Happy Friday everyone! I found this article very interesting and wanted to share with you.... Mortgage Rates Mixed, Still Low September 10, 2010 Average interest rates for long-term mortgages rose slightly or held still in the past week, the U.S. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said Thursday. Freddie Mac Vice President and Chief Economist Frank Nothaft said mixed signals in a national employment report—showing unemployment up to 9.6 percent, but private payrolls higher—had “a mixed effect on mortgage rates this week.” For the week ending Sept. 9, “The 30-year fixed rate nudged up, but the 15-year fixed rate (was) unchanged,” he said. In the latest weekly survey, released Thursday, Freddie Mac said interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate contracts rose from 4.32 percent with an average ... 09/17/2010

Trees don’t ask for much—dirt, water, sunlight. Yet they provide a wealth of benefits: They improve the air you breathe, cut your energy bills with their shade, provide a home to wildlife, and add beauty and value to your home. But every year, 3.2 million acres of forest are cut down, according to the Nature Conservancy. Several million more acres are lost to fire, storm, and disease. That’s why planting new trees and protecting the ones we have is so important. You can do your part by Caring for the trees in your yard Supporting tree-planting activities in your community Donating to organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, which works to preserve the world’s trees and forests, and American Forests, which offers a unique way to take action. First, use its online Climate Change Ca... 09/09/2010

  Happy Friday everyone!! I hope you all had a great week and are now ready for a fun filled weekend ahead. I ran across this article and wanted to share with you as I feel it's incredibly important and helpful..... Source: USA TODAY Five years after Hurricane Katrina leveled a large part of the Gulf Coast, homeowners as far away as Maine are still paying the bill. Home insurance rates for some coastal areas have shot up 30% or more. Thousands of homeowners who live along the East Coast have had their policies canceled. And when the next disaster hits, many homeowners will be forced to bear a greater share of the cost of rebuilding. Insurance industry executives say the unprecedented cost of Katrina, combined with predictions of more violent weather in the future, forced insurers to rev... 09/03/2010

 Homeowners in search of a greener and more economical method of keeping their swimming pools warm are harnessing the sun’s energy. Solar pool heaters can lower energy costs because they rely primarily on a free and renewable energy source, rather than electricity or natural gas. Solar pool heaters cost more upfront than traditional alternatives, perhaps 50% more than electric heat pumps and several times more than gas heaters. However, the payback can come in as little as two years, depending on local utility rates and other factors. How solar pool heaters works A typical solar pool heating system centers around large plastic solar collectors installed on the south-facing roof of a house. A pump circulates pool water through the collectors, where it’s heated gradually. A return line t... 08/28/2010

  The Federal Housing Administration, generally known as “FHA”, is the largest government insurer of mortgages in the world. A part of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FHA provides mortgage insurance on single-family, multifamily, manufactured homes and hospital loans made by FHA-approved lenders throughout the United States and its territories. While borrowers must meet certain requirements established by FHA to qualify for the insurance, lenders bear less risk because FHA will pay the lender if a homeowner defaults on his or her loan. FHA has insured over 37 million home mortgages and 47,205 multifamily project mortgages since 1934. Currently, FHA has 6.1 million insured single-family mortgages and 13,000 insured multifamily projects in its portfoli... 08/24/2010

On behalf of Westside Properties, we'd like to thank the McKenzie family for their continued loyalty, trust and friendship! Congratulations to the family for closing escrow today on 15901 Alcima Avenue in Pacific Palisades! http://15901alcima.com/   Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades 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 or email info@wsprops.com     T... 08/18/2010

I do not know how many times I recite these 10 steps to my agents and buyers:   ·  Step 1: Are You Ready? ·  Step 2: Get a REALTOR ·  Step 3: Get Loan Pre-approval ·  Step 4: Look at Homes ·  Step 5: Choose a Home ·  Step 6: Get Funding ·  Step 7: Make an Offer ·  Step 8: Get Insurance ·  Step 9: Closing ·  Step 10: What's Next?     Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades 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 r... 08/17/2010

The three biggest energy hogs in the family room are the plasma television, DVR/Tivo box, and digital cable box.    The fun—a video game console, TV, DVR, DVD, and stereo system—that your family room provides comes with a price. By reducing standby power, using rechargeable batteries in remotes, and replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, you could save up to $130 a year in energy costs. And if you’re in the market for a new TV, you can save even more energy by being flexible on the type you buy.   1. Reconsider that plasma TV. The three biggest energy hogs in the family room are the plasma television, DVR/Tivo box, and digital cable box, says the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, which promotes energy efficiency to consumers and government pol... 08/13/2010

Pacific Palisades is a district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located between Brentwood to the east, Malibu to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. The area currently has about 27,000 residents. It is a very affluent and primarily residential area, with a mixture of large private homes, small (usually older) houses, condominiums, and apartments. It has a small central business district on Sunset Boulevard--consisting of restaurants, stores, banks, and offices--known as the "village." It also includes some large parklands and many hiking trails. Palisades Charter High School serves the neighborhood. It is known as "Where The Mountains Meet the Sea." Notable shops in the village inc... 08/01/2010

Happy Friday everyone! I hope all are well and have survived the week. Now, let's get ready for the weekend!! It was a cold and gloomy(normal lol) morning in Santa Monica. Check out my video feed from this morning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMX6gkXagU You can also scroll down and click play on the youtube player. Here are just a few of the exciting activities on the Westside of Los Angeles: Santa Monica Bike Path - http://www.yelp.com/biz/santa-monica-bike-path-santa-monica#hrid:q4iSpBohsJ9d8My_hsRELg Fun people out for a little exercise or a leisurely stroll with the family!  I definitely recommend going at sunset.  You have a bit more room to move and you can take in a breathtaking view of the SM Pier with the ferris wheel and the mountains in the distance.  Nice place to work ou... 07/30/2010

