Blog » Page 9 of 17 » Live in the Hollywood Riviera
Six Things You Should Know Before Buying a Condo
A condominium allows you to wade into homeownership without adopting the responsibilities of a single-family home. You pay dues to a condo association, which typically handles exterior building mainte...
Seven Steps to Take Now if You’re Considering Buying a Home in 2018
If you’re thinking about buying a home in 2018, November and December are the perfect time to “warm up” for the house hunt so you can hit the ground running in the new year. No matter where you’re loo...
Six Steps for Selling a Home with Pets
Just because you love your pets—whether that be dogs, cats or hamsters—it doesn’t mean that potential buyers want to see those pets (or any evidence of them, for that matter) when they’re looking at a...
How to Use Music to Sell Your Home
Can music really get a buyer in the mood to seal the deal? According to Adrian North, Lorraine Sheridan and Charles Areni, a trio of Australians who tested this theory in 2015, hearing music makes peo...
Riviera Resident Leah Lewis is the New Rabbi at Temple Menorah
Riviera resident Leah Lewis does not fit the profile of a typical rabbi. In fact, this young female rabbi is among the growing ranks of women rabbis in the U.S. Women still make up a small percentage ...
Five Surprising Benefits of Buying or Selling Your Home in the Fall
Are you seeing less for-sale signs now that summer is over? That can be great news for both buyers and sellers. Don’t think you’ve missed the boat on making your move this year. Here, RealtyTimes offe...
West Coast Home Sellers Cashing in on Record Home Values
Staying in a home longer can net a serious return on investment, especially in some of the nation’s hottest housing markets. That finding comes courtesy of a new Zillow analysis, which shows that U.S....
Five Ways to Make Your Home Look Larger
When selling a home, décor choices can impact how large or small a residence appears to potential buyers. Here, the National Association of Realtors offers some simple tips from professional home stag...
Four Questions to Ask Your Partner Before Buying a Home Together
Buying your first home is exciting, but there’s also some stress that comes with it. A house is a big purchase, and it brings a host of new hurdles beyond the initial price tag. If you’ll be purchasin...
Building Castles in the Sand A Labor of Love for this Riviera Resident
Todd Vander Pluym was born to play in the sand. The creator of Sand Sculptors International, Todd recalls how his parents would put his crib on the beach when he was just a few months old, only to fin...
Are You Paying Too Much for a House in Your Neighborhood?
Sometimes determining how much you should pay for a home can be as simple as looking at the recently sold homes in the neighborhood and considering how your specific lot compares. But if the home you ...
Why Are You Selling? Ten Answers You Should Never Give
“Why are you selling your house?” might seem like a perfectly innocent question for home buyers to ask, but watch out: If you’re the home seller they’re asking, this is one of the most complicated que...
Five Ways to Prepare for an Appraisal and Showcase Your Home at its Best
Determining a price for your home can be stressful, especially if you don’t know how to prepare for an appraisal. If the home’s appraised value is too far from the listing price, it can make or break ...
Eight Outdoor Trends That Attract Buyers
Thinking about putting your home on the market? Don’t neglect your outdoor space while making improvements indoors as well. Your home’s exterior and the backyard are important in drawing the eyes of p...
Reaching for the Stars: An Interview with the Riviera’s NASA Man, Jim Montgomery
Of the more than 7 billion people on this earth, Hollywood Riviera resident Jim Montgomery is one of the fortunate few who gets to explore the wider universe, and get paid for it! A senior engineer at...
The Facts (and Myths) on Down Payments and PMI
Thinking about buying a home and worried about your down payment? You’ve likely heard the rule of thumb about not purchasing a home unless you can put 20 percent down. Before accepting this myth, Fred...
Cut Back on These Seven Outdoor Trends to Help Sell Your Home
If you’re planning to place your home on the market, you’ll want to make sure prospective buyers can picture themselves enjoying the great outdoors. From the wrong trees and shrubs to poor patio light...
Three Tips for Selling an Eco-Friendly Home
Eco-friendly features can help a home stand out in a competitive real estate market, especially to environmentally conscious homebuyers. In addition to the promise of lower electric bills, green upgra...
Seven Inexpensive Landscaping Ideas That Will Pay Off Later
A home with a gorgeous yard isn’t just easy on the eyes. According to research conducted by Virginia Tech, well-landscaped homes also sell for 5.5 percent to 12.7 percent. The only problem is, profess...
Six Ways to Win a Bidding War
A hot spring market fueled by high demand and low inventory has emerged in 2017. Buyers are doing their best to stay ahead of rising interest rates, but often are confronted with short time frames to ...