Another Hollywood Makeover

Are you as in love with this sign as we are?  Admittedly we have an affinity about this sign that makes us both Oooo and Ahhhh when, on a clear day, it's in plain view.  It has a meaning of hope, passion and living your dreams and gives a feeling that if you just keep at it, you can reach your shining star.

Oftentimes when we're driving down the street we'll both look up and shout, "the Hollywood sign!  There it is", like tourists who just spotted a celebrity. 

Our beloved sign is now undergoing a much needed facelift.  In a partnership with Sherwin Williams, the Hollywood Sign Trust is getting a makeover, a new paint job.  It's expected to take 8-10 weeks starting today and use over 250 gallons of paint. 

If you want to know more about the history of the sign, and the facelift, check out www.hollywoodsign.org. 

Women on the forefront

The majority of my clients right now are women...single women, and single moms who are ready and able to own their own homes. They are working women who aren't millionaires but have stable jobs and have managed to save up some money for a down payment and can take advantage of this real estate market.

FHA loans are what's really making this possible for them. FHA loans aren't FICO score driven so there's no need to worry about having "good" credit. 3.5% of the purchase price is required for your down payment however a portion or the entire 3.5%can be gifted from someone else. What this means in real numbers is that you would need a down payment of $7000 on a $200,000 residence (yes, there are single family homes and condo's in this price range in L.A.!). There are closing costs when you buy a home, but sellers are willing to pay a big portion of or all of the closing costs for you.

In light of what seems to be an emerging group of homeowners, I'm putting together a one hour session just for women. It will be packed with information on what women need and can do to capitalize on the current market conditions and become homeowners. Details and date to follow in an upcoming blog.

Congratulations to all you women who are making it happen!

Market Lofts

Okay, so I visited these lofts 4 times in the past 4 days! I think this development is fantastic. So urban and forward. The second floor, Podium Level, has terraces in some of the units with Zen-like rock gardens. They also have concrete floors which give a very industrial feel but not a cold feeling. The models show how they look glazed and stained with glaze looks very sexy.

The upper floors have varying views of Hope and 9th Streets. With two new developments going up on 9th, you can consider your view either blocked by the new buildings or enhanced by the beauty of them. It all depends on your perspective.

I appreciate the rentability (did I just make up a word?) factor of this development. They're priced right and being right across the street from FIDM doesn't hurt. The sales office gets so many rental inquiries that they've made up their own list of units for rent to help facilitate the process for potential renters and owners. That's a good sign.

It doesn't get any better than having the grocery store right downstairs. Their Ralphs is a very upscale market with wine tastings in the evenings. They have a great deli and loads of precooked food to purchase on the fly. The chicken artichoke sandwich was yummy. I got it grilled because there's nothing better than cheese...melted!

Coffee Bean is also downstairs as well as a UPS store. Roebeks and Quiznos are coming in too.

On a real estate agent note, there are some builder incentives that you can take advantage of and possibly more savings as well...if you have a saavy agent (ahem).

The Market Lofts website is www.Market-Lofts.com.