Whether it's a buyer's market or a seller's market, all homebuyers have one thing in common: they don't want to get ripped off. But how do you know if you're getting a fair deal on the home you're prepared to place an offer on? Read on to find out how to evaluate the price of any home so you can make a sound investment decision. SEARCH HOMES FOR SALE IN MALIBU Research Recently Sold, Comparable Properties A comparable property is one that is similar in size, condition, neighborhood and amenities. One 1,200-square-foot, recently remodeled, one-story home with an attached garage should be listed at roughly the same price as a similar 1,200-square-foot home in the same neighborhood. That said, you can also gain valuable information by looking at how the property you're interested in compar... 09/17/2011

California home sales posted an increase from both the previous month and previous year, while the median home price rose to its highest level this year, according to data from the California Association of Realtors. Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family homes rose to a seasonally adjusted 497,390 units in August, up 8.6% from a revised 457,930 in July and up 10.2% from a year ago, according to CAR, which gets its data from more than 90 local real estate associations and multiple listing services statewide. The August statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home sold in California was $297,060, up 1% from a revised $294,050 in July, but down 7.4% from the $320,860 median price for August 2010. The unsold inventory of existing, single-family homes was five ... 09/16/2011

Notice of default filings jumped nearly 70% in California from the previous month, led by renewed activity from Bank of America , according to the data provider ForeclosureRadar. Foreclosure starts increased in five West Coast states from the previous month: California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Nevada. BofA foreclosure starts more than doubled in August, jumping 116% from the previous month. Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank  also showed increases but fell short of the BofA restart, according to ForeclosureRadar, which monitors West Coast states. Bank of America along with many others froze the foreclosure process in the fall of 2010 to sort out mishandled foreclosure documentation in a scandal that became known as robo-signing. The 14 major servicers signed consent orders with federal r... 09/14/2011

Chef Chris Bocchino, formerly chef/owner of Terra Restaurant, is partnering with Dolores Rivellino, owner of The Godmother of Malibu Cafe, to add Sunday brunch and dinner to The Godmother, located at the Malibu Racquet Club. Previously, The Godmother had been open only for lunch. Bocchino's venture will be called Cal-Fresco at The Godmother, a nod to his penchant for serving California cuisine alfresco style. The Godmother's comfortable outdoor setting, surrounded by the mountains and with a view overlooking the nearby tennis courts, should be a perfect expression of his theme.  Bocchino plans to serve brunch items such as almond brioche French toast, a goat cheese-asparagus scramble with fresh basil and veggie breakfast potatoes, a roasted vegetable salad with quinoa, a dry aged beef s... 09/14/2011

Rising sea levels over the next century could be an economic disaster for Malibu, according to a state-commissioned study by San Francisco State University economists. The report, which was released Tuesday, includes information on Broad and Zuma beaches in Malibu as well as beaches in San Francisco, Venice, Carpinteria and San Diego County. According to the report titled "The Economic Costs of Sea-Level Rise to California Beach Communities," if sea levels rise 4.6 feet between now and 2100, the cost of the effect on the two Malibu beaches could be $28.5 million in structural damage, $498.7 million in lost tourism spending due to eroded beaches attracting fewer visitors and $102.3 million in habitat and recreation losses. "Sea level rise will send reverberations throughout local and sta... 09/14/2011

                          Active            Pending          MTD/Sold      YTD/Sold Homes             321                  42                    18                    108 MMH                21                    4                      3                      21 Condos             44                    9                      5                      36 Land                227                  12                    5                      32 Leases             269                  3                      50                    340 Income          2                      0                      0                      1         09/12/2011

Good morning everyone, happy Monday! We hope you had a great weekend and gearing up for the week ahead! Here is today's Malibu and Topanga hotsheet for Real Estate sales and rentals: 29239 Heathercliff Road #12 - Back on market 29221 Heathercliff Road #10 - Back on market 24563 Piuma Road - New lot listing! 29500 Heathercliff Road #4 - New rental listing! 6454 Cavalleri Road - New rental listing! Westside Properties is a full-service real estate Brokerage with locations in Pacific Palisades and Venice, CA  serving the entire Westside of Los Angeles.  We proudly represent the finest properties throughout the Westside. We work as a team and combine our extensive real estate experience, powerful resources and connections to benefit you whether you are looking you buy or sell a home in toda... 09/12/2011

