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Parking Meters in Santa Monica or anywhere in the Greater Los Angeles
Parking Meters in Santa Monica, CA or anywhere in the Greater Los Angeles area! Those of you who read my blog post might remember I wrote a post some time ago about Parking Meters of the Past and the Future. Naively I wrote this post around June of 2012 (http://actvra.in/CWB ) and I titled it Parking Meters, past, present and future. Needless to say the picture I used one was of the past and one of the present (I meant 2012). So the future was not that far out. I was amazed that credit cards were being utilized and then they were going to make them pressure sensitive so when you leave the time starts fresh for the next person. Anyway, I find that Street Parking Regulations are intentionally convoluted. I am sure you have seen the signs stacked on top of each other: One sign says No Parking 8am to 10am Tuesday Street cleaning. Then the sign above it say Vehicles with district No.13 permits exempted. Then there is a sign above it” No Parking all other times”, then above it” 2 hour parking 8am to 6pm”. Anyway you get the idea. Basically you need to have either a law degree of someone who can figure out puzzles. My theory is that Parking Regulations are intentionally convoluted so you end up getting a ticket and help the local municipality’s coffers. The historian in me decided to do a little research and found that evidently in Los Angeles around April of 1920 a frustrated City Council ordered a stringent parking ban during work hours, because there were so many cars and they jammed the curbside parking in the city. I did a bit of further research and my understanding is that in Los Angeles more than tens of millions of dollars come in are from parking citations. Needless to say, I try to avoid helping the municipalities’ budgets by not parking in these spaces. I rather park at Metered Spots and help the municipalities add tens of millions of dollars into their coffers, but not by citations. Anyway: please look at this picture, the Technology has increased at lightning speed. Now you can see Solar Powered Parking Meters. Also focus on these people trying to figure out how to use this “New Technology”. Take my word for it not as easy and when these machines are out of order you need to find another machine and hope that the Parking Enforcement will not give you a Citation while you are trying to figure out how to pay for you parking spaceJ If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreWhat can you do in 7 seconds? Well nature can do a lot in 7 seconds!
What can you do in 7 seconds? Well Nature can do a lot in 7 seconds! Twenty years ago today was what most people call the “Northridge Earthquake”. On January 17 1994 do you know where you were at 4:31 am Pacific Standard Time? I do: I was on the phone talking with my corporate coworkers in Van Nuys CA. Do you know where you were? I Do: I was in Boston, MA and it was 7:31 am for me. Do you know what the temperature was that day in Los Angeles? I do: it was 84 Degrees. Do you know what today’s temperature was? I do: Today we had an 85 degree temperature day in Los Angeles. We always banter that “it is earthquake weather” needless to say we also say that in October that it is “Rocktober weather”, generally these are “old wives tales”. Never the less it makes you pause! Today everyone in Los Angeles and vicinity is remembering “The Day the Earth Shook” in the greater Los Angeles area. The real question everyone should be asking: Are you prepared for the Next One? Not are you prepared for the Big One? The answer is clear : YES & NO! The buildings have been reinforced, the gas shut off valves have been installed. The High-rise buildings have better stabilizers. So the construction has improved since 1994. I could go on an and on. The earthquake has prompted numerous changes in the local building codes. Then where is the NO come into play? There are still many weaknesses which have not been corrected. There are still man wood-framed apartment buildings that have not been retrofitted. How is that possible? Well let’s be realistic the way Retrofitting occurs is: When there is a sale of a property. If the property has not sold in the past 20 years the odds are safe to say, that they have not done all the Retrofitting to current Code! Then let us look at the disaster preparedness kit of individual Tenants & Owners of homes and apartments, Condominiums? Do you have all the things that you needed to survive? Are you in a position to bring with you, water, food, clothing and other necessities for yourself? The needs of your pets, food water, and personal hygiene for both you and your pets are they ready to be moved in an emergency? Well speaking only for me the answer is a resounding NO! We plan, prepare and then forget about it. Next thing you know the water gets used, the food gets used, because we become complacent and when “real disaster strikes” and we are not ready. So with that said: The purpose of my blog post is not to be an alarmist; rather it is a reminder of what happened twenty years ago. In 7 seconds there were Billions of Dollars worth of damage and 61 people lost their lives. So a note to myself and others, time to revisit, and check out the “ Earthquake Preparedness Kit “ since the odds are you will not have electricity, cell phone or GPS systems functioning easy quick suggestion. Stop in to your local AAA and get yourself a map of your city. The odds are you are not as familiar to where...
read moreWhen you hear the word “Conundrum” what do you think of?
