Los Angeles & Miami – Completed Jan. 25 2021 For Q4 2020 Statistics
Author: Agent j. Black
INMAN NEWS: Malibu West One of a Kind Home for Sale $2,288,000
If you’ve ever dreamed of living in a giant pyramid, now’s your chance. A large house shaped like an Egyptian pyramid (or the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas) has hit the market for $2.28 million.
The house, which was built in 1982 and is located at 24861 Rotunda Mesa in Malibu, California, sits at nearly 4,000 square feet and overlooks the sea, city and nearby Santa Monica mountains. Its three bedrooms and three bathrooms are worked into a pyramid shape that has a wide base that tapers out into a pointed top. Rooms have slanted walls and giant-oversized windows that bring in natural light.
To go with the pyramid theme, the first floor has an ancient Egyptian calendar called an Analemma — stripes of light projected from the outside onto the room’s floor. A spiral staircase connects the different floors while balconies on the sides of the home offer views of the nearby valley and city.
“[This is] the chance to acquire a Pyramid,” the listing reads. “This iconic property seamlessly blends spiritual elements with modern luxury and style.”
The house sits on approximately 2.4 acres filled with gardens, fruit orchards and hiking trails. As reported by Business Insider, the current owners bought the house in 2005 for $1.95 million and, after attempting to rent it for $12,000 a month, listed it for $3.1 million in 2018 before re-listing it at the current price.
Author Veronika Bondarenko, Inman News
AGENT j. BLACK at Westside Estate Agency, LA’s premiere luxury real estate firm. My goal is to give every client insightful and intelligent advice, get them the best value possible, and serve professionally and with the utmost integrity. My office is conveniently located in the center of Malibu at the Country Mart right across from the Malibu Theater. Stop by and say hello!
LET’S TALK…If Malibu is where you live or would like to live, then give me a call and let’s talk real estate!
Dear Airbnb,
By THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARDOCT. 15, 2019 3 AM
After years of debate over how to balance the benefits and problems created when people turn their homes into hotels, the Los Angeles City Council finally last December adopted rules to regulate short-term rentals advertised on Airbnb, VRBO and other websites.
Now, just two weeks before the city is to begin enforcing the regulations, online rental platforms and the property owners who advertise on them are mounting an aggressive lobbying campaign to persuade the city to delay the rules, or throw them out and start over.
The council must not back down. Delaying the regulations would make a mockery of the city’s legislative process and stall the implementation of reasonable rules designed to curb “rogue hotels” and deter property owners from taking badly needed housing off the market.
Los Angeles’ home-sharing ordinance, which passed unanimously, strikes a balance between residents’ desire to earn money by catering to out-of-town visitors and the need to prevent monthly rental units from being converted into de facto hotels. The law — which went into effect July 1, with enforcement delayed until Nov. 1 — allows Angelenos to offer only their primary residence for short-term rentals, and for no more than 120 days a year. Second homes and investment properties are not eligible for such rentals. Hosts have to register with the city, display a valid registration number on their advertisements and pay the same 14% occupancy tax the city imposes on hotels.
It’s worth noting that other big cities have been regulating short-term rentals for years now; Los Angeles is late to the game in adopting rules to prevent the large-scale commercialization of the sharing economy.
But that hasn’t stopped online platforms from trying to persuade city leaders to hit the brakes on the new regulations. Online platforms are required under the rules to submit booking information to the city. Airbnb sent a letter to the Planning Department last month asking for a delay so the company could build a computerized system to submit the data. Once it’s available, that system will make it much easier to enforce the new rules, but the city shouldn’t put them on hold just to wait for it, especially because the online platforms can submit host booking data in spreadsheets in the meantime.
For its part, VRBO wants L.A. officials to put enforcement on hold until the city develops rules allowing property owners to rent out second properties. But there’s no consensus on permitting vacation rentals; although some council members are open to the idea, others say it would allow property owners to take more long-term rental units off the market. Los Angeles shouldn’t wait another three years while city leaders re-debate short-term rental regulations.
