Borrowers with second liens owned and serviced by Bank of America may qualify to get their subordinate debt extinguished entirely. The banking giant mailed 150,000 letters to pre-qualified homeowners who are eligible to have their Bank of America second-lien mortgages eliminated. The program was designed to ease the pains of struggling borrowers who are also dealing with issues on first mortgages and to help more individuals create equity in their properties. Unless the customer opts out of this automatic relief within thirty days of receiving the letter, the borrowers will have second liens on collateral property completely removed. Only second liens owned and serviced by BofA that meet certain delinquency and property value guidelines are qualified for the program. The offer will take... 10/01/2012

  4 Malibu Real Estate Partners Malibu Open Houses for 9/30 from 1-4p Click on the links below to view additional information on each Malibu property. Click here to search for additional Malibu properties for sale. View all 4 Malibu Real Estate Partners listings here.                3442 Cloudcroft Dr., Malibu  - 4B/3.5B – $2,150,000                 18147 Coastline Dr. #3, Malibu – 2B/2B – $769,000                 3601 Vista Pacifica #7, Malibu – 3B/3.5B – $849,000               31543 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu – 5B/5B – $2,495,000 09/29/2012

Most of you probably know that a capital gain applies to the sale of a home. Hopefully you also know that there is a capital gains exclusion that may be used in certain situations. What is a capital gain? A capital gain is the appreciation on an asset. What this means is that you pay tax on the profit of your home when you sell. Let’s say you purchased a house for $300,000 and you sell it for $450,000 sometime in the future. You are taxed on the net difference, or $150,000. This can mean a lot of taxes. It becomes really important to know if you qualify for the capital gains exclusion and make plans well in advance of the sale if possible. In 2012, for example, individuals can exclude up to $250,000 of profit on the sale of a home, assuming it was used as your primary residence and you ... 09/24/2012

Happy Thursday everyone! Here is today's Malibu real estate caravan: 5630 Villa Mar Place  12-614385       $5,150,000 6 + 7 PCH to Kanan, North/Inland approx. 1 mile to property on right. Spectacular, new Spanish Estate from Davis Design & Development. Gorgeous estate with ocean views. 5610 Villa Mar Place  12-614389       $1,250,000 LAND PCH to Kanan, North/Inland approx. 1 mile to property on right. Fabulous estate building site w/ocean & mtn. views. Level pad, all utilities included. Gated. 6756 Dume Dr  12-594459       $1,795,000 3 + 2 Riviera III Beach Key. Contemporary Gem with expansive views Century City to Catalina. Parking for 5 cars- at end of shared drive. MUST SEE! 7161 Grasswood  12-617345       $3,595,000 5 + 3 Gated two story traditional w/ocean views, tennis court, pool... 09/20/2012

Places must - visit in Los Angeles, CA: Malibu Hindu Temple   If you are in Valley, Los Angeles or Malibu area, and you don't mind enjoying a little drive, drive towards  Las Virgenes canyon in Malibu.  Now...... Imagine driving through a canyon on the edge of Los Angeles and seeing a massive Hindu temple.....white against stunning blue sky. That's exactly what one encounters traveling to or from the beach via Las Virgenes Canyon Road. This is what we saw there:   It is an absolutely stunning setting, up in the hills of Malibu Canyon.     A wonderful place to step away from the city, spend some time in meditation or just enjoy the beauty of an authentic Hindu temple.     Built on five acres, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu and has several shrines dedicated to Hindu deities such as Gan... 09/09/2012

Bank-Owned / REO - Ocean & Boney Ridge Views If you're looking to purchase Malibu real estate, here is a great opportunity. Just listed today with Bobby Lehmkuhl, 4 Malibu Real Estate Partners. "Ocean & Boney Ridge Views. Wide planked wood flooring, open beam windows and doors. Travertine bath with separate bath & shower. Paved road to site. Well water tank. Perfect horse or vineyard property. " 10935 Pacific View Dr., Malibu, CA $800,000 Lot Size: 869,893 (apx. sq. ft.) Property Website 09/05/2012

