Business

The Influence of a Techy Realtor

Guest Post by Parker Hill @ NewHomeSource.com

What’s important in selling a home? Is it asking price? Location? The status of your home? While all three of these are certainly contributing factors, they are by no means the most important aspect. As you may know, approximately 90% of all home sales now begin with an online search. So despite what you’ve heard about open houses and using print advertising, the most important part of selling your home begins on the internet. While some agents have yet to understand this, there are a select few who have embraced the internet and hold the tools to get your home from ‘for sale’ to ‘sold.’ These “techy” realtors are easy to identify and are the type of agent you want to work with. Here are things to look for in determining whether your agent makes the tech-friendly list.

A techy Realtor first and foremost should have a good website. This means its easy to find, easy to navigate and is an over all enjoyable experience. Keep away from Realtor’s with dated websites that lack contact information or websites that are poorly constructed. The rule here is: if you don’t find it pleasing, chances are homebuyers won’t either. And if you were to list your home with an agent who’s website gets little traffic, then say goodbye to your home’s internet exposure. Pick a Realtor with an accessible website, with well-displayed contact information and other helpful details.

On top of a good website design, your Realtor must have a good home search feature. As we mentioned earlier, giving your home plenty of internet exposure is crucial to selling your home in the modern market. If your Realtor is lacking in a home search option, you can bet that potential buyers will quickly move along and those who don’t head to the next website will have difficulty finding your home. A good web search will have either a map view, an ability to set certain search parameters, or both. Be sure your Realtor has such an option before hiring them!

Next to design and home search options, a techy Realtor could possibly have the following additions on their webpage. A frequently updated blog can be a fun and useful addition to a Realtor’s marketing arsenal. Likewise, a Realtor that encourages texting, video chats, or using smartphones apps is also helpful, although by no means essential. The two most important aspects are the design of the website and the home search. With these, you can bet you have a class act of a Realtor. The rest is icing on top. To work with the type of Realtor who will give your home the kind of online exposure it deserves, be sure to contact Eric Smilay, today!

His Way - Producer Jerry Weintraub Lists $42.5M Malibu Estate

I recently saw the HBO documentary entitled "His Way" about Producer Jerry Weintraub's illustrious career in show business. I think I had heard the name before, but didn't know too much about him before seeing the documentary. I must say I was impressed and inspired by the man's ability to flat out make things happen throughout his almost fifty year professional career. Mr. Weintraub started his own management company in 1964, where he handled huge stars like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. He went on to manage John Denver's career in 1970. Jerry Weintraub began producing movies in 1975, and ended up producing huge blockbusters including, all of the "Karate Kid" and "Ocean's" Movies, among many others.

Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

$42,500,000 7 Bed 11 Bath (in main house) 11,180 Sq. Ft 288,807 Sq. Ft Lot (6.63 Acres)

I wish I could find some more interior shots, as the outside ones of the actual house aren't all that impressive, considering the price point. Obviously the extensive grounds is what makes this one special, and after the break you can get a glimpse of this amazing property which spans almost seven flat acres in a prime westside location just south of Paradise Cove. This size compound is huge and extremely rare for beachfront property. It comes with 500 feet of beach frontage!

"Besides stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and private beach access, Weintraub’s home includes 7 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms in the main house. There are more sleeping quarters in the two guest houses also on the property. The compound also features a deluxe equestrian center with two stables and large riding ring as well as lighted tennis courts and pool." - Zillow Blog

According to The Real Estalker, Weintraub purchased the property in two pieces: he paid $950,000 in 1978 for a four-acre parcel and $450,500 for the second 2.25-acre parcel in 1980. Sounds like those investments will work out well for Mr. Weintraub. Not as nice as he originally hoped though, as the property was previously listed in 2008 for a whopping $75,000,000. I hope he has better luck this time around with the more realistic price.

I am not worried about this media kingpin though, as Mr. Weintraub also owns several other large and lavish homes including a double lot spread on Doheny Road in Beverly Hills (just down the road from the Ozzy Osbournes), a house in Palm Desert just outside of Palm Springs, and another place in Kennebunkport, Maine. The man is definitely doing it his way in a major way.

Listing and Photos courtesy of Christopher Cortazzo - Coldwell Banker

If you would like to see this one of a kind property in this location in person, please contact us anytime @ 310.600.9172 or email smilayproperties@gmail.com.

Charlie Sheen Rumored to be Buying This Home

According to the Wall Street Journal, Charlie Sheen is currently in escrow to buy this sprawling Mediterranean home in the exclusive guard gated community of Mulholland Estates. The seller is Mike Medavoy, the producer of the film "Black Swan." Mr. Medavoy purchased the home just about six months ago for $6 Million, according to public records. Mr. Medavoy made some recent upgrades, according to the listing, including updating the kitchen with new Bosch appliances and re-doing the large master bedroom. Rumor has it that Mr. Sheen has agreed to pay the full listing price, which is quite a "flip" for the seller in a very short time. The property was only on the market for 16 days before going into escrow. I call buying a house like this Winning...must be the Tiger blood Charlie.

0 Clerendon Rd, Beverly Hills

$7,495,000 6 Bed 9 Bath 9,020 Sq. Ft 23,079 Sq. Ft Lot

Listing and Photos courtesy of Jade Mills & Joyce Rey -- Coldwell Banker, BH South

Ivanka Trump & Her Husband List Greenwich Loft

With the big news this week circulating in the media that the recently married couple of Ivanka Trump, yes that Trump, and her Husband Jared Kushner (owner of the New York Observer and son of New Jersey real estate mogul Charles Kushner) are expecting their first child, I guess they decided they will need more space and recently listed Mr. Kushner's former bachelor pad for sale. Lying in Greenwich Village in the NYC, this 2,042 sq. ft loft in Astor Place is "one of the most sought after converted pre-war boutique loft building downtown Manhattan," according to Street Easy . With two bedrooms, two and a half baths, soaring ceilings, modern finishes, walls of glass and a ton of natural light in a boutique building, what is not to love? According to Curbed NY, Mr. Kushner purchased the property in the Spring of 2009 for $3,225,000. After doing some renovations, the property is now listed for $4,100,000. It will be interesting to see the type of space they land in next. I hear Trump Tower is nice.

I have said it before and will say it again, although there are more popping up, I sure wish there were more character loft buildings like this in prime locations in Los Angeles. That said, I guess we have houses with grassy yards, pools, and stunning views for this kind of money right.

Listing and Photos Courtesy of Torsten Krines - Sotheby's Int'l Realty, and Curbed NY