I’m excited for our new listing at 450 N Sycamore #4. The offering is a corner unit with a huge private balcony in Il Borhese, an Incredible Spanish Character Complex on the corner of Sycamore and Rosewood, built in 1929 and designed by architect Charles Gault. The building is on the cover of the book Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles by Stephanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood & James Tice. It’s been featured in several films, commercials & TV shows, most notably “Mulholland Drive” and “Only Murders in the Building.” The entrance to the property is through arches with gates covered with winding bougainvillea, and the center courtyard is worthy of all the acclaim! It’s lush + green with a koi pond, fountains, an outdoor fireplace, and so many architectural elements with old world charm. There are Spanish tile stairs to a common area rooftop deck with outdoor dining under a pergola and incredible views in all directions to the Hollywood Sign, Century City, and Downtown LA. Unit 4 is on the first floor and it has loads of character + charm in a 2 bed 1 bath with living room, dining room, kitchen, and a massive private balcony perfect for entertaining. It comes with a garage (used best for storage inside and parking outside it). The laundry is in a common area, a beautiful garden stroll from the unit. It’s rare to find an available condo in our immediate area and this one is special (just like the couple who own it)!
It’s been a treat to host open houses and showings at our listing at 2050 Edgemont because every inch of the property is designer done and so beautiful! I love all the little details, such as the uniquely beautiful base moldings and the glass doorknobs with square rosette on every door. My favorite part of the house is the way the kitchen, dining room and den with a bar open and look out to the oasis backyard with lush green pool, spa, and 2 story outdoor deck with perfect views of The Observatory! My second favorite part of the house is how it sits so high up above the street, and views from the huge windows in the living room + the custom window seat in the primary bedroom look out down below past succulent fruit trees and mature shade trees to the street below. It’s rare for owners to so meticulously and in such good taste design every inch of their house inside and out, and it’s a treat for a new owner to get to enjoy and move right in. It’s a complete and total honor to represent this fine property (and the cool owners who have pride of ownership on it!)
I’m excited that our buyers have removed all contingencies on their purchase at 161 N Sycamore, a character 4 unit building that is 6567 square feet on a 7505 square foot lot on a beautiful tree lined street in the heart of our neighborhood. Turns out that it was not super smart or effective for the owners to overprice their property. Very often sellers believe that pricing their property high leaves room for buyers who enjoy negotiating the price down to feel like they got a deal. In truth, it’s way more lucrative for sellers to price at fair market value to attract multiple interested parties and then to effectively and efficiently sell their property at or above market value because of the exposure and desirability of an attractive property at the right price. Ironically, an overpriced property often attracts buyers who enjoy negotiating and getting a deal, and it’s the overpriced properties that are ripe to sell at a discount.
I’m super excited for my buyers who removed all contingencies on their fabulous deal in the Hollywood Hills! The seller purchased the property for 1,230,000 in December 2021. The seller did a full beautiful remodel to the house, including foundation work, adding 4 balconies to the rear of the house looking out to the floral covered mountainside, and installing large circle windows with views that look like paintings of the surrounding landscape! Post construction, the property went back on the market May 2023 for 1,795,000, which in time got lowered to 1,695,000, and then 1,495,000 and then 1,325,000. It’s very clearly an amazing deal for my buyers at this point..and I love the house!
I’m entirely loving the new post commission lawsuit buyer representation laws!!! Under the new laws, buyers sign a BRBC (Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement) where they commit to hire an agent, for a specified amount of time, to be paid a named amount of commission. The paperwork accompanies the buyers at showings and when they write offers. The laws have made buyer representation thoughtful and deliberate, where it was often not that way in the past. A buyer now thoughtfully signs to hire an agent, they evaluate the representation and the continued partnership, and they intentionally work with a professional they committed to hire to represent them. I love the transparency, the commitment, and the responsibility that comes with the paperwork. It’s an honor and a joy to work with the buyers I have the honor to represent the new way!
Missing all the people this week post a month of Passover visits was hard, but what got us through was the hilarious nightly facetime calls where personalities shine and the laughs are real. Gavriel, age 3, is wonderfully precocious and curious and this week he was curious to learn more about helicopters. So together we read toddler books about helicopters. Rika, age 1, strapped into her high chair and along for the reading session, looked at a picture of a helicopter on a boardbook and announced, “Airplane,” My daughter explained to Rika very patiently that the craft was not an airplane but a helicopter. And a determined Rika repeated, “Airplane.” Gavriel, an adoring older brother, quietly talked Rika through the difference between helicopters and airplanes that concluded with deeming the picture… a helicopter. And Rika repeated, “Airplane.” So Grandma piped in and asked Rika if she wanted to try to say the word “he-li-cop-ter.” An animated determined Rika, who did not want to say the word helicopter, said a little louder, “Airplane. Airplane. Airplane.” And then for effect, she said even louder AIIIIIIRPLAAAAANE, which made us all laugh so hard we cried! Engaging over facetime during breakfast is hands down my very favorite hour of the day and I love the interactions and the hilarious toddlers to pieces!
Wishing everyone an awesome week ahead!
Xoxoxo,
Sheri
