As I have posted before, Beverly Hills can be tough waters to navigate when you are trying to find a well done home, condo, or townhouse at a reasonable price. Even at non reasonable prices, more times than not the property is going to need some work. If you haven’t had the chance to see my new listing at 130 North Swall (1br/1ba), definitely give me a call or stop by my open this Sunday (6/20/10 - 2pm-5pm) - it literally is the nicest, best priced condo in the city of Beverly Hills at $595,000.
Let’s say that you need more space and are looking for an alternative to a single family home, but still want to stay in Beverly Hills. Today’s Hot Prop is definitely worth a look. As I was previewing yesterday, the agent had mentioned that this particular unit was featured on one of Oprah’s make over shows with home design guru Nate Burkus. I am embarrassed to admit that I actually saw this particular episode a few years back. In my defence, my close friend and roommate at the time always DVR’d Oprah and she forced me at gun point to watch with her (that may or may not be the case but I am sticking by my story). If I recall correctly, the theme of the show was what to do with a small space or room. I’ll get back to that later.
What I really liked about this unit was that it had traditional elements like hardwood floors, crown moldings, and Cararra marble infused with bold accents of old Hollywood Regency glam. The owner did a particularly good job with the spacious living room and dining areas. With Hollywood Regency, you have to walk a very fine line between chic and tacky. I think she danced the line quite well although her pinky toe may have slipped just a little in the downstairs powder room.
For someone looking for a place that feels like a home without the upkeep of a single family dwelling, this is the ideal compromise. There is ample room and a nice feeling of space packed into roughly 1600 sq ft. The kitchen is expansive with moderately high end appliances (I promise I am not going to mention the V word today) and includes a wonderfully cozy breakfast booth. I loved this touch! It’s the ideal place to have a cup of coffee while reading your favorite online blog (www.richkidsrealestate.com/blog).
Enter Nate Burkus…there is a small little study towards the back of the house that I believe was the area that Nate 
remodeled. He takes advantage of every inch of space creating a little TV area as well as a built in office space. This is something that you typically do not see in a town house or condo - two separate living areas. Off of the office is an enclosed outdoor children’s play room that is meant to be an open air patio. They put an easily removable awning over the space to essentially create another room - a very warm room I might add when it gets higher than 80 degrees as it was yesterday.
Upstairs are 2 substantial bedrooms, each with large closets and en suite bathrooms. The master bedroom has a large picture window that faces the street (which you can’t see in the photos as there are large draperies) and the bathroom is luxe with a huge closet. A little dated, but nothing some new, inexpensive bathroom fixtures couldn’t change.
In unit laundry and 2 garaged side by side parking spots complete this designer done residence.
239 South Lasky Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 - 2br/2.5ba, Roughly 1600 sq ft - $1,185,000
PRIME BEVERLY HILLS 2-STORY TOWNHOME. PROFESSIONALLY REMODELED AND DECORATED. 2 BEDROOM, 2.5 BATH WITH DEN/OFFICE, EAT-IN KITCHEN, UPSTAIRS WASHER/DRYER AND HUGE INDOOR/OUTDOOR PATIO. NEW APPLIANCES, HARDWOOD FLOORS, CROWN & BASE MOLDING AND LARGE MASTER SUITE WITH DUAL SINKS AND WALK-IN CLOSET. CUSTOM BUILT-INS THROUGHOUT. UNDERGROUND SIDE-BY-SIDE PARKING. LOCATED IN GOLDEN TRIANGLE AND VERY CLOSE TO BEVERLY HILLS SHOPPING, RESTAURANTS AND HIGH SCHOOL. LOW HOA DUES ($275 - very inexpensive). Westside Estate Agency
As of the last few weeks, there have not been a ton of properties to hit the market that have really blown me away. For whatever reason, June has proven to be fairly inconsistent when it comes to inventory, especially in the prime “WeHo Adjacent” area. I was skeptical when I saw the photos of today’s Hot Prop in the MLS. Although I loved what I saw online, I am not a huge fan of Clinton as a street in general. As you head east of Crescent Heights and certainly east of Fairfax, I find that the street becomes extraordinarily narrow, congested, and the lots/homes are the sizes of postage stamps. At that point, give me a nice condo with easy parking any day of the week. Willoughby tends to be my cut through street when I am trying to avoid Melrose or Beverly, so I had forgotten how nice Clinton can be when you are west of Crescent Heights.
As you know, I always try to remain objective about the properties I am presenting as well as other agent’s listings. Objectively speaking with the research to back it up, I can say that this unit is without a doubt the nicest condo in Beverly Hills within this price point. Beverly Hills has always been a mish mash of part amazing and part “I am only living in this place for either a) the school district or b) the prestige factor”. In the condo world, there is not much by way of new construction and slick modern amenities unless you are willing to pay a huge premium for it. More times than not, you will be entering a world of buildings done in the 60’s, crystal chandeliers (and not the cool kind from Bon Tempe), carpeting, old school bathrooms/kitchens, and that constant smell of moth balls that bring back memories of your great Aunt Sylvia.
amenities as keyless entry into both the building and unit, impeccably kept common areas, fitness center, and side by side parking, there is nothing like it in the city. The unit itself is absolutely stunning and no expenses were spared to make this the ultimate pied-à-terre. There are gleaming hardwood floors throughout the entire residence, a gourmet kitchen with a complete Viking appliance package (fridge, range, microwave, and dishwasher included), creamy granite counters, inlaid ceilings in the living room with recessed lighting/thick crown molding, and a massive outdoor patio that is perfect for entertaining. The master is substantial with lots of natural light and an en suite bathroom with tasteful cararra marble dual sink vanities and shower (I say tasteful because many of us have witnessed how marble can go horribly array in BH). Another unique feature is a dressing suite/separate vanity/water closet to ensure your private quarters remain closed off to guests. There is an in unit washer and dryer, security system, and wiring for surround sound music. As I mentioned above, the unit does come with 2 gated side by side parking spots as well as guest parking. A large climate controlled on site storage facility completes this exceptional home.
