La Canada Real Estate

To Green or Not to Green

Today I bought my dream car: a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I feel so...environmental. I've been noticing in the last year or two that my once cherry 2001 Ford Explorer wasn't keeping up with the Jones' in the world of real estate. My Humane Society bumper stickers were peeling off and worse, my mileage had trickled down to a paltry 14 MPG. There I was recycling, bringing my Bagu to the supermarket, refusing A/C on the hottest days. Please, I was a regular (Inconvenient Truth) martyr.

So, I set my sights on a Hybrid. Not just any Hybrid. Had to be cool. Sporty. Not white but pearl. I tried for the Prius. Love the design, the awesome MPG. But I operate under the delusion of SUV safety. With a 5 and a 3 1/2 year-old, I think I need the equivalent of a green Hummer. I couldn't go for the Hybrid Escape...to similar to what I had. The Yukon Hybrid gets a low 22 MPG. I convinced myself that the Highlander Hybrid was what I needed (27 MPG). Easily $13,000 more than a regular Highlander, it is a must-have. In a nutshell, $50,000 later, I am now saving about 40% on gas. In something like 39 years, I can justify my purchase on the gas savings alone.

I pulled into the driveway and actually felt guilty as I parked next to the old Explorer. Even though I look more like a Realtor driving down Foothill, he's been good to me. But its not like I traded him in. The old gas hog will live on, driving to Disney everyday with my stepdaughter. Better that than in a landfill...

Today I bought my dream car: a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I feel so...environmental. I've been noticing in the last year or two that my once cherry 2001 Ford Explorer wasn't keeping up with the Jones' in the world of real estate. My Humane Society bumper stickers were peeling off and worse, my mileage had trickled down to a paltry 14 MPG. There I was recycling, bringing my Bagu to the supermarket, refusing A/C on the hottest days. Please, I was a regular (Inconvenient Truth) martyr.

So, I set my sights on a Hybrid. Not just any Hybrid. Had to be cool. Sporty. Not white but pearl. I tried for the Prius. Love the design, the awesome MPG. But I operate under the delusion of SUV safety. With a 5 and a 3 1/2 year-old, I think I need the equivalent of a green Hummer. I couldn't go for the Hybrid Escape...to similar to what I had. The Yukon Hybrid gets a low 22 MPG. I convinced myself that the Highlander Hybrid was what I needed (27 MPG). Easily $13,000 more than a regular Highlander, it is a must-have. In a nutshell, $50,000 later, I am now saving about 40% on gas. In something like 39 years, I can justify my purchase on the gas savings alone.

I pulled into the driveway and actually felt guilty as I parked next to the old Explorer. Even though I look more like a Realtor driving down Foothill, he's been good to me. But its not like I traded him in. The old gas hog will live on, driving to Disney everyday with my stepdaughter. Better that than in a landfill...

La Canada Market Activity This Week

August trudges slowly on....

We had 6 new listings come on the market this week:

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Okay, only 2 of them are new. The other 4 are re-lists but have been off for a few weeks or more so it warrants reintroducing them. 743 Starlight Heights is new to the MLS as a FSBO (for sale by owner). Town home with nice views. 4627 Viro is that short sale, now at a lower price and new agent. 2201 Canalda is in Sagebrush and also available for lease. 4326 Commonwealth sold over a year ago for $1,750,000. The buyers had plans drawn and put it back on the market for $2,495,000. The price went up and down before expiring in June. Now it is back on. Major fixer is putting it mildly. Great location, but crunch the numbers to see what the land is really worth. 501 Haverstock was on for 9 months, took a few weeks off and is now on again. 954 Flintridge has come down quite a bit. Originally listed around 5 million, it is a nice ranch in a fabulous location.

No homes went into escrow this week. Not surprising given that school starts next week and it is traditionally the slowest week in La Canada real estate. We did, however have 7 closings:

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4526 La Granada Way was originally listed for $799, then reduced to $749 before selling for $710 5 months later. 4353 Vista Place was originally listed for $1,098,950 then reduced $100,000 before selling for $910. 1231 Inverness was a hotbed of activity reminiscent of 2006. It listed for $936,000, had 4 offers before showings began and sold for $1,150,000. 4210 Hampstead was originally listed for $1,595,000 and was slowly reduced to $1,395,000 before selling for $1,267,500 (note to self: realistic list price....extremely important). 4826 Fairlawn actually sold for $1,000 over asking in just a couple of weeks. 510 Meadowgrove sold for asking with multiple offers...fabulous location and property. 5429 Castle Knoll sold quickly for just $10,000 under asking.

This week has been slow, but overall a good August for La Canada real estate!

La Canada Market Activity This Week

Just returned from a fabulous beach getaway with the family. A few years ago we discovered a small paradise called Surfside. Less than 40 minutes away just north of Huntington Beach, it is a gated colony with an incredible beach. Only residents are on the beach because there is almost no place to park outside of the gates. Many days we were the only ones on the beach. A marked contrast from days at either Hermosa or Santa Monica! We rent a lovely cottage right on the sand: http://www.surfsideprop.com/SURFSIDERENTAL.htm I can't say enough about the house and the community. It is a perfect family vacation.

