by admin on February 3, 2012
Anybody that knows me, knows that I consider myself a “city guy,” meaning I prefer over the hill to the Valley. This home has quite frankly made me reassess that thinking. Reason being first and foremost is that this property is drop dead stunning. It is over 4,000 sq. ft on a 3/4 of an acre lot with views for just shy of $2.2M. Now that is far from cheap; however, if you compare that with what this would cost in either the Bird Streets of the Hollywood Hills or the Trousdale Estates of Beverly Hills, this property would easily go for over $6M plus. That is quite a difference. Also, maybe it is the new parent in me, but in checking out the prestigious Royal Oaks area of Encino that this lies in (just north of Sherman Oaks border), the public Lanai Road School is as highly rated an elementary school as any, and is among the few public elementary schools in California to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 10 out of 10.
Okay, enough about my own thinking, back to the house. This one is a mid-century home modernized and upgraded to the 9′s with style and sophistication. It has a great entryway and zen courtyard with water features and a fire pit. Upon entry one is immediately struck by the high ceilings, white walls for art, beautiful terrazzo flooring, and “floor-to-ceiling Fleetwood doors that frame the panoramic city views.” The living room opens up to a large family room with a bar. The walnut walls play nicely off the clean flooring. Kitchens and baths are all stunning with ceaserstone counters and custom cabinetry. The outdoor space is a haven for relaxation or entertaining. The listing agent sums it up nicely by stating, “The open floor plan flows seamlessly from indoor to outdoor spaces creating luxurious layers of living, dining & entertaining areas that blend nature w/structure.” This home is just minutes to the westside as well. Simply special.
16039 Skytop Dr, Encino
$2,195,000
4 Bed
4.5 Bath
4,034 Sq. Ft
33,850 Lot Sq. Ft
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by admin on February 1, 2012
My new listing at the corner of Hollywood & Vine is at the epicenter of Hollywood’s resurgence. With literally Billions of dollars invested into the area in the last decade, Hollywood is now returning back to it’s roots as the glamour capital it was in the 1920′s. Visit SBE Media’s page and click on the link with the logo of KNX1070 (like below) and hear SBE CEO Sam Nazarian discuss the area’s resurgence. See why his company is so high on the area.
My listing is a chance to own a piece of that development, and live in what continues to be a great live/work epicenter of Los Angeles. See a detailed tour of the loft for sale HERE.
If you would like to visit this property in person, please feel free to contact us anytime @ 310.600.9172 or email eric@smilayproperties.com.
by admin on January 30, 2012
Take a look at this nice foreclosure opportunity in a prime Studio City location, south of Ventura Blvd. I have shown this house to a couple of buyer’s, and I must say I really like it. I am actually surprised that it has not sold yet, even though it has only been on the market less than 1 month. It is a large, four bedroom, mid-century modern that sold at the height of the market for $1.3M. It is tough to find a house this size with a pool, great floor plan, and a decent level of finishes for under a million, which is why I think this is a good one. I must admit they did “Ikea” the bathrooms out a bit, but the modern high design concept is there. The finishes could be upgraded, but the open floor plan, real prominent stone entryway, hardwood flooring, and a ton of french double doors leading out to the large pool are all winners. All the bedrooms are good sized, and the master has a ton of closet space. One doesn’t get as great a view as you would higher up on Wrightwood, but there are some palm tree, mountain, and a bit of Universal City building views from the bedrooms. The backyard is simply an entertainer’s paradise with it’s fire pit, spa, and huge deep private pool. If you want to be south of the blvd in Studio City in a good sized home with a pool and appreciate mid-century style, this is it without question. I think long term it is a bit of a deal too.
3760 Wrightwood Dr, Studio City
$999,900 (reduced from $1,024,900)
4 Bed
3 Bath
2,861 Sq. Ft/ow
8,831 Lot Sq. Ft
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by admin on January 25, 2012
Last night the real estate side of the internet was a buzz about the rumored purchase of this A. Quincy Jones designed (1965) estate in Bel-Air by none other then A-list celebrity and mid-century home aficionado, Ms. Jennifer Aniston. The property is still showing “active” on the MLS, but multiple websites, including TMZ, LA Curbed, and The Real Estalker are reporting that it is a done deal. If correct, Ms. Aniston has impeccable taste in real estate, as you will remember she just recently sold a Hal Levitt designed mid-century home in the Trousdale Estates for in the $37-$38M range.
