About Los Angeles' Century City/westwood

Do you know what a Homestead is? This is another Title Insurance Question you might want to be familiar with and inquire about when you are purchasing a home.

As most of you know I have written a few blog posts about Title Insurance. I find it is very important to be familiar with Title issues; it can make a great deal of difference whether it will be an easier Escrow Period or a harder one. The more knowledgeable you are the easier it will be.

The Homestead Act is very complex in nature and if it is not properly prepared may be invalid. Therefore I suggest that you consult an attorney for your specific situation or at least a Title Officer before you take title on a property.

Generally most people want to know how the Homestead Exemption works. In simple terms it may protect your equity from creditors. In other words in f you own or are about to buy a condominium, a house, a duplex or a mobile home this could be beneficial to you. Every home owner who resides in his or her home is entitled to this protection until the house is sold or the homestead is abandoned.

There generally is a limit to the amount of equity that is protected. Hence, depending on your situation you could be protecting anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 of your equity. So talk to your Title Officer or his or her representative before you close on your purchase.

For your convenience I have enclosed some of my previous post about Title questions and issues.

http://actvra.in/bK2

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2248000/the-importance-of-using-a-reputable-respected-trusted-title-escrow-company

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2315072/do-you-know-what-a-title-binder-is-

http://actvra.in/bK4

http://actvra.in/bK5

http://actvra.in/bK6

If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 (USA) or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at http://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations.

The 2011 ACATEMY Awards are being Held in Westwood,CA!Do not miss it!

"The" Cat Adoption Event of the Year! Meet Colin Purrth, Nicole Kitman, Kat Winslet and other stars at an unforgettable Hollywood event.

The stars will shine in their classic tuxedos or elegant black, white, orange (the in-color this season), muted grey or striped ensembles. Also closely watched this year are feline favorites up for Best Motion Picture including "True Kitt", and "The Kitties Are All Right"

Best Friends Animal Society ( http://www.bestfriends.org ) invites all of you to the Red Carpet this Sunday

Saturday, February 19^th, 11am-6pm

Hotel Palomar-Westwood ( http://www.hotelpalomar-lawestwood.com)

10740 Wilshire Blvd at the Corner of Selby Avenue

Meet over 200 adoptable VIP cats and kittens from LA Animal Services ( http://www.laanimalservices.com )and LA County Animal Care & Control( http://animalcare.lacounty.gov ) shelters. All will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped and ready to go home!

After you have found your fabulous feline forever friend stop by the "gifting lounge" to check out and pick up your swag bag of gifts, including ACATEMY Award statuette.

If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 (USA) or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at http://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations

In Case you have not heard Borders is Reorganizing via Chapter 11!

In Case you have not heard Borders is Reorganizing via Chapter 11. I just received an email from Mike Edwards, President and CEO of Borders Inc. (www.borders.com) He blames or should I say references the ongoing impact of the difficult US economy in conjunction with the rapidly changing book selling environment.

As some of you know I am an avid book reader as well as book collector. Two weeks ago one of my all time favorite independent bookstores closed their doors forever (The Mystery Book Store in Westwood outside UCLA) I did not blog about it I was just too sad about the turn of events.

Borders on the other hand have been struggling for the past two years and it was just a matter of time when this was going to happen. I have been watching them closing one store after another. The Santa Monica Borders on the Third Street Promenade was one of my favorite stores.

Now I get this email and I am even sadder than before. If you would like more information, please visit

http://www.bordersreorganization.com or contact them at ccare@borders.com

Sadly I think that the electronic reading devices have had a lot to do with this. As far as I am concerned and I hope the other book sellers manage to survive and prosper.

If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 (USA) or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at http://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations

Century City Condominium Market Report for December 2010. It was an interesting year some areas did poorly others did well. So let us see how Century City fared.

There were 240 Active Condominiums on the Market for the month of December 2010. This was a 3% drop over the December 2009 numbers. Not significant but worth monitoring what the trend will be for the next few months.

Supply is down 3 per cent and Demand is up 2 per cent. That is a very interesting number. This is a small increase in the confidence of buyers another number we should watch closely in the next few months to see if this trend continues.

An important statistic is the Days on Market. 83 per cent increase in Days on Market tells us that it takes longer to sell a Property; hence correct pricing is critical otherwise the Property that is overpriced helps the other ones sell faster.

There were 13 Properties in Escrow that are still accepting Backup Offers and 6 properties are in solid Escrow just waiting to Close. This Under Contract figure is increased by 33% over the December 2009 figures. This is a good indication that the first few months of 2011 will be in better shape compared to the beginning of 2010.

The Median Sold Price decreased by 9% which is an indication of the Affordability. This is a good sign that more people will be able to afford to buy a Condominium in Century City/Westwood area.

There were 46 Condominiums which sold for the month of December this is a 2% increase over December 2009.This is also a positive indicator, hence we are heading into the Winter Selling Cycle with a small but positive momentum.

If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 (USA) or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at http://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations

Westwood / Century City - Market Report for October 2010:

Number of Units Sold: 24

Average Days on the Market: 85

Median Price: $560,500

Average List Price: $702,000

Average Selling Price: $658,000

Lowest Price Condo Sold: $309,000

Highest Price Condo Sold: $2,550,000

Total Sold in Dollars: $15,795,000

Stewart Penn - Realtor for homes, condos & lofts in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hollywood Hiils, the Sunset Strip and throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Now also selling Mid Century Modern homes in Palm Springs.

Information obtained from The MLS is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.