One Street, Two Great New Reasonably Priced Listings in the Franklin Hills

by admin on April 13, 2012

Two great new listings just hit the market on the same street in the desirable Franklin Hills. One is an updated crafstman with modern amenities and a beautiful backyard with a pool for under $900K, while the other is a slightly smaller traditional home with a large yard and certainly room for a pool for under $800K. Both homes lie in the highly rated Franklin School District.

The first home let’s discuss is the crafstman (shown here). It was built in 1914 and has nice period details, but with modern touches sprinkled throughout. The large kitchen is quite nice with a vintage O’Keefe & Merritt stove and soapstone counters. The wood floors, white walls, and large windows all work together beautifully and bring the outside in. The landscaping is exquisite and the backyard is the real seller in this one. It is an urban oasis with a sparkling pool, dining area, and fire pit. Great for entertaining or just relaxing on the weekend.

4327 Russell Ave, Franklin Hills Los Feliz

$895,000
3 Bed
2 Bath
1,595 Sq. Ft
6,750 Lot Sq. Ft

More pictures of this one after the break, as well as a stylish traditional home with a nice sized yard on the same street.

Listing & Photos courtesy of Robert Carey & Katrina Webb – Sotheby’s Int’l Rlty-Los Feliz

While I think the current owner’s went a bit crazy with the wallpaper in this one, overall I think it looks good. It has basically the same sized yard as the crafstman above, but without all the pro style landscaping and pool, which one could certainly do to their liking. The front has a lot of curb appeal, and according to the listing the home was renovated in 2006, so should have all updated systems. The large kitchen has an eat in area and this one also has wood flooring throughout and the master bathroom with frameless glass shower looks really nice. Again though, I think the location and large grassy backyard is the seller on this one. The possibilities are endless.

4238 Russell Ave, Franklin Hills Los Feliz

$765,000
2 Bed
2 Bath
1,274 Sq. Ft
6,754 Lot Sq. Ft


Listing & Photos courtesy of Tim Hartley – Deasy/Penner & Partners

Taking all factors into consideration (ie size, price, finishes, etc), which one do you like better? Leave a comment and let me know.

If you would like to visit either of these homes, or both, in person, please feel free to contact us anytime @ 310.600.9172 or email eric@smilayproperties.com. I live and work in the area, so would be a pleasure to assist a buyer in moving into this great area.

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Blue Jay Way Home for Sale That Inspired George Harrison

by admin on April 11, 2012

Lying on arguably the best Bird Street in the best area of the Hollywood Hills, is this mid-century gem immortalized by George Harrison of the Beatles. According to the Magical Mystery Tour interviews, pointed out by Curbed, it was while renting this house and waiting for the Beatles PR man that Mr. Harrison picked up an organ and wrote “Blue Jay Way.” This gives a lot of cache and history to a property that is already pretty sweet on it’s own. While the pictures don’t give a great sense of the interior and floor plan, we know at over 4,000 sq. ft in this location with jaw dropping views, while it is a ton of money; this home is actually well priced. With soaring ceilings, a grand entryway, a large pool and outdoor space in addition to a great library and media room, this one looks like a definite winner for anyone looking in this price range and location. If it was good enough for a Beatle, then I suspect it should be good enough for most!

1567 Blue Jay Way, Hollywood Hills

$4,599,000
3 Bed
3 Bath
4,116 Sq. Ft
17,650 Lot Sq. Ft


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Small But Swanky Lease Opportunity in Prime West Hollywood

by admin on April 2, 2012

While this home is not large, at just over 1400 sq. ft it does lie in a prime West Hollywood neighborhood just on the border of Beverly Hills, and would be a swanky rental house. For anyone coming into LA for an extended period, this furnished lease home is obviously much larger then a hotel room would be and at the asking price pencils out to about $217/night. Try getting that rate in this location. At this cool and well styled mid-century home, you have your own private pool, and are within minutes to plenty of restaurants, high end shopping, and nightlife. The listing points out “This sleek space features spacious loft-like rooms, skylights, bamboo floors, designer built-ins, with a master bedroom opening on to a sparkling pool. Furnishings include high end pieces from the finest internationally known designers.” Looks and sounds good to me.

