And the Color of the Year Is....

Benjamin Moore has announced its choice for "color of the year" and it is surprisingly a color that has no color. Yes, you read that right. What color is that you may ask? 

White, glorious white.  

I love white walls and when it comes to picking the right white paint, I always go with a can of Benjamin Moore . I think their color choice of the year is an awesome one. Simply White OC-117 is the closest you can get to actual white without being stark and it doesn't have any undertones. Always a great option. My go to white is Cloud White 967, which can have a slightly grey cast to it at times. I love what it does with light with its warmth and neutral undertones. White Dove is a great choice as well and is a little richer and creamer than the other two. 

Do you have a fave?

Check out this link to learn more. Thank you to Elle Decor for giving us the skinny. 
http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/a7818/benjamin-moore-paint-color-of-the-year-2016/

More To Love In Mar Vista: Changes coming to Venice Blvd.

Venice Blvd, one of LA’s main arteries, has never gotten much love. It has always been a throughway and not a destination. So hearing about Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Mike Bonin announcement that Venice Boulevard would be the Great Street selection for the hood is pretty exciting stuff.  

What does this mean? Mar Vistans want Venice Blvd. to be more like a “Main Street” than a freeway. Neighbors want a safer, more calm area that can act as a central gathering place for the community. Proposed designs have been submitted that include more mid-block pedestrian crossings, sidewalk seating, small parks (affectionately called parklets...awwww), more trash bins, safer bikeways, drought tolerant landscaping and some murals and community art to top it off. In order to execute this, part of the street space will need to be utilized. These are all changes that the neighborhood has been waiting for.

Since the Mar Vista’s Farmers Market has increased in popularity (thank you, Diana...you rock), so has this stretch of Venice Blvd. This is good news for me, as I live spitting distance from here. I love living in this neighborhood. The neighbors are friendly and it feels like a real community. We look out for each other, bring in mail, feed pets, water plants, etc. It is common for many of us to be outside in the early evenings chatting with each other. It’s the westside version of Wisteria Lane, though I don’t think many of us are particular desperate.

On Venice Blvd, one can find some cool business establishments. Sam Johnson’s bookshop with its selection of new and used books, Mitsuwa Marketplace(all things japanese, plus a great food court with some tasty Ramen selections), Council Thrift Shop (my mom loves this place and so will your wallet), the newly refurbished Bowlero Bowling alley, Surfing Cowboys with its awesome selection of mid-century modern furniture and cool tees, Bikerowave and Vintage on Venice (Check out their Instagram for what they've got) and Robinson’s Beautilities that meets all one’s costume, wig and theatre make up needs. Throw in Venice Grind Coffee Shop and Earl’s Gourmet Grub, who share a large outdoor patio space and offer delicious food and drink options, Sweet Lucie’s Ice Cream (haven’t tried yet), Status Kuo with its ridiculously good friend chicken and rotisserie meats, Louie’s with its crazy moonshine and you’ve got the makings of a kick ass little enclave.

The plans presented by our mayor and councilman can really make this micro-hood a fantastic area to amble around, window shop and, of course, eat and drink.

If you or yours are interested in moving to the area, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have 

nothing but great things to say about my community and I know the neighborhoods well. It would be my pleasure to help you figure out where suits you best and find a place that meets your needs.

A break in the hot weather made for a much more pleasant adventure out and about. I had 8 properties on my list and only made it to 6 because I got stuck at 2 places. One was due to an awesome star sighting that left me totally star struck and the other was because the property was so damn beautiful I didnt want to leave. Theme of the day? I’d have to say wonder-full.

The first two places I hit had the most god awful wallpaper that really had me scratching my head. What was amazing about it was how they had just about the exact same cheesy floral 80’s wallpaper. Nothing remotely kitchy or cool about it. Just down right bad in its pink and purple glory. One place was super run down, while the other was all tricked out with a white leathery daybed with black and white herringbone details and purple bedspread. If the room had had a Go-Gos poster, it totally would have worked. It was like a set, and this I know because I was a set decorator. The houses themselves were nothing notable. Priced on the higher side for what they were, I thought.

