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What was the biggest Social Media Mistake that I made:I was invited…
What was the biggest Social Media Mistake that I made: I was invited and did not join… Can you guess, I was invited to join Active Rain by a blogger from Colorado late in 2006, who ironically is no longer on Active Rain? He was trying to tell me that this would be the best platform for the future. I was a bit skeptical and did not join. Time was just ticking away; instead of joining Active Rain, I have already filled out my profile on MySpace and started collecting “friends” at the time I did not see the benefit of being on Active Rain as well. I did a little bit of interaction on MySpace and one day, I lost my password. Needless to say none of my “friends” ever inquired what happened, that was about eight or nine years ago….. I tried retrieving my password, but it required so much drama it was not worth the trouble, by now I am sure my profile has been deleted and BTW I do not remember any of my close friends J….. Fast forward to July 10, 2007, I finally joined Active Rain and created my Profile and was slowly feeling out Active Rain. My intent was to see if I was going to stay and like the platform or fade away. Next I started reading Blog Posts and gingerly started to make comments. Then I was hooked, I began learning about Blogging, making friends and earning point. Fast forward again, now to August 28th 2008 and my first blog post was created. So as you can see my first Social Media Mistake was not to join Active Rain when I was asked. Then coupled with not knowing what to do I was a part-timer for over a year and some…. Since then, I have learned about generating international clients from all parts of the Globe. Just to name a few: home buyers from China, Condominium Sellers from Japan, home Buyers and Sellers from Israel. In addition, I have received land and home buyers from Italy, Germany and France to name a few places from the European continent. They all wanted to buy homes, land and investment property in Los Angeles and vicinity such as Malibu and Beverly Hills (to name a few of the communities. The best part was, they found me because of Active Rain. I have also received many Relocation buyers from all over the United States, because they learned that I am also a Relocation Specialist in the Los Angeles area. The best part is I have also helped a lot of Pet Friendly Clients find homes for sale and even for lease, because the word is out, that I am a Pet Friendly Realtor in the Greater Los Angeles area. So looking back, as the saying goes I wish I would have joined Active Rain in 2006 and by now I would have more happy international buyers and seller of property in the Greater Los Angeles area. Currently I am the #1 Agent in Beverly Hills on Active Rain. I am also #6 in Los Angeles County on Active Rain and #24 in California on Active Rain. Quick Tip: if you have been invited to Active Rain there is no sense wondering, join and do...
read moreVilla Romano one of the Gated Townhome Communities in Marina Del Rey!
Villa Romano one of the Gated Townhome Communities in Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 Villa Romano and Villa St Tropez of which I have blogged previously (http://actvra.in/YLK ) are the only two Gated Townhome Communities of the Villa Marina Townhome community. This is quite impressive since there are 18 independent communities which comprise of a total of 683+ Townhomes. They are all unique but similar. They are all anywhere for 25 -40 townhomes sharing a semi private pool. They each have a patio as well as private garages. The best part each townhome ranges from a low of 1500 living square feet to about 1900+ living square feet. Hence you have the feel of a nice modest single family home without the maintenance since the Gardner and the pool man are a community maintenance requirement. Villa Romano is at the end of the Cul-de-sac Street which makes it even more private. The ranges of listings are very few. Currently there is one on the market and the list price is $719,000 and the living square feet is about 1580 ft. and it is one of the smaller units, the good news is so is the association dues only $291 per month vs. the larger ones that just closed recently were paying $491 per month. Should you be interesting either purchasing this unit or consider selling a unit feel free to reach out to me directly your local Marina Del Rey, CA Realtor. If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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...
read moreChocoVivo: The First Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory in Los Angeles,CA!