When you hear the word “Conundrum” what do you think of? Most people I know will think of the definition of Conundrum as something of a Riddle. Something that needs to be solved but one does not know the answer to. That is what most of us think of as a Conundrum. Some people go deeper and say how were the Druids able to move all those Rocks and create Stonehenge. Others think of their jobs and connect it with some complex issue they can not explain. So what do you think I think of when you say Conundrum?? Well the answer is easy: I think of the nontraditional white wine blend, full of flavors. This wine was created by the fantastic Wine Guys of Caymus Vineyards. If you have not tried Conundrum put it on your list. This is another must have wine if you like complex white wines. Take my word this is coming from a Red Wine kind of guyJ!! Keep in mind since it is a blend, some years are better than others. Personally I think the 2011 Conundrum was out of this world. Price wise they vary from south of $20 to as low as $12 per bottle. You owe it to yourself to try it! As far as I am concerned the flavors are brilliant, fruity, flavorful and rich! Their blend is a combination of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscat, Viognier and Chardonnay it is truly a California Wine! So my definition of Conundrum is a great white wineJ!!! If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreWordless Wednesdays: another Winter Day in Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Wordless Wednesdays: another Winter Day in Marina Del Rey, CA 90292! So have you thought of Relocating?? If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreStir Fried Shrimp with Pea Pods for a fast and light dinner
Stir Fried Shrimp with Pea Pods for a fast and light dinner For the purist it would have to be prepared in a Cast Iron Hammered Wok with extra high heat. For those who get scarred with the above technique or the title have no fear. The result might not be as crisp, never the less still a great meal if you prepare it in a sauté pan it will still be delicious. Depending on how fast you want to make dinner and how substantial you want your dinner to be this meal can be done with variations over a bed of rice, or couscous to name a few. Often times I make this Shrimp with Pea Pods or Snow Peas which ever I get my hands on since the flavors will be similar. If I have time I make it with rice and it is a hardy dinner. Needless to say, the other day, it was late so no rice, rather just a fresh loaf of bread was used as my substitute. The ingredients are simple: garlic, onions, garlic, fresh ginger, Shrimp, Pea Pods, olive oil, chicken or vegetable stock, soy sauce (I prefer low sodium and the better quality the more flavorful) and corn starch (thickening agent). Basically take the ingredients and in the order I listed start sautéing them the crisper you want the pea pods place them in last and for the shortest time. I prefer them crisp, but there are times like this time I got a phone call which I had to take…needless to say it was not as crisp as I would have preferred it. From start to finish this meal can be on the table in 30 minutes or lessJ! If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreMedian Sold Price for Single Family Residences in Beverly Hills,CA, 2013
Median Sold Price for Single Family Residences in Beverly Hills CA for the year 2013 Enclosed below you will find the chart which clearly breaks down month by month the numbers. As you can see this is not a fluke but a solid increase. December 2013 the Median Sold Price was $635,000.00 in Beverly Hills, CA. December 2013 the Median Sold Price was $779,000. As you can see on the Chart since May of 2013 it has been a steady increase. Hence it is clear that the Median Sold Price increased by $144,000.00. This is an increase of 23%. So the answer is clear the buyers who were willing to step into the market in 2012 have an average increase of their home values by 23%. I would say that is an impressive figure. Keep in mind this increase was due to a number of reasons: 1. Foreign Investors understood that the Beverly Hills, CA market was undervalued and they were willing to buy. 2. This followed by local Investors who saw the opportunities as well and 3. The regular buyers who wanted to call Beverly Hills their home saw a window of opportunity to step into the market. Naturally the above three reasons, coupled with little inventory drove the price point up. So with that said if you are considering buying in Beverly Hills reach out to me directly for a buying strategy. On the other hand if you are considering selling feel free to reach out to me for a Free Market Analysis. If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreSpeechless Sundays: quick appetizer on short notice!