All right rich kids, it’s time to bust out your calculators because we are going to get down to brass tacts and crunch some numbers. Whenever I go on a listing appointment, the first thing that I do is look at the market analysis to obtain a general idea of what’s happening in the area. Keep in mind that within these pockets, there are various premiums based on the location, zip code, etc. For example, zip code 90069 which would be prime Hollywood Hills would also be lumped in with zip codes further east which are not quite as pricey, but the overall analysis will be higher because the premium zips will raise numbers for the area in total. This will provide you with a basic snapshot of what is going on. Should you have questions about comps pertinent to your home, I am happy to provide you a more detailed information based on the specifics within a few mile radius of the property.
I apologize in advance for the recent lack of posts! Things have been extremely busy on this end, including a Memorial Day move over the weekend. From my move comes some invaluable information that will be useful to rich kids everywhere!
Attention Rich Kids: For any of you looking for an amazing single family home that is done to the nines, beautifully landscaped within an inch of itself, and are prepared to conquer a multiple offer death match (shameless plug - I almost always win in multiple offer scenarios and it’s not always based on having the highest offer) than this house is for you. For the location and the scope of how nicely done this home is, the owners/agent obviously priced it low to spark a bidding war on the property. In my humble opinion, it’s worth it. Typically a house like this would be listed somewhere between $825-$900K depending on how motivated and realistic the seller is. As I type this there is currently one solid offer which was submitted yesterday before today’s debut on caravan and I would wager that there are a couple of additional offers on the way.
Attention Rich Kids with a passion for Spanish Moorish architecture: like the title says, my client has just reduced the price on Villa Paradiso at 1808 Laurel Canyon from $1,399,999 to $1,195,000 and is motivated to look at all offers. I’ve seen a lot of properties out there that are have original historic elements to them and there are very few as pristine as this property. I say this all the time (I am not being biased because it’s my listing), but one of my favorite aesthetics is Spanish Revival with a modern twist. If I could select my dream buyer for this home, it would be someone that loves the original details, but then adds a slick modern (but cohesive) twist to the kitchen and baths. With 5 bedrooms, one could easily convert the top floor into one lavish master suite or the two jack & jill style bedrooms on the first floor. At this price, one could get an amazing house while having a surplus of reserves to update to perfection.
area. One of my favorite places of all time is the Ojai Valley Resort and Spa. Wallace Neff, who was known for his opulent Spanish Revival architecture had a huge influence on Ojai’s aesthetic. Villa Paradiso is reminiscent of that with it’s terracotta tile work infused with hand painted tiles, romantic archways, and a large wood burning fireplace. The ceiling is vaulted made of carved wood with hand stenciled artwork on the beams. This central heart of the home has well positioned windows throughout the first and second floor balconies, flooding the entire space with light. By day the atmosphere is open and airy while the evening creates a feeling of wanting to get close to a hot Latin lothario(a) by the fire.
There are ample reasons why one would want to live in Beverly Hills, but one of the biggest is for the school system. Beverly Hills Unified School District is considered by many to be one of the finest in the country and most certainly in Los Angeles County. For all of you older rich kids, do you remember on the original 90210 when Andrea used to take the bus from the Van Nuys to BH every day so that she could get a stellar education at the fictitious West Beverly (side note: apparently Beverly Hills is now an ocean front community - perhaps the big one hit and we lost all of West LA - as the new West Beverly on the CW’s 90210 is on a cliff over looking the ocean, but I digress…not that I watch it or anything…)? Anyway, the BH school district was like a swat team looking for a murder suspect because Andrea had to move into her Grandma’s cramped 1 br apt and live on the couch to ultimately convince the pricipal that she indeed was a BH resident. Disaster averted - phew!!!!
At this point I know I am sounding like a broken record, but I think it’s beneficial to all the rich kids out there, both buyers and sellers, to be consistently updated on how the market it trending. Like I’ve said many times, if you are selling or buying a home that is done, well priced, and in a decent neighborhood it is going to sell quickly. This trend fully encapsulates the mind set of today’s buyer. They are savvy, have done their homework in tandem with their agents, and are ready to pounce the moment that there is a good deal to be had.
I am frantically typing this post as I am heading into a meeting and I wanted to get this property to all my readers as quickly as possible (today is it’s first day on the market). I think this Hot Prop will be gone in less than 5 days (I am pretty good at guessing these things as you have seen from my previous posts). Located towards the top of Miller Drive (Miller is where La Cienega ends at Sunset and is the street that you continue on as you head into the hills), this property has one of the coolest set ups I have seen. When you are looking at the main photo on the left, you’ll see that there is a glass structure behind the main house - that’s the massive window encased guest house complete with kitchen, fireplace, full bathroom, and some of the best city views you will ever see.
