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How will China’s Economic troubles affect the Global Economy?
How will China’s Economic troubles affect the Global Economy? These observations are strictly my views and I do not have an agenda from a political standpoint. Strictly I am trying to present a concern that I have as well as a solution. Our News Media is so focused on Greece now days that no one has notice that China is imploding quietly without anyone even blinking an eye. China’s high flying Stock market has quietly dropped around 30 % from where it was a couple months ago. Let’s be real this is big news and should be in the front pages rather than a quiet footnote. The Chinese Government, more specifically the Chinese Communist Government is trying to salvage their own economy, their real estate market and their stock market from totally collapsing. They are keeping insolvent developers afloat by forcing the lender to continue infusing cash and not call in the loans. There is a huge glut of unsold inventory so that will continue to be a dark cloud over them. The Government Bank of China is planning on injecting funds into the brokerage firms. They are injecting funds i.e.: new money, which is like printing new money. This reminds me of what was happening in Europe specifically German after World War One….. On a side note everyone is focused on Greece defaulting that might be a couple billion dollars that would be lost to us….on the other hand if China goes down then we are talking not a couple but probably 20 or more billions of dollars that we would lose. So there should be more interest in this information from a financial standpoint. Not too long ago the Wall Street Journal wrote that there are manufacturing companies in China that have closed their operations down and are using their cash to gamble in the stock market. When more than 90% of their profit come for “stock market income” one must wonder what are they thinking? Manufacturers realize that they can make more money in the stock market rather than producing goods. So how does that effect the US Real Estate Market? Well for starters the Chinese All Cash Buyers have dried up because it is difficult for the Chinese Nationals to move funds from China. This in turn slows down the foreign nationals buying in the US. At the same time it allows opportunities for US Investors to buy with less competition. Institutional investors can now make researched buying decisions without being outbid by the foreign money from China. According to World Bank figures China accounts for 13%+ of the global gross domestic product. They basically are the biggest exporters around the world. Have you looked at things near you and turned them over and tell me where they are made. Coffee mugs, hammers, nails, and I could go on and on…everything is made in China for all practical purposes. So what will happen if the world supply dries up? This is a question one might consider and at the same time look at it as an opportunity to start some manufacturing operations. (Anyway I am just thinking out loud) So my advice is to both the US as well as the Chinese people with large sums of money. Park your funds into Real Estate that...
read moreHome Safety and Security should be a high priority for everyone! Here are a few tips to help!
Home Safety and Security should be a high priority for everyone! Here are a few tips to help! Sadly we live in times when we have to be more cognizant of protecting our families and our property. There are many statistics out there that substantiate that a large percentage of household have been victims of crime from vandalism to property theft and even burglary. Needless to say the percentage does not matter if it is 6% or 36% or anywhere in between, if you become the victim! There are simply many things you as the home owner can do to protect your home without being very expensive. My first advice might seem very simple and some of you might think I am being Funny: Lock your doors and windows. There are enough statistics, just ask your local police department and you will learn that almost one-third of all residential break-ins are due to unlocked doors and windows as the entry point! So as you can see that did not cost anything just being aware. Trim your bushes and shrubbery low around your home. This is another easy preventive measure so burglars will not have a place to hide while waiting and figuring out how to gain access to your home. Again this is either a free or inexpensive preventive measure. If you bought high end equipment such as TV, Audio System or Computer system, break down the boxes and place them on the bottom of your recycle bin. Do not advertise for the burglars that you got a new 54 inch High Definition TV. If you are like me I need professionals to install them, so maybe have the installers take the boxes with them? Turn down your home phone’s ringer if you are “old school” and still have a home land line phoneJ. If burglars hear a great deal of phone ringing’s it will tell them you are not at home. The most important advice I can give is consider installing motion-sensor lighting on the perimeter of your home. Have a conversation with your Electrician and of all the expenses this will probably be one of the best money spent for your Crime Prevention Efforts. Potential burglars do not know if you have any other security systems past your homes entry points. When the light comes on the burglars will move on. The above tips can help you burglar-proof your home and will give you a sense of security for you and your whole family. Mostly be vigilant and use common sense. Now if you are considering selling your home I would appreciate the opportunity to represent you. Please email me or call me for a free Market Evaluation. 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) 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 commission to local animal rescue organizations....
