Meredith is a go-to girl on real estate, parenting and living on the east side of L.A.
Who wants a fabulous 4 bedroom home in the prime Moreno Highlands area of Silver Lake, designer done (by my good friend Michael Rasky), in Ivanhoe school district , with over 3,000 square feet? This is a no brainer for all of you who have been waiting for just this house to appear. Happy to show.
"The ache for home lives in all of us." Maya Angelou. A strengthening labor market and low home loan rates helped the housing sector end 2015 on a strong note.
Sales of new homes rose 10.8 percent in December from November, which was the third consecutive monthly gain and the third best annual gain since 2008. For all of 2015, sales of new homes rose 14.5 percent.
Home prices also rose 5.8 percent in November 2015 when compared to November 2014, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Prices were up 0.9 percent in November from October, which was the fastest monthly gain since March. Fourteen cities had better gains in November than they did in October.
However, the economy overall did not perform as well at the end of last year, as noted by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reading for the fourth quarter. The 0.7 percent registered was a major disappointment, bringing 2015's annual GDP to 2.4 percent. The Fed also pointed to slowing economic growth in its first Federal Open Market Committee meeting for 2016, where they left their benchmark rate unchanged, as expected.
While the economy does need to improve, one upside of the disappointing GDP report is that it boosted Mortgage Bonds, which have surged higher throughout January. This has helped home loan rates, which are tied to Mortgage Bonds, remain near historic lows.
50 years together…that’s a long time to be married. It’s a long time for anything really. I’m going home this weekend for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. They’re having a big party. Seems like a 2nd wedding. My mom asked to borrow my cake topper. Granted it was a nice French porcelain topper, but still. Obviously this event is making me think of family and of friends. It is also making me think about what I do for a living. I help facilitate major events in people’s lives. Yes, I help them buy a home, but I’m also helping create a space for their lives…a space for all of these memories and the minutia and these momentous occasions to be held. And I like doing this.
So, I just sold one of my favorite clients an incredibly rad mid-century modern home in Silver Lake. A wonderful agent in my office had the listing. No unethical favors pulled…so don’t go there! 12 offers, but my client wrote an amazingly pristine and heartfelt offer that won the hearts of the seller. Yes, in this insane market, she beat out more money on the table…a lot more money, actually. And I’m thrilled she did. Yes, I got the deal. But more than that, my client will restore this house with more attention to authenticity and detail than anyone I can imagine. Plus, she’s a regular person. One of us. She deserves it. I’m happy to be of service to her, the house and the neighborhood.
I’m not a Vegan, but some of my best friends are Vegan. Ok, so when is the new Moby-backed vegan restaurant Little Pine opening? I pined forever for someone to take over the aqua blue art deco space on Rowena. I jumped for joy years ago when signs first appeared for Silver Take. Quirky, punny name, something is finally happening. An agent in my office was helping to make that happen. Alas, nothing happened, and to add insult to injury, the Coffee Table was bulldozed. That sat vacant through the economic fall as well. Bulldozers are back at the Coffee Table spot, albeit for condos, with the promise of retail on the ground level. I’m happy to see progress. Now will someone please buy out the owners of the so-called future medical office space down the street on the corner or Rowena and Lakewood? Who wants to bring back the Backdoor Bakery? Think about it folks.
