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Hope you had a relaxing Labor Day weekend! Welcome Fall!
As we welcome Fall, here’s hoping you had a relaxing Labor Day weekend and if you are in the LA area that you managed to stay somewhat cool. I am personally ready for some much cooler weather. No doubt you’ve read the headlines about tariffs and inflation that are intended to scare people; the reality is quite the opposite. The Stock Market has been on fire, higher than ever before and certainly more so since the Covid Pandemic shutdowns. Bank of America is bullish about the market and projecting a continued optimistic view for the Stock Market despite tariffs and inflation. As a reference point, they say that in the past nine months the Stock Market has had at least 20 high points. Furthermore, they are expecting that rate cuts and potential 2026 stimulus will outweigh tariff risks and other uncertainties. On the Real Estate side of the economy, home prices have surged. Some economists who closely monitor this indicate that they have surged twice as fast as monthly rents. To complicate matters, interest rates have been stuck between 6-8% for the past five years. Affordability remains the issue. I often think of my father when he decided to buy a home in the early 1970’s. He read all sorts of reports and one in particular from MIT pushed him off the fence. He realized that high inflation and interest rates were keeping him at the point where he would not even be able to afford to rent, let alone buy a home. Then he thought that if he bought something, he would at least stabilize monthly payments while inflation worked to increase the value of his home. Indeed it did! Even at the bottom of the Real Estate Market in the early 1990’s he sold his home for three times what he paid for it all after having lived comfortably in it for 20 years.My point is, do not fall into the trappings of the headlines; if you are considering buying or selling it is not about timing. If you are a seller, it’s about properly pricing, and if you are a buyer, it’s critical to have a solid Realtor that will give you the facts and statistics of the local market. Right now there are fewer buyers out there, hence sellers are more open to negotiations. If you wait for the interest rates to drop, you just might be competing with more buyers who are sitting on the fence. Ultimately it could cost you more in the long run instead of enjoying your own home and increasing your home’s value. Please reach out to me directly for advice and representation. In the meantime, enjoy my Newsletter. Important dates in September: September 22 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown; and it is the first day of Autumn. (Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 1) If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. 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,...
read moreJoin me on a flashback in American history to August 27th, 1967 a post by Endre Barath a Beverly Hills Realtor
Join me on a flashback in American history to August 27th, 1967. The Barath family landed at New York’s JFK International Airport all thanks to my father, Endre Barath, Sr., writing a letter to then President Lyndon B. Johnson who granted permission for us to legally live in the United States. This was a dream come true for my dad as he always wanted to live in the U.S., a free democratic country where you could express your views without being punished by the government. In his mind, the U.S. was the only country where this would be possible in 1967. While he had made attempts to leave Communist Hungary many times, he would not leave without taking his entire family which consisted of me and my mother. When he arranged for all of us to go to the Winter Olympics in Austria in 1964, that was the start of making his dream become a reality. He decided he would not return to Hungary, and we managed to find refuge in an immigration camp. This is where he began the process of trying to get into the United States legally, but the powers to be kept turning him down. This was largely in part because my father was a powerful engineer in Communist Hungary, a position you could only hold if you were a member of the Communist Party. Many suggested he emigrate to Canada and cross the border illegally and no one would care. This was never a consideration for my dad, so he kept trying until he finally exhausted all of his attempts. As a last resort, my father wrote a personal letter to Lyndon Johnson asking for his help. Interestingly my father received a message back from the American Embassy in Vienna to pack up his family and his belongings as he was being granted the opportunity to legally immigrate to the United States. The window of time was extremely short; this was the now or never moment. You can imagine how our world was turned upside down, just as we had started settling into life in Austria, getting comfortable with the German language and the Austrian way of life. My mother was a bit distraught as the job of getting everything packed up and put together fell largely to her, but we did manage to pack it all up and get ready to relocate. My father was thrilled beyond words, and needless to say when we arrived in the U.S., he quickly realized that a few years of learning English was not enough. He also discovered the challenges of finding a job in the mechanical engineering field. My mother did not speak the English language either and had to learn. All these years later and I did not understand why the short notice to pack up and come to the U.S. and why on August 27th. My father of course never questioned it, he was just thrilled that it happened. So after all these years, I decided to see what else happened in history on August 27th, 1967 and I learned that President Lyndon B. Johnson’s birthday was August 27th and he turned 59 years old on that day in 1967. I do wish my parents were still alive so I could share this with them....