Good morning everyone! We found this article very interesting regarding the Malibu Lagoon. http://www.laweekly.com/2011-09-08/news/malibu-lagoon-dispute/     To preview the finest real estate and the best deals on the Westside of Los Angeles including Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Century City, Marina Del Rey & Mar Vista please visit our website: http://www.westsidehomefinder.com/ When you are ready to view the properties or just have a question, please contact us: 310.459.8191 or info@wsprops.com   Search for homes in your city: Bel Air | Beverly Hills | Calabasas | Culver City | El Segundo | Hancock Park | Hermosa Beach | Malibu | Manhattan Beach | Mar Vista | Marina del Rey | Pacific Palisades | Palms | Playa Vista | Playa del R... 09/08/2011

A reading of the names of the 2,977 people who died in the terrorist attacks and other events will take place at the Malibu university on Sunday. Pepperdine University in Malibu will host a Remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Sunday that promises to be powerful and memorable. The 10th anniversary remembrance will begin at 11 a.m. with a reading of the names of the 2,977 people who died and will conclude with a ceremony at 4 p.m. Both events will take place at Alumni Park.   Also, there will be a screening of United 93, a film about the passengers—including Pepperdine alumnus Thomas Burnett—who brought down one of the planes intended to strike an American structure. The screening will take place at 1 p.m. at Elkins Auditorium. The traditional display of nearl... 09/07/2011

International homebuyers — those with permanent residences outside the U.S., recent immigrants and temporary visa holders — are snapping up homes and condos in the U.S. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), they increased their purchase of U.S. residential property from $66 billion in 2010 to $82 billion in 2011, a 24% increase in just one year. Fueling international investors is their sense that U.S. home prices are a bargain. A favorable currency rate is also working to their advantage. The value of the dollar has fallen against most foreign currencies, making U.S. residential property even cheaper. In 2011, international buyers came from a total of 70 countries. The top five — Canada, Mexico, China, U.K., and India — accounted for 53% of all transactions. Internati... 09/07/2011

Home prices made a comeback during the second quarter, but the struggling housing market isn't out of the woods yet. Prices rose a substantial 3.6%, compared with the three months ended March 31. But home prices are still down 5.9% compared with the second quarter of 2010. The rise in home prices came after three consecutive quarters of drops, as reported by the S&P/Case-Shiller national index -- an influential gauge of residential real-estate markets. The year-over-year decline was a bit more than the than the drop of 4.7% that had been forecast by a consensus of experts at Briefing.com. A separate monthly index of home prices in 20 major metro areas also reported a month-over-month gain of 1.1% for June, and a drop of 4.5% year-over year. 09/02/2011

After the financial market downturn in 2008, getting approved for a mortgage loan became even more difficult.  Combine that with the fledgling economy, which left many people turning to freelance work, and the challenges involved in qualifying for a home mortgage increase exponentially.  However, with a little extra work, home buyers using freelance work as proof of income still can qualify for a new loan. Borrowers who earn most of their income on 1099s should be prepared for extra preparation, paperwork, and discussion of their financial standing when applying for a mortgage.
  It’s important that independent contractors show that their income is stable and increasing. For some, that may mean declaring all their income on their tax returns, and not, say, carrying anything over to the... 09/02/2011

Retail sales fell 1% for the week ending August 20, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs index. On a year-over-year basis, retailers saw sales increase 3%. New home sales fell 0.7% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 298,000 units from a downwardly revised rate of 300,000 units in June. Orders for durable goods — items expected to last three or more years — rose 4% in July after a revised 1.9% increase in June. Excluding volatile transportation-related goods, orders posted a monthly increase of 0.7%. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending August 19 fell 2.4%. Refinancing applications decreased 1.7%. Purchase volume fell 5.7%. The Commerce Department announced that gross domestic product — the ... 08/29/2011