Speechless Sundays: quick appetizer on short notice! Well tonight is Golden Globe Night what can I do without too much trouble? How about a quick appetizer! Dinner to follow If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreHow long does it take to build on a vacant lot in Los Angeles, CA?
How long does it take to build on a vacant lot in Los Angeles, CA? Often times this question comes up either by the potential buyers who are considering building in Los Angeles, CA. Other times if they do not ask me this question, because they are not from the area and they presume that building is just like from where they came from. Then I bring it into the conversation, because I know that they could be from the east coast of the United States, or they could be from Europe, Asia or the Middle East and the building restrictions are totally different than in the Greater Los Angeles area. Needless to say, the answer to this question depends on a multitude of factors. Specifically the times could be varied a great deal: Approval time for building could take anywhere from 8 months and even more than 3 years. Once there is final approval on the design, then one needs to plan additional time for the actual building. This could vary anywhere from four to six months. So what determines this great variance of time? It depends on the location of the land. For example if you build near Mulholland Dr it will be longer than if you just build in the Santa Monica Mountain range. If you build in Malibu it could be even longer, especially if you fall into the Coastal Commission’s Jurisdiction. Anyway these are just a few examples what could determine the difference in approval times based on locations. I did not even mention it depends how experienced the Architect you choose for the specific area. That can make a huge difference as well. If one uses the help of an expeditor or not, that can also determine speed, length of time or even potential failure of a building project in the Greater Los Angeles area. So needless to say the short answer is: It variesJ! Now if you would like the help of someone who can guide you through the challenges of building in Los Angeles please feel free to reach out to me directly! If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreJust Listed: 7020 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Los Angeles, 90068 Vacant Land!
Just Listed: 7020 Woodrow Wilson Dr, Los Angeles, 90068 another Vacant Land An Aggressively priced vacant land at $119,000 to get offers. One of the truly best values for vacant land in the Hollywood Hills of the 90068 zip code. Last of the few buildable lots on Woodrow Wilson Dr and vicinity with views. Bring your architect aggressively priced for a quick sale. nearby lots sold for more and were already build in the past few years. Bring your Architect and take advantage of this great opportunity. Seller wants it sold now! Great for developers as well as owner user who wants to build their dream home! If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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 moreChristmas Gift with a twist: Poor & Excellent Customer Service!
Christmas Gift with a twist: Poor & Excellent Customer Service! As most of you know I believe in 100% per cent client service. Hence when this does not happen I get very annoyed. This post has a happy ending of sorts, in spite of the poor customer service of UPS… I am just going to give you the Reader’s Digest version here not wanting to rant or bore you. Diane and I were sent a nice Christmas Present from one of Diane’s Cousins from Boston, MA. The UPS delivery consisted of one missed delivery. Followed by one 14 hour wait at home with clearly a misrepresentation of attempted delivery, followed by numerous phone calls, Internet Tracking, then a reschedule delivery with similar misrepresentation of delivery… needless to say you can imagine my dismay, since I cancelled appointments to be at home and being blatantly lied to by UPS Management! The long and short of it, after January 6th we finally received the Christmas deliveryJ! Keep in mind no thanks to UPS. Wine Country Gift Baskets was so embarrassed that their delivery was a failure they sent the same basket to Diane’s Office, and did not charge her Cousin for it. Then they stated that if the first Gift Basket ever arrives please enjoy it and accept it and enjoy it with our apology. So On January 7th the second or should I say original basket arrived. Two gift baskets delivered in spite of UPS’s incompetent handling. The take away from here: we liked how Wine Country Gift Baskets stepped up to the problem. On the other hand we were extremely disappointed how UPS handled this incident. It will take a long time before we will use them again; after all there is still the competition FedEx and the US Postal Service. Unconditional Guarantee: We guarantee your satisfaction Wine Country Gift BasketsWinecountrygiftbaskets.com 800.394.0394(O) Wine Country Gift Baskets kept their word!!! So keep in mind as a Realtor our clients have expectations and we better deliver on our word and on time and no side stepping otherwise they will go somewhere else… If you are looking for a Realtor in the Greater Los Angeles Area who stands behind his service please reach out to me!! If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, an ultra 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. –...
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