I went to a place that was really well located with such high hopes thinking this could be THE place for a client I have been struggling to locate a place for. (It happens)  I have the ability to see the possibilities in places but this one had me thinking “Damn, just tear that thing down” I am always perplexed by really bad additions that have no rhyme or reason. I am even more perplexed by multiple additions on the same place that really have no relationship with the rest of the house. Who designs these things? When adding on to a place, one should always consider flow and its relation to the adjacent spaces. Also, consider the backyard and access to the backyard. Why would you have no access? Living in California is all about that indoor outdoor experience. Put in windows, sliders, anything to let in natural light. It was so bizarre. It always makes me feel slightly depressed. I know there are people who like to live in caves but really…Priced at $995K, this was possibly a decent deal but you’d really have to commit to a do over.

And then...and then...There was that place on Palms Blvd, just off Abbot Kinney. When I say just off Abbot Kinney, I mean really just off Abbot Kinney, like a block away from the Brig, 2 blocks from Gjelina. In the middle of “it all”. Like you could spit on the food trucks that congregate at the parking lot over there. An incredible location and an incredible property on 2 lots. Upon entering the property, I was suddenly transported to a retreat in Bali or Thailand or maybe India, surrounded by lush gardens and statues of hindu deities. Split between 2 highly upgraded vintage homes, this 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath compound is an irreplaceable, well-known and coveted gem in Venice Beach. The larger of the two properties has a orange and white stripped dome adorning its roof and balinese details all over the facade (an inside). The property has various places to sit and enjoy the gardens, places to do such things as yoga, meditate, take a nap, read a book, contemplate why you aren’t at work and are somehow stuck in the beautiful garden. Every room looked out onto something beautiful. The style of it all wasn’t “my” style but I could be very happy there. It really was an escape. Priced at $6.1million, it isn’t a terrible deal for around here. I sold a property not too far away for $6.25m earlier this year. Totally different but also a double lot. The values around here seem to continue to ascend.   

And that star sighting? On the westside, I have seen many stars but this one really had me giggling and gleeful. I was checking out a property on Grandview Ave just across the street from that empty lot that Frank Gehry owns and has owned for at least 15 years and there he was. A single cloud in the sky above him perfected the image. All the way from Radiator Springs, trusted and true, in all his wonderful and delapitated glory, Mater the Towtruck. I was more excited than I probably should have been. I have a “thing” for vintage trucks and this one was fantastic. I was wondering how my kids would feel about being dropped off at school in a 1955ish Chevy Towtruck with a Holmes Wrecker tow package on it. When I told them about my sighting they looked at me cockeyed and said “Mommy, that’s not a star, it’s a truck” Whatever. I was excited, nonetheless.

Wonder full.

               

Living near Trader Joe's is better than you think.

Who would have guessed that Trader Joe's would have more of an impact on the value of your home than Whole Foods?  And it has nothing to do with the variety of organic produce or which place has cheaper edamame hummus. A study done by RealtyTrac, proved just this! 

The study shows that homeowners who live near a Trader Joe’s have seen an average 40% increase in home value since they purchased, compared with 34% appreciation for homeowners near a Whole Foods.

Realtytrac based its analysis on home values and property taxes for approximately 1.7 million homes, condos and co-ops with at least one Whole Foods store nearby but no Trader Joe’s, and 2.3 million homes, condos and co-ops with at least one Trader Joe’s in the area but no Whole Foods.

Average current home values were compared with average home values at the time the home was last purchased.

The study also shows that homes near a Trader Joe’s have a higher value on average — $592,339, or 5 percent more, than the $561,840 average value for homes near a Whole Foods. Crazy, right?

RealtyTrac’s figures also show that homeowners near a Trader Joe’s pay an average of $8,536 in property taxes each year compared with the $5,382 average for homeowners near a Whole Foods. The upside to this? Cheap wine. 

