Happy holiday season, everybody!

Let's hope for peace on earth, good will towards people, and a terrific 2015!

Babies!

Several past clients are expecting little ones in the new year! Briana Hicks and Michael Pedicone will welcome their first child any minute now.  Erich Meschkat and Ryanne Meschkat are having a Meschkitten.  And Abby Hatch will have a new sibling, courtesy of parents Robin Hatch and Scott Hatch.

Also, the Misty Martin, Ryan Martin plus Phoenix and Haze Martin welcomed baby Sailor a few months back.  And Mark LaCorte and Jackie LaCorte have their first son, Romeo, as well.

Congratulations, everybody!  I look forward to meeting all of the new little ones.

Sunday a.m. reading: Getting a mortgage may be easier than you think. And Moby.

Both today's L.A. Times and today's NY Times have articles today about the loosening of mortgage requirements.  The L.A. Times link is here.  Some particularly excellent news: Fannie Mae is going to lower the downpayment requirement from 5% to 3%.  Before anybody starts thinking about "moral hazard" and such, consider Southern California's buyers who aren't wealthy.  If the average house costs about $450,000, the downpayment now needs to be $13,500.  Plus about 2% in closing costs.  That equals $22,500 and represents A LOT of savings for younger or middle-income buyers.

Today's other news is that performer Moby just sold a Hollywood Hills home for $12+ million.  He bought it four years ago for a little under $4 million, and spent -- sit down -- $2 million restoring it.  At first I thought the $2 million was a misprint, as I couldn't imagine what could possibly cost that much. What could that huge amount possibly be spent on? Diamond-encrusted laundry rooms? Fur-lined sinks? Real unicorns for the yard? But the house is apparently huge, so... The other big take-away is that Moby made about $6 million on this transaction.  Yup, that's huge.  Not bad for a non- professional real estate investor dj-songwriter.

Check out Listed and Twisted

Please check out my colleague Tracey Raphael's semi-new blog, ListedandTwisted.wordpress.com.  (Kudos for the very cool title, Tracey!)  The blog is described as the mad rantings of a real estate soccer mom.  Tracey is a wonderful Realtor who has lots of experience, integrity, and is fed up with the b.s.

Just sold this huge home/lot in...Valley Glen, of all places

Here's a pic of the house that I just sold to a wonderful couple who wish to remain anonymous.  It's in an area called Hillview Park Estates in Valley Glen, close to Valley College.  All the homes in this small area are on huge, 14000+ sf lots and the streets are gorgeous, tree-lined and quiet.  Especially quiet because there's no parking between 8:00 a.m. and midnight.  Ugh...yes, I got a parking ticket.

The escrow had its challenges, mostly because of the home's condition.  I know more about sewers now than I ever thought there was to learn.  The wiring was a safety hazard, the huge pool needs everything, and generations of rat families have raised their young in the attic.  Still, the house has so much potential that it's easy to see why my clients were attracted to it, and stuck with it.

My buyers have already started the rehabbing and make-over.  They are still debating what to do with my favorite room, the "rumpus room." It's pictured here and was probably last redone in the early 1970's.  Note the wood paneling and turquoise and orange accents.  There are workable beer taps and plenty of room for a full bar.  The owners thought of everything: to prevent a dangerous injury to home drinkers, bar stools are permanently bolted down.  And in true relic style, there's orange shag carpet under the turquoise carpet! The room had a built in sound system, a juke box, neon beer signs, pool table, gaming tables, and an electric panel hidden behind a wall-mounted snack machine.  They really knew how to party in the 1970's!

The rooms are all spacious and the backyard seems to go on for ever.  Good luck with the place, buyers, and I can't wait to see what it looks like in a few months or so.