ChocoVivo: The First Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory in Los Angeles, CA in Culver City 90066 A few days ago Diane asked me that I should keep about 45 minutes to an hour in the afternoon available, since she wanted to take me somewhere near our home about maximum 15 minutes away? I was intrigued, but too busy to focus on it. As I was setting up appointments she said “..you promised I immediately rearranged my afternoon due to family obligations. This was the best surprise I received. She took me to Washington Blvd in Culver City next to my Optometrist’s Office. What a surprise: 12469 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90066 Across from B &B Hardware a Los Angeles Institution. www.chocovivo.com is having a Grand Opening and we were there for the soft grand opening. In case you did not know, I love dark chocolate and the better the more I love it. Now after I have visited this fantastic place, I am not sure I will be able to go back and eat other chocolates. They have chocolate tastings, education about how the chocolate is grown, harvested and the best part was, not only was the owner a young woman there, but the Grower and Supplier who educated me about the entire chocolate process. I could have stayed there for hours…. Tuesday night at 8pm is the Grand Opening: needless to say we will be back. So I just wanted you to know hence the short post and the pictures. I am sure I will have a few more blogs if there is further interest on this subject. If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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...
read moreSpinach, Berries and Avocado Salad from your local Farmer’s Market!
Spinach, Berries and Avocado Salad from your local Farmer’s Market or your favorite Store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. As most of you who know me, I am always experimenting and taking recipes from cookbooks and anywhere else I can find new fun and healthy food to try. I came across with one on the internet. I loved the picture and the ingredients and I could tell this would be an amazing salad. The Ingredients: Spinach(8-14 oz), Mango (1), Avocado(1), Blackberries (8oz), Raspberries(8oz), Canola Oil(1/4cup-1/2 cup), Pine nuts91/4 cup to 1/2cup), Honey(2 table spoons), and then here you can play with depending on taste 2-3 table spoons of (lemon, or white wine vinegar, or orange Champaign vinegar or orange juice) and your level of comfort for citrus. Key steps: Toast the pine nuts over a hot stove top , need to watch it close and keep moving the nuts 3-6 minutes and do not burn…(if you do not want pine nuts substitute, almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds it will taste different but still good) Mango Vinaigrette: one mango, if you cannot get fresh sweet, or tart mango then use frozen mango, combine white wine vinegar or other citrus, about 2 table spoon of honey, about a cup of canola oil and even a table spoon of water. Puree the entire ingredients until they are thick, smooth and like a velvety dressing. I recommend either a white plate or a black plate but not ones with lots of designs: place the spinach depending on the number of people (8-14 ounces) then add the berries to give it a nice color and then the sliced avocadoes and then the toasted pine nuts! Drizzle the Mango Vinaigrette on top of the salad and let me know if you liked itJ If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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 moreSpeechless Sunday: Orange colored tree during a walk in Marina Del Rey
Speechless Sunday: Orange colored tree found during a walk in Marina Del Rey, CA! Diane and I went for a stroll in the Marina and I saw this Orange colored tree and just captivated me. I have never seen a tree like this. Does anyone know what type or species this tree it is? If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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...
read morePhoto of the moment in Marina Del Rey, CA: The 1933 Dodge Coupe!
Photo of the moment in Marina Del Rey, CA: The 1933 Dodge Plymouth Coupe We were out and about and Diane wanted to stop at CVS as we were leaving I saw this great car in the parking lot. Immediately rolled the window down and took this pictureJ Then this made me wonder what a car like this would go for? When I got home I checked on the internet and there was a wide range from $25,000 to $50, 0000. This made me wonder some more, what is the price difference and why if they are in similar perfectly restored condition? After my research I found out that there were three different versions of the 1933 Plymouth Coupe. The two-door sedan, the Rumble Seat Coupe and the Convertible Coupe and the reason is clearly supply and demand. The two-door sedan was had the largest production of 49,826 cars. This was followed by the Rumble Seat Coupe with 20,821 cars being made. The fewest were the convertible with only 4,596 being built. This is clearly the two-door sedan hence it would be at the lower end of the spectrum. Never the less keep in mind if you parents or grandparents depending which age group you are in bought this car they would have paid less than $600. Now if they kept it their car would have truly appreciated in value. So who says that once you leave the Car Sales lot your cars value dropsJ ?? If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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 moreWere these signs necessary if I am wrong tell me a MDR,CA question?