read moreThe Afghan by Frederick Forsyth: A book review by Endre Barath, Jr. a Beverly Hills Realtor
Autographed First Ed hardcover As most of you have likely gathered by now, I am a huge fan of espionage thrillers with this genre making up a very large piece of my personal reading shelves. British author, Frederick Forsyth, is a master at espionage fiction; I am a huge fan and own many of his novels, and I am the proud owner of a first edition hardcover of The Afghan. After having recently learned of his passing, I was saddened to realize that only one of Forsyth books is autographed. To honor him and mark his passing, I chose to pick up and read The Afghan as my next book. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. This novel was published in 2006, and I bought my copy in November of that same year. For fun, I often keep my book receipts tucked in the inside cover so I can see just how long it takes me to read the book after I buy it and also to compare book prices from then to now. One bright side of my dropping a social media platform is that I’m much more free to read so many wonderful books that I acquired over the years. With all this said, let me jump in and share my thoughts on another great read, The Afghan. This book centers on espionage and contemporary terrorism and Al-Qaeda is about to do something large. One big problem, however, is that neither American nor British Intelligence agencies know what is about to take place. Enter Colonel Mike Martin whose job it is to infiltrate the terrorists. As a bonus, Colonel Martin has a striking resemblance to Izmat Khan, a former Taliban commander, which makes him ideally suited for this task at hand. I loved the detailed descriptive training of Colonel Martin’s transformation into Khan, which involved acquiring deep knowledge of the Afghan culture, language, religion and customs. Having lived in four different countries myself, I fully appreciated the challenges Colonel Martin faced assimilating to the different cultures and accents. Even the smallest slip could have blown his cover in an instant. This alone kept me on the edge of my seat as I was not just reading but living in the moment. Clearly Forsyth’s background as a correspondent for Reuters and a reporter for the British Broadcasting Corp. TV & Radio helps the reader move at a fast pace, and trying to keep up with the plot at times can be challenging particularly if you’ve not had military or covert experience or training. As for me, I loved every twist and turn that others might consider a distraction to the plot. I am so glad I read this book rather than put it on the backburner to keep the sequential order of his books. All I can say is I look forward to reading more of his previous books that had been collecting dust on my bookshelves, and I am sad that there will be no further works coming from the pen of one of my favorite authors. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a...
read moreThe Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett a book review by Endre Barath,Jr. a Beverly Hills Realtor
Well, I finally dusted off another great book from my home library, The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett. I so enjoy picking up and reading a hardcover book that has been collecting dust on my bookshelves simply because of lack of time. Reading has always been a passion of mine, and I’m happy to back reading in earnest. The Key to Rebecca is an historical fiction spy thriller centering around World War II. It was published in 1980, and I am the proud owner of a first edition autographed book; I still remember how thrilled I was to attend an in-person author reading, discussion and signing with Ken Follett in downtown Los Angeles when he was promoting The Hammer of Eden and how gracious he was to sign all of my books that I touted to the event. The Key to Rebecca is yet another a page turner where you feel as if you are a participant in the drama and not only a reader. I was transported to Cairo in my mind as the German spy is sending critical information via secret code to the Erwin Rommell’s German Army (aka the Nazis) about the British Forces. I’ve always been intrigued how German spies and British Intelligence sent coded messages during World War II. In this particular story, it was done via a book called ‘Rebecca’, a much loved classic novel by none other than the late great Daphne du Maurier. Having been a realtor for many years and the stress of needing to conduct business and timely communications well before cell phones existed brought back some fond (or not so fond) memories for me. I am forever grateful for the improvements over beepers, pagers, and suit case phones, which ultimately led us to today’s smart phones. Hence my fascination with the challenges that spies had to contend with to get their messages across enemy lines. Of course, Ken Follet is also a master at writing historical details. As with his spy, Alex Wolff, there was a real-life spy at the time who also grew up in Egypt thus having mixed German and Arab cultural upbringing just like Ken Follet’s spy. The similarities were amazing. The young Anwar Sadat also played an important role in the novel’s plot. According to Wikipedia, Sadat even mentions this arrest of the actual spy (not Wolff) in his own autobiography. And Sadat’s arrest by the British is largely derived from Sadat’s own autobiography (check it out). Finally, the motor cycle chase scenes in Cairo will take your breath away, at least they did mine. All of this inspired me to check see if there was a movie made. Well, it turns out that there was a TV movie in 1985 starring Cliff Robertson. I am now on a quest to find the movie and watch it. The only downside to that is it would take me away from reading another one Ken Follett’s great books. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern...
read moreJust Sold!!! 3930 Topanga Canyon Blvd Malibu CA 90265 another vacant lot!
