About Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon

Friends, check out my neighbor's legendary house in Laurel Canyon. It was once an army base where they shot propaganda films during the war, but now it is a single family residence! It is currently for sale if you want to buy it for $6.3M and be my neighbor. (I live in the dump across the street.) Be sure to click on the link to view all the photos. It's really stunning:

http://www.sothebyshomes.com/Los-Angeles-Real-Estate/sales/0306590

Visit Gwen at www.LAhomesite.com

Laurel Canyon has a special event on one Sunday in October every year: Laurel Canyon Photo Day. All the residents of our peaceful, mellow, rock-n-roll canyon go to The Laurel Canyon Country Store for food, music and conversation. It's as friendly and folksy as you would expect the "Home of Rock-n-Roll" to be. It's my canyon, and I love it! Once you're here, you never leave. (Remember that line in Hotel California by the Eagles?) Hmmmm...

Laurel Canyon Photo Day always ends with a giant group photo during which traffic is actually halted on busy Laurel Canyon Blvd. This has been a tradition for many years. Locals climb trees and poles just to make sure their mugshot is part of canyon history. In the photos proudly posted inside our local hippie-type hang-out, you can spot Jim Morrison - one of our most famous former canyon denizens. Come join in the fun and be part of Laurel Canyon history. Date to be announced soon!

Check out the video of last year's event:

FOR MORE LAUREL CANYON REAL ESTATE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT GWEN BANTA AT WWW.LAHOMESITE.COM. THANKS FOR READING!

WELCOME TO MY HOME, FRIENDS - INFAMOUS LAUREL CANYON

From 1912 to 1918, an electric trolley transported visitors to Laurel Canyon from busy Sunset Boulevard below. At Lookout Mountain Road, in the heart of the canyon, travelers stopped for food and libation at a rough hewn road house that was always abuzz with activity. In the early 1920's, a local contractor built an inn the top of the canyon in an area that offered breathtaking views of the growing city of Los Angeles. When the Lookout Mountain Inn burned completely down a few years after it opened, travelers began investing in cabins of their own. One can still find many of those original cabins that were built as summer retreats for those who wanted to escape L.A.'s heat by relaxing under vast canopies of trees.

Today those cabins on verdant parcels of land are surrounded by high end properties that are nestled into the lush canyon landscape. Among the famous original cabins in Laurel Canyon that still exist is the log cabin house owned by silent film star Tom Mix. In the late sixties, the cabin was purchased by the legendary Frank Zappa. Situated at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Lookout Mountain, the house became a destination point for young people from all over the world who came to the canyon to tune in and drop out. The house is located directly across from the famous "Houdini Mansion" (his actual ownership is still a topic of argument), a property where travelers found caves to sleep in while hoping to connect with the L.A. rock scene that was taking over the canyon.

In the 1960s, the canyon was teeming with L.A.'s most creative rock musicians - Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison and The Doors, The Mamas and the Papas, David Crosby, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. Joni Mitchell lived in a charming home on Lookout Mountain near Zappa's retreat. The house was immortalized in the song, "Our House", written by her boyfriend, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - all canyon denizens. Joni's hit album, Ladies of the Canyon,was inspired by her lady friends and the camaraderie they shared in their canyon paradise. ♫ ♪ ♫

Laurel Canyon has been the subject of many films and novels about the Los Angeles counterculture. The film Laurel Canyon, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Frances McDormand, Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale, is a provocative work that portrays the canyon as a bohemian playground for wealthy ex-hippies. Michael Walker's best seller, Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Legendary Neighborhood, explores in detail the canyon's rich musical heritage. Laurel Canyon was also the setting for the film, Wonderland, a grizzly Val Kilmer film about the 1981 Wonderland Murders that occurred at 8763 Wonderland Avenue and involved porn star John C. Holmes and reputed gangster Eddie Nash.

