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.

Selling your home in any market is always a burden which is why Realtor’s aim to make the process as simple as possible. However, sellers need to do their part. However, in a challenging market like todays with owners struggling to attract buyers the homeowner needs to be proactive. Gone are the days where a simple staging process would suffice.

Now sellers are getting interior designers to do a makeover of their homes to show the quality of their home and give an added value to buyers. With stunning surroundings in Malibu – the Santa Monica mountains and the Pacific Ocean, it is no wonder that designers in the area want to make the most of the view and the gorgeous southern Californian sunshine by emphasizing windows with the correct dressing and fittings.

Interior Designers are up to date with the current trends as well as wanting to work with your property and decorate and design it in a sympathetic way to its period and keep it in tune with what buyers are looking for.

Malibu of course is full of fantastic beach front designer homes with unique quirks and features.

If you are looking at purchasing some of the stunning Real Estate for sale in Malibu and the surrounding Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional Real Estate advice. You can call Judy at her office on 310-317-8396 or contact her via: www.judysellswestside.com

The Malibu Arts Festival is one of the most popular community events in Malibu and is held annually drawing a crowd of thousands. In its 37th year this time round the Art’s festival used a new online entry system to help broaden its appeal and allow a new generation of exhibitors to log on and enroll to exhibit their work at the festival!

Anything from paintings through to crafts – wooden artifacts and furniture through to African drums! This year Wesley Van Dyke, grandson of the infamous Dick Van Dyke was this years featured artist with his oil and acrylic paintings. Close to 300 artists have exhibited in the festival in the last 37 years in the event at its site in the Civic Center plaza.

This year there was a new first – a Malibu Music Awards – a great ceremony which honors local musicians within and outside the city limits.

It is estimated that approximately 7000-8000 people attended this last weekend ‘s arts festival and the event remains as popular as ever!

If you are interested in purchasing a home in Malibu or the surrounding Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional Real Estate advice in the area.

Tennis legen Pete Sampras has finally managed to sell his Beverly Hills estate for a whopping $23 million after a price reduction from the original price of $25 million.

 The home itself has been recently remodeled by Pete Sampras who has expanded on the mock English Tudor style home to give it a grand feel. The property benefits from a fine location in Beverly Hills where the walled and gated estate sits on a lot of around one acre. The property of course features a tennis court as well as lush lanscaped gardens and a detached guest house and gym. The home is a huge 10,376 square feet and amongst its sprawling space contains five bedrooms and a colossal twelve bathrooms – yes twelve! – as well as an home theatre and office come library.

The tennis star has continually been working on the property since purchasing it.

If you are considering purchasing a home in Beverly Hills or in any part of the Westside region of Los Angeles then contact Judy Kunisaki for professional Real Estate advice. You can call her on 310-317-8396 or you can check out her website www.judysellswestside.com

Renouned Actress Nicole Kidman has purchased a home in Beverly Hills’ Post Office for a cool $4.795 million! The property was featured on the Real Estalker Blog back in may.

The home belonged to Geffen Record President Ron Fair and was built in 1965. The property features five bedrooms and four bathrooms spread acros just shy of 4,000 square feet!

The home is recently decorated in a gorgeous contemporary finish and features french doors, beautiful large windows flooding the property with natural light as well as the entire second floor being dedicated as the master suite! The private, secluded back yard is ideal and the swimming pool devine.

The location in Beverly Hills Post Office is great and away from the hustle and bustle of the City of Beverly Hills yet with easy reach of everything!

If you are thinking about purchasing a home in Beverly Hills or Beverly Hills Post Office then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396 today for professional Real Estate advice. Please also feel free to use her complimentary MLS Search service by clicking here to visit her website.

 Happy Fourth of July! Forth of July is to all Americans the birth of our country and is celebrated nationwide by various means by many.

Here in Malibu many people have the day off for Independence Day and are enjoying a long weekend of parties and barbeques – taking advantage of our climate and the summertime.

Of course Malibu is strict on firework displays due to the threat of wildfires so it does not permit them. However there are several offshore events where barges are taken out off the coast and a display is carried out from there.

