October 1, 2008
Not all homes sales are dead. It’s the more adaptable species that are thriving. Case in point: Terranea on Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County’s only world-class coastal resort with luxury real estate. An environmentally conscious re-use of the former Marineland site, Terranea offers “legacy real estate,” where families dispersed around the globe can periodically regroup. Lowe Destination Development reports that more than 50 of Terranea’s ocean-front homes have been purchased, many by local buyers. Read More
September 23, 2008
Many California beach communities make their homes bow to height restrictions. Now one simple solution is bringing homeowners and scornful neighbors to a compromise – basements. That’s right, when it comes to home additions residents and architects are now building down, allowing homeowners to have the additional living space they need without altering the neighborhood’s appearance. Read More
September 10, 2008
The Marina Arts District, located on the west side of Los Angeles adjacent to Marina del Rey, is no longer an area made up of auto body shops, warehouses and light manufacturing. Several commercial structures have been replaced by a dozen or so “eco-chic” condo and loft projects, bringing approximately 1,000 units to the area. The Marina Arts District Read More
August 22, 2008
Global commercial real estate has finally, officially dried up. But there are notable oases of activity. These pockets – albeit small – are rooted in foreign interests, and may be a telling sign of the U.S.’s increasingly cash-strapped economy. Read More
August 13, 2008
As the U.S. residential real estate market bottoms out, which foreign country tops the list in buying up property? Many of you might guess Korea or China. But that’s not the case, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Since May 2007, NAR estimates between 150,000 and 190,000 homes in the U.S. were bought by foreign nationals. Which country bought the most? Canada. Read More
August 5, 2008
We’ve heard of doing just about everything to sell homes. A lot of them, we thought of ourselves. (See how Paolucci Communication Arts staged plays in model homes and captured attention from the world press). And now there’s this: A Maryland family combining the public’s desire for high-mileage vehicles with their own desire to unload their home. Just toss a Prius Read More
July 31, 2008
Longtime Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens (he’s older than John McCain!) has been given a remarkably speedy trial date as he faces seven felony counts before the upcoming senatorial election. The six-term activist Senator who was often quoted saying, “to hell with politics, just do what’s right for Alaska,” is charged with neglecting to report gifts and construction work on his home in Girdwood, Alaska. Reportedly the gifts from an oil services and construction company included adding a second floor to his home, and totaled about $250,000. If convicted, Stevens could serve up to five years in prison for each of the seven counts. Associated Press gives an update on the Senator’s troubles in this article. Read More
June 20, 2008
Lofts in L.A.? It used to be The Brewery, a couple isolated buildings in downtown’s Industrial District, and that was about it. Now, real estate slide or not, many loft developments are among the city’s signature addresses. This includes The Broadway Hollywood, which, with its high celebrity quotient and classic Read More
May 20, 2008
If L.A. is so cool, how come its condos are so boring? The exception to the boxy, drab and overly stucco’ed rule is the Metro Collection. These four design-forward buildings – three of which are by Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. – signify Read More
May 20, 2008
By the way, one member of the Metro Collection is Madrone, the Modern mid-rise at Hollywood and La Brea. This building was recently profiled in The Slatin Report, the “real estate intelligence” tip sheet which provides a list of reasons why Read More
