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What is the most important part of a transaction for the principals?
What is the most important part of a transaction if you are the buyer or the seller? What is it that you think is the most important point if you are a buyer or a seller? To most of the buyers and sellers, if you asked or surveyed them, the answer would be The Price. The most important part of a transaction buyers and sellers think it is the Price that they agree to. The reality although it is important it is not the most important part. As Realtors we know it is the terms: Length of Escrow Period, Length of investigation period, Proof of Funds and the information in the Preliminary Title Report. Is the Length of the Escrow period Realistic? If it is an all cash transaction the length should be somewhere between 10 -21 days for investigation depending if it is a vacant lot or a move in ready Single Family Residence. Now if there is a loan it should be somewhere between 21 -45 days depending the credit worthiness of the buyer. Have we received proof of funds that the buyer really has the money to purchase the property? If it is a loan do we have Preapproval based on the credit worthiness of the buyer? Then the final and equally important part is The Preliminary Title Report. Here at the minimum the buyer needs to check the Vesting. To make sure that the person who is on title is actually the person selling the property. Not having all signatures at the close of escrow could become a nightmare and create costly delays. The buyer should also review any Liens. Again undisclosed or just discovered liens can cause more delays and that could be not only stressful but costly too. Anyway the point of my post is that the most important part of a transaction is not always the price, rather it is a combination of all the above points. These are some of the points why the value of a trusted advisor is critical. Hence my advice is making sure that you use the services of a seasoned Realtor in your purchase and sale of your home! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreDo you know where Beverly Hills CA is in the top ten priciest zip code
Do you know where Beverly Hills, CA fared in the top ten priciest zip codes? Most of you know I am a Beverly Hills, CA Realtor and I was surprised that we were not in the top three zip codes. According to Wall St 24/7 (Nov. 5, 2012) these were the top ten zip codes: 1st place Alpine New Jersey zip code: 07620 median sales price $ 6.7 million 2nd place Ross, California zip code: 94957 median sales price $ 5.3 million 3rd place New York, NY zip code: 10013 median sales price $ 5.1 million 4th place Woody Creek, Colorado zip code: 81656 median sales price $ 4.93 million 5th place Atherton, California zip code: 94027 median sales price $ 4.3 million 6th place Beverly Hills, California zip code: 90210 median sales price $ 3.75 million 7th place goes to Rancho Santa Fe, California zip code: 92067 median sales price of $ 3.29 million 8th place goes to Santa Barbara, California zip code: 93108 median sales price of $ 3.19 million 9th place goes to Greenwich, Connecticut zip code: 06831 median sales price of $ 2.90 million 10th place goes to Bel Air, California zip code: 90077 median sales price of $2.82 million What I am grateful for is that at least I have two zip codes in the top ten priciest zip codes in the country. Hence I am sure you will appreciate this picture that I took, as I was driving to my office. This is Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA as I am going by my office at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Dr. If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreFall in California: check out these images of the greater Los Angeles!
Fall in California: check out these images of the Greater Los Angeles area, see we do have a Fall Season! For most of you who know me know that I have lived on the East Coast, where we all bragged about having four seasons. I am writing this post, because I am so tired explaining to all my friends and acquaintances from all over the world. California does have Four Seasons! So we might not have the pretties Fall Colors like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut, never the less we have a Fall Season. The good news is our winters are one of the best in the countryJ So check out these pictures and tell me if I am wrong. Now if you would like to live in a wonderful climate where we complain that the night temperature dropped to the low fifties and the day time temperature is only in the low seventies. Then send me an email or call me for a relocation package! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 morePets are Family: If you do not believe me, check this picture out!
Pets are Family: If you do not believe me, check this picture out! As most of you who know me, I love animals of all types, cats, dogs you name it. I am always amazed when some people say, that they are not into animals. Look at this picture. Diane and I went out this weekend for a ride; we took Chachi (her dogJ who is slowly becoming my dog too). She had to go into some one’s place to pick up so documents, before we went on our journey. I took this photo with my Blackberry to show her how much love and affection Chachi has for her. Not that she needed to see this, since she knows it, but for those unbelievers this picture tells it all. He was wondering where she went. When is she coming back? All these emotions and thought process were clearly visible to me and anyone who looks at this picture will agree! So share your pictures or stories with us animal lovers! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreWhat makes a Good Loan Broker? Is it the interest rate?Is it the fees?
