Support high school music programs with The Rotary Club of Westlake Village Sunrise’s Conejo Wine & Jazz Fest on Sunday, May 20th. The day will feature restaurants, caterers and wineries in addition to live Jazz performance by some of the area’s finest musicians.

Come and join us in wine tastings, food tastings and great music! The event will be held at Conejo Creek Park North,1379 East Janss Road in Thousand Oaks from 1pm – 4pm.   The cost to attend is $50 and the special VIP ticket is $75.

To learn more, visit conejowineandjazz.com/ and to buy tickets, visitconejowineandjazz.ticketleap.com/conejo-wine–jazz-fest/.

Conejo Weekender – Conejo Wine and Jazz Fest in Thousand Oaks is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Over 12,000 virtual participants on Twitter and other social media, and more than 15,000 real-estate professionals descended on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for a “Rally to Protect the American Dream.”

The event, organized by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is part of increased political activity by the NAR and other groups like the National Association of Home Builders over proposals in Congress or before federal agencies that they fear will hurt the housing industry. There are also local rallies around the country focused on protecting home ownership.

Among the issues that are raising the concern are:

• Rules requiring larger down payments on mortgages.
• Proposals in Congress to eliminate or limit the tax deduction on mortgage interest.
• Suggestions that the $500,000 exemption from capital gains tax for couples who sell their homes (it’s $250,000 for single home sellers) be eliminated or curtailed.
• The future of the National Flood Insurance program.
• The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the role of those government-supported​ entities in making mortgages available.

The NAR increased its annual dues $40 last year to raise $80 million for political advocacy in the next two years, Inman News reported. The rally was part of a week of lobbying in Washington on housing issues.

See videos and photos of the rally.

via MSN Listed

Realtors Rally on Capitol Hill – Homes in Westlake Village is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Pocket listings started many years ago as a way for high-profile people or expensive homes to be quietly marketed. They were seen as exclusive because they were listed under the radar of mainstream agents, buyers and even the press. Also known as a “quiet” or “off-market” listing, a pocket listing is a property that an agent keeps tucked away in his or her “pocket.” Though the seller has a signed listing agreement with a real estate agent the property for sale isn’t officially listed in the MLS.
As soon as a home is listed in the MLS, the infamous “days on market” clock starts ticking. The longer your home sits on the market, the more “stale” it becomes and the less money you’re likely to be offered. Buyers, seeing that a home has been for sale for 30 or 60 days or even longer, will inevitably make low-ball offers. And so, instead of going on the market, a seller who wants a certain price may engage their real estate agent and put the listing out there as a “pocket” listing.

With a pocket listing, a seller and their agent can quietly test the market without adding it to the MLS. They can gauge reaction to the price they’re asking and see what kind of traffic they get and how the market receives the property without the MLS clock ticking.

In some markets, there are entire websites devoted to pocket listings or networking opportunities with other agents about upcoming listings and properties. What started as a way to get the word out about future listings has turned into a secondary market of homes for sale for well-connected real estate agents.

Find out more about pocket listings in the secondary market and what this means for buyers and sellers at Zillow.com

Check out the latest real estate updates for Westlake Village and surrounding towns.

Westlake Village Real Estate Update – Pocket Listings 101 is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Come pick a Mother’s Day plant that will last and help restore the local parkland. The Santa Monica Mountains Fund will host a native plant sale and special planting event on Saturday, May 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon in Newbury Park. All proceeds will benefit park restoration and education projects.

This is a great chance to get expert gardening advice on native and fire-safe landscaping, tour the National Park Service’s ethnobotanic garden.

At 10:00 a.m., join other park supporters for a special planting event to help restore your local parkland.

Meet up at Rancho Sierra Vista (main parking lot) 426 W. Potrero Rd Newbury Park, CA 91320. Call 8052.370.2341 with questions.

via Conejo Valley Guide

Conejo Weekender – Native Plant Sale for Mother’s Day is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

According to a Consumer Reports from the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago last week, stainless steel’s dominance over other large-appliance colors could be waning. Get ready: White may be the new shiny gray.

Part of the reason is simply the shelf life of trends, per the post: “Ten years from now, I think we’re going to look back at stainless steel and say, ‘Wow, that’s really a 1990s or 2000s kitchen.” But selection — or lack of it — also comes into play. Of Consumer Reports’ five top-rated fridges, none is available in colors other than stainless steel or “custom overlays.”

Check out Barbara Corcoran’s (real estate contributor for the Today Show) take on it.

Westlake Village Homes – Stainless Steel Appliances May Have Lost Their Luster is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

It looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, but it’s called the Mushroom House. Built over a 10-year span by architect Terry Brown and situated in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati,  Brown’s creation stands out as a one-of-a-kind art installation.