Enough delays. If Los Angeles leaders are serious about solving the housing crisis, they’ll begin enforcing their short-term rental regulations as planned on Nov. 1.
5 Pitfalls of “For Sale By Owner” –FSBO–
Selling your home is complicated enough without trying to do it yourself. Plus, there are some serous pitfalls associated with marketing your home as
“For Sale By Owner. “
Liability – the liability for sales documents falls on you. This includes any unintentional errors in the contract, omissions on the disclosure forms, or problems with the inspections. If all the required paperwork is not done correctly, then the buyer may try to capitalize on your mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes. A seller (or buyer) who doesn’t have the representation of a licensed agent pays for those mistakes. Attorneys can close a real estate transaction, but they don’t carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance.
So if homeowner Sandy lists “hardwood floors” as a feature and the buyer discovers it’s just a wood veneer, chances are Sandy is going to pay for that mistake.
An agent would have either caught the mistake or covered it with E&O insurance. Let’s face it: this is a litigious society, so what homeowner wants to be a target for lawsuits?
Time – everything from staging, pricing, marketing, and beyond is entirely your responsibility. You must handle every call, text, email, and showing to ensure your house sells in a timely matter.
Depending on the state, there are a variety of legal forms that are needed, including but not limited to a sales contract, property disclosures, occupancy agreements and lead paint records.
Sure, ready-made contracts can be downloaded easily enough. But does an untrained seller understand what all that means? Would the seller know how to customize that one-size-fits-all contract?
Exposure – real estate professionals have many resources to market your home quickly. Agent j.Black is with the top brokerage in Beverly Hills, Malibu & Miami. With her connections, Westside Estate Agency sphere, together the exposure is set for selling any property at top dollar.
Homeowners selling by themselves simply don’t have the time to devote to the process, don’t know the market value, don’t understand market reports and don’t properly market the property.
If the FSBO seller sold to someone he or she knew, the median dropped to $151,900 (because cousin Sue is doing them a favor and expects a deal).
Cost – it is not cheap to make sure your home is only seen by a qualified buyers. Unless you have time to actively market your home, you may have to schedule personal time off from your work for showings walk-throughs an open house demands.
The mindset for most FSBOs is saving money. Chances are, these sellers are being nickeled and dime into a pretty big chunk of change.
The biggest cost to a homeowner is their time. You might hear the argument that it doesn’t take an agent that much time to sell a house. And honestly, given the technology at our disposal, that’s true — to an extent.
But it will take a homeowner a whole lot longer. They don’t have the expertise or the access to the resources agents have. What is their own time worth to them? How much time will the seller spend researching the market and contracts? Is the seller going to leave work to unlock the house each time there’s a showing?
They’re paying for a lot of extras: signage, flyers, photography, MLS listing, attorney (required in multiple states for FSBOs), home warranty (optional but hard to sell without one), home inspection, a wood destroying pest inspection, credit report for buyers (if applicable), contracts and the list goes on.
At Westside Estate Agency, we believe that every home has its own unique DNA, that each home is extraordinary to itself, unlike any other. We also recognize that every buyer and seller are equally unparalleled and highly individual. It is with this mindset that we approach working with our clients. Agent j.Black does not simply just list the homes she represents. Agent j.Black knows each home intimately, from its one-of-a-kind features to its finite elements. Combine this with an inherent understanding and knowledge of her clients, their goals, needs, taste, and interests and then harmonize both to ensure a precise, well-curated sampling of prospective homes for a perfect match — and avoid anything we don’t think will fit precisely.
Sunday Open Houses – Take a look …
Curious to see properties which properties are open today
Sunday, October 22?
Click on the link below to view today’s OPEN HOUSES in Hollywood Hills, Studio City,
Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills. All properties are open today, from 2:00-5:00pm.
When walking into the home, please sign Jennipher Black, respect the home and agent hosting as you walk thru the home.
Open Houses – $1,000,000 – $7,000,000
If you are interested and need a different time, Agent j.Black is available to set up a private showing upon approved funds.
Attracting Buyers & Selling Homes
As Agent j.Black, I have an array of specialized marketing and promotional strategies.
Check out this Video Tour.
