Studio City sunset. And Champagne.

When clients Josh and Mac closed on their Studio City home in early December, we planned to celebrate by having champagne on the deck and watching the sunset.  However, either 1) the sun set too early, or 2) it was too windy, or 3) it was raining, or 4) our schedules just didn't mesh.  (The house is still a work in progress.) We finally got a chance to enjoy the view and the sunset last night, and here are the pics.  That's Josh pouring champagne, his wife Mac, and my husband Steve getting ready to toast this special home.

L.A. homes for sale in great high school districts

Most home buyers who are looking for great schools are focused on elementary schools.  But what about buyers with older kids? Recently, a client asked me to research public L.A. high schools with stellar ratings.  Here's the list, with ratings between eight and ten by GreatSchools.com.  Caveat: this is by no means an all-inclusive list.  Many areas with terrific schools are not here because I concentrated on a specific geographic "core" (roughly, with a Silverlake bulls-eye). I also left out magnet schools with super-specific focuses. 

Renaissance Arts Academy – Eagle Rock

Great Schools rating: 9

Alliance College Ready Academy – Silverlake & Echo Park

Great Schools rating: 8

Larchmont Charter – Hollywood & Larchmont

Great Schools rating: 8

Camino Nuevo High School – East Hollywood & Hancock Park

Great Schools rating: 8

Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet – East of Downtown

Great Schools rating: 9

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts – Eastside and South Pasadena

Great Schools rating: 8

South Pasadena Senior High School

Great Schools rating: 10

Alliance Media Arts and Entertainment Design High School – Boyle Heights & East L.A.

Great Schools rating: 8

Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies – Westside but east of 405

Great Schools rating: 8

Culver City High School

Great Schools rating: 9

Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies – Reseda

Great Schools rating: 8

La Canada High School

Great Schools rating: 10

Anderson Clark Magnet School – La Crescenta

Great Schools rating: 10

Crescenta Valley High School – La Crescenta

Great Schools rating: 10

North Hollywood Senior High

Great Schools rating: 8

Burbank High & Burroughs High – Burbank

Great Schools rating: 8

High Tech LA – Van Nuys

Great Schools rating: 9

Milla Goldenberg is a rock star Realtor.

Milla Goldenberg (that's her smiling face, above) joined Judy Graff Properties several months ago, and just closed a really challenging sale at 4211 Redwood, #202 (pictured above) in Marina Del Rey.  It takes a very talented Realtor to have done this, and not everybody could have pleased the other transaction parties as she did.  First of all, even though the unit was aggressively priced, Milla hung in for months and finally convinced the seller to take the market price.  Next, the building's HOA is in litigation.  It is almost impossible to get a conventional loan on a condo unit in this case.  But Milla drilled down, called a million lenders, and found one who would make the loan at a reasonable cost to the buyers.  Next, there was a bad appraisal, which Milla smoothed over with both buyer and seller.  There were other issues, too -- a robbery during an open house (yes, it happens), divots in the floor during an open house, and on and on.  Yet, she persevered, and performed the amazing feat of getting this property closed to everybody's satisfaction.  Major kudos, Milla -- I am honored to have you as part of the company! If you would like service like this, please contact Milla at Millagoldenberg@gmail.com.

House of the week: 2139 Baxter in Echo Park. It's a probate, but don't let that scare you.

This week's house of the week, 2139 Baxter in Echo Park, was chosen because 1) it's a cutie that's ripe for a renovation or just great decorating taste, 2) it's in a cool Eastside neighborhood, 3) it has a view and a backyard, 4) the price is affordable (although it will probably go over) at $699,000 and 5) it is special because it's a probate sale.  Don't be scared of buying a probate property.  You can do it. 

Here is the quick story on probates.  The thing you need most of with a probate sale is patience.  The sale takes a long time because attorneys are involved and a court date needs to be set.  First, you line up your loan and do your inspections.  Next, you make an offer, put down 10%, and if the estate accepts your offer, you then wait for notice of the court date (your agent and the listing agent will go with you to court).  The judge will ask if anybody objects to the sale and if not, s/he will open bidding.  Yes, you can be outbid in court, so plan to go higher and bring extra cashiers' checks for the increased deposit just in case.  Once the judge rules in your favor, closing is usually within 10 days.

Yes, this takes a lot longer than an actual sale, and there are more details, but this is the overview.  However, this house would definitely be one worth waiting for.