read moreOctober 1st, 2015 changes are almost here for the Buyers, the Borrowers i.e.: the Consumer via the Truth-In-Lending-Act!(TILA-RESPA)
TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule implementation(Truth-In-Lending-Act) August 1st, 2015, October 1st, 2015 changes are almost here for the Buyers, the Borrowers the Consumer There are changes that will go in effect thanks to The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Some of the changes will be major others just terminology and definition changes. Here are some examples of terminology changes: The Lender will now be called The Creditor The Borrower and the Buyer will be called The Consumer Initial Truth-in- Lending Statement and Good Faith Estimate will be called Loan Estimate HUD 1 Settlement Statement and Final Truth-in-Lending Statement will be called Closing Disclosure The Closing will now be called Consummation! The purpose of all this is intended to make the Borrowers i.e.: the Consumer’s life easier. If you have bought ‘property’ before, and it was the first time, I am sure you will recall that the documents were confusing and quite overwhelming. There are agents who had a challenge with reading and explaining the HUD-1 forms, because not all agents are present at the closings and many times the Borrowers aka. The Consumer would only sign the documents in the presence of the Escrow Officer. Hence most people involved in the Transaction will welcome these changes. After reading the “The Closing Disclosure” I find it will be easier for all parties to understand the Terms, even though it is five pages long, the information is geared to simplify previously convoluted documents and data. Another aspect will be the implementation of “…some Best Practices for all Title and Escrow Companies…” One of those are how to handle Non Public Information (NPI) (I will cover that in detail in an upcoming Post.) If you are a Lender= Creditor, an Escrow Officer, Title Officer the biggest change will be to have better coordination and communication amongst each other. If you are a Realtor you need to become familiar with the Closing Disclosure Form since the Consumer will have it three days in advance rather than at the Closing Table. If you are a California Consumer these documents will be sent to you in advance as well prior to signing the Loan Documents allowing you to digest and raise questions and get clarifications to your concerns. I understand that this will take a bit of time to get used to but the purpose is to protect the Consumer, so we as representatives of the Real Estate Industry needs to embrace these changes and help the Consumer with their largest transaction of their life time and to make it as easy as possible. If you are a Consumer you should be Thrilled at these changes! If you would like to watch a five minute video about these changes please click on the enclosed link https://www.titlesecurity.com/changes-coming-august-1st-2015 Now if you like an in-depth clarification and would like a better understanding of the new rules, with questions and answers, then check out the Government’s Website for the changes here: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/regulatory-implementation/tila-respa 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) 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...
read moreHow is the Real Estate Market in Beverly Hills?
Often I get asked: “how is the real estate market faring in Beverly Hills?” First I am thrilled that these type of questions are back in the cocktail party conversations as well as that they are being asked by serious investors and interested potential buyers and sellers. It is nice that it is not just idle conversation starters, rather serious interest on how the Real Estate Market is faring in Beverly Hills. My second reaction is to quantify my answer by saying, that there are many different Real Estate Markets in Beverly Hills. I always try to find out what the interest is i.e.: is it in particularly the first time buyer’s market? Is it the investors market? Or is it the Developer’s market? Then I try to narrow down the question, is it the Condominium Market? Or is it the Single Family Market? Just as an example let me just address the Single Family Market here and you will see even that has many different aspects. If I just simply stated, that this week the median list price in Beverly Hills, CA 90210 is $5,995,000. This would not present the entire Single Family Homes in Beverly Hills accurately. Even though the dollar mount is correct. Even if I added that inventory is increasing and the days- on-market time appears to be trending lower. Prices in the 90210 zip code are trending upward and are getting close to an all-time high. This still does not present the true picture. To get a more accurate picture of the Beverly Hills Single Family Home Market we need to separate the data into four groups based on living square feet. There are the least expensive homes which I consider in the bottom quartile. These homes are approximately 2680 square feet of living space and have lots in the neighborhood of 8-10,000 sq. ft. The Median Price for these homes is around $2,138,000. In the lower middle quartile the homes are around 4600 square feet of living space and have land from a .25 acre to .5 acre. The Median Price for these homes is around $4,299,000. As we look at the upper middle quartile, we are getting into the 6300 sq. ft. of living space and the lot sizes are around .5 acre – 1 acre. The Median Price is now around $7,425,000. Then when we look at the Ultra Luxury Homes, the living square feet increase to about 8700 sq. ft. or more on similar land size of .5 acre -1 acre. The Median Price is around $15,450,000. Needless to say I have not even addressed the Mega Mansions which fall into a category of their own. So the short answer to the question of “how is the market” looking at the current rate of sales vs. the current inventory we are still in a sellers’ market, but getting close to a balanced market. The Days on Market depending which price point we are focusing on is anywhere from 129 to 149 days. The most important factors which effect the prices in Beverly Hills consists of a three part answer: one our prices are driven by the World Demand, second we are the destination place from all parts of the Globe due to our Temperate Climate and third Beverly Hills represents Luxury. The...