This beautifully appointed Mediterranean home is located towards the West end of Broad Beach. Sitting on approximately 1 acre, this very well maintained home has warmth throughout. Meticulously maintained landscaping . Turn-key inside and out. Highlights include an over-sized kitchen, wood floors, circular driveway, backyard garden, pool & spa, three car garage & wonderful ocean views. Listed with Brant Didden. $2,495,000 5B/5B 31543 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 Property Website 09/04/2012

4 Malibu Report #2 - August 29, 2012. Malibu Carl is reporting about this weekend's big event, the 31st Annual Malibu Kiwanas Chili Cookoff, Carnival & Fair.      08/30/2012

Watch the first Malibu Report direct from Malibu, California. Malibu Carl is discussing the events of the 6th annual Malibu Invitational, held at Surfider Beach. He is being interviewed by Bobby Lehmkuhl in front of the World Famous Malibu Inn. Bookmark this page for more updates on the Malibu Real Estate Market & Malibu Community. We will be interviewing Malibu locals who are in the know in our town.  Click here to view reporter Malibu Carl's lowdown on the Malibu Invitational.  08/28/2012

View the Malibu Market Stats year-to-date through August 2012. We track Malibu real estate sales, active listings and pendings for single family, leases, manufactured homes, income and land. View updated Malibu Market Stats here.                                  YTD thru August 2012     Active Pending MTD/Sold YTD/Sold (Beach/Landside) Homes 270 51 19 135 (31/104) MMH 30 4 0 14 Condos 47 17 2 32 (13/19) Land 183 18 5 24 (1/23) Leases 297 0 46 233 (80/153) Income 3 0 0 0   08/28/2012

How was this version of the Mona Lisa achieved? I bet you a cup of coffee you will never guess unless someone  already shared it with you.   Someone sent me these pictures and I was just awestruck with them and I had to share. I know most of you will say it was Leonardo Da Vinci.  I could not figure it out until I scrolled to the answer. Now with that said good luck! Well OK here is the answer: it was made out of 3604 cups of coffee on one of the streets in Sydney Australia and made into a giant Mona Lisa Painting.  Move over Leonardo Da Vinci each cup of coffee was made with a different amount of milk to give the different shades to complete the painting.     If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties i... 08/24/2012

A.P.N. explained so everyone can understand by the Land Man Endre Barath,Jr. As most of my readers know my nickname in Los Angeles is the “Land Man” I earned this thru hard work and a lot of Land Listings and Sales. Quite frankly I would prefer having the nickname” The Ultra Luxury Realtor” I have sold vacant land from $8,000 to $1million. This is a lot of work for little money. If I was doing “Ultra Luxury Real Estate in Los Angeles” than my average sale would be around $15 million vs. $800k”. Now with that said, let me return to the title of this post! What is an APN? It is the Assessor’s Parcel Number. Most counties use a number system to identify a parcel for tax purposes. In California, the Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) refers to the map book number and acts as the index for resea... 08/07/2012

Active Rain  & HomeFinder.com help to reflect, analyze  in a business makeover for many real estate agents and members. This post was inspired by my fellow AR Members to reflect, analyze and create a road map how to make over my own  Business. I have been reading a great many blog posts from agents on Active Rain reflecting, analyzing and telling us how they plan on doing a Make Over of their Business. These are all wonderful and interesting posts to read.  I found it even more interesting as to how they plan on achieving their goals. Overall I must give them kudos for sharing their internal observations of their short comings and how they plan on rectifying them. Their sharing has encouraged me to reflect as well.  Even though, I continuously reflect daily, nightly, weekly and monthly... 07/26/2012

D’Amore’s Pizza in Malibu is the Best Pizzeria in the area. The quest for finding a perfect Pizza in Los Angeles is not as easy as you think. If you are very particular and want only a Thin Crust Pizza that is Boston Style, then you need to search hard. We have been on the search and always managed to “settle”, during the past 15 plus year living here in Los Angeles we were always comparing every pizza we had with the perfect one we were used to in Boston, MA. I must admit we had inexpensive as well as expensive Pizza from super star chefs to no name chefs and the results were mixed at best. I have been driving on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) for many years and I kept seeing this sign, Pizza by the Slice. I was starving one day and just pulled in to get a slice or two and quench my hung... 07/22/2012

