Malibu and Coastal California Real Estate and News » California

Malibu & Coastal California Real Estate: Five New Different Ways To Impress A Buyer

kunisaki — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:30:21 +0000

Selling a home is stressful, most want to make their home as attractive as possible – usually through home staging. However in addition to the regular tips which we have provided over the years, including: decluttering, taking down personal photos, applying a fresh coat of paint, making minor repairs, and keeping a pleasant aroma etc

There are other ways in which you can help buyers through the door. Buyers – even as a seller, you were a buyer when you looked at your property, remember how that felt. Buyers want space, light, open floor plans and more storage capability. Even if you live in a cookie-cutter home, you can make it stand out. Americans are projected to spend $217 billion on home remodeling in 2009.

Have you considered doing the following?:

1. Go green. Energy efficient products and household goods are attractive to buyers. Things such as better insulation, replacing old windows, caulking, and adding skylights can increase value.

2. Crown molding and wider baseboards. The basic baseboard that builders often use in tract homes doesn’t draw attention. Adding a wider baseboard and a fresh coat of paint makes the room come to life.

3. Textured paint. Faux finishes, accented walls, or even just a little fresh paint on them makes a lasting impression. Choose colors and textures wisely. Don’t get too carried away!

4. Improved flooring. Wood, tile, and new carpet can be a showstopper, inspect your flooring for faults!

5. Add a deck area. Adding a deck can add value to your home. It’s a nice feature in a yard and many buyers are happy to purchase a home that already has a deck so that they don’t have to take on that home improvement project – imagine those lazy summer days barbecuing on the deck? If you can, you can bet your buyer will!

Hopefully with these tips you will have a great head start in preparing your home for a quick sale!

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 California Real Estate: National Association of Realtors Says Nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Will Help Market

kunisaki — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:47:27 +0000

With the Federal Government’s announcement of the nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac many breathed a sigh of relief.

The National Association of Realtors has commented that the purchase by the Feds of the loans owned by FNMA and FHLMC will help give confidence to the market as well as free up capital on Wall Street and Main Street USA.

Since the announcement of the $700 Billion rescue package the Federal Governments implementation of the plan has been carefully watched. Originally the plan was to purchase Mortgage Backed Securities from banks and this week the government has given authorization to purchase them from Fannie and Freddie which are two of the largest players in the industry.

This decision has been applauded by the National Association of Realtors for two big reasons. Firstly it will stabilize the housing market and Secondly it will lead to lower interest rates for the longer term. Just a one percentage point drop in mortgage rates would potentially increase home sales by 500,000 – a great shot in the arm for the economy as well as the housing market.

If you are interested in purchasing a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding 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 Celebrity Real Estate: Kenny Chesney Lists Malibu Mansion

kunisaki — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Country & Western Superstar Kenny Chesney lists his newly bought Malibu home for $7.95 million only after a few weeks since purchasing it in February for $7.4 million.

The star also owns a 48 acre ranch in Tennessee, but his Malibu property has a more modest little over half an acre lot with two guest houses a pool with Pacific Ocean view and the main house sprawling over 3772 square feet!

This is surely a nice pad for the star to get in on the action in Malibu, a shame that he is trying to sell it.

The are of course is home to many stars such as Brad Pitt, Cher and of course recently blogged about Olivia Newton John.

If you are considering purchasing a luxury home in Malibu or the surrounding area then please get in touch with Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396.

Single Family Homes in Malibu, California in the Serra Retreat Area.

kunisaki — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 01:57:56 +0000

One of the many special places in Malibu, California is the Serra Retreat area. Weddings and celebrations as well as quiet reflections can be enjoyed at the Serra Retreat Center, catering provided by the Godmother. The area itself is in an exclusive guard gated area at both entrances – one directly from Pacific Coast Highway and the other from Cross Creek Road.

As of this current date, there are 8 opportunities to invest in this wonderful area. The ambiance and peaceful vibes in this quiet exclusive neighborhood is one of the features that attracted me to this area. Some of the homes command outstanding ocean and city light views without the traffic noise. Yes, celebrities live in this community but everyone respects each others privacy here — it doesn’t matter here. The area is lush with trees, greenery with the nearby Malibu creek but the location is right at central Malibu — close to convenience and private too.

The available homes include at the lower range, a comfortable 3 bedroom 3 bath traditional/craftsman home with a pool for $3,795,000, mid range mediterranean or hacienda between $8 million to $8,750,000 and the high end range architectural with stunning city lights/ocean views brand new at $16,500,000 with a pool.

I have enjoyed some of the best Hacienda style homes in Serra Retreat as well as unique architectural homes and the grounds at these estate homes are stunning.

If you are a qualified buyer and interested in living at the Serra Retreat area in Malibu, California, then contact Judy Kunisaki at (310) 317-8396.

Tivoli Cove complex in Malibu, California touted as a great resort.

kunisaki — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:43:19 +0000

One of the best beachfront condominium community in Malibu, California is called Tivoli Cove. A four level gated condominium complex adjacent to the Corral State Beach, across from Latigo Canyon.

The amenities are top notch! It has 104 units with a great resort balmy weather all year round — it has 2 lighted tennis courts, a pool, spa, great clubhouse with updated exercise equipments, beach front barbeque area, picnic area, and accessible to great surfing. It is popular for surfing too of course!