read moreEndre Barath,Jr. has been Recognized by David Cabot President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeService CA Properties!
Endre Barath,Jr. has been Recognized by David Cabot President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeService California Properties for his Outstanding Sales Achievement! 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites athttps://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commission to local animal rescue organizations....
read moreHappy Memorial Day Weekend! Best wishes from Los Angeles!
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Best wishes from Los Angeles! As I reflect on seeing neighbors and friends have their families and friends visit and enjoy the traditional and in some people’s perception “mandatory barbeque” in the back yard. I think of all those who gave their lives so we can enjoy this weekend. Memorial Day Weekend is not just the beginning of summer to me. It is all those who fought and gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedom. Here is a 3.2min video from someone who served, voluntarily Afghanistan & Iraq so we could enjoy our weekend. Check it out if you have time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki6GakghQoA I was not only amazed, but it touched me how this solder described Memorial Day and the weekend. As I finished watching on U-Tube. There was another video that caught my eye. President Ronald Reagan and his views of Memorial Day also very touching and about the same time as the other. So if you have another 3.2minutes to spare please watch it as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt8y18YFH70 With that said I would like to thank all those who served to protect our freedom and I wish I could thank those who gave the ultimate sacrifice! Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all and please reflect on these words. Keep the Tradition alive! 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) 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 commission to local animal rescue organizations. ...
read moreKegel Canyon Rd. Vacant Land! Pending! Endre Barath Vacant Land Specialist!
The best way to get to this lot is to go to KAGEL CANYON RD from there to INDIAN MESA DR and the lots are on THE CORNER OF INDIAN MESA DR AND KAGEL CANYON RD! THE PROPERTY IS ON THE CORNER OF INDIAN MESA DR & Kegel Canyon Rd! The best part is one side is on a paved road and the other side is a dirt road. Both LOTS ARE FLAT . This is truly COUNTRY LIVING BUT CLOSE TO THE CITY TOTAL OF 4800+/- LAND TWO APN NUMBERS. ALSO INCLUDED IS 2845-024-028. SELLER MIGHT CONSIDER SELLING SEPARATELY PREFERS SELLING TOGETHER. PERFECT FOR LONG TERM INVESTMENT TOO. OR BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME NOW. 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites athttps://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commission to local animal rescue organizations. ...
read moreThe Median Sold Price for Bel Air- Holmby Hills is up by 55%!
The Median Sold Price for Bel Air-Holmby Hills is up by an incredible 55%! As most of you know Bel Air has some incredible Price Points. The Median Sold Price in February 2014 was around $1.1million that is about a $650k+/- increase for February 2015. I can hardly wait to see how March fared. All I can tell you is at every office meeting I heard multiple offers and agent grousing that they missed out on sales with their buyers. 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites athttps://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commission to local animal rescue...
read moreLow Tech or High Tech? What do you prefer?
