Living in Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip is home to countless young celebrities and successful business executives. However, the Sunset Strip is also home to many young professionals, up-and-coming artists and business owners. The Sunset Strip is quite possibly one of the most iconic place in Los Angeles, and maybe even the entire country. With some of the nation’s best-known clubs (Viper Room, The Whiskey) and a hot-sport for many celebrity sightings, the Sunset Strip is practically the heart of Hollywood’s culture and image.
Owning a home on or near the Sunset Strip can be affordable, and selling a home on or near the Strip is also quite possible. Often people think of owning a home in a place like the Sunset Strip and think it’s too difficult. Selling a Sunset Strip home can also be a challenge, but most of that challenge is mental, meaning that there are willing buyers for these homes, but people doubt whether there is a big market for a Sunset Strip home.
Truth is, there are qualified buyers and motivated sellers throughout the Sunset Strip, selling Sunset Strip homes that are the envy of many. And with the market currently in flux, finding trusted real estate agents who can connect the buyers and sellers of Sunset Strip homes is more important than ever.
Living in Los Feliz
If you are buying or selling a home in Los Feliz, you need a real estate professional who knows and understands the real estate market. Los Feliz homes are some of the most sought after in Southern California, and even with the current economic challenges facing Los Angeles and the nation, there are many motivated buyers and sellers.
Los Feliz is located between the 101 and 140 Freeways in Los Angeles, near Hollywood and Silver Lake. This prime location means that it’s close to numerous business locations, shops, movie theaters, restaurants and more. Los Feliz homes offer people the opportunity to live in a fun location that is still a good community to raise children.
Los Feliz homes are also closely located to hospitals, colleges and parks, adding to the many benefits people who live there can enjoy. While most of the country looks toward Los Angeles as a prime living location, Los Feliz offers Angelinos an opportunity to live in a community that seemingly has everything.
With the Los Angeles real estate market in flux, now is a time to contact a qualified, experienced real estate agent who can help you sell and/or buy a Los Feliz home.
Living in West Hollywood
People are always looking for hot real estate markets, either from a buyers standpoint or a sellers. The best real estate markets are the ones where there are anxious buyers and motivated sellers. In West Hollywood, the real estate market still has tons of potential, in spite of where the current economy is. Being such an iconic neighborhood with shopping, restaurants and clubs extremely close, people are lining up to buy real estate in West Hollywood.
The diverse availability of real estate in West Hollywood is another major reason people are still flocking to West Hollywood. Prices are ranging from $500,000 to well over $2,000,000, meaning that the pool of buyers is diverse. The prices aren’t the only thing that is varied; the types of homes are as well. West Hollywood offers everything from single occupancy units to multiple person homes and large estates. Southern California is one of the most idyllic places to live in the country, and West Hollywood embodies the attitude and atmosphere that most people are seeking. It has a great sense of community, as well as a thriving nightlife. This unique combination, coupled with diverse opportunities, is attractive to people throughout the country.
Getting Your Hollywood Hills Home Ready for a Sale
You might think that selling a home in the Hollywood Hills basically sells itself. Certainly it’s easier to sell a home in the Hollywood Hills than it is to sell a home with a less celebrated address. Homes in Beverly Hills and other locales on the Westside of L.A. also have this advantage. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do everything in your power to make a home as attractive as possible.
Home buyers know that they’re in the driver’s seat right not. They go home shopping with the assumption that they’ll be able to get a cheap price for a home and that sellers will be desperate to sell. Because of this scenario, home buyers will take any evidence of a poor quality home and hope to knock a price off the home. Additionally, because there are fewer home buyers on the market, you need to give a prospective buyer as much eye candy as possible.
What this means is that selling a home will take some investment on your part – a new coat of paint, other home repairs, and potentially even new furniture. You may need a storage facility as well to store some furniture or other items. Depending on the layout of your home, you want the home to seem as airy and spacious as possible. At the same time, you want it to seem lived in – you want a buyer to be able to picture him or herself in the home, so don’t make the home to sterile and uninviting. If all it amounts to is hiring a maid to clean the home top to bottom then this is good as well. But trying to sell a home “as is” is usually a mistake.
About Susan Andrews:
Susan Andrews is a top producing real estate agent at prestigious Beverly Hills real estate firm, Hilton & Hyland. She specializes in Hollywood Hills, West Hollywood and Los Feliz real estate. Susan can be contacted at 323.829.8811 or by e-mail regarding her properties.
The 2009 Home Buyers Tax Credit
It’s not surprising that the federal government is getting involved to try to spur activity in the housing market. In addition to providing measures that allow for the processing of loan modification, to help stem the tide of foreclosures, there is also an $8000 tax credit for people who buy a house. Now that we’ve just passed through the gauntlet of tax season, having this extra $8000 in pocket may really speak to people.
The 2008 tax benefit was $7500, which has been raised by $500 in the new year and is good until December of this year. If the house costs less than $80,000 then the tax benefit will be 10% of the cost. Obviously this doesn’t factor into the home costs of homes in the Hollywood Hills, unless you have the ability to travel very far back in time – at which point you won’t be eligible for the 2009 tax break 
Generally, most homeowners will be eligible for the full $8000 and this money can factor into how much you put down for your down payment. This is an increasingly important part of the home buying transaction. It always was, but with lenders being more risk averse, it is becoming more necessary to put down a larger down payment to ensure lower rates – even with the low prime rate.
The important thing to consider is that this is a first time buyer’s tax break. However, first time is a fairly liberal term, as someone who has not bough a home within the last three years is also eligible. If a person’s tax liability is below the amount received for the tax credit then the IRS will send the difference as a handsome check. Really, it’s a good program that will hopefully spur some home sales. Yes, $8000 is a small fraction of home costs in the Hollywood Hills, and elsewhere, but it is not insignificant, especially for those on the fence about whether or not to enter this housing market.
About Susan Andrews:
Susan Andrews is a top producing real estate agent at prestigious Beverly Hills real estate firm, Hilton & Hyland. She specializes in Hollywood Hills, West Hollywood and Los Feliz real estate. Susan can be contacted at 323.829.8811 or by e-mail regarding her properties.