What makes a Good Loan Broker? Is it the interest rate? Is it the fees? Is it the person? This post was inspired by a great article in the Los Angeles Times about lenders. The LA Times wrote http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi–lew-20121104,0,1612782.story thatmore than 30 per cent of potential buyers would be willing to pay more to get superior service. These made me think, if you are a buyer, why not get both, good service and low fees, because you can? Hence I suggest the solution is easy: contact your Realtor with whom you are working with and that Realtor will introduce you to a great Loan Officer. There is no payback or gifts from the Lender to the Realtor. There is no ulterior motive. There is only one incentive: The Realtor wants to make sure that you get the best possible loan for your situation and it will close on time, because only then will the Realtor get paid. Once the buyer closes on the transaction and the buyer is happy that will than insure future referrals from the buyer’s circle of influence? So what makes a good Loan Broker? In my opinion it is one who stands out from the crowd? To me a good Loan Officer is one, who provides you with the best possible service on a consistent basis throughout the Escrow Period. That means someone who is available for your questions with professional and fast answers. A good Loan Officer, just like a good Realtor can be reachable weekends and weekdays including off hours to answer your questions. Let’s face it most of the programs are available to most lenders with the exception of the Bank’s Loan Officers. (Their product is limited to what that Bank has to offer) On the other hand, what you need is someone who can give you good advice based on understanding the Political and Economic lay of the land. A good lender can give you good advice of what program will best suit your needs and in addition can advise you when to lock in the rates and when not to. Word of caution: If a buyer does not listen to their Realtor’s recommendation and goes with some other lender, they might be doing a huge disservice to themselves and it could cost them more than just higher fees. I t could cost them missing out on the property and or getting a loan program that might regret receiving later. If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreNo Easy Day, the autobiography of a Navy Seal from Seal Team Six!
No Easy Day, the autobiography of a Navy Seal from Seal Team Six by Mark Owen Since today is Veterans Day I thought this would be a good time to thank all the Veterans and in this particular Blog Post I wanted to send out a Special Thanks to The United States Navy Seals and in particular to Seal Team Six. As Realtors we always mention in our Blog Post that “today was not an easy day” well compared to what Seal Team Six did on May 1st 2011 all our days are “Easy Days”. When I was in Ranger School a hundred years ago, I had the honor of being in the same class with two Navy Seals. I have learned to respect their skills, physical fitness, mental strength as well as their military skills and I was proud to be in the same class with them. They motivated me and thought me lessons in life I will never forget! Recently as I was on my way to Boston, MA for a mini Vacation, I saw this book at the Airport “NO EASY DAY” the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, by Mark Owen a pseudonym for the real Seal Team Leader of the mission. Thought there was a familiarity with the author’s name Mark Bowden of Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo’s fameJ. Well when we got home from our vacation I immediately jumped in and read the book. Keep in mind this is Non Fiction, I am not a big fan of reading Non Fiction, but this book read like Fiction! Fast paced and very accurate from my perspective as having been involved with the Military in various capacities! I was sorry that I had “real work” to do and could not just read the entire book in one sitting. If I did not have to eat, sleep and work I would have read the book in one sitting. It was hard to put it down. Three evenings later I finished. If you want to know what our military does to keep us safe, than this is a must read for all Active Rainer’s, Civilians and previous military? So I want you to know, that if you do not read this book, you are doing a disservice to yourself. I will sign off with the Traditional RLTW! (To my brothers they know, for those who do not RLTW= Rangers Lead The Way!) FYI the Navy Seals Motto is “Yesterday was an easy day”! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreVeterans Day is this Sunday November 11th,2012: Thank a Veteran !