Are you looking to buy or lease a home? Or maybe you just want to see what's out there. Here are the open houses taking place this weekend in the Malibu area. For more information on the listings, visit www.4Malibu.com or email us at Info@4Malibu.com. MALIBU 6473 Zuma View Place No. 137 (3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms): Asking $1,124,900; Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 24750 West Saddle Peak Road (3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms): Asking $1,248,000; Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 20906 PCH (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms): Asking $5,750,000; Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 31536 Victoria Point Road (3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms): Asking $7,850,000; Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 24420 Malibu Road (4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms): Asking $12,750,000 (sale), $35,000 (lease); Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 3224 Malibu Canyon Road (3 bedrooms... 08/28/2011

Foreclosures made up roughly one-third of all home sales this spring. While that's a smaller share of sales from the previous quarter, it's six times the percentage of foreclosures in a healthy housing market. Foreclosure sales, which include homes purchased after they received a notice of default or that were repossessed by lenders, accounted for 31 percent of the market in the April-June quarter. The share of the market would likely have been larger this spring if not for a state and federal investigation into faulty paperwork by banks and servicers. The probe has led many banks to delay foreclosure sales. Once that is complete, foreclosures will likely surge later this year. As a slice of all home purchases, foreclosure sales peak two years ago at 37.4 percent. In the second quarter,... 08/27/2011

  
Despite home prices in major urban centers decreasing 31 percent between 2005 and 2009, property taxes across the U.S. increased by nearly 20 percent.  There is good news, however; homeowners can fight back. Homeowners should keep in mind that property taxes do not always correspond with home values, because local governments typically don’t measure values every year and some have limits on annual property-tax increases.
   As a result, current property taxes might reflect the home’s value when the market was healthier.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, property-tax adjustments lag behind changes in home prices by an average of three years.
   Although homeowners cannot change their property-tax rate, which is set by the local government, homeowners can get their assessm... 08/27/2011

4 Malibu Real Estate Partners offers a full-service property management & leasing department, representing Landlords & Tenants.   ☆Looking for Malibu Rentals?    • No Membership Required • Search our Malibu site for a complete list of Malibu rentals available. Updated daily. • Daily Email Alerts • Oceanfront, landside, vacation, furnished, unfurnished, short-term, long-term options available • Inquire about our Relocation Program • Concierge Services Available • We Schedule Appointments • Free Consultation   ☆Landlords - List with Us!  • We list long-term, short-term, vacation, furnished and unfurnished properties • Extensive Client List • Property Management Services • Extensive Tenant Screening Includes: º Criminal Records Search º State Evictions Search ° Landlord Verification ° Empl... 08/27/2011

California pending home sales dipped in July from the previous month, as did the share of sales of distressed properties, the California Association of Realtors said. Pending home sales in California fell 1.7% in July, according to CAR's Pending Home Sales Index. The index was 117 in July, down from June's index of 119, based on contracts signed in July. The index was up 4.9% from July 2010. Pending sales have been ahead of last year's level for the past three consecutive months and should be on track to finish the year even with last year's pace. The total share of all distressed property types sold statewide fell to 44.5% in July, down from June's 46.9%. The share of distressed sales also was down from a year prior, when distressed sales made up 47.7% of all home sales. Of distressed ... 08/23/2011

Analysts reacted to the July new home sales decline Tuesday with dread, saying the housing market has years of stalled recovery ahead. The Commerce Department reported the seasonally adjusted rate of new home sales in July declined 6.8% from one year ago, coming in below analyst expectations. Sales slumped back below the 300,000 market and sit not too far from the low of 278,000 units in August 2010. New home sales have to compete with a flood of distressed and previously foreclosed properties. The Commerce Department estimates roughly 165,000 new homes for sale on the market, roughly equal to a 6.6-month supply. However, the shadow inventory of distressed property ranges as high as 4.5 million properties, according to theMortgage Bankers Association. Standard & Poor's recently said the... 08/23/2011

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California dropped 4.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 458,440 units in July, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide.  July home sales were up 4.5 percent from the 438,850 units sold in July 2010.  The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2011 if sales maintained the July pace throughout the year.  It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales. The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home sold in California dipped 0.3 percent in July to $294,230 from a revised $295,210 in June.  July’s median price was down 7.6 percent from the $318,550 recor... 08/21/2011