Really were these signs necessary? Tell me if I am wrong a Marina Del Rey, CA resident thinking out loud. As I casually walk by the Ultra Expensive Beach Toilet & Showers the Government built for the Marina Del Rey, CA and Venice Beach, CA beach visitors and locals I keep thinking why? Why did we need to spend such outrageous amounts, but that is a different subject. In front of this Luxurious Bathrooms these two signs have been bothering me for quite some time. Why did the government need to put these signs three? Are we as unaware of our surroundings as we go to use the facilities that we need to be told with a sign or two that a Truck or two might pass by? What are these Trucks you might ask? Well it could be the one that cleans out the Toilet, it could be the one that evens out the sand so it looks smooth, or it could be the Trash Truck that picks up the rubbish from the containers that are strategically located on the sand or it could be the Lifeguard Truck picking up and dropping of Lifeguards. Keep in mind most of these with the exception of the Lifeguard Trucks come around once a week. So really were these signs necessary? If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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 moreStand up Paddle Boarders (SUP’s) in Marina Del Rey, CA be warned!
Stand up Paddle Boarders (SUP’s) in Marina Del Rey, CA be warned! The Stand up Paddle Boarders has increased in the Marina Del Rey, CA & Venice, CA areas over the past couple of years. I remember taking a picture or two of a young Bikini Clad Stand up Paddle Boarder as almost a novelty and curiosity. Then I started seeing young physically fit men on Paddle Boards, next thing you know, now I am seeing young and old, physically fit and some not so fit on Paddle BoardsJ I guess the phenomenon has been catching on all over the country and especially here in Marina Del Rey, CA. Well I guess they are becoming a hazard to boaters and to themselves as well. According to the Coast Guard Stand up Paddle Boards are classified as Vessels. Hence there has to be a Personal Floatation Device (PFD) or a Life Jacket. There is a miniature version of this device in a Fanny Pack that can be inflated in an emergency this is known as a Special Use Device (5PFD) either manually or with a CO2 Device. Keep in mind since it is a Vessel there has to be a sound device, like a horn, but in this instance a Whistle will suffice as well. Now during the summer months there is a lot more activity in the Marina Del Rey, CA Channels and within 200 yards of the Coast of Venice & Santa Monica Beaches with various sized boats, sail boats and large vessel. There has been notable a lot more novice or inexperienced tourists who are in the water as well. Hence not surprisingly there is a great deal more Marine Law Enforcement Patrolling to protect the health and welfare of those in the water. Therefore if you are not complying the Law Enforcement will give citations Be safe this summer and any time you are in the water. Should you have any question about the requirements, feel free to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Office in Marina Del Rey at 310.482.6000 If you are considering buying or selling a luxury home, or an ultra luxury home, or luxury investment real estate, or 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 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 moreRebuttal to Moody’s Tad Philipp’s Negative Side to the Housing Market…
Rebuttal to Moody’s Tad Philipp’s Negative Side to the Housing Market Recovery Observations & Jacob Gaffney’s Sensationalizing Headline on Housing wire.com First I would like to point out I am not a big fan of Sensationalistic Headlines. The example here is “Moody’s analyst cites housing recovery at risk to rental market” “…Moody’s director of CMBS is sounding a warning: Apartment constructions accelerating despite signs that the renter numbers are likely to start decreasing” This to me is sensationalism. What areas are we talking about? I can safely say that the Large Urban Markets of New York City, Boston, Chicago, Beverly Hills and the Greater Los Angeles to name a few will not be affected by this. The Answer is simple mathematics: if you are living in Beverly Hills, Century City, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey to name a few locations in the Greater Los Angeles, you are accustomed to a great life style, great location, but your budget does not permit you to buy into this location. The Average two bedroom two bathroom condominium is around $650,000.