The Santa Slump – Why December Should be the Best Month to Buy a Property
After participating in a few slow open houses in Playa Vista this weekend, it got me thinking, why isn’t home buying more popular in December? While there are obvious reasons why it could be inconvenient to buy in December – shorter days, worse weather, shopping and social obligations, or waiting …
How Will The SoCal Fires Affect the Playa Vista Real Estate Market?
For the past week, Ventura County and Malibu have been suffering from one of the worst fires these locations have ever seen. While the Camp Fire in Northern California is the most destructive ever in terms of loss of life and property damage, the Woolsey Fire located in Malibu, and …
Is it a Good Time to Buy in Playa Vista? The Objective Case that it is.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you might have noticed that I sometimes take contrarian positions, which in a hot real estate market, might appear negative. Being negative is not the point. The point is to challenge group think that often occurs in real estate markets and to introduce new …
This is Not Your Mother’s Real Estate Market
I admit it. It has been pretty easy to sell real estate in Playa Vista from 2011 to 2017. There are things I would do to prepare properties to show better, create the best leverage, negotiate the best deal, and create the best experience for my clients, but honestly, some sales that were layups …
Supply Coming Back With a Vengeance in Playa Vista. Inventory Mix in LA Fails to Satisfy Buyers
As of this writing, inventory is up significantly in Playa Vista with 31 single family homes and condos on the market. Granted it is late summer when supply tends to peak, but this is a dramatic increase in active listings from the teens, which had been consistent through much of …
First Half Observations of the Playa Vista Market
We have reached the halfway mark in 2018, which is unbelievable. Are years getting shorter? It has been an unremarkable, albeit steady, year so far in Playa Vista with modest price gains and still low inventory. New construction at The Collection, Jewel, and Seabluff continues to trickle out giving buyers …
Words of Wisdom From a Real Estate Legend
Last week I learned of the death of Stan Ross, the former chairman of the USC real estate program whom I looked up to. We were not close and did not even know each other well, but we met briefly a few times during my year getting my masters degree in real estate development and I listened …
A Bidding War is Not a War
Over the past few years in what could be considered a seller’s market in most areas, including Playa Vista, many properties for sale have generated offers from multiple buyers. Some call this a “bidding war” and some buyers want to avoid this situation. It is important to remind people that …
Buyers Becoming More Selective in Playa Vista Market
After the dearth of inventory in the 4th quarter and the trickle of listings that got quickly gobbled up in the early months of 2018, supply has begun to normalize. Inventory for condos and single family homes stands at 19, which includes one listing currently under construction at Seabluff. These …
The Effect of Rising Interest Rates on the Playa Vista Market
This week the federal reserve raised the Fed Funds interest rate by a quarter point (.25%) for the sixth time since the financial crisis. They signaled that they expect to raise rates another two times this year and three times next year. The Fed Funds rate is the rate at …