This is only an example of an online presence your home will get when you list with Agent j.Black. I need to get rewarding results for you. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, or just curious about the current real estate market, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me by text, phone or email. I look forward to being a resource for you.
JENNIPHER BLACK
Realtor®
__________________________
Encrypt Your Cell Phone, Today!
As you know, more business is being conducted through mobile devices every day. As a result, more of your clients’ personal information (your client’s name, address, email, bank information, social security no., etc.) is being sent through and stored on your cell phone all the time. What you may not have realized, however, is that since this information has been sent to us as part of a business relationship, we are responsible for providing a reasonable level of protection for it. Of course, this is all the more important for your cell phone since it is mobile, and you take it with you everywhere and therefore can lose it very easily. So, with that in mind, protection of your phone is very important. The easiest thing you can do to protect a cell phone’s data is to encrypt the phone.
What encryption does is make the data on the device unreadable unless an unlock code is entered. As a result, whenever you turn off your phone, the data would be encrypted and unreadable. Whenever the phone locks, the same thing would be true. And, therefore, without the unlock code, anyone who finds or steals your phone cannot use any of the data on it. It is encrypted and therefore unreadable. So, how do I encrypt my phone?
Well, thankfully, it is very easy, assuming you use a smart phone. Links below are printouts with instructions on how to encrypt an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy. If you use something different, just Google “how do I encrypt a [name of phone]” and you will find simple instructions. Typically, all you will need to do is access the phone’s settings and look for the security tab. In that section, you will find a tab for encryption and will be able to encrypt the phone and create the unlock code. It really is as simple as hitting a few buttons. But it will provide you and your clients with a lot of extra protection.
JENNIPHER BLACK
Realtor®
__________________________
L.A. to consider regulating Airbnb and other short-term home rentals
Los Angeles gives hosts, neighbors mixed signals on short-term rentals
Airbnb and similar “home sharing” websites have exploded in popularity in L.A., overwhelming city regulators who are struggling to collect tourist taxes and enforce long-standing restrictions on rentals.
Renting out rooms or homes for a few days or weeks is illegal in many residential areas, city planning officials say. But the building department and other city agencies say they face practical obstacles to cracking down on such rentals, as individuals and investors have flooded the app-fueled L.A. marketplace.
Airbnb touts its economic benefits as L.A. leaders seek to clamp down
It’s supposed to be a spare room — not corporate interests taking over our neighborhood and turning everything into a virtual hotel. – Scott Plante, of Silver Lake
In tourist meccas such as Venice Beach, annoyed residents say entire homes are being rented out nonstop to revolving groups of guests. Some residents say they fear that the phenomenon is becoming overly commercialized, exacerbating an affordable-housing crunch as apartments and homes that housed tenants are converted to vacation rentals.
“It’s supposed to be a spare room — not corporate interests taking over our neighborhood and turning everything into a virtual hotel,” said Scott Plante, a Silver Lake resident.
When neighbors turn to the city to enforce the rules, Plante said, “it’s a very nebulous situation.”
Airbnb alone claims roughly 4,500 hosts in L.A. That’s more than four times the total number of lodging businesses, including hotels, bed and breakfasts and other rentals, that are registered to collect and forward city lodging taxes. The company recently estimated that its hosts earned $43 million in rent in a single year in the city — a number that suggests L.A. could be losing millions annually in tourist taxes used to help pay for police, tree trimming and other city services.
The city has been collecting revenue from some rental hosts who registered their businesses to pay taxes at City Hall. But in one sign of the uncertainty swirling around such rentals, The Times found what appeared to be hundreds of lodging businesses registered to pay taxes in neighborhoods where they are generally barred.
In at least one such case, a host later got a building department notice that his rental was illegal. Daniel Goodman said he’d paid taxes for months on a Venice canals home he marketed to visitors via Airbnb and VRBO for $400 to $700 a night. The income helped him support his mother, who had stopped working to care for her elderly father, Goodman said.
Then came the city order telling him to stop, saying he had improperly converted the home to a hotel. “Wait a minute,” Goodman recalled thinking. “I’m paying taxes — but I’m getting fined. What’s going on?”