Veterans Day is this Sunday November 11th, 2012: Thank a Veteran for their Selfless Service to our Country! Veterans Day is usually observed on November 11th, if it occurs on a Sunday like this year then the Monday following it, is usually designated as a Federal holiday. Hence to many people this year it is considered a long weekend. The President of the United States usually lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and is followed with a parade with the Colors. The Ceremony ends honoring and thanking all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces! The actual origin of Veterans Day goes back to November 11, 1919; it was the first anniversary of the end of World War I. It was actually called “Armistice Day” and only in 1954 was the name changed to Veterans Day to honor all those who served in all American wars. Just a small trivia I would like to share with you: according to the Census Bureau there approximately 21.5 million living veterans in the United States. That is less than 10 per cent of our population. These brave men and women protected and are protecting our liberties and freedom to enjoy free speech. I am proud to be a member of this small minority group! So all I ask of you is to either salute or thank a Veteran for their Selfless Service to our Country, and do not just thank them this weekend, but whenever you get an opportunity! They will appreciate it and will realize that their service is not forgotten! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreThe Tourist, by Olen Steinhauer a Spy book that is a total page turner
The Tourist, by Olen Steinhauer, If you never heard of Olen Steinhauer, you must put him on your must read list. The important contingency is, that you must like spy novels, provided you like a good contemporary espionage novel you will be calling this a classic soon. The Tourist is a fast paced spy novel with characters that you learn to love, hate and feel sorry for. The twists and turns are unexpected, so it is not your typical story that you figure out the answers. Ironically when you are wrong you are not disappointed. The main Character is Milo Weaver a “retired Tourist” who wants to have a family life….the story starts in Budapest, Hungary and off we go…. The plot is very fast it has deceit, betrayal, trust, family and on an and on…. (I am not going to spoil it for you) All I can say, it is not a James Bond type Spy saga. The characters all have issues and challenges they need or want to overcome. I first read Olen Steinhauer’ second book, “The Nearest Exit”, and then I realized it was a Trilogy. I could not wait to get on the internet and try to find “The Tourist” (the 1st book and then get the 3rd “American Spy” ) All I can tell you is I could not wait to go read the 1st and then the 3rd book. My average time was about 3 nights per book. They are page turners and you cannot wait to get to the end. Ironically when you are finished you are sad that you read it and now you are done! Now if this did not catch your interest, let me share another nugget with you: George Clooney’s Production Company acquired the rights to make it into a movie. Like him or hate him you know the movie will be good tooJ my guess he will direct it and play Milo Weaver the main character! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreThere are Marketing Slogans/Benefits which I find funny or just wrong!
There are some Marketing Slogans/Benefits which I find funny or just plain wrong! OK maybe it is just me, but you tell me if I am wrong. Look at this picture and do you see the Marketing Benefit “48 hrs worth of protection”?? I am sorry but I take a shower every morning before I leave our home and when I do not take a shower at night Diane complains. So let’s say I only take 2 to 3 showers in a 24 hour period where is my benefit with this deodorant?:)) Then again let me put it another way if you only take one shower every 48 hrs, how much business do you generate?:))) So tying this in with our business, what is your Marketing Slogan? Benefit and how effective is it? My slogan is “FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS!” and I mean it, I sell land, condominiums, Single Family Residences and of course Income properties two units or more! Where do I sell it? I sell in the greater Los Angeles county and the Beach Cities! If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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 moreBest of both worlds united Cupcakes Couture & Manhattan Beach Creamery
Best of both worlds united: Cupcakes Couture & the Manhattan Beach Creamery As some of you know I have written about Cupcakes Couture a while back (http://actvra.in/LD ) as well as about the Manhattan Beach Creamery (http://actvra.in/CDZ ) Diane and I were heading to the “old location of Cupcakes Couture and we were so surprised that the establishment was closed, upon further investigation we saw the sign that they moved and consolidated with Manhattan Beach Creamery. We were a bit disappointed not having the intimate environment of the “old” Cupcakes Couture place that is life though. So we immediately headed to the corner and the place was mobbed not all for Cupcakes mind you. This was November and the Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt was flying out the door. Diane and I said we better keep coming back in the Winter and Spring, because there will be lines out of this world in the Summer. Anyway we both got different cupcakes, since Diane loves Vanilla she got the Glitz & Glamour and I love Chocolate hence I got the Chocolate Raspberry, turned out mine was a Vegan Cupcake and trust me you could not tell that it was Vegan, it was so good. I was wondering if they ever opened the Pastry Shop in Japan. I hope you will make the time and visit this great Cupcake Shop the next time you are in Manhattan Beach! http://www.cupcakescouturemb.com and http://www.mbcreamery.com If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or emails 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. ...
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