Directions: Take Pacific Coast Highway to Topanga Canyon Blvd approximately five hundred feet from the corner on the north side of the street is the land (across and past Oasis Imports) Remarks: Price Reduced! Seller wants it SOLD NOW! This is one of the least expensive vacant lots in Malibu and in such close proximity to the ocean. Lots like this don’t last long in this market! Buyer to verify all information and rely on their own investigations. Ask listing agent for a plat map and go direct. Alternatively great investment to hold for future appreciation. Sold AS IS & WHERE IS. Drive by and MAKE OFFER. Keep in mind 500 ft from PCH is an amazing opportunity to build an Ocean View Home! Private Remarks: never got to do a video, since the Palisades Fires shut the area down. Now I am receiving many inquiries. Please reach out to me for a plat map and go on your own to the property. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu reach out to me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit my website...
read moreThe Gentlemen of 16 July by Rene Louis Maurice and Ken Follett : a book review by Endre Barath, a Beverly Hills Realtor
The Gentlemen of 16 July by Rene Louis Maurice and Ken Follett a book review by Endre Barath, a Beverly Hills Realtor Yet another book that has been on my bookshelf for decades, a small hardcover book just patiently waiting for me to pick up; interestingly enough, it is a nonfiction, published in 1978. I am a proud owner of a first edition, signed by none other than Ken Follett. As with any of Ken Follett’s books, this one is also a page turner. It is the story of the French criminal bank robber, Albert Spaggiari, who spent a couple of months digging a tunnel underneath the “impregnable” vault of the Societe General Bank of Nice in France. The year is 1976, and Albert Spaggiari did end up getting arrested after he and his gang of thieves stole about 100 million francs worth of valuables from the bank. If you can imagine, however, during his trial he somehow distracted the judge and jumped out of a window and fled on a waiting motorcycle. Spaggiari was never again caught and thus died a free man – or should I say a rich fugitive! As I previously mentioned, the authors wrote the book so it read as a page turner fiction novel. Without giving away the secret in the Epilogue, the authors do mention that in April 1977 they received a postcard from Spaggiari that read simply: Bien le bonjour d’Albert! In spite of there having been a rumor floating around that Spaggiari had been murdered, the postcard included a picture of himself wearing a coat and a beret to hide his appearance. By the way, the co-author name Rene Louis Maurice is a pseudonym for three French journalists who did not want their names identified; Ken Follett, of course, was an already established author of three previous books at the time this book was published (The Eye of the Needle, Triple and The Key to Rebecca). As a postscript, I read that Albert Spaggiari died on June 10th, 1989 due to lung cancer at the age of 56. Sadly, his body was found by his mother in front of her home in France as he would clandestinely visit her while mainly living out his life in Argentina. If you’re looking for a fun fast-paced read for a summer weekend, this one fits the bill and comes in at under 170 pages. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu reach out to me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit my website...
read moreThe Great Elephant Migration arrives in Beverly Hills – A Time Sensitive Blog Post!
The Great Elephant Migration arrives in Beverly Hills – A Time Sensitive Blog Post! Have you heard (or herd!) of the Great Elephant Migration? If not, I’m about to fill you in, and if you live anywhere in the vicinity of Beverly Hills, CA, you can see it for FREE (although donations for the worthy cause would be appreciated) up until August 1, 2025. The Great Elephant Migration (From India With Love) arrived in Newport, Rhode Island on the Fourth of July 2024. Their 5000-mile journey is at its conclusion in Beverly Hills, CA until August 1. This amazing herd of 100 life-sized elephants and their calves have spent the past year traveling all over the United States, making stops in New York City, Miami Beach, Houston and Jackson Hole, Wyoming just to name a few. I was thrilled to learn about this exhibit and the wonderful opportunity to see them thanks to one of our friends. Obviously, the herd are not live elephants. These gorgeous replicas are made from lantana camara, one of the world’s top invasive weeds. This fast growing, noxious shrub has covered over 300,00 sq kilometers of India’s Protected Areas and limits the wild roaming elephant’s freedom. Hence, I find it extra special that each elephant has been created and constructed by “The Real Elephant Collective”, a community of 200 indigenous artisans from India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu. These artisans not only bring attention to this problem but also help remove lantana camara by their herd construction, thus helping the animals roam more freely. It also brings to light the ability of elephants and humans to be able to co-exist. I am posting just a few photos to give you a mere glimpse of the quality of the artwork that went into creating these magnificent pieces. If you would like to learn more about this interesting cause, visit the attached link (About Us | The Great Elephant Migration). You can even purchase your own elephant as these remarkable pieces are for sale with prices ranging from $8,000 – $ 22,000. As I mentioned above, donations of any amount are appreciated if the purchase price is a bit out of your reach or if you simply don’t have the room for one. The exhibit is free at Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard (9439 Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 to be exact) and encompasses 4 blocks. There is ample parking in the surrounding Beverly Hills parking structures (I parked at Santa Monica and Roxbury). It’s available for viewing between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 pm so if you are a morning, afternoon or evening person you can enjoy the herd at your convenience. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu reach out to me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit my website...
read more3930 Topanga Canyon Blvd Malibu CA 90265 Accepting Backup Offers!!