If someone wants to rent out a property for short stays, “the Department of Building and Safety will tell you that you can’t, and the finance department tells you to send your taxes,” said Paula Samuel, who rents out properties downtown. “It’s really a conundrum.”
Tax officials emphasize that tax registration is not a permit to operate. For their part, building department officials say it is extremely difficult to prove someone is illegally renting out a home.
“We go and knock on the door and ask, ‘Is this an Airbnb?'” said Luke Zamperini, spokesman for the building department. “They say no … How do we disprove that?”
Getting a lease agreement would help, but that typically means convincing a judge to approve a search warrant for “serious violations that threaten life, limb or property,” Zamperini said.
Many websites that broker short stays do not list addresses or host names. And building department officials said they have no way to track the number of violation notices issued to Airbnb-type rentals. Persistent violators can be taken to court, but a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer said he knew of no such cases referred to his office by the building department.
A Los Angeles Times analysis of tax records found more than 300 businesses renting homes or rooms for less than 30 days in areas where such short stays are generally not allowed — including the Venice canals where Goodman operated his rental. However, it’s not clear how many of those are in fact illegal, due to the complexity of L.A.’s zoning laws.
We’re better off acknowledging that it’s here and regulating where it should or shouldn’t be and taxing it. – City Councilman Mike Bonin
For instance, such rentals might be lawful if permission to operate as bed-and-breakfasts in “designated historic homes” was secured, said Alan Bell, a recently retired deputy planning director. Planning officials said an extensive review of each location would be required to determine if short stays were allowed.
The bigger question for City Hall is how many such businesses aren’t registered to pay taxes at all. “So much of it is effectively underground,” said Westside City Councilman Mike Bonin, whose district includes popular Airbnb destinations such as Venice.
“We’re better off acknowledging that it’s here and regulating where it should or shouldn’t be and taxing it.”
Airbnb has worked out agreements in other cities, including San Francisco and Chicago, under which the firm agrees to collect and send lodging taxes to city governments. Company spokesman Nick Papas said Airbnb asks its hosts to follow local rules and has had “productive discussions with L.A. leaders about these rules and taxes.”
The Los Angeles Short Term Rental Alliance, which advocates for Angelenos renting out properties, says it would welcome new rules to legalize and regulate short-stay rentals in residential areas where they’re now banned. The regulations could ensure taxes are collected and the businesses aren’t creating a nuisance for neighbors, alliance co-founder Sebastian de Kleer said.
But as some residents push for much stricter regulations on the sharing economy, the city battle over rentals could be just beginning. In some neighborhoods, it’s already raging.
In Silver Lake, Jane Taguchi, who has complained that the house across the street is being rented out, worries about the changing feel of the neighborhood. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
In Silver Lake, Jane Taguchi has snapped photos of guests loaded down with luggage and printed online listings she suspects are marketing the house across the street. The house with the blue tile roof, perched above the Silver Lake Reservoir, is in a zone where such rentals generally are barred.
Taguchi said she realized what was happening in May after a raucous fraternity event awoke her and her neighbors in the wee hours of the morning. Beyond such annoyances, her larger worry is that renting out homes like hotels could change the feel of the neighborhood.
“I don’t want a bunch of strangers around me,” Taguchi said. “If you let her do it, everyone will do it.”
Melody Shahbazian, who owns the home across from Taguchi, declined to comment for this story. Last year, she took Taguchi to court, alleging she was intimidating her and guests.
“Although we have rented our home, we have attempted to comply with all laws and regulations and believe that the use of our home is entirely legal,” Shahbazian wrote in a declaration. She said she and her husband initially planned to use the house as a second home and offset the cost by renting it out for short stays but mostly left it vacant because of harassment.
Taguchi denied she was engaged in harassment, and a judge rejected the request for a restraining order last year. The building department couldn’t substantiate complaints about improper use of the Silver Lake home but did issue a violation notice for illegal construction of a second kitchen that was ultimately removed, according to spokesman Zamperini.