9004 Ashcroft Ave, West Hollywood

$6500/mo Fully Furnished
2 Bed
2 Bath
1,410 Sq. Ft
5,000 Lot Sq. Ft


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Sold! Large Family Home w/ Pool in Gated Community; Moorpark

by admin on March 28, 2012

I have said it before, but worth saying again, selling a short sale listing is like doing 5 deals. Yes, it takes that much extra work. That said, I am happy to have closed the sale today on this nice family home and helped my seller’s move on from it. The buyer’s got themselves a great deal, and even though it took awhile and there were bumps in the road, they should be thrilled. While there are some negatives to purchasing a short sale, such as not receiving any credits to fix anything found during inspections, and the fact that it takes several month’s; in the end the positives won out on this one. The buyer’s appraisal came in at $670,000 giving them $35K of equity from day one. Not bad for a couple month’s worth of work and having to correct a few minor things. Congrats to them, and from my side of the deal, congrats to my client’s for being able to move on from the property.

4642 Big Trail Circle, Moorpark

Sold for $635,000
5 Bed
4.5 Bath
3,500 Sq. Ft
8,498 Lot Sq. Ft


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Flipping King Better Shelter Does It Again

by admin on March 27, 2012

Known for quality craftsmanship, modern finishes, and flea market chic staging, flipping team Better Shelter appears to have done it again, this time in the coveted Franklin Hills area of Los Feliz. Usually their homes sell for at or above asking price in a matter of days, and this one appears to be no different. I visited the broker open house today, and the property was buzzing with activity. It just hit the MLS today, and according to the listing agent, they have already received two offers on the property! Amazing. After purchasing the “fixer” home in May of last year for just over $351,000, Better Shelter has completely redone the entire property with all new flooring, kitchen, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and a new two car garage. In short it is a brand new house at a good price. On an over 7,000 sq. ft lot, the developer has definitely added a ton of value to the home, and some buyer will be getting a beautifully redone property in a fine neighborhood. They are accepting offers until Sunday, so there is still time, but be prepared to go over asking price I am guessing. It just may be worth it.

Kudos on another fine project guys.

4137 Sunset Dr, Los Feliz

$649,000
3 Bed
2 Bath
1,224 Sq. Ft
7,100 Lot Sq. Ft


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SOLD! Mid-Century View Home in the Oaks of Los Feliz (Represented Buyer)

by admin on March 26, 2012

I had the privilege of representing the buyer on this home in the highly desirable “Oaks” area of Los Feliz. The property is a mid-century home built in 1950 with walls of glass opening up to a large deck in the front with head on downtown skyline views. The back side of the home is also mostly all glass and leads out to a peaceful retreat with a spa, fire pit, and relaxing waterfall. Obviously the glass allows for the home to be flooded with natural light throughout most of the day. With hardwood flooring, great retro details, this home just needs a bit of depersonalizing and touch ups here and there and will shine into a great mid-century modern property in an A+ neighborhood. I am not sure how much work the owner’s will do, but I am thinking it may really pop if painted white; it would resemble the outside of this updated and recently sold property. What do you think?

If you like the home keep it in mind, as it will probably be on the market for lease very soon!

2047 Live Oak, Los Feliz

$1,225,000 (Asking $1,285,000)
3 Bed
2 Bath
2,162 Sq. Ft
9,460 Lot Sq. Ft


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Investors Continuing to Want In On The Hollywood Real Estate Action

by admin on March 19, 2012


Photo courtesy of Ken Lubas / Los Angeles Times

There was an article yesterday in the LA Times about another purchase of prime real estate in Hollywood, where the developer is planning a large mixed-use project. According to the times article, “Champion Real Estate Co. bought the paved 1.1-acre site behind the Hollywood Boulevard restaurant (Musso & Frank Grill) and between Cherokee and Las Palmas avenues from Common Fund. The price was not disclosed, but Hollywood real estate experts familiar with the property valued it at nearly $10 million.” They are planning on creating a $50 Million dollar complex that would include residential, retail, and possibly a hotel. This is in addition to their purchase last year of a nearby Hollywood site that’s over 2 acres. Among other ongoing development projects, there is currently a new mixed-use project being created on Sunset Blvd and Bronson by the mighty CIM Group, who has been at the forefront of the development in Hollywood with their groundbreaking Hollywood & Highland shopping complex.