The road house on Laurel Canyon burned down in 1929 but was eventually rebuilt. The property is now the home of Pace Restaurant and the Canyon Country Store, which is as well-known as the famous residents of historical Laurel Canyon. Behind the store is one of the homes where Jim Morrison lived during his time in the canyon. The 3 bedroom home is currently listed at $1,199,000.

Today the canyon is still a colorful place known for it's musical roots, lack of pretension, laid back attitudes, friendliness, and a hippie vibe of peace and love.Other famous or eccentric canyon residents have included: The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Julian Lennon, Jackson Browne, Jennifer Anniston, Christina Applegate, Michael J. Fox, Glenn Frey, Mama Cass, David Carradine, George Clooney, Alice Cooper, Timothy Leary, Steve Martin, Justin Timberlake, Kat Von D, Alicia Silverstone, The Doors, Graham Parsons, Keith Moon, Bela Lugosi, k.d. lang, Houdini, Boris Karloff, Jimi Hendrix, and our governor elect - Jerry Brown.

Since listing and putting into escrow 8337 Kirkwood, I have been getting a lot of calls regarding the status of the property as well as if I know of anything similar to it. I am pleased to say that I have answers to both of these questions. My listing at 8337 Kirkwood has been a fairly lengthy, but solid escrow mainly due to the stringent lending guidelines that are going on right now (Side Note: Unless you are a cash buyer, I think the days of a 30 day escrow have come and gone. This is not only from my experience but from what experts in both the escrow and lending industries have told me. The default on a Residential Purchase Agreement is 17 days to remove loan/appraisal contingencies, but I would really advise bumping that up to 21 days when writing an offer. I would also say that realistically you should be expecting up to a 45 day escrow.) We should be closing within the next week or so. Length aside, this has been one of those dream escrows (much like my recent sale on Hayworth) where you just can't ask for a better group of people involved: my seller is extraordinary, the buyer is about as great as you can get, and the buyer's agent is just an absolute pleasure. I've said this before, but I am pretty lucky to always work with fantastic people. It makes all the difference! Long story short, it's solid and ready to close any time now!

There is new property that is about to hit the market at 8100 Kirkwood. It's also Spanish style, priced decently, and has a nice amount of square footage at roughly 1455 sq ft with a small office and/or storage area detached from the main residence with separate entrance (I didn't get to see this part of the house as there wasn't a key at the time). The property itself is small - around 3500 sq ft with not much by way of usable land. There is a compact side patio area off to the side, but that's about it. The selling point to this house besides the ample sqaure footage and charming curb appeal is that is has been gutted by the current owner breathing new life into a property that was once falling apart just six months ago. There are hardwood floors throughout, tons of light/beautiful arched windows, a new kitchen, generously proportioned bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. From what I recall from my last walk through, the rooms seem to flow easily into one another and feel substantial. It's perched on a small hill serving up views of Pace, Laurel Canyon, and the General Store which to me is the epicenter to Laurel Canyon. On the flip side, this can also be it's challenge. Because of you are essentially at the corner of Kirkwood and Laurel Canyon, there is not much by way of street parking for guests and again, the outdoor space is limited. I have a feeling this house will go quickly depending on the how flexible the seller is on purchase price. For the right price, this is terrific opportunity to own a newly done single family home in a prime area.

The seller is a developer/flipper and seems like a nice guy to do a deal with. I am not sure who, how, or when it will be officially listed but I do know it's on lockbox and very easy to show at present. If you liked 8337 Kirkwood but missed out, than this is a must see! This photo is in the "before phase" when the owner purchased, but it gives you a nice teaser and you can really see the potential of it being done right. I'll update with current pictures when it officially hits the MLS. Contact me anytime for a showing!

If you are looking for with a little more drama and a lot more sqaure footage, check out my other Laurel Canyon listing: Villa Paradiso at 1808 Laurel Canyon. My seller is highly motivated and would love to sell before the holidays. Like one of those cheezy jewelry ads, if you've already seen once, "fall in love with it all over again" by taking a second look. Next open house will be Sunday, 9/17/10.