I'm leaving the country...

...because Studio City real estate and Burbank real estate have been so rough.  Seriously, I need a break and am taking a short vacation from San Fernando Valley homes and condos.  I will be posting again in early June when I'm back.  Have a great Memorial Day.

HGtv's House Hunters Renovation

I shot an episode of House Hunters Renovation last week with some clients who recently purchased.  It was really fun -- the crew were really nice and very professional and of course I love my clients. Unfortunately I can't tell you any more than that right now and I don't yet know when it will be on.

229 N. Beachwood in Burbank closed last week

This is 229 N. Beachwood.  It was a flip, and was purchased by my wonderful clients Scott and Robin.  The escrow went off without a hitch (what a nice change)!

You may remember Beachwood when it was on the market in 2012.  That's it, above.  It was, uh, fanciful.  Whimsical.  With halls leading to dead-end rooms.  Everything was painted a different color.  There were lots of cats (my fave!).  The flippers who bought it opened it up, redid the landscape, kitchen and bathrooms, and flooring but kept lots of the character features.  My clients fell in love when they saw it.  

The flipper group were also very willing to address all issues that came up during the inspection (not uncommon with a flip).  Thanks, Mike Toledo, for being so heads up.  And Scott and Robin, how will you decorate all that new space?

Houzz.com

I've just discovered another monumental time-suck Houzz.com.  It's like Pinterest, but it's just for decorating and finding contractors.  You want real estate decorating porn? Well, here it is, baby!

Closed last week: 16909 Flanders, Granada Hills

My listing at 16909 Flanders in Granada Hills closed last Friday for $539,000.  We had it in escrow for $550,000 but the appraisal came in at lower, so everybody took a haircut.  I have a history with this house.  I sold it to the previous seller, sold it for them to the current seller, and now have sold it to future sellers.  In the meantime, I went to a lot of fun parties there and was even naked in the pool (see below -- it was in the line of duty).  If you're a buyer, it's worth it to check out this neighborhood.  The housing stock is really nice, prices are still reasonable and Granada Hills High just won the state academic decathalon.

Realtor rap: "All the houses gettin' sold"

Realtor rap: "All the houses gettin' sold" by Brian Block in North Virginia.  Brian, it's like that too, here.