Happy humpday everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful hump day and are now gearing towards the downhill to the weekend fun :) Josh and I had lunch at Fiesta Feast in Pacific Palisades. Here is the video.....   Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades 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 or email info@wsprops.com To preview the finest real estat... 07/28/2010

We love our lawns. Turf grass covers nearly 47 million acres in the U.S., according to the Lawn Institute. But that's not very green. The average household dumps 60 gallons of water per day on conventional lawns. Toxic lawn herbicides and pesticides run off into lakes and streams. Gas-powered mowers spew pollution. And then there's the watering, weeding, seeding, sodding, thatching, and mulching commitment.   If you're looking for an alternative, consider replacing some or all of your high-maintenance turf with innovative grasses that require little or no water or mowing once established, or ground covers that form walkable "carpets." In turn, you'll reduce the need for irrigation, stop washing harmful chemicals into the watershed, add depth and texture to your landscape, and spend your... 07/25/2010

'Batman Starts,' a film directed by Palisades High students Max Groel and Harry Keenan, was just one of 33 entries selected from 180 submissions for the Fifth Annual Santa Monica Teen Film Festival.   The triumph came when their film took three of the top honors, including Best of the Fest (overall winner), best live action and the Saturday Audience Choice award. For their efforts, t...more information and picture retrieved from Palisades Post. Article by Sue Pascoe, Staff Writer.     I thought this was great and wanted to share with my readers. When I ran our family restaurant, Palisades Garden Cafe formerly Palisades Bakery, in the Village I had an opportunity to meet so many families and amazing kids. Actually, I recognize a couple of faces from the picture! Good job students! Wests... 07/24/2010

When you’re facing foreclosure, it’s critical to reach out and ask for the foreclosure help you need to save money and trouble—and possibly your home. Recruit the following five pros onto your foreclosure team. 1. A foreclosure counselor Your first step to get foreclosure help should be contacting a foreclosure counseling agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “A foreclosure counselor should help you evaluate your current financial situation by looking at your bank statements, tax returns, and monthly expenses and income,” says Kimberly Allman, manager of homeownership preservation at the New York Mortgage Coalition in New York City. A foreclosure counselor also can help you understand the programs available through banks and government agencies and ser... 07/23/2010

Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades 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 or email info@wsprops.com 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, West L.A., Marina Del Rey & Mar Vista please visit our website: http://www.westsideh... 07/17/2010

Investing in a fruit tree is a win-win-win-win proposition. You'll save money on your grocery bill; you'll improve the health of your family by assuring an ample supply of healthy produce (which you can grow organically if you want); you'll enhance your landscape with a pretty spring-flowering tree; and you'll have the satisfaction of growing your own food. As a bonus, the whole family will learn a delicious lesson about nature and gardening.   "With fruit trees, the return you get on your input is quite a bit," says Ron Perry, a Michigan State University professor of horticulture who specializes in fruit trees.Your investment is minimal; figure $20 to $30 for a young tree and perhaps an hour to plant it. From that point, you'll also need patience. Most fruit trees take three years to s... 07/13/2010

dear homebuyer, Thank you for considering to sign up to receive email updates of new real estate listings from Westside Properties (http://www.westsidehomefinder.com). Your Property Organizer provides a convenient way to: Save Current Listings that you are interested in Manage your Email Update service View all properties that match your email update settings Save your Property Search criteria for later use Keep track of interesting properties to share with family members and friends Click here to activate your Property Organizer To use your Property Organizer, you may: Enter directly from here Login on the Website Click on any property in an Email Update Click the "Modify" link in any Email Update Search for properties and click "Save" on any property listing you are interested in. Te... 07/12/2010

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! Here is today's breakdown: Westside Weather Pacific Palisades, CA 69°F Current: Partly CloudyWind: SW at 7 mphHumidity: 68% Malibu, CA 81°F Current: Partly CloudyWind: W at 7 mphHumidity: 50% Santa Monica, CA 69°F Current: Partly CloudyWind: SW at 7 mphHumidity: 68% Beverly Hills, CA 76°F Current: Partly CloudyWind: S at 5 mphHumidity: 54% Brentwood, CA 80°F Current: Partly CloudyWind: S at 5 mphHumidity: 48% How to of the Day Forget Frisbees. Challenge your friends to a discus throwing competition: Just in Case: 7 Methods for Fishing Without Fishing Gear Top Stories via Google News BP oil spill: Barack Obama's investigators take cautious first steps - The Guardian Gunman kills 2, then himself in Albuquerque office shooting - Los Angel... 07/12/2010

Today, My business partner, Josh, and I had the opportunity to attend the technology seminar provided by NAR. Max Pigman spoke about everything from FaceBook to iPads. Here is our list of technology do's: Facebook Twitter Linkedin REALTOR.com renren Although Westside Properties already are members of most of these services, there is always room for improvement! Please post a comment with any sites that you enjoy for social/business networking. Thanks Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades 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 ... 07/09/2010

President Obama signed a bill this morning extending the closing deadline for the federal home buyer tax credit to Sept. 30, 2010. The bill is retroactive and covers the lapse period from June 30, 2010 to the date of enactment of the extension. Congress passed the bill earlier this week. Nearly 180,000 home buyers would have missed out on the tax credit had Congress and the president not taken action to extend the deadline to close escrow. Estimates from NAR show as many as 17,700 home buyers in California would not have received the tax credit without the extension. More info: http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/2009_first_time_home_buyer_tax_credit Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades serving the entire Westside of... 07/08/2010