Who woulda thunk?

We have all been anticipating a mortgage rate hike, expecting it to mark the end of an era of low rates and affordable housing. In May, the average loan with a 30 year fixed mortgage was $231,000 with an interest rate of 4.03%. The monthly prinicapal and interest rate payment is $1,107 per month. With an increase in of rates, the same loan at 4.53% would result in a 6% increase in monthly payments, bringing the monthly to $1175. Make it a larger loan, like the ones that one gets in LA and those payments might hurt.

GOOD NEWS!

The Fed decided not to raise its key interest rate in September. America's central bank hasn't raised rates in almost a decade and rates have been stuck near zero since the depths of the financial crisis in December 2008.

Concerns about a global economic slowdown, low inflation in the U.S. and volatile stock markets in August lowered the chances of a September rate hike. The Fed's inaction Thursday appears to confirm that those fears weighed on its decision despite a U.S. economy that's strengthening overall.

Overall, the Fed does sound more optimistic about the U.S. economy. It raised its expectations for economic growth this year to 2.1% from 1.9%, and it lowered its projection for the unemployment rate by the end of the year to 5%. Currently, unemployment is 5.1%.

Lucky for us, it wasn’t enough to raise the rates in September.

The Fed still plans to raise rates this year, according to new economic projections the Fed also published on Thursday. Thirteen of the 17 members of the committee predicted the Fed would raise rates by at least 0.25 percentage points, and six predicted an even larger increase.

Here we go...

Open House Joy 09.15.2015

So obviously, I have neglected the bloggosphere and have dedicated my time to Instagram (@openhousejoy), Twitter and periscope (@susannabe), and my Facebook page (Susanna B. Living). Now you will have the pleasure of yet ANOTHER avenue in which to enjoy my real estate antics, design opinions, posts about whats happening in the coastal regions of Los Angeles and general lifestyle advice.

I think I hear applause.

This week, on caravan day (or Broker's Open House Day in layman's terms) I managed to hit 6 places. I wanted to get to 10 but there was the issue of RAIN. That scary wet stuff that falls from the sky and creates chaos in LA. It was amazing to me how many open houses were cancelled. I am completly perplexed that things even get sold in Kauai or Portland, with all that rain and cancelled open houses. I could do a WHOLE blog just on the ridiculousness of LA rain but I will spare you. Check this out though.

When It Rains In LA

Despite the UNopen houses, I stumbled onto a really cute place in Venice on Marco Place. I like this street for a variety of reasons. I generally prefer the east of Lincoln area of Venice because there is more space, also, it is down the street from Superba Food and Bread. LOVE that place. They have this flaky croissanty thing with a fruity essence to it. It is so yummy. I think I could write a whole blog on just THAT. Maybe I will… Anyway... The house was built in 1927 and is a Spanish/Mediterranean style bungalow. There are trees growing out front and my initial reaction was “Small...dark”. I was so pleasantly surprised when I entered it. It was airy and light with white walls and nice wood floors. The living room flowed into the dining area that had been converted into a workspace with built in desks and then into the white and cheery kitchen. The kitchen opened up to a nice wooden deck and out to the garden that was lovely with raised beds. There is a converted garage with wood floors that would be a great office or studio. There was a great painting in there of 2 ½ baby/1/2 chicken/ostrich creatures. I wanted it. The house has 2 bedrooms that were both decent, the front one had sort of japanese inspired cabinetry in it. It looked good in the space. 2+1, 940 square feet on a 4000 square foot lot. The studio added some square footage and despite the seemingly small size, it felt spacious. Just as it is, this place would work well for a couple with or without a smaller child. It wasn’t updated and “modern” but I appreciated the charm of it and felt it was move in ready. At $1.25 million, it wasn’t an awful deal for the area. $1329 per square foot is on the higher end but that area is really so nice. The average cost per square foot is about $950 in this area. That being said, the avergae cost of a house right around here is $1.6 million.