Back to reality...we have 87 homes on the market. Inventory is down almost 20% from the beginning of the summer. More homes will come on the market the week after school starts.

We had 7 new listings come on the market:

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703 Starlight Heights is a townhouse. 2226 Fairhurst is in Sagebrush. I have not seen it yet. 5222 Vista Lejana sold in '06 for $1,950,000 and has been totally renovated. 1741 La Barranca is a small 2 bedroom home near the freeway. 2028 Lombardy is charming with a lovely backyard. The owners have a wonderful vegetable garden. Great location on the cul-de-sac. It is open tomorrow (Sunday) 2-4. 4721 Orange Knoll is very close to the freeway. 4336 Chevy Chase is my listing. It is a beautiful home built in 2000. I am holding it open tomorrow 2-5.

We had 3 homes go into escrow:

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4089 Dover came on the market last Novembr for $1,699,000. It went into escrow in January for over $1.6 but fell out because of septic issues that the seller would not pay for. Over $200,000 and 7 months later they are back in escrow. 4555 Indiana is cute and on its second escrow. 1122 Atlee sold in '06 for over $1.2 and is now in escrow as a short sale. They are waiting for bank approval so back-up offers are welcome.

4 homes sold in La Canada last week:

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1627 Leycross sold quickly for full price. 4849 Fairlawn came on the market 6 months ago for 2.2, gradually reducing to $1,795,000 before selling for $1550,000. Power lines were an issue and the house needed updating. 5173 Earl sold in '06 for 2.9 and had over $200,000 in updates and structural repair. 787 Greenridge sold in less than 3 weeks for 98% of asking. While we have seen a drop in prices, homes like Leycross and Greenridge seemed to get top dollar. But a house like the one on Earl, much nicer and in a great location, sold at a loss. If only my crystal ball was working I could really get a handle on this market...

La Canada Market Activity This Week

We only had 2 new listings come on this week in La Canada:

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1122 Atlee is a short sale. It sold in '06 for $1,240,000. Indy Mac is the lender so bank approval on an accepted offer could take months. 4632 Palm is beautiful and shows perfectly. Look for my new listing (4336 Chevy Chase, photos to the right) next week as well as Janice's new listing on Lombardy. Both will caravan Tuesday and all are welcome.

We had 5 homes go into escrow this week:

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4804 Crown sold in just over 1 week. It looked like an apartment inside. 226 Mariners View was priced to move. 1270 Inverness was originally priced in the high 1.6 range and had 2 big reductions before selling. 4821 Vineta was original with a mostly concrete backyard, but in a wonderful location. It sold in just over 1 month. 5429 Castle Knoll sold in just over 1 week.

We had 2 homes sell this week:

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5023 Merita Place was originally listed in March for $1,249,000. It had 3 reductions ending at $997,000 before it sold for $100,000 less than that. The taped square footage was 2247, but the assessor's data was much smaller. The difference was in the unpermitted basement space that was livable but unconventional. 1625 Del Oro sold and closed in less than 2 months for $45,000 under asking.

Next week I will be out of town (except for Tuesday caravan), blissfully away from my computer. I will post next weeks sales on Saturday the 23rd. Please mark your calendar for my open house Sunday, 8/24 from 2-5. I will be serving some sort of sweet treats, perhaps cupcakes from Auntie Em's.

La Canada Market Activity This Week

We've had 4 new listings come on this week in La Canada:

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4635 Ocean View is bank-owned and at an aggressive list price. 226 Mariners View is a nice 4 bedroom home. The small yard is offset by the community pool and tennis courts. 1946 Ravista has just come back on the market after being listed at a higher price for nearly 4 months. It is in a nice location at the end of the cul-de-sac. The house shows badly and the yard is a mess but it could be a diamond in the rough for the right price. 5429 Castle Knoll sits on a beautiful street and is like a time capsule from the 60's.

Activity is up as we had 6 homes go into escrow:

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1528 Sugar Loaf was in original condition but had a large lot. 4210 Hampstead was very nice inside, but the curb appeal and location below the street level wasn't for everyone. It was originally listed for $1,595,000 6 months ago. 5160 La Canada Blvd. features a very worn-out house on a fabulous 30,500 foot lot. 4936 Palm is brand new. It originally listed close to 2.4 but because of some floor plan issues and its proximity to Palm Crest it was reduced. 510 Meadowgrove was an original home on a fabulous lot. It sold with multiple offers. I did not see 4917 Angeles Crest but am curious what price it will close at. Tough location.

We had 1 home close escrow:

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4546 Lasheart is a small cottage near LCE. Cute but no expansion possibility, hence the price.

Coldwell Banker is officially moving to 657 Foothill, right between Hallmark and La Canada Books and Toys (the space used to be a Jenny Craig). We have transformed it into a high-functioning office, stripped down and stream-lined. Please stop by and see us or come to our Grand Opening on September 16!