REAL ESTATE.....It's My Passion

I share with you a little tid bit that most don't know about me on why I got into the business of Real Estate.

Family Fun Activities in October:

Looking for ideas for you and your family this October and November? Here are a few family fun activities happening in the valley. Hope to see you there!


Dia de los Muertos—Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. On November 1st from 4011p..m., the historic Hollywood Forever Cemetery will be transformed by the vibrant colors of the afterlife. Pay homage to the dearly departed when you join in the self-proclaimed “largest and most authentic Day of the Dead celebration,” which features a costume procession with traditional Aztec blessings and regional musical-dance group dedications. The highlight is the evening concert for the beloved souls, plus theater performances, displays by local artisans, and traditional Mexican cuisine, all surrounded by altars. Admission is free, but Dia de los Muertos attire is strongly encouraged, so go crazy with the face paint.
323.447.0999 or http://www.ladyofthedead.com/

West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval
8300 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. West Hollywood’s Halloween festivities are not for the faint of heart. Free weeklong events lead up to the Costume Carnaval, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The largest Halloween street party in the United States, spectators can expect extraordinary costumes, fabulous drag queens, and well over half a million revelers.
323.848.6400 or http://www.weho.org/

Calabasas Pumpkin Festival
3701 Lost Hills Road, Agoura Hills. Don’t’ just pick up your future jack-o-lantern at the supermarket—make an event out of it with the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, a 2-day street fair featuring four stages of live music & entertainment, a karaoke contest with cash prizes, an “authentic” western town, pumpkin pie eating and seed spitting contests, pumpkin bowling, wildlife way station and pet adoptions, no to mention rides, games, tons of food, and a beer garden with pumpkin beer. Admission is free and the festival runs October 18 & 19 from 10a.m.-5 p.m. both days.
818.222.5680 or http://www.calabasaspumpkinfestival.com/

REAL ESTATE MARKETS ARE LOCAL, SOME LA AREAS SEE DOUBLE DIGIT GAINS

Nationally, the real estate market has been declining in most major cities. But what the general public and media fail to see is that real estate markets are local. Each city and areas within cities have different industries that fuel their local economies. As a result, appreciation rates vary tremendously across the country and in different zip codes and towns. The Los Angeles area has a well diversified economy with one industry that is unique and indigenious to the city; the Entertainment Industry. The Entertainment Industry offers executives, celebrities, and creative professionals high salaries that help increase median prices in the most desirable areas of the county.

The Los Angeles County median price sales data for July 2008 proves that real estate markets are local. There were 20 areas in Los Angeles County where median prices rose in July 2008 from July 2007. The most notable area, Playa del Rey zip code 90293, tops the list for the highest gain in median sales price for July 2008 at 41.40% with a median price of $1,238,000. Other areas include, LA/Westwood zip code 90024, where the median price for properties sold in July 2008 was $1,791,000, an astounding 32.60% gain in value from July 2007. Beverly Hills zip codes 90210 and 90212 saw appreciation rates of 23.5% and 26% respectively. Malibu had median price gain of 18.3% and Pasadena zip code 91105 had a gain of 25.90%.

Please copy and paste this link in a new tab to see the median home sales data for all cities and areas in Los Angeles county.

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For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com
Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008
Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

2008 SUCCESS!!! MARK’S SUCCESS TRACKER

Thanks to all my clients for making 2008 a success so far! I’ve sold 16 homes and over $6.5 million in residential real estate this year!!

MY RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!

THANKS TO ALL OF MY CLIENTS FOR MAKING 2008 A PHENOMENAL YEAR!

2008 HOME SALES:

6850 BOVEY AVE. $460,000

19630 SATICOY ST. $299,000

6534 AURA AVE. $369,000

20134 LEADWELL #334 $275,000

5500 OWENSMOUTH #318 $260,000

18433 HATTERAS #507 $355,000

9174 LANGDON AVE. $390,000

6501 RANDI AVE. $475,000

22652 PAUL REVERE $840,000

23745 BURTON ST. $585,000

20232 LORNE ST. $430,000

10179 LARWIN AVE. #2 $379,000

13320 ROSCOE BLVD. $360,000

11542 BURBANK BLVD. #4 $292,500 IN ESCROW

7836 SHOUP AVE. $439,000 IN ESCROW

5354 DENNY AVE. $339,000 IN ESCROW

$6,547,500 GROSS SALES

For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com

Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008

Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

MULTIPLE OFFERS! HAPPENING AGAIN?

Yes it’s true! I’m seeing multiple offer situations on well priced properties. Multiple offers can be seen on Foreclosure and Short-sale listings the most. The general impression out there is that Real Estate isn’t doing so hot right now. While it may be true that number of sales are their lowest in over a decade. Single family homes in the $300k-$400k range are attracting multiple offers from qualified buyers who are utilizing special FHA loans which require only 3% down payment and to everyone’s surprise there are buyers who are placing offers with ALL CASH and 20-50% down payment. With inflation at its highest level in years, the dismal performance of the stock market, many savvy investors still bet that purchasing Los Angeles real estate is a secure long term investment. I agree with this due to basic laws of economics; supply and demand factors: they’re not making any more land, developments are becoming more vertical than horizontal, and the glitz and glamour continues to lure more people to the city resulting in appreciating values over next 7-10 years.

My Brag Sheet

I pride myself in having the academic knowledge and theoretical skills to help clients make educated decisions. After a long and treacherous journey through college, I am proud to say that I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Business and Real Estate from California State University, Northridge . Whereas most agents have only taken relatively few courses in Real Estate, I have formal training in the fields of Real Estate & Business Law, Real Estate Finance, Business Communications, and Economics. I love to talk and make sure that I’m fighting for your best interests. By using my negotiation skills I have helped save homebuyers significant amounts of money, while home sellers I represented received top dollar for their homes. In addition to my academic accolades, I’m a self proclaimed internet marketing geek!! I make sure that the homes I sell are listed on of the country’s most powerful internet real estate websites. My client’s homes can be seen REALTOR.COM, HOMEGAIN.COM, ZILLOW.COM, and RE/MAX.COM. Shoot me an e-mail or if it's really important call me and I'll show you how I can help you reach your real estate goals!