Brown bought the property as a single-family home in 1989 and in 1991, began transforming the home into his custom office. An assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Brown involved the work of his students to help turn the home into a piece of organic architecture.

While critics surmise that the home wasn’t built with a plan, Realtors say that Brown definitely had a design and it shows in the home’s intricate details and unique building materials ranging from wood, colored glass and shells to ceramics and various metals.

Take a look inside the Mushroom House. What do you think of the design and architecture?

via Zillow

Odd Homes – The Mushroom House is for Sale is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Under the new guidelines, which take effect June 15, servicers have 30 days to review and respond to short sale offers or requests. If they need more than 30 days, they must provide the borrower weekly updates and a final response within 60 days. Industry professionals say this short sale timeline is a tall order in Westlake Village real estate (need help with a short sale?)

If the borrower is requesting a short sale under the government’s Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative program, the clock starts ticking when the borrower submits a completed borrower response package requesting consideration of a short sale.

The servicer has 30 days – or 60 days with weekly updates – to review the request and tell the borrower whether a short sale is approved and if so at what price, according to Freddie Mac spokesman Brad German.

The borrower then has to market the property. The new guidelines specify how long the borrower and servicer have to submit and respond to offers and counteroffers. This process could take many more weeks.

If the short sale is not under the government program, the clock starts ticking when the borrower submits a short sale offer from a potential buyer and a completed borrower response package.

If the servicer makes a counteroffer, the borrower has five business days to respond and the servicer must then respond within 10 business days of receiving the borrower’s response.

A bill in California that would prevent a servicer from recording a notice of foreclosure sale after approving a short sale in writing passed the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee 10-0 and is heading to the Assembly Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

Read more at SFGate

Westlake Village Real Estate Update – Short Sales Headed in New Direction is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

The 2012 Chili Cook Off and Classic Car Show will be the place to be on Sunday, April 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Conejo Creek Park South in Thousand Oaks.

The annual event will feature a Regional Chili Cook Off, sanctioned by the International Chili Society, plus a Classic Car Show with autos from car clubs, collectors, and celebrities.   There will also be live music, food, beverages and fun activities for the whole family. There will be lots of food, beer & wine, and arts & crafts vendors. For families, there will be a huge Kid’s Zone with bouncy houses and crafts for kids, as well as carnival games and much, much, much, more for “kids” of all ages.

$10 admission. Kids under 12 are free. Visit www.chili-cook-off.com for more information.

via Conejo Valley Guide

Conejo Weekender – Chili Cook Off and Classic Car Show in Thousand Oaks is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

While price trends are important, sellers also need to be aware of how long a property is likely to sit on the market before being bought.The faster that homes sell, the faster an inventory backlog is cleared, suggesting heightened demand and an upward trajectory in prices.

Additionally, if a home is on the market for an extended period, it may put off prospective buyers and force sellers to accept less-favorable offers.

Zillow compiled a list of cities where homes sell the fastest and California takes 7 out of 10 spots, from San Diego to San Francisco.

Via CNBC

(California Sales Up in February)

Westlake Village Market Update – 7 California Cities Where Homes Sell Fastest in US is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Today’s gadgets and gizmos have gone from luxury to standard in the past 30 years – even in the  home. Check out this roundup of the “latest and greatest” in home technology that in the next  decade  may be more than just a fad in Westlake Village homes, but trends here to stay.

No-Dirt Flowerpot – Attention black thumb gardeners: No need to worry if you’re over- or under-watering your plant. A European company named Click and Grow has created a soil-less, electronic flowerpot that gives the exact amount of water and nutrients to whatever you’re growing.

Smart Fridges - Several refrigerator brands have designed their version of the fridge of the future. In addition to just keeping food cold, these self-cleaning refrigerators connect to WiFi so you can manage the food you have in the fridge, keep track of expiration dates or figure out what meals you can put together. Another “smart” fridge includes an LCD screen where homeowners can surf the Internet, manage calendars and even tweet.

Sensory Night Light - Those middle-of-the-night adventures to the bathroom or kitchen can stall quickly by a stubbed toe and missed step. Fumbling for the light switch is no easy task either. A company has come out with a touch-light “tube” you install in the wall. By touching the wall with your fingertips, the light comes on and follows you as you walk. In the case of a power outage, the system can also be used as backup light.

Check out more of these new home technology products at Zillow

(check out the $6390 Toilet)

Homes in Westlake Village – 3 New Home Technology Trends is a post from: Westlake Village Real Estate-Westlake Village Homes For Sale