I recently sold a house in Bel-Air (in a completely different tax bracket) and posted a blog giving readers a picture sneak peak behind the gates. I had this house in there, as what may possibly be my dream house, as I used to drive by it on the way to my appointments at my listing. I had a great virtual tour of this home in that post, but took it out, as it had the address of the home in the URL, and thought it would be wise to protect Ms. Aniston’s privacy.
This particular property has been on and off the market since it was listed in ’08 for $29,000,000. It was re-listed for $24,900,000 just before the 2011 Holiday’s. It is on over 3 acres of real estate with ponds, meandering walkways, a guest house, and views out to the ocean. Did I mention it even has it’s own vineyard! It is all about timing and finding that one buyer, as there aren’t many people overall with the bank account that Ms. Aniston has. The sites are reporting that she picked it up in the $21,000,000 range. A fine deal for her. Also, congrats to the real estate agent’s involved in a massive sale like this. Oh to dream of the commissions, ha.
Enjoy your new home Jen!
Bel-Air
$24,900,000
4 Bed
6.5 Bath
8,500 Sq. Ft
140,263 Lot Sq. Ft
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by admin on January 24, 2012
Having recently sold an architectural home in Mar Vista, I know that this is an area that appreciates modern architecture. Here is the newest opportunity to own one in this coveted westside location. Built in 2006 by Bill Tsui, Architect, this is in a desirable location just minutes to the beach. Mar Vista is nice, as one gets a lot more for their money, then in say neighboring Venice, but is in a very close proximity. This is in one of the better parts of Mar Vista as well, and offers a great indoor/outdoor flow to soak in the westside breeze. This property features bamboo wood flooring throughout, a sparkling pool, large windows, and a gourmet kitchen with caeserstone counters and high end appliances. In addition to the wonderful outdoor space, the home also boasts multiple large decks to relax on and smell the clean ocean air. It also has a permitted one bedroom loft style guest apartment in the back, which could be great as an office, when family stays, or even a rental as it has a full kitchen and bath. There are just a handful of modern architectural homes in the area, so when a good one comes up, the buyer’s pounce. This just may be that one.
3611 Colonial Ave, Mar Vista
$1,885,000
3 Bed + Guest House
4 Bath
3,730 Sq. Ft/ow
7,500 Lot Sq. Ft
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by admin on January 23, 2012
I posted this stunning one of a kind property way back in June of 2010. It was built by one of my favorite LA home designers and uber high end flippers, Steven Hermann. Mr. Hermann quite simply has skills, and has sold homes for record prices to celebrities and CEO’s alike. In fact his last sale was this amazing Trousdale Estate area mid-century modern sold to none other then celebrity designer Vera Wang for $9,200,000. You can see Ms. Wang in her new west coast abode in this spread in Harpers Bazaar.
Back to perhaps his best creation yet, the Glass Pavilion on a 4 acre spread in Montecito. At that time I originally posted the 14,000 sq. ft property, it was being floated around privately off the market for a whopping $35M. I think Mr. Hermann and his family are living there and would gladly sell for a huge number, but were just enjoying the property in the interim. I was flipping around the TV this weekend and came across a walk through tour by the designer himself (posted below). It seems they are more serious about selling the property and are now offering it at a more “reasonable” (cough) $19,995,000. Mr. Hermann explains in the video that he is a huge fan of modernism architecture and designed the home as a modern update to the Farnshworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the mid 1940′s. If you have this kind of money, I could not think of a better home to purchase though, as this one is an instant classic!
You can see a ton of pictures here, but you can get a real sense of the designer’s thought process and some of the finishes used and why in this walk through tour.
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Video courtesy of LX TV Open House on NBC
This is one of the finest pieces of modern architecture I have seen, and would be quite a trophy property for the lucky buyer. If you would like to visit this property in person, please feel free to contact us anytime @ 310.600.9172 or email eric@smilayproperties.com.
by admin on January 18, 2012
Smilay Properties is pleased to present our new listing at the Lofts @ Hollywood & Vine Building in Hollywood.
