HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010! (Well…almost!)

New Years eve is here!

The time of “new years” celebrations are a time for reflection on the past year as well as planning for 2010. 2009 is nearly over and what a year it has been for Malibu, for the state of California and for the nation!

For the real estate market it looks like 2010 is going to be a great year, with prices trending upwards for the area (which is great news!) and mortgage rates remaining low.

However, that aside, whatever you are doing for this new years eve we hope that you are with family, friends and are safe and happy.

Here at the Judy Kunisaki Malibu Real Estate team we wish you a very happy new year and look forward to working with you on your real estate needs in 2010.

See you next year!

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

Happy thanksgiving – we hope you enjoyed the run up to this years holiday season and are looking forward to the festivities and the oncoming Christmas period!

It is an exciting time in Malibu – not just because, despite Christmas being around the corner the sun is still shining, but because the real estate market has turned around, and the economy is starting to recover across the nation. It looks like 2010 is going to be a very good year.

However, with our attentions always being drawn away from more important things, it is vital to remember what this holiday is all about. Giving thanks and helping those who are in need.

Locally, at 10 a.m., the Malibu Presbyterian Church will host the Thanksgiving Day service at their newly reconstructed sanctuary on Malibu Canyon Road, just north of Pepperdine University. Then, at 11 a.m., the Malibu United Methodist Church will continue its giving tradition of providing a luncheon feast for Malibu day laborers and the homeless.

So wherever you are and whoever you are with we hope that you are safe and we wish you a very happy thanksgiving! – Try not to eat too much turkey and pumpkin pie!

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

8 years have passed since the atrocious attacks on american soil that fateful day, September 11th 2001. Famous images of New York and DC under attack are seared on our memory.

As with last year, here in Malibu, California, Pepperdine University have raised 3000 flags in a beautiful spot of Alumni Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. One flag for each life lost.

On the 7th anniversary last year, the flags remained in place until the 18th of September before being take down. The flags are a shocking visual representation of the scale of the attacks that damaged the Pentagon and took down the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

No matter where you are, we hope that you and your family were safe and that you had time to reflect on those events just eight years ago this Patriots Day.

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

Leonard DiCaprio owns three homes in Malibu and recently (November 2008) has put one of his properties at 32628 Pacific Coast Highway up for sale at $8,999,000 in the hope of flipping this property which he purchased for only $6,350,000.

However he now has reduced the price of this Encinal Bluffs home to a bargain $7,999,000. However, while waiting for it to sell the famed Titanic actor has put the property up for lease at a monthly rate of only $25,000. This is great value for a 2374 square foot private property with stunning Pacific Ocean views.

The home is divided into a two bedroom two bathroom main house and two one bedroom guest suites. There is also a four car garage, hot tub overlooking the ocean and a set of steps down to the private cove below!

The property can be let short term of $50,000 per month according to the MLS.

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

Summer is almost here and there is a lot of activity in the real estate market at the moment.

With signs of a national housing marketing turn around lead by areas such as Malibu and other parts of California as well as a surge of mortgage applications things are looking on the up! In fact, in areas like California it is expected that there may be a shortage of inventory in the very near future triggering some price rises!

After all home prices are at their most affordable for decades, consumers are benefiting from the lowest mortgage rates in nearly half a century (with fixed rates in the four percent range!) and there is a great selection of homes available!

In fact, for mortgage applications the increase is welcome news – applications for purchases of resale and new homes were up eight percent for those using conventional loans, and a remarkable 17 percent gain in applications to buy houses using low-downpayment FHA mortgages.

Americans are also feeling more optimistic about the economy with a new poll showing that consumer confidence was up. This also is translated in buyer affordability with 55 million American households being able to afford the median house price – up 45% in the last 24 months.

This is very encouraging news. It is a sign for those who are renting that the time to buy really is now and that they may be left behind if they do not act fast. With 30 year fixed rates so low owning a home is now in many cases cheaper than renting. Combined of course with the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers and purchasing a property now is a very attractive option indeed!

Watch this space for more on this as it develops! – Subscribe to our blog using our RSS feed. (Click here!)

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

It is all happening in Malibu!

