed to purchase the house back. This trend is going to become more popular in 2012, with so many REO properties sitting in “shadow inventory.”
Bulk REO Trading will be on the rise. With so many homes foreclosed, waiting to be released in the market (banks are controlling how many homes are released at one time, so not to flood the depressed real estate market with distressed property prices and drive values down further,) banks are looking to sell these homes in packages to investors.
Home remodeling and improvements will be on the rise – owners prefer adding or remodeling their existing home instead of trading up or buying a new home.
Real Estate has Changed Views
By: Jeff Biebuyck
In the past, drones have been most closely associated with their ability to gather intelligence in wars or even science-fiction. As of late though, real estate agents have taken advantage of drones for a completely different reason. Photographers like Daniel Gárate have been hired to use their camera drones for aerial shots and videos of homes. Gárate’s services are used primarily to help realtors sell luxury homes in the LA area.
A few weeks ago this practice was deemed illegal by police and Gárate’s career along with others was brought to an abrupt stop. The LAPD warned real estate agents not to hire photographers using drones because they believed it violated a few aviation laws. This past Tuesday though, the President signed a new aviation law permitting drones to take aerial shots within certain parameters. Fortunately for Gárate he will no longer need to fret over paying the bills but while he celebrates should we be concerned about our privacy? This new law potentially gives drone users the ability to capture virtually anything from the privacy of your own home. Definitely something to think about.
Staying informed about your horses
By: Lauren Rauschenberg
Another case of equine herpes virus was found in Orange County and has led to the cancellation of the Blenheim Horse Show. Thus far, there has been one reported death and one sick. In light of the sad news, there are 3 definitions you should know.
Equine Herpes Virus Definitions:
1. Confirmed Case: A horse which displays compatible clinical signs AND has a positive laboratory diagnostic test for the neuropathogenic strain of Equine Herpes Virus-1.
2. Compatible Clinical Signs: Any one or more of the following clinical signs: fever, nasal discharge, ataxia, hind end weakness, diminished tail tone, and/or recumbency.
3. Exposed Horse: A horse which has been in close contact with a confirmed case of the neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1 within the last 14 days.
The current EHV-1 situation:
ORANGE COUNTY:
· January 15, 2012: There are no new cases. Due to the holiday weekend and laboratory closure, the next posting on this website will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012.
· January 14, 2012: There are no new cases. CDFA continues to monitor the situation.
· January 13, 2012: Two additional horses displaying a fever have been confirmed for the neuropathogenic strain of Equine Herpes Virus-1. There are a total of five confirmed positive cases on the Orange County premises. All horses on the property continue to be monitored.
· January 12, 2012: Two additional horses displaying fever and respiratory signs have been confirmed positive for the neuropathogenic strain of Equine Herpes Virus- 1, on the Orange County premises. All horses on the premises remain under quarantine and being monitored for disease.
· January 11, 2012: A gelding displaying neurologic signs from an Orange County premises was confirmed positive for the neuropathogenic strain of Equine Herpes Virus-1. The gelding has been isolated, quarantined and is under veterinary care. The large multi-discipline facility has been quarantined with no movement of horses on or off the property. The potentially exposed horses on the premises are being monitored. A full epidemiologic investigation at the affected premises has been initiated by the CDFA Animal Health Branch.
Find more information on the homepage of the California Department of Food and Agriculture
Search Homes at Your Finger Tips
By: Lori Einhorn
In January of this year, Ewing and Associates began utilizing a mobile platform to aid customers in their search for a home. This new application, “ewingsir” is compatible with smart-phones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Android or Windows Phone. The application’s innovative software allows consumers to easily search for homes near them but also internationally. The sleek design makes navigation easy so even the least tech-savvy consumer won’t feel daunted by all of the app’s features.
Consumers aren’t the only ones benefiting from this. Real estate agents are also able to connect with their clients by giving them a custom code for the agent’s specific application. With this, agents will receive all of the leads from a client’s search regardless of who has the listing. This technology will relieve the burden of planning around busy schedules and instead clients will be able to search for a home at their leisure. Agents and clients alike can take comfort in the newfound ease that this app will bring to the home buying process.
Americans to Reap the Benefit of $26 Billion 
By: Lori Einhorn
Great news for Americans across the nation. Five of the largest US banks have negotiated a $26 billion dollar payment that as many as 2 million Americans may receive. This is the largest settlement of its kind in history against the housing industry. In 2010, all 50 state attorneys began working on this case during revelations of banks evicting people with false documentation. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial have all been targeted as being primarily responsible.
Now nearly 1 in 5 Americans owe more than the worth of their house because their mortgage is underwater. Although this settlement may come as a relief to many homeowners, it will not rule out any criminal prosecution for the banks. Along with this, California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris wants to utilize the False Claim’s Act to receive more money from the banks for improperly packaged mortgages. This is another good sign for victims of the housing crisis.
Should Starr Ranch Feed Baby Owls?
By: Lori Einhorn
Since the first egg was laid on December 6, 2011, Internet users were able to watch a minute-by-minute live feed of the lives of baby barn owls. These five owls are currently living in a 100 foot eucalyptus tree located on Starr Ranch in Bell Canyon. Recently, viewers of the owls noted that their father stopped coming to the nest. This alarmed not only the viewers, but manager of Starr Ranch, Pete DeSimone.
Without the help of an outside source, the mother of the babies would be unable to feed her children so DeDimone has been forced to step in. He describes the situation as impossible however, due to the harm that intervention can cause. Currently, one of the primary options to help this family of owls is to find a new nest. This is only plausible if a nest has a minimal amount of babies near the same age as these baby owls. Viewers of the owl video footage have also asked DeSimone to personally take care of the owls but he states that this is not a possible option. By doing this, the owls will be imprinted by a human. This will ultimately lead to a loss in identity and they will no longer realize that they are owls, instead they will relate to humans. We are not giving hope on these owls and hope that the father shows up soon.
2012 housing market predictions by Bloomberg
By: Lori Einhorn
When BusinessWeek set out to determine what housing prices would be in the year 2012, we knew that there was no way to know for sure. But in working with the Brookfield, Wis.-based research firm Fiserv, we weighed historical data against current trends to get a bead on which way the markets might jump at one-year increments. By combining data, we were able to get a pretty good idea of what home prices would be in three years’ time.
Across the board, real-estate prices will continue to drop before rising slightly by the fourth quarter of 2011. Why is that important? Given the wretched state of the real-estate market today, both homeowners and potential buyers might be better able to make an informed decision about when, and whether, they should move. Obviously, we can’t guarantee that our data will hold up — although we think it will — but what becomes clear is that even the worst-hit markets will begin to see improvement by 2012.
By: Lori Einhorn
Snow Day in Bell Canyon
On Sunday, February 12th, 2012, there will be snow in Bell Canyon. Make sure to save the date for a fun day filled with snow, hot chocolate and games. This event is geared toward the kids of Bell Canyon and promises to be a fun filled day for our lovely families.
Stay tuned for more details.