This year the Malibu Times lists two:

9 p.m.: Launch from barge offshore Malibu Colony

9 p.m.: Launch from barge offshore area of 27900 block of PCH

We are sure it will be a great show! Make sure you check back to this blog often (or even subscribe to it through our RSS feed) to keep up to date with what is going on in Malbu and the surrounding Westside area of LA.

If you are considering purchasing a home then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396 or by contacting her through her website www.judysellswestside.com

 Pacific Palisades  has long been heralded as a great exclusive enclase in the Los Angeles Westside area. However this month the Los Angeles times has decided to review the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in its Real Estate section.

The article goes on to explain the history of the Palisades, which dates back to the early 1920′s where a group of methodists established the neighborhood. The Palisades has always maintained an exclusivity compared to other areas due to its enviable position in the Santa Monica mountains. During World War II the Palisades became home to many German artists and other such professionals who fled Nazism.

Of course these days the small town vibe is echoed by most in Pacific Palisades and many Celebrities have or have had homes here including: current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris O’Donnell as well the late former President Ronald Reagan.

If you are interested in purchasing a home in Pacific Palisades or the surrounding area in or around Malibu then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396.

After only days on the Real Estate market, Canadian rock musician and celebrity Avril Lavigne has a $5.2 million offer on her Beverly Hill’s Mansion. Most sellers would be very pleased to receive such an offer after just, 36 days! However it gets even better. The offer is cash!

The rock stars home is a palatial 6,864 square feet with five bedrooms and six bathrooms as well as a butlers pantry and library. The listing describes it as "nestled serenely," in the exclusive, private Mulholland Estates in Westside LA. The property is situated on a grand lot with tropical gardens a trademark pool and spa. For the sports persons out there there is even a tennis court!

Although originally listed at $5.8 million the cash offer is clearly an advantage in this situation!

If you are considering purchasing a property in Malibu or the Westside Los Angeles area then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396 for professional Real Estate advice in the area. 

With a negative national housing picture it is interesting to see Fox Business Online reports that there is bumper business in Beverly Hills and the Westside, LA,  California area.

A headline that one would only associate with the boom times of yesteryear are occuring right now in the Southern California real estate market. Some Real Estate brokers are reporting a dramatic increase in business as people scramble to snap up Beverly Hills real estate. Leading to demand outstripping supply! There are even cases it appears where more than the asking price has been achieved!

Also with lenders tight on lending on construction projects – leading to a decline in the number of new homes being constructed in the area this has lead to an increase in activity and the value of new construction property – particularly due to the scarcity of land in the area.

Part of the increase is due to the influx of foreign buyers who are taking advantage of the weak dollar and the strong Euro/Sterling and Canadian Dollar. This is of course not the first time that a boom in sales in the Westside area has been reported and it appears that its appeal and popularity goes from strength to strength as many buyers are aching to take advantage of the market and own their own slice of the Golden State.

If you are considering purchasing a home in the Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396 for professional and personal Real Estate assistance.

With the Canadian "Loonie" often trading at PAR with the US Dollar it is easy to see why investors north of the border have been attracted to US property – they are benefiting of a "currency discount" of as much as 35%, the best for decades.

When the snow falls on the northern states and the Canadian provinces, who doesn’t think of a home in sunnier climes? Well, Canadians are now realising that with the present buyers market and the strong exchange rate they can afford to have their own slice of the Golden State.

Trophy properties in Malibu, Beverly Hills and San Francisco are obvious choices. The areas offer limitless attractions and those in the LA Metro area bask all year round in that gorgeous southern Californian sunshine.

Who could resist the appeal of the beach in Malibu? Or a ranch style home in Topanga Canyon? These places offer great opportunities for buyers looking for a great winter retreat in the sun.

Baby Boomers in particular are looking to benefit the most from this situation as they are likely looking towards their retirement years.

The next time a foot of snow falls outside your door in Winnipeg or Calgary, consider yourself on the beach in southern California soaking up the sun and enjoying the great outdoor lifestyle any time of year.

If you are looking for a property in the Malibu or Westside area in general please contact Judy Kunisaki for expert real estate advice. Judy specializes in the luxury real estate market in Malibu and Beverly Hills Post Office.

You can contact Judy on 310-317-8396 or by emailing her on Judy.Kunisaki@camoves.com.