Why we’re in emerging neighborhoods

Found myself talking about neighborhoods with a new agent of ours yesterday. We were discussing why our deals (both the ones we do for ourselves and the ones we broker) tend to be grouped in a few main areas, none of which are the Westside, Hollywood, or Miracle Mile. It’s not that we dislike working … Continue reading “Why we’re in emerging neighborhoods”

A small problem with putting solar on your roof

There’s a slight problem with putting a solar system on your roof: You may be radically reducing the value of your property. Now, this doesn’t go for all homes. It’s specifically the case with home in cities where the zoning allows for denser development. So, for example, consider an old 800 sq ft single family home … Continue reading “A small problem with putting solar on your roof”

All about earthquake shut-off valves in Los Angeles

Was at an inspection yesterday and got an interesting question from the listing broker, which I think deserves an answer here. The building in question, which was built in the late 1980s, had one earthquake shut-off valve installed on each bank of gas meters. For those who don’t know, an earthquake shut-off valve is a … Continue reading “All about earthquake shut-off valves in Los Angeles”

Why it all comes back to judgement

One of the under-appreciated qualities that go into doing what we do is judgement. Almost every project brings with it unanticipated problems, from the trivial to the potentially severe. At this point, I think it’s fair to see that we’ve seen the majority of these problems before and know the solutions. But, even now, after … Continue reading “Why it all comes back to judgement”

You can’t juke the operating expenses

There’s another broker with whom I’m acquainted who always seems to have amazing deals to show her clients. Every week or so, I see her pitching deals with 8-10% cash on cash returns. Eventually, I started to get curious. After all, this is a tough market. I have every advantage in the world, and it’s not easy for … Continue reading “You can’t juke the operating expenses”