In the heart of one of the most famous intersections in the world, Hollywood & Vine, is this designer done super chic two story loft. The NYC style loft at the heart of new Hollywood is being offered fully furnished, complete with custom and rare designer furniture, artwork, and wall coverings. The loft features soaring ceilings, a ton of windows flooding the property with natural light, and views of the landmark Capitol Records building and Hollywood sign. There is a bedroom/office area downstairs, and a bedroom area and open living/dining room/kitchen upstairs. A great mix of raw space in this recently converted 1929 building & high end modern finishes like the all Viking kitchen and Ann Sacks tiles in the bathrooms. Booming location, walk to the W Hotel, Katsuya, Pantages Theater, and much more. Note, HOA dues include all basic utilities, valet & doorman. In short, this one is special!
6253 Hollywood Blvd #306, Hollywood
$699,000
2 Bed
1.5 Bath
1,395 Sq. Ft
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by admin on January 17, 2012
A completely redone home into what is now a modern architectural in the hills of Silver Lake. Lying in the coveted Ivanhoe School District, is this great looking open floorplan with a ton of windows, large decks with views, and a large yard. The backyard is currently left undone, but there is certainly room for a pool or a great garden. The house itself has interesting looking “smoked white oak floors” throughout the property. Really nice finishes throughout include, updated spa like baths and a stunning kitchen with caeserstone counters, and “custom bamboo cabinets.” The property has been wired with “smart” technology throughout the home allowing easy control over it’s features for the new owner. According to the listing, there is also “Bonus studio/sound room with separate entry,” which could be a great plus for the right buyer. In a great eastside location with views of the hills and the Griffith Park Observatory, close to the reservoir, this one looks good and should attract a significant amount of interest.
3007 Angus St, Silver Lake
$1,289,000
3 Bed
4 Bath
2,400 Sq. Ft
7,666 Lot Sq. Ft
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by admin on January 16, 2012
The area between 1st and 3rd street on La Brea was already very cool in my eyes, as on the east side of the street it housed many great LA shopping haunts. These include famed clothing stores like American Rag, Stussy, and cool sneaker spot Undefeated. There is also high end furniture store Vioski, which houses the very cool Palms Chair and Ottoman (you can see it shot after the break through the glass, which produces a cool effect). Lastly, but certainly not least, is the French style cafe of Cafe Midi, one of my personal favorite spots to have lunch.
Now it seems the people at Madison Marquette are renovating the west side of the street. By looking at the renderings and the history of the buildings on their website, this side is sure to impress. The architecture of the building’s houses a great shell for the build out of new and cool retail stores, and further restaurants to add to the area’s appeal. The site of an Edsel Automobile dealership in the 1950’s, the building was later headquarters to one of LA’s premier printing shops, Continental Graphics Corporation. Now the architects at Studio One Eleven are highlighting each building’s unique characteristics including wood truss ceilings, exposed brick and steel beams to great fantastic retail spaces. A couple spaces have already been leased, and are looking great. I look forward to following the progress and visiting the great spaces once the renovation is complete.
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by admin on January 12, 2012
Check out this approved short sale at the asking price. It represents an excellent value and opportunity to own in desirable gated Cantara community in Moorpark. With multiple recent sales this size in the complex ranging from $665,000 to $700,000, this is a deal awaiting a lucky buyer. The home is a very large 5 bedroom property complete with soaring 20′ ceilings in the entryway and open living/dining room. In addition to the formal living room, there is a large family room with fireplace that leads out to the outdoor area. Newly built in 2001, this property has an entertainer’s backyard complete with pool and spa, as well as fire pit, and built in BBQ. The kitchen has granite counter tops, large eat in area, and newer appliances. The master bedroom is massive with a large wood paneled walk in closet, and spa like spacious master bath. The property just needs a new offer, and we should be able to close pretty quickly. Take advantage.
4642 Big Trail Circle, Moorpark
$635,000
5 Bed
4.5 Bath
3,500 Sq. Ft
8,498 Lot Sq. Ft
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