Directions: Take Pacific Coast Highway to Topanga Canyon Blvd approximately five hundred feet from the corner on the north side of the street is the land (across and past Oasis Imports) Remarks: Price Reduced! Seller wants it SOLD NOW! This is one of the least expensive vacant lots in Malibu and in such close proximity to the ocean. Lots like this don’t last long in this market! Buyer to verify all information and rely on their own investigations. Ask listing agent for a plat map and go direct. Alternatively great investment to hold for future appreciation. Sold AS IS & WHERE IS. Drive by and MAKE OFFER. Seller is open to seller financing as well. More photos to be posted tomorrow and a video is also in the works. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu reach out to me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit my website at https://www.endrebarath.com....
read moreMaking a Case for : Why not build your home? by Endre Barath, Jr. a Beverly Hills Land Specialist.
Making A Case for why not build your home? by Endre Barath, Jr. a Beverly Hills Land Specialist. After recently reading an article by WalletHub, https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-first-time-home-buyers/5564 they made a list of the best and worst places for affordability for a first-time home buyer. Sadly, out of the 300 cities, Inglewood, CA came in at #276, followed by Los Angeles at #295 with Santa Monica pulling up the rear at #299 – all 3 cities making it into the top 300 worst affordability. With these statistics, may I humbly suggest investing in vacant land in the Greater Los Angeles area. Sure, there are challenges with building approvals, permits and the like, but in the long-run the benefits outweigh the difficulties. Let’s start with the price. If you are a first-time home buyer, there are two big challenges you immediately face – one is having the downpayment and the second is being able to afford the monthly carrying costs. The price of most vacant lots is the price of the downpayment for a house. As one might expect, there are land loans available from lenders. Reach out to me and I’d be happy to give you the list. Depending upon where the land is located, the home approval process can take a couple of years, but the good news is while you are meandering through the approval process, you are paying down the land if you’ve taken a loan. Subsequently, the value of the land increases as time goes by hence, as you approach the finish line for approvals to build, the value of the land has increased dramatically. Should your situation change, there are many buyers who do not want to go through the approval process but are willing to pay top dollar to buy vacant land with Ready To Issue permits (RTI). So you just might be able to sell the land to someone else, thus using the proceeds for other opportunities, possibly even enough to put down for an already built home. Alternatively, if your plan to build moves forward the lender that gave you the land loan is generally open to converting your land loan into a construction loan. Now with that said, add an additional 6 months to a year and you built your home, clearly at a fraction of what you would have paid had you bought your first home. Another thing to keep in mind is there is a huge demand for new construction homes in the greater Los Angeles area that you can sell for top dollar should you decide not to live in your newly constructed home. If you take those proceeds and buy an existing home for less, you are well ahead of the game and avoided the huge dilemma of being a first-time home buyer in places such as Los Angeles, Inglewood and Santa Monica. Being a vacant land specialist in the greater Los Angeles area, reach out to me to help you achieve your goal of being a first-time homeowner. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury...
read moreBlack Sunday by Thomas Harris A book review by Endre Barath, a Beverly Hills Realtor and avid reader
Black Sunday by Thomas Harris A book review by Endre Barath, a Beverly Hills Realtor and avid reader My latest read and book review and a novel that was published in 1975, and I am the proud owner of a First Ed. hard cover. Thomas Harris penned this book after he watched the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre. As I was an Interpreter at the Munich Olympics Press Center for these Games, sadly I could relate to much of this novel; because of this, as you might imagine, this book holds extra meaning for me. The novel’s plot is about terrorists attempting to create mass murder at the Super Bowl in New Orleans. We have a Vietnam veteran battling personal demons (think marital issues and thoughts of suicide) who flies a blimp over the Stadium for the networks to cover the game and wants to take as many people as possible ‘out’ with him. Enter a female character who is part of Black September (yes, the same group that was involved with the Olympics Massacre) who offers him the opportunity to potentially kill close to 80,000 people in the Stadium; as an added ‘bonus’ the President of the United States is planning to attend the game as well. Now you’ve got the general idea of the story, one that is filled with American Intelligence and FBI agents, Israeli Mossad agents and Palestinian terrorists to name a few key players. Not wanting to give away the ending, I will say that I had a hard time at night to stop reading the novel. Once you get going with it, you just want to keep reading to get to the finish line. I’m glad that I finally read Thomas Harris’ first novel. The parallels of Munich for me were very eerie as I could truly relate and appreciate the plot; I felt as if I was living in the moment. Word has it this book was not a big blockbuster hit until Harris ended up selling it to Hollywood and it was made into a movie in 1977. If the author’s name rings a bell, yes, Thomas Harris is also the creator of Hanibal Lecter and The Silence of the Lambs. As I say in most of my book reviews, if you have not read this one and love a page turner, this one’s for you. If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle the most challenging properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly. If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties or vacant land in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu reach out to me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit my website...
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