News

                            Last week, Zillow noticed that 2011 closed out with a lot of celebrity house sales. But that got us thinking of the poor, poor celebs who couldn’t sell in 2011 (and there were many). Here are five of the worst cases: The Prince of Darkness and his bride (aka Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne) have been trying to offload this Malibu house since the spring of 2006, according to Trulia. The five bedroom, five bathroom house sits on La Costa Beach and has fireplaces,...

After years of holdups, starts, stops, and restarts, The Avenue (formerly the Madrone) finally opened earlier this month on Hollywood's northwestern front. The condo-turned-rental project was designed by Cuningham Group Architecture and includes 180 apartments with 25 different floorplans, washer/dryers and balconies in every unit, groundfloor retail (to come), a pool, fitness center, dog run, and concierge service. It's also got the pricing to match all those amenities, with rent starting at $2,350 per month. We visited two units on a dreary day last week--apartment 614 has three bedrooms...

Echo Park is—and has been—a magnet community for hipsters of all ages. Its down-and-dirty ‘hoody vibe attracts artists, actors, and waiters who are also artists and actors. Recently, the lake in the actual Echo Park was drained. Some were sure any number of missing persons would be found at the bottom. Alas, no. But…wait for it…an official City list of everything found in the great Echo Park Lake drain of 2011 has been issued. (If you're just tuning in, the Lake is getting a major rehab and will be closed for the next couple years.) Boom-boxes were still having their moment in 1984,...

Occasionally there are random questions that come as a shock…despite having years of experience in the real estate trenches. Here’s an example (and a well-researched answer): Question: A couple of our board directors are alcoholics. Because of their director positions they are able to enter into contracts, negotiate with potential vendors and decide what maintenance projects should take place. They have entered into agreements and signed contracts while inebriated, then not recalled signing the contracts. They don't recall conversations and promises made to certain owners, vendors and management....

Berkeley, Calif., resident Gregory Kloehn is doing good by his left-coast neighbors and waxing nostalgic about what defines a "home": "Is it toilets and a kitchen and a roof, or is it location, or is it a house that expresses yourself? I dunno, I think for everyone it's a little bit different," Kloehn explains in a video made by local filmmaker Kim Aronson. "For me, I'm just trying to deconstruct what a home can be—how can you turn different objects into a home—and see if I can put everything in that a home has inside of a Dumpster, and if I can make it nice enough that perhaps someone...

While a lot of potential homebuyers may think they are doing everything to maintain stellar credit in anticipation of buying a home, some may not realize that they could be putting their credit at risk as they begin their holiday shopping this year. While many consumers may open store credit cards and other lines of credit to make their holiday shopping more manageable, those who are simultaneously touring open houses and applying for mortgages should be careful not to do so. Opening too many lines of credit and having a number of inquiries into credit history in a short period of time can cause...

Open Table just published a list of their reader’s picks for best neighborhood (non-chain) restaurants. Some of my favorites are on the list.

Finally, a little Brad Pitt Malibu house listing action. The 1962 house on the Encinal Bluffs first hit the MLS in August, but it's been bare bones photo-wise until now. Here you go: look around. Pitt bought the four bedroom, four bathroom house in March 2005 for $8.41008 million, according to Redfin (what was that $80 for?), and he "spent years and millions transforming" it, according to the Real Estalker.  He also planned more changes--the listing says that there is "Planning and Coastal approval for additional 2nd story designed by Chris Sorenson." For now, though, the house comes with a tennis...

The Getty-spearheaded region-wide art celebration, Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980, officially begins this October, and for the event, the entire living room of the Eames House, aka Case Study #8, is being reconstructed inside the Resnick Pavilion at LACMA. The living room (seen above) will be a part of LACMA’s ‘California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way”’ exhibit. At The Agency, we believe great design can truly change your perspective on the world, and The Eames House is an excellent example of this notion. Built in 1945 by noted design duo Charles...

Backstory: Gonna Fly Now LA Luxe Group’s founder, Jeff Yarbrough, took a six-year sabbatical from real estate (1990-96) to work as an activist during the AIDS crisis. His work as editor-in-chief of the LGBT news magazine, The Advocate, won numerous journalism awards. He was recently asked to contribute the following update to the magazine after attending a taping of TV hit “Dancing with the Stars.” “My mother wants to talk to you.” It was a sentence I hadn’t heard since I was a schoolyard bully. Only this time, the kid’s mom was Cher. Chastity Bono had poked her head in to my office...