The long awaited Lumberyard Mall is just days away from opening. The project has been years in the making and finally the developers Richard Weintraub and Richard Sperber will at last celebrate the ribbon cutting will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with the official opening set for Tuesday, April 21 where, in addition to the developers there will be a host of celebrities there including David Spade and Matthew McConaughey.

The Lumberyard mall is opening with 15 retail and food establishments and they are as follows: Cafe Habana, MILK, Adrianna Shamaris; Maxfield, Tory Burch, Intermix, James Perse, alice + olivia, J.Crew, Kitson Men, Planet Blue Kids and Theory; and Crumbs Bake Shop. There will also be a family-style restaurant is planned for upstairs with sweeping views of the Pacific Coast Highway.

The Trancas Country Market has news of its own. It is looking to expand its existing building space by 37,000 square feet, and possibly add another 11,000 square feet by 2012! It is inviting Malibu businesses to move into the development. The expansion and renovation plan calls for a 37,372 square foot addition to existing buildings on the 14-acre shopping center with ground breaking for the development starting as early as this fall, subject to the planning commissions blessing.

With all of this development occurring in Malibu it is no wonder people want to relocate to the area!

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

Actress Diane Keaton is selling her luxurious Beverly Hills home for a cool $11.995 Million.

The property sits on an enviable lot and was constructed in 1927. Keaton is known for buying and refurbishing LA Real Estate. This property was restored by architect Ralph Flewelling.

The home contains an inner courtyard with stylish fountain as well as  seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in 7,145 square feet. The master suite has dual bathrooms. There is a separate guest suite. The home has a pool, and the yard has pathways lined with olive trees.

The courtyard separates the media room, den and staircase to upstairs from the kitchen and family room. This is certainly a home not to be missed as it oozes Spanish colonial charm.

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

April is the National Association of Realtors Fair Housing month which is now in 2009, in its 41st year and commemorates the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968.

The National Association of Realtors is committed to ensuring that there is equal access to housing an in its strict code of ethics article 10 is written with the Fair Housing Act in mind.

What does the law actually say? Well in short – the following:

Fair Housing Act (1968) - The Fair Housing Act declares a national policy of fair housing throughout the United States. This law makes illegal any discrimination in the sale, lease or rental of housing, or making housing otherwise unavailable, because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

NAR guidelines are strict and by using a Realtor you can be sure that they are following these guidelines to ensure that all have access to housing.

If you would like to know more about what is going on locally for Fair Housing Month contact your local Realtor. If you are in the Malibu, California, area then contact Judy Kunisaki and her team in Malibu for more information.

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

La Costa beach in Malibu is a great place to spend the summer in a beach house. Rather than purchasing one, why not lease one?

That’s right, this years beach leases are starting to come up for grabs and David Spades beautiful architecturally designed open plan home on La Costa beach is just one of these.

Located off the Pacific Coast Highway, this four bedroom, three and a half bathroom beach house contains a stunning pool and private patio as well as a two car garage, a spa, sauna and four fireplaces! Just in case you got tired watching the waves crashing on the beach, you could watch the fire burning in the fireplace inside!

The home naturally benefits from sweeping Pacific Ocean views and whilst Mr. Spade offered the property for sale in 2007 for a cool $16 million, the home can be leased for a more reasonable $65,000 per month.

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

Malibu’s relationship with the ocean is a long battle between land and sea. There is a great way to watch the show not only from the beach or from a boat in the ocean but from the 780 foot pier!

One of the areas best known landmarks, the more than 100-year-old pier in Malibu has a long and interesting history, serving as private shipping wharf, public promenade and even U.S. Coast Guard lookout station.

The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced the Malibu Pier as a recipient of its 28th annual Preservation Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation. The pier has been practically rebuilt after El Nino storms in 1993 and 1995 nearly destroyed it.

When the pier fully reopened last year, there was much public praise. The award was given to the pier as during its renovation it stayed true to its original concept. The state started renovations of the pier in 1999 with a budget of $6.2 million.

The pier is nearly completely open and is restored to the condition of a 1950’s tourist attraction. It really is great news for the community.

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If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.