There are 2 rare ocean front row condominiums currently offered ranging from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 — as well as a second row ocean view condominium offered at $899,000 and another unit close to the pool area on the fourth row offered at $879,000. All of these are 1 bedroom units.

These are great for second homes — the perfect weekend getaway home — conveniently close to everything as located in central Malibu, California.

For additional information, please contact Judy Kunisaki at (310) 317-8396. I can introduce you to the Malibu lifestyle and help you find the perfect second home.

Cedar Signature Homes builds 3 new communities in Santa Monica, California

kunisaki — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:34:53 +0000

Cedar Signature Homes are developing new condominiums and townhomes in Santa Monica, California. The "Ocean View" collection in Santa Monca, California is comprised of 7 new condominums. It is located at 417 Ocean Park and close to Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach, shops and entertainment venues. Most of the units at the Ocean View are 1 bedroom with 1 and a quarter bath and 1 unit that has 2 bedroom and 2 baths. The models are open on Saturdays and Sundays only. The living square feet range from 636 square feet to 1,211 square feet and the sales price start from the high $600,000′s.

The second collection is called "Santa Monica Collection" – a condominium building located at 1544 7th Street. Many of the 17 luxury units feature "Urban Flats" for a large studio space that incorporates the bedroom with the larger living room/dining room combined that allows the floor space to feel more spacious. There are also 2 bedrooms units offered. The living square foot ranges from 820 square feet to 1,690 square feet. The sales prices start from the high $600,000′s. The sales office is open seven days a week. The 17 units here are located close to the 3rd Street Promenade Shopping area and Santa Monica Beach as well as the Santa Monica Pier.

The third collection called "Tides" coming soon is located at 125 Pacific Street, Santa Monica. It will feature 9 luxury condominiums with 2 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms, along with private roof decks. The models are projected to be complete for showing in 2008.

Cedar Signature Homes has developed in Southern California for almost 20 years and per their website "Cedar Signature Homes.Com" "with total property values in excess of $200 million."

LNG protest rally held on March 10,2007 at the Malibu Pier in Malibu,California

kunisaki — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:03:46 +0000

On March 10, 2007 a community rally was held at the Malibu Pier against BHP’s proposal to build Liquefield Natural Gas [LNG] terminal project between Malibu, California and Port Hueneme/Oxnard, California. The local residents, Pierce and Keely Shaye Brosnan joined the SIerra Club, California Coastal Protection Network, the Environmental Defense Center, and many others to demonstrate their opposition to the LNG.

The final environmental impact report has been released and found under the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port link. Governor Schwarzenegger has the ability to veto this LNG terminal project. For additional information about the protest rally, please read the Malibu Times article, dated March 8, 2007 front page article.

A 20 year lease finalizing for Whole Foods Market to come to Malibu, California

kunisaki — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 05:20:29 +0000

Malibu Times newspaper announced in the March 1, 2007 issue that a 20 year lease for Whole Food Market is nearly finalized as announced by "developer Gordon Ekstrand, who last December purchased the six-acre Schultz property in the Civic Center area." The area is located by Cross Creek Road and Civic Center Way, "where Papa Jack’s Skate Park is located" and reported the store "to be about 35,000 square feet in size. Additional stores, and possibly a restaurant, could also be built at the site."

The article further indicated that the developer "estimates the permitting process to take approximately a year and he hoped Whole Foods could be ready for business by 2009."

For the complete article, please click on the Malibu Times link dated March 1, 2007 for the article titled "Whole Foods Lease nearing finalization."

Carbon Beach Japanese Restaurant Applies For Zoning ReClassification

kunisaki — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 05:05:47 +0000

As a follow up to my February 5th blog, I read in the March 1, 2007 Malibu Times newspaper about Larry Ellison’s Japanese restaurant location, formerly the Windsail restaurant as located at Carbon Beach area of Malibu,California. The City Council had narrowly "approved a Local Coastal Program amendment that would reclassify Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s property to allow for commercial projects; a portion of that site is currently designated for multi-family housing."

It still requires approval from the California Coastal Commission. The article notes that "although the Windsail property has had a seris of restaurants on it, the city’s General Plan had the site designated for multifamily housing until 2003."

The article summarizes that "the Planning Commission in January gave coastal development permit approval for a 5,900 square foot Japanese restaurant on the Windsail site and a 7,100 square foot restaurant on the adjacent PierView Cafe property. The PierView site project is ready to go, but the other one must await the finalization of the various governmental issues." For complete details please view the story in the Malibu Times issue dated March 1, 2007 – page 1 and 14.

Trancas Highlands, a Malibu, California community applying for a water tank.

kunisaki — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:48:48 +0000

I just read in the Malibu Surfside News dated March 1, 2007 that City of Malibu is reviewing the permit application to construct a new "500,000-gallon water tank on Anacapa View Drive to serve the Trancas Highlands." It would provide year round water supply to about 45 residents and resource for fire support.

The article further states that a "new paved road would be built and require nearly half a mile road and four retaining walls to support the access road."

This water tank would be welcomed by the Trancas Highland community. Trancas Highland community enjoy some of the best ocean views in Malibu, California. For complete details, please view the article on the March 1, 2007 edition, page 5.