Another two great Yelp reviews.

I am grateful and thankful to have worked with these folks.  Here are my new Yelp reviews:

"My wife and I have now bought two properties with Judy's help. We couldn't be more impressed with her diligence, honesty and hard work. 

Here's how we know Judy has the buyer's best interests at heart: she talked us OUT of making offers multiple times because she knew the homes we were looking at either weren't worth the money or had too many major problems. 

Every time an agent talks a buyer out of making an offer, that agent runs the risk of never getting paid. 

Judy is willing to run that risk, because she knows what a big deal it is to buy a house. So she's determined to make sure the buyer gets the RIGHT house. 

She's amazing and we would never work with another agent."

"I met Judy through my now-husband when we were in the beginning stages of searching for our first home together. He had been following her real estate blog for quite some time and was really impressed with her knowledge and of-the-moment perspective on the real estate climate in the area. 

What is so refreshing about Judy is that she talks to her clients as friends first. She's honest and real during the entire process. And also INCREDIBLY patient! She finally helped us get into our townhouse north of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a somewhat painful and laborious process with the sellers. That was five years ago. We entrusted Judy to help us yet again on our search for our long-term home as newlyweds. 

Countless open houses, countless MLS listings, and countless emails back and forth later (did I mention how patient she is with her clients?!), Judy helped us find our new home in the Studio City hills. After another somewhat stressful and laborious process with the sellers, Judy was just fantastic. She was completely on her game through every moment of the process and was able to nudge us along gently to help us get our ducks in row. But I need to mention, Judy is on her game ALL THE TIME. She's a real gem in the real estate world here, and I feel so lucky and fortunate to have found her. I'd recommend her to friends in a heartbeat."

It's official. Los Angeles home prices have broken previous records.

Yesterday's L.A. Times featured an article with the following headline: Southern California median home price breaks record set last decade during housing bubble.  The headline should link to the article.

My favorite paragraph is the first.  It states, "The Southern California median home price in December finally surpassed bubble-era highs, a milestone that took more than a decade to achieve and is once again raising concerns that housing is too costly." Raising concern? Ya think?

Do I foresee that the bubble will burst? No.  The fundamentals for that to happen now just aren't there.  We no longer have high unemployment, and there's just a lot of money in this state.  Do I think prices will continue to rise?  Perhaps a bit.  But I doubt we'll see the yearly 8%-10% rises we've seen lately.

I am pleased to announce that Realtor Dayna Cussler has joined Judy Graff Properties

Watch our company grow! I am thrilled to announce that Realtor Dayna Cussler has joined Judy Graff Properties as an associate licensee.  I have known Dayna for many years and love her expertise and her cool vibe. 

Dayna has lived in the Los Angeles area for over 30 years.  She knows this great city well and loves all the diverse culture it has to offer. She has helped many entertainment professionals, families and people new to the LA area with their real estate needs, providing quality service to both buyers and sellers.  She can also stage your home to help in the selling process.  Her number one priority is her client.

Dayna’s been in the real estate industry for ten years.  She also has a passion for creative arts and endeavors.  A former actress, flamenco dancer and wardrobe stylist for movies, she now enjoys playing the drums in her band, Stations Of The Sun, driving classic cars, photography, creating children’s books and caring for her rescue dogs.

Areas of Expertise:

Toluca Lake, Burbank, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Glendale, Pasadena and La Canada-Flintridge.

Dayna can be reached at 818-590-5944 or daynacuss@hotmail.com.

Wait! Before you tear down that rock wall around your fireplace...

Rock walls are really unpopular and difficult to get rid of.  What are they good for?

This:

No need to go to the rock wall climbing gym ever again!

Salute to a couple of local businesses

This isn't an ad, just high praise for two local businesses that I frequent.  We all love Lowes and Do-It Center, but if you're in Studio City, there's no better hardware store than locally-owned North Hollywood Hardware at 11847 Ventura Blvd.  These folks not only have just about any hardware that you might need, they also have the most knowledgeable, helpful employees.  I was just in there to buy a little lightbulb and got immediate, expert assistance for this tiny part.

What would you give to (almost) never have to go to the DMV again? Smogland in Studio City will smog your car and electronically take care of your registration before you can finish looking at your Instagram feed.  In addition to registration and smog checks, they do title transfer, vin verification, duplicate registrations, stickers and license plates.  They are located at 4021 Radford and Sassan Dameshghi is the very friendly, knowledgeable owner.

Curbed has selected San Pedro as neighborhood of the year!

Every year, Curbed LA runs a neighborhood contest in which their readers select the best livable L.A. neighborhood.  This year, our own little Burbank almost won. (Finally, some recognition for Burbank.)  But at the end, it was beaten out by...San Pedro! Check the link here.

I actually sold a home in San Pedro this year.  Before that, I just thought it was an industrial port with cruise ship berths.  My buyer clients, who knew better than I did, convinced me otherwise.  Once I went down there, I became impressed by the housing stock and the affordability.  Many of the homes, including the one my clients purchased, are on the hill and have views of the harbor.  Yes, it's a bit far away from many attractions, but the Ports of Call development is getting a huge face lift, so new and better entertainment and dining options will be coming very soon.  Good on ya, San Pedro!  And hopefully Burbank will win the Curbed contest next year.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.