Westlake Village, CA

Some new statistics came out this morning from RISMEDIA paralleling real estate trends in 1999 to 2010. Here is a summary of what the article stated:

• In 1999 the three top home sale marketing methods were: Yard signs, newspaper ads and open houses. Today the top marketing method is the Internet, no doubt.
• In 1999 37% of buyers used the Internet for a home search. Today 90% of buyers start their search on the Internet.
• In the last ten years the median home price has gone up 25% nationally.
• In 1999 82% of the home buyers bought single family detached homes. Today it is 78%.
• In 1999 46% of home buyers bought homes in suburban neighborhoods. Today it is 54%
• In 1999 married couples represented 68% of home purchases. Today it is 60%
• In 1999 7% of home buyers were single men. Today it is 10%
• In 1999 15% of home buyers were single women. Today it is 21%

What hasn't changed?

• The median age of a home buyer in 1999 was 39. It is the same today.
• In 1999 8 out of 10 consumers believed that owning a home is a good investment. It is the same today.

According to this article I think it would be safe to say ....despite the changes we have experienced in real estate in the past ten years, owning a home is still considered part of the "American Dream."

Here in Westlake Village Ca one our largest employers is Dole Foods, Inc., and they have just announced the promotion of a new diet called "The Banana Diet."

This diet definitely intrigued me since I am not a fan of fad diets ... or that matter ... any kind of diet! I am a fan of eating sensibly and healthy and exercising. But I can't see any harm in adding a few bananas to my morning coffee if it will help burn calories and promote healthy nutrition.

Evidently, the story goes, in 2008 a Japanese pharmacist started adding bananas to her overweight husband's breakfast. He lost several pounds and this started a "banana craze" in Japan! They couldn't keep enough bananas on the shelves!

Dole Foods, Inc. has refined this "Banana Diet" to just eating two bananas (instead of the all-you-can-eat Japanese version) in the morning for your breakfast. Their research has found that bananas contain resistant starch, which ferments in your large intestine, creating by-products (butyrates) that block conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel. Replacing 5.4% of ordinary carbs with resistant starch could boost fat burning by up to 30%. Practically speaking that means eating two bananas in the morning could enhance fat burning all day.

And let's not forget the nutrient factors of bananas:

Two bananas provide a decent contribution to daily requirements: half of your daily vitamin B6, 40% your daily vitamin C, nearly 30% your daily potassium, 14% daily fiber, and two grams of protein.

So, what does this have to do with Real Estate? Well, if you start your day with a couple of bananas it might just give you that metobolic boost you need to be the "Top Banana!" But, even if you're just "one of the bunch" you'll be feeling better if you're burning those calories every day!

I think I might just be going bananas over bananas!

Every Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. Brian Troop (President of Troop Real Estate) and Coach Ron Tunick air a live local radio broadcast. Today's broadcast was about "Attitude." The book Coach Ron talked about today is "Just Listen" by Dr. Mark Goulston.

The 12 points on attitude:

1. It is your attitude at the beginning of a task more than anything else that will determine your success or failure.

2. It is your attitude towards life that will determine life's attitude towards you. Despite many people's belief to the contrary, life pays no favorites.

3. You control your attitude. If you are negative it is because you have decided to be negative and not because of other people or circumstances.

4. Act as if you have a good attitude. Remember actions trigger feelings just as feelings trigger actions.

5. Before a person can achieve the kind of results he wants, he must first become that person. He must then think, walk, talk, act, and conduct himself in all of his affairs, as would the person he wishes to become.

6. Treat everybody as the most important person in the world.

7. Attitudes are based on assumptions. In order to change attitudes on must first change ones assumptions.

8. Develop the attitude that there are more reasons why you should succeed than the reasons why you should fail.

9. When you are faced with a problem, adopt the attitude that you can and will solve it.

10. We become what we think about. Control your thoughts and you will control your life.

11. Radiate the attitude of confidence, of well being, of a person who knows where he is going. You will then find good things happening to you right away.

12. In order to develop a good attitude, take charge first thing in the morning. Do you say, "Good morning, Lord" or "Good Lord, morning?"

And here's a little something I always try to remember.... "It's not what happens to you that counts... it's how you react to it." ....AND THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH ATTITUDE!

Judy Garland, started performing at the age of two. She was most famous for her role in "The Wizard of Oz," and was one of the most tragic figures of the "Silver Screen." She won many awards for her versatility and talent, and yet, battled with personal problems throughout her career and on June 22, 1969, Garland's addiction came to an end when she was found dead in the bathroom of her rented Chelsea, London home due to an overdose of painkillers.

Sammy Davis, Jr. was, in my opinion, a fabulous entertainer! Most known as a member of the "Rat Pack," but his career was much more than just being friends with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Sammy Davis Jr. began his career as a childhood vaudevillian and became internationally famous for his performances in New York and Las Vegas.

So what do Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. have in common?

• they both were actors/singers,
• both were posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,
• both were members of the Rat Pack (in fact Garland was one of the founding members)
• they both once owned the same Los Angeles, CA property. Now that property is listed on REALTOR.com® for $3.85 million.

The home that Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. both owned (at separate times) is on the market in Los Angeles!

This 6,700 square-foot estate is situated in the hills above Sunset Strip and offers stunning views, amazing privacy and sprawling grounds. Completely renovated, it boasts classic grandeur with the finest amenities including a fabulous heated pool, state-of-the-art kitchen, home theater, surround entertainment, and luxurious baths.

Two fabulous entertainers... a little bit of nostalgia for sale in Los Angeles.

Westlake Village Ca, Symptoms for Low Testosterone Levels in Men.

A colleague of mine just mentioned today that he had his yearly checkup and his doctor told him his testosterone level was low. I thought it more than a coincidence that I ran across this article today in the local newspaper, The Thousand Oaks Acorn.

Symptoms for low testosterone levels are very similar to depression. The symptoms can be somewhat vague and subtle in their onset: fatigue, lack of "drive" in work and life, depression, increased joint pain and muscle aches, decreased libido and sexual performance, mental fogginess, decreased physical strength and stamina, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, and changes in blood sugar levels.

To read the full article click here.

Here is an additional article that says low testosterone levels in men is like "male menopause." click here.