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie inspired by Pinterest   I was looking at pictures on Pinterest , trying to figure it out. Next thing I know I saw this great picture of a Strawberry Pie. So I decided to Pin it. Next thing I know is one of my friends on Face book commented on what a great picture and recipe this is. She knows I am a cook, hence she requested a pie or at least leftovers…. Hence this created a quest for finding a recipe on how to make Strawberry Pie.   I knew the most important part of making the pie is to have sweet, fresh & good strawberries. Then since making chocolate covered strawberry pie ones has to have good Chocolate, hence I believe to make the best you need to get the best. Hence I needed Ghirardelli Chocolate to complete the perfect Pie. So then after looking a... 07/17/2012

The Carbon House - Case Study #9   Broker's Open - Thursday 7/19 from 9:30am - 2pm Scott Gillen UNVARNISHED has done it again. California living takes on new meaning with this one-of-a-kind custom built bungalow by the sea. From the moment you walk in you feel at home. Embodying the truest sense of open living, this property is THE Malibu life, quality and grace. Offering over 6,200 sq.ft. including; massive great room with 15 foot ceilings and exposed beams, open kitchen and Breathtaking views through over sized windows in every room. Natural hand scraped aged oak floors, raised standing-seam metal roof, are just a few of the finishes you will experience as you visit this home. Wired for state-of-the-art entertainment and surveillance, outdoor BBQ, La Costa beach club rights. Don’t mis... 07/17/2012

Malibu California - Sun, Sand and Surf ..... the playground of the rich and famous. The Malibu Coastline is filled with beach homes that are owned by actors, celebrities and some of the most powerful players in the movie industry. It's therefore interesting to see just how many of these multi-million dollar earners are happy to rent out their homes during the Summer months for astronomical prices. The Real Estalker reports that "Pierce Brosnan has listed his newly built 13,000 square foot 4-Bedroom mansion (above) Malibu's star-lined (and quickly eroding) Broad Beach for $250,000 a month".     Leaonardo DiCapprio has put his Malibu Colony house up for a short-term lease at $150,000 per month.    Another high priced rental in Malibu include a 7-Bed 9.5-Bath home on Cliffside Drive for $1... 07/05/2012

Happy Saturday everyone. Here are the Malibu real estate statistics for the past 30 days: 95 New listings 20 New escrows 40 Sold properties Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Venice 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 today's exciting and lucrative real estate market. Call us now to get started on the road to buying or selling your next home. 310.459.8191 x411 or email mywestsidehomefinder@gmail.com           To preview the finest real estate and the best deals on the Westside of Los Angeles including Pa... 06/16/2012

Diesel Book Store in Malibu,CA    Diesel Book Store is one of the few Independent bookstores that are left in California. The owners are John Evans and his partner Alison Reid, they started their first bookstore in 1989. Currently they have three stores:  one in Brentwood, one in Oakland and one in Malibu.   There was a time in 2011 when it looked like Diesel would not be in Malibu any more. There was a landlord tenant dispute, which turned out to be a short eight month void in Malibu. Now Diesel is back with a vengeance. Very close to the previous location, but better. They are housed in a Spanish Revival commercial building with a central courtyard. It has a nice spill-out area, and they hold the book signing and reading events in the courtyard. This place is quaint and more conducive... 06/09/2012

Four steps to buying a house in 2012 – Home buyer basics Q: I am on a mission to buy a home. I’ve wanted to own a home my entire life, and thought I would miss the opportunity to buy while the market was down, because I had no real savings when the market crashed. I think I’m ready, though, and prices still seem low. What should… Read More     Debunking the “instant equity” myth Q: If I buy a home that previously sold for more than $400,000, but I pay only around $200,000, doesn’t that mean I have instant equity? A: In a word? No. Here’s the deal. In real estate, we think of equity as the difference between what your home is worth and what you owe on… Read More     Barn House Eelde / Kwint Architects via ArchDaily The task of conceiving a private home in the countryside south of Eelde ... 06/06/2012