Many neighborhood groups welcomed the recent city order against Goodman in the Venice canals, hoping for similar action in their areas. Zamperini said he couldn’t discuss details of evidence gathered to pursue the alleged violation because the matter remains under investigation.
Residents have been given inconsistent information from city officials about what proof is needed to trigger enforcement actions, said Judy Goldman, one of the co-founders of Keep Neighborhoods First, a group concerned about “commercialized” short-term rentals.
Some residents have been told that an online advertisement isn’t enough, she said. But when those same residents asked if it would help to obtain a copy of a rental contract, city officials told them that such investigative efforts should be left to the building department, Goldman said.
“It’s a lot of mixed messages,” Goldman said.
JENNIPHER BLACK
Realtor®
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emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @LATimesEmily
Times staff writers Ben Poston and Tim Logan contributed to this report.
How to Invigorate Your Entryway
Over the years your entryway gets a lot of traffic, wear and tear. As a result it looks old, tattered and in need of repair. If you want to upgrade your entryway without remodeling it, you need alternatives. Here are some affordable tips on reinvigorating your front entryway, large or small:
1: Repaint the walls and front door.
One of the quickest redesign methods is to paint the walls and front door. Adding a bright splash of paint draws visitors’ eyes and brightens the entryway. Newly colored small foyers might make it feel larger and brighter. You can also work with a painter to pick colors that match the landscape for a smooth transition and natural feel in the entryway.
2: Increase the foyer lighting.
Whether you’re welcoming guests in the middle of the day or early evening, you need a well-lit entrance. Consider upgrading your lamp bulbs to LED so they’re efficient and still bright. If you need more lighting, install standing lamps, a chandelier or track lights over your photographs or mirrors.
3: Insert a table and/or rack by the doorway. 
The entryway needs a table or hanging rack for two reasons: a point of interest and storage area. Refurbish vintage ones if you want a cheap way to add to your foyer. You could also buy brand new ones if you want to make the investment. They also allow people to store jackets, scarves, keys, hats and other items as they enter and then easily pick them back up as they leave.
4: Put down a rug.
Akin to the table or hanging rack, putting down a rug over your carpet, hardwood floor or tiles serves two purposes. It keeps your flooring safe from visitors’ shoe dirt and debris, and it adds to the decor of your foyer. They are inexpensive, come in a variety of shades, sizes and materials, and will be easy to throw in your washing machine to clean.
5: Hang mirrors for the illusion of space.
Small and narrow entryways often feel cramped, small and claustrophobic. To give the illusion of length, width and brightness, install one or more mirrors. Hanging them along the entryway makes it feel larger and brighter without knocking down walls. If you’re uncertain about how to hang them, you can hire professionals to install the mirrors, which costs between $294 and $422 depending on the size and number.
6: Add a unique focal point.
Every home should have a focal point from the moment people walk in the door. Maybe it’s a piece of art, sculpture, antique, or family photos. The focal point accents the design of your entryway and home, and it details your personality to visitors. It is a crucial piece to your foyer design, so place it somewhere safe where kids and pets can’t reach.
JENNIPHER BLACK
Realtor®
__________________________
Building huge hillside homes — and steep resentment — in Bel-Air
When Joseph Horacek III looks at the “Starship Enterprise” — as he calls the mansion going up above his low-slung, Balinese-inspired contemporary in Bel-Air — visual pollution isn’t his primary concern.
The veteran entertainment attorney is afraid the whole thing will come sliding down the hill and crush his household.
With post-recession construction booming on the Westside, architects are building up and under: creating wine cellars and subterranean bowling alleys, altering slopes and ridgelines.
Convoys of dirt haulers and cement mixers compete with residents for space on the narrow roads winding through Bel-Air and Trousdale Estates. Some of the vehicles have sheared tree branches, crumpled utility boxes and toppled stop signs. Atop those more mundane problems, homeowners worry that there is a real risk their hillsides are being destabilized.
“No one is protecting our community,” said Fred Rosen, former chief executive of Ticketmaster and co-founder of the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance, which wants the city of Los Angeles to impose stricter limits on construction.