The president of the Champion company sums up the development in the area nicely by stating, “We really love Hollywood,” President Robert Champion said “The city has designated Hollywood to be an urban location and we think, long term, a mixed-use project there will be a home run.”

For those of you that don’t have the ability to buy or develop an entire building, but would like to invest in the growth in Hollywood, which is surely going to continue to boom; I have a loft at Hollywood & Vine for sale. Get in on the action and grab a piece of the growth!

If you would like to visit this uber chic loft in person, please feel free to contact us anytime @ 310.600.9172 or email eric@smilayproperties.com.

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Another Trousdale Estates Area Dream House Architectural Listed

by admin on March 14, 2012

Lying on an impressive and private promontory is this new architectural listing in an A+ Beverly Hills location. The house itself looks stunning with clean lines, an open floor plan, terrazzo flooring, and a multitude of large disappearing walls of glass. According to the listing the home was created by, “John Bertram, a renowned Southern California Architect whose portfolio includes million-dollar restorations of historic Neutra’s, schindler’s & launtners including the Brown house in Bel-Air.” The listing’s remarks go on to say it was “Designed in the International Style & using a palette of smooth coat stucco, steel, terrazzo, cork, walnut and glass, the rooms are visually seamless architectural elements that offer an array of quietly surprising details.” The home was built using green technology, including solar panels and high efficiency products. The property itself is over an acre and appears to be on a knoll by itself overlooking the entire city. I like the fact that it has a large amount of flat grass, which is tough to find in the hills. This home is going to make some buyer quite happy for many years and is a true dream home!

1133 Miradero Road, Beverly Hills

$9,750,000
4 Bed
4.5 Bath
Sq. Ft Not Listed
53,143 Lot Sq. Ft


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Hollywood Urban Live/Work Lifestyle

by admin on March 7, 2012

Imagine a lifestyle where you move right into a furnished designer done loft in a secure doorman building at one of the most famous intersections in the world, Hollywood & Vine. You wake up in your hip designer done modern two story loft and go downstairs to your lower level, which houses your office work area – no sitting in traffic during your daily commute. At the end of the day you head back upstairs to get ready for a night on the town, and outside of the building you can walk a maximum of two blocks in either direction and you have top restaurants, shopping, and nightlife at your grasp within minutes. This saves you time, energy, gas money, and is just easier. Modern living at it’s finest. Imagine that.

With the evolution of Hollywood there is now a chance to live this urban NYC style lifestyle, but with the ideal climate of Los Angeles. In the past several years there has been a trend toward mixed use buildings, loft conversions, high end restaurants, and nightlife in Hollywood. For the right person looking to be among the action with the ability to walk everywhere, Hollywood & Vine is the epicenter. For me, I would much rather live here then downtown, especially considering the prices are already comparable if not even less in Hollywood.

If this lifestyle appeals to you, this listing of mine may be just the right opportunity to own it.


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Fixer Opportunity in Great “Oaks” Neighborhood

by admin on March 7, 2012

I visited this probate listing yesterday in the desirable Oaks neighborhood of Los Feliz, just next to Griffith Park, and see a lot of potential in it. Surely the 1948 built home is dated and needs updating, but it is tough to get into this neighborhood for under $1M, so this is a great chance for either a flipper to make a profit or a buyer looking to live in this fabulous location. At over 2,000 sq. ft with a step up living room and a den/media room that could be a 3rd bedroom, this property is good size and on a very private lot backing up to hillside, the bones are there to create something special. Lying on a cul-de-sac street, this is a well priced opportunity worth looking into if you have the vision, energy, and resources. To give an idea of the potential, I currently have a deal in escrow in this neighborhood that is just a bit larger for just over $1.2M! As I spend more and more time in this community, I like it more and more as well both for living and resale value.

5615 Green Oak Dr, Los Feliz

$850,000
2 Bed
1.75 Bath
2,098 Sq. Ft
20,186 Lot Sq. Ft


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