Low Tech or High Tech? What do you prefer? We were in beautiful Pasadena, yesterday. The assignment was to go to Restoration Hardware, truly a blog by itself. (Soon to be published) On our way we had to stop in at Snyder Diamond Kitchen & Bath Appliance Store (Another blog post to be published soon). Followed by a quick detour to Vromans, we finally arrived at the block which houses Restoration Hardware. Keep in mind I will tie this all in about my question of: Low Tech or High Tech which do you prefer? Now the monumental challenge of trying to find a Parking Space was ahead of us. Clearly the desirability of Pasadena makes street parking a virtual impossibility or you have to have the perfect alignment of stars. Understanding that generally one street behind or should I say parallel one can always find either a public parking lot or parking structure. Armed with that knowledge, I turned off Colorado Blvd to find a Parking Place. I was on the right track. The shock of finding a Parking Lot which was reasonably priced was minor compared to be what we found. Well see these pictures for yourself I have never seen anything like this before, write your parking space with a pen, add your license plate, the time you parked and add $3 or $6 depending how long you are staying. Clearly the first thought in my mind is there an enterprising person behind the fence who is collecting money? Or is this for real? We are in 2015 people with Smart Phones and I could go on and on. Needless to say I had to go look on the other side and I found the continuation of the same parking lot with an attendant who charges a couple dollars more and parks your car. More interestingly look what I found: A Tesla Charging Station too. As you can see High Tech can coexist with Low Tech. So if you are looking for a Realtor who is comfortable with High Tech Reach out to me. Now if you prefer Low Tech like face to face meetings vs. Video Conferencing or Texting I do answer the phone and meet people face to face too! 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 me at 310.486.1002 (m) 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 commission to local animal rescue organizations. ...
read morePet Update from your Greater Los Angeles Pet Friendly Realtor: Endre Barath, Jr.
Pet Update from your Greater Los Angeles Pet Friendly Realtor: Endre Barath, Jr. Those of you who follow our trials and tribulations will recall my previous posts about our “Backyard Kitty” aka. Wiley. As you know unbeknown to us, when we bought our house, it came with a “stray cat”. Needless to say, making the transition or should I say the move with three indoor cats was a challenge by itself. Hence working on taking care of “Wiley” our “Backyard Kitty” was no lesser of a challenge. We made huge progress, as you know we were able to “Spay & Neuter” him and he still remained our “friend”. A while back, I was happy to report that we were able to pet him. Then life takes its turns and we incorporated into our “little house”, Chachi aka. Diane’s Dog, whom we have had in a foster home for many years. Needless to say this is still a work in progress. He has some issues with the cats. One of our cats he cannot stand and at the same time he is a bit afraid of him as well. Needless to say the feeling is mutual on Douggy’s part too, he can’t stand Chachi either. Chachi is neutral with Jack and that is good thing and Jack basically is neutral to him as well, or should I say he keeps a respectful distance. On the other hand he is smitten with Jill, so you are now caught up with the dynamics of the inside of our home’s animal life. Clearly since Chachi is a dog he needs to enjoy the back yard as well. Needless to say this created a new dilemma that we are working on resolving. Sharing the back yard with Wiley is no small task either. Between the hours of six pm and nine am the back yard belongs to Wiley. Now between nine am and six pm depending on my day Chachi gets to enjoy the back yard as well. As you can see we clearly have our hands full and often our friends have to understand that we are not always available on “short notice” to do anything, including going out to the movies, dinner etc. It is more than a full time job for me and Diane. Being the caregivers has created changes in our home entertaining as well. Keep in mind there is a huge difference of having just a dog or just cats in your home. I wanted to share this update for those of you who are interested in our animal kingdom and at the same time give you a glimpse of insight for those of you who are considering more than two pets in your life. If you do not have enough to keep you busy or you have not been discouraged by my post. Then please go ahead and rescue a cat or two, or a dog or two, there are so many in local Rescue Organizations that are looking for a Forever Home! The take away here is, that having pets is rewarding in itself, but just like anything in life you have to work at it every day and every moment. Just like being a Realtor you have to work hard and consistently for your clients. So...
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