Stewart Penn - Los Angeles Condo Specialist

Another DREAM HOME has been listed, this time in Palm Springs, California.

"The Elrod House" situated at 2175 Southridge Drive in Palm Springs is for sale at $13,890,000.

Measuring almost 9000 sq ft, this 5-Bed 5-Bath Palm Springs iconic home, designed by architect John Lautner, was built in 1968 for interior designer Arthur Elrod.

The home features some unique design elements like two 25-foot-wide hanging glass curtain walls that that retract to open the living room to the outside at the touch of a button.

The current owner purchased the property for $5,5 Million in 2003 so the current list price of over $13 Million is a whopping increase - but who knows what this incredibly unique home will fetch in this market.

(Listed my Matt Tapsoctt of Expoint Realty, Palm Springs)

I was interested to read about CreditKarma.com, an online company that supplies registered users with their credit report and credit scores for free.

Unlike other companies that supply credit reports that advertise free reports but actually end up charging for their services, CreditKarma.com is truly free for consumers.

The company (founded in 2007) is funded by its advertising revenue and in turn is able to offer users free credit reports and scores.

This is a win for consumers who up until now had to pay about $15.95 (or more) to receive their credit report and score directly from the credit reporting agencies; Experian, Equifax and Transunion.

My biggest concern is that a user needs to provide his or her Social Security Number (which makes sense) ..... but I'm not convinced about the security and privacy offered by the CreditKarma.com once they receive one's Social Security Number.

The website currently boasts 800,000 registered users so I was curious if any ActiveRainers have had any experience with this site.

Finally, the City of Beverly Hills has joined the City of West Hollywood in banning the declawing of cats.

This week the Beverly Hills City Council voted 5-0 to approve the declawing ban except in the case of medical emergencies. The City of West Hollywood instituted the ban back in 2003. The City of Santa Monica has recently voted 5-1 to adopt the ban.

What surprised me was that the California Veterinary Medical Association opposed the ban, claiming "The decision to declaw a cat should be made by the owner in consultation with their veterinarian."

Last month the Malibu City Council voted against a motion for a citywide ban.They did however adopt was a Resolution opposing declawing, but I think they did not go far enough!

What also surprised me was that the California Veterinary Medical Association opposed the ban, claiming "The decision to declaw a cat should be made by the owner in consultation with their veterinarian."

Time Magazine has published a list of "50 of the Best Inventions of 2009".

I think that one of the most exciting products is the new Powerhouse Solar Shingle from the Dow Chemical Company.

The Solar Shingle is designed to be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials.

According to Dow's website "Roofing contractors won't need any particular knowledge of solar array installations, and installations should be quick because conventional roofing shingles and Solar Shingles can be applied at the same time".

The company plans to start selling the shingles next year and expects to earn as much as $10 Billion by 2020.

What's exciting for consumers is that these shingles are expected to cost 10%-15% less than traditional solar panels and will be cheaper and quicker to install. They're also more aesthtically pleasing.