(and I am being conservative by lumping in Culver City, West Los Angeles and Century City Statistics) Let us do the numbers. Now those Lenders have tightened their requirements. You need at least 10-20% down payment. How many young adults have $65,000-$130,000 in their savings account? Let me assure you this is a normal requirement if you are considering buying a Condominium in the areas I mentioned, on top you need to have good credit i.e.: FICO Score to reap the benefit of a good interest rate. Then you also need to have solid income to support the Mortgage Payment. How many young adults as Philipp notes can have this type of Income, Savings and Financial Stability to step into purchasing a Condominium in these markets? (On a side note average means 50 per cent is above this price point) Now to complicate matters the average single family house in the same pocket is around $1,200,000.00 not wanting to sound repetitive do the numbers. It is clear that buying a single family home is even harder in the same neighborhoods. I have always been a proponent of Real Estate being LOCAL and even local is not clear. It is even more local when we look at MICRO MARKETS, just like you can go to Sonoma and buy a bottle of wine for $20 and the same type of wine (i.e.: grapes they make it from) and across the street there is another winery that makes $80-$150 bottle of wines from the same grapes Real Estate is the same way. Hence my point is Mr. Philipp is generalizing for the nation, but he is not taking into consideration the Urban Pockets where his generalization does not hold water!(I wonder what his motivation is?) Then has Mr. Philipp taken into consideration: the issue of the areas where builders are building rental units is it an area that is a destination place where the influx of people is higher than the people who are exiting the area?Is the Trend more people moving in or not? This all has a cause and effect on buying or leasing! I would have preferred if Mr. Philipp would...
read moreQuestion to the Active Rain Community & Leaders of AR: What happened?
Question to the Active Rain Community & Leaders: what happened on June 14, 2013? As most of you know I have been on the Rain for a while now. I have seen pictures of the” Curtain” this often is followed by “we are working on improving things” then we have to sort out what were the changes??? So are better others are questionable at best…. There was a time we were included in what the changes were and we felt things were better than before…well now we are back to “the old ways of doing things” no one tells us of the changes and we fumble through…. No one has addressed what happened and why did our visibility drop on the internet! I monitor closely what my visitors’ consist of, i.e.: number of clicks number of view. Well all this time I was thrilled the more I participated the more my readership grew and I was at a point where I had a regular visitor’s fluctuating between 4000 to 6000 per post then what happened on June 14th 2013?. Keep in mind I syndicate my posts to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and my own Facebook Community of Greater Los Angeles Real Estate and my own Community on Google+ Greater Los Angeles Real Estate. Hence my viewing has been fluctuating around around 4000 to 6000 visitors. So what happened on June 14th 2013? My visitors dropped to somewhere between 1500-2000 visit! Now to give you some background, I do not Blog about Religion, Politics or anything divisive. My Blog is about Real Estate in the Greater Los Angeles area, Restaurants, local events, my own cooking, my own reading relatively NON Contraversial. So how did I loose 4000 people in one day? Now my take, something happened with Google & Active Rain’s Relationship. Interestingly the AR powers to be have not chimed in but I have seen a lot of activity. Please share what is going on??? This is what I have seen: 06/17/2013 Do you know who George Tirebiter was, bit of Los Angeles & USC History 13 2229 122 10 06/14/2013 ‘Project Loon’ by Google is buzzing the internet. Have you heard? 56 4237 1209 70 06/14/2013 Father’s Day is this Sunday: How about going to Dodger Stadium? 13 3247 140 1 06/12/2013 Did you know Conundrum White Wine is a Product of Camus Wines? 12 4218 162 2 06/10/2013 What a surprise: I received a call from our Receptionist at Prudential 15 4722 145 1 06/09/2013 As Interest Rates are creeping up:Time to check out your Credit Score! 11 4707 178 0 06/06/2013 525 S Ardmore Ave, #144, Los Angeles, CA 90020:JUST SOLD! 11 5059 139 32 06/05/2013 Mom’s Hummus: Wordless Wednesday in Marina Del Rey, CA! 19 5809 188 10 06/04/2013 What do you get for $125,000,000 in the Greater Los Angeles Area? 12 6181 233 58 Let me know what is going on so I know how to adjust my bloging, because as I see it my blog post just became invisible for the past month on the World Wide Web!!!! Now keep in mind this is a PRIVATE POST for Members Only Post, so you can respond openly, with that I am opening up this post to those...
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