Down the street was another house. $995K, basically a tear down. actually delete “basically” It was a tear down. The lot is 4270 square feet, so slightly larger than the one down the street. The people that lived in it really made the most of the trashiness of it. The bathroom has been painted in a green/grey/white/pink crackle peel finish that made my head itch. I will be interested to see what happens there. There were alot of developers creeping around.

The was one house I was really excited about seeing. It was the description of it that got me. It was described as “Imposing yet alluring”. What do you think of this? My thoughts are that the word imposing, though it is techincally not a bad word, sounds, well...bad. Imposing is majestic, grandiouse, stately. Pair that with the word “yet” and it gets a totally negative spin. It is SO important to write these things in a way that are appealing. I thought “Oh, a huge house that the neighbors hate because it is imposing on their light and space and YET, it is alluring” I wanted to see this thing. Because we were in the middle of a rainy apocalypse, the open house was canceled. I stood outside, in the blaring sun, first wondering if I had enough sunscreen on and secondly about all the imposing attributes of the property. Imposition #1. The Santa Monica airport VOR beacon is RIGHT there. That is that weird looking trampoline like thing at the end of the runway. Yes, I said “end of the runway”. ALSO, right there. Imposition #2 Who wants small aircraft flying 45 feet over their house? That would definaitely be an imposition to me as I lounged in my oversized imposing yet alluring bedroom on a Saturday morning. Imposition #3. Have you seen the traffic there on any given weekday at about 4pm? It is enough to make you chew your arm off. Imposition #4- It’s not raining. I’m here. Let me see the house. The description of the house also included “Boutique style closet that will be a challenge to fill” All I could think was, I wonder how many Syrians could live in it? Yes, we all would like a big closet, but this one sounds too big? Do any of us really need that much stuff? OK..So It isn’t all negative. There IS the fact that Harrison Ford crashed his plane right across the street in the golf course. You could have saved him and he and Calista would be your new besties. And that view to the park is nice. I am sure the house is gorgeous and the area is fantastic despite the planes. The schools around there are wonderful and its very centrally located for those who like to hang in Venice, Culver City and southern Santa Monica. This house was a 5+5 with 4500 square feet of interior space. That’s alot of house- not easy to find around here. It sits on an almost 10K lot, also hard to find around here. So it does have its upside. Listed at $3.395 million or around $750 a square foot which for Santa Monica is a great deal. I am looking forward to seeing the inside of this mostly alluring place.

There is a great place on Rose with a view- Well done, nicely renovated. This would be a great house to entertain in. Great open kitchen and living room that opens up to a paved deck. This is a 3+4 with 2265 square feet of living space on a 6721sq ft lot. There is a roof deck where one can see the ocean. Listed for $2.025 million.

So, maybe I was a little snarky today. It happens. One thing you can always count on with me is that I will always tell you the truth and give you my opinion….I will consider your needs and do my best to find your perfect place or get the most for your home if you are selling. Just sayin...

Ewe never know what you'll find.

Open House Joy 11.11.2014
7 houses in 1.5 hours. whew....whirlwind. There is a great property in SM on Pearl and Euclid that I liked a lot. TOTAL fixer but could be cool. I felt totally inspired. Had some snazzy wallpaper. I wanted to pull down walls and open it up with some big sliders to the pretty good sized yard on the side. Redo the kitchen, maybe take out the ceiling in the main space because the roof line was perfectly pitched. It really had some great possibilities and a good amount of space. For $1.5m in Santa Monica, it is a pretty good deal.
Saw some nice finishes today. The wide plank floors/distressed wood/stainless accents seem to persevere. 
Saw a house that was done nicely in all mid century modern. 
One house had a driveway with concrete pavers and fake grass that I thought looked nice. Not sure how it would wear though. I'm wondering if the Porsche that was parked there made it look better? 

And I saw a sheep. 

 

 

This really should have been moved. Sat RIGHT outside the bedroom door. 

Perseverating over my desire to go to Asia.