When building codes were implemented, no one anticipated the enormous residential projects in the hills, Rosen said. Planners and engineers could not have envisioned the need for caisson foundations and vast retaining walls.
“We have 2014 technology with 1980 regulations,” Rosen said. “They approve sites on top of each other, without understanding the consequences and collateral damage for the neighborhood. “You can buy a 3,000-square-foot house, regrade the lot and make a 35,000- to 40,000-square-foot house,” he said.
Robert Steinbach, chief of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety’s inspection bureau, said the agency works to minimize construction-related traffic and disruptions. But summer is prime season for builders.
“Right now you’re talking about a nuisance issue because people see and hear idling trucks and they worry about fire and rescue vehicles,” he said. “But if they do [the construction work] in the rainy season, you’re talking about really dangerous effects.
“So it’s the lesser of the evils.”
Building officials say their role is to make sure that properties are built safely, but they also note that city codes allow construction of huge homes, even in hillside areas.
We have 2014 technology with 1980 regulations. They approve sites on top of each other, without understanding the consequences and collateral damage for the neighborhood. – Fred Rosen, former chief executive of Ticketmaster and co-founder of the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance
Homeowner standing at his front door
Residents became more vocal about their concerns after separate but eerily similar accidents earlier this year that killed two Los Angeles police officers on steep Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills’ Trousdale Estates.
After the second incident, in which an out-of-control cement truck struck an off-duty detective’s pickup, Beverly Hills imposed a 30-day moratorium on haulers weighing more than three tons. Contractors now are required to have the vehicles inspected by police, and they may travel to and from job sites only on pre-approved routes.
Beverly Hills’ City Council also stopped new grading on hillside properties until tighter construction rules could be put into place.
Los Angeles, Rosen said, has been slower to react to the construction-related perils.
Until recently, he and fellow crusaders, including actor Leonard Nimoy and director William Friedkin, had saved their harshest criticism for Los Angeles Councilman Paul Koretz, saying he had ignored the ramifications of a “construction bombardment.”
Comments
“WOW… a 67-foot house in a neighborhood with a 36-foot height limit!”
capitan91199
at 6:10 PM September 15, 2014
Koretz countered that he has worked closely with the Bel-Air Assn., a longtime neighborhood group that in July wrote him a letter of support.
“We’re aware of a new problem that never existed anywhere in the city,” Koretz said. “We’re looking at legislative fixes. … We have to get more of a handle.”
On July 30, he introduced two motions to strengthen the city’s hillside ordinance, which was implemented in 2011 to rein in some of the more daring slope-side building. One would potentially limit exemptions for developers seeking to grade hillsides and require more robust notification of neighbors. The other would be aimed at developing more proactive inspections and enforcement of building and haul route rules.
According to a consultant Horacek hired, the multilevel “starship” project on Strada Vecchia is at least 61 feet tall, 25 feet above the maximum. (The size, at 30,000 square feet or so, is not that outlandish by today’s standards, Horacek acknowledged. A home going up nearby is thought to be more than 85,000 square feet.) He said chunks of the hillside outside his front door already have cascaded onto his street.
In an appeal filed with Los Angeles, Horacek contended that developer Mohamed Hadid had unlawfully demolished the existing house, had not obtained appropriate permits for the residence he is building on spec and had improperly altered the hill’s topography.
Last month, Koretz sent a letter to city officials saying in part: “It is hard to believe that a project that looks more like the Getty Center than a home could have been built without a single discretionary entitlement or public input — not even a mere haul route.”
Building officials then ordered Hadid to stop construction and told him they intended to revoke his permits because of multiple violations. The matter remains under investigation.
Benjamin Reznik, Hadid’s attorney, said a surveyor has filed revised topographical and grading documents with the city and that the project “is within the legal limits.”
Hadid, who has appeared on “Shahs of Sunset” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” said in an interview that the trend toward larger homes would end up benefiting the city by expanding its tax rolls.
“It might not be good for the neighbors for a little bit,” Hadid said, “but values go up.”
Full Article can be read HERE
JENNIPHER BLACK
Realtor®
__________________________
Agent j.Black 