Brentwood Art Show: Sunday, April 25, 2010, 10:00am-6:00pm

This Sunday marks the 23rd annual Brentwood Spring Art Show. The outdoor event showcases professional fine artists and craftspeople along the eastbound lanes of San Vicente Boulevard, beginning at Saltair Avenue and running east to Darlington Avenue in Brentwood. So if you’re in the neighborhood on Sunday, April 25, from 10:00am to 6:00pm come on down and get some culture. Admission is FREE. The one-day extravaganza features thousands of great gifts items, art collector’s favorites, eclectic home décor, and more. The event also presents live jazz performances by the Ed Wing Trio, the Jammin Foundation Jazz Ensemble with musical director Jacques Lesure, and the Jazzzone Ensemble with musical director Stephen Foster, offers guests an international food court of tasty treats, and provides an entertainment area for children with rides, games and assorted amusements.

Plenty of free parking.

Brentwood Country Mart: Pony Rides Every Sunday

The Brentwood Country Mart has been a Brentwood institution over 60 years. And if you haven’t been there in a while, you will be pleasantly surprised with it has to offer that keeps people coming back year after year.

Thanks to a new management company, the Brentwood Country Mart is back and better than ever. Long before shopping malls existed, the Brentwood Country Mart opened for business in 1948. It was intended to be the Westside’s answer to the Farmer’s Market (located on the other side of town, on Fairfax & 3rd Street).

There are currently about five eateries and twenty specialty shops that are rather unique and worth seeing, including men’s and women’s clothing stores, a jewelry store, a barbershop and shoe repair, just to name a few.

And now – just in time for spring – there are pony rides every Sunday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. So bring the kids, enjoy freshly made Small Batch Ice Cream or a treat from Edelweiss Chocolates, and live the dream that is Brentwood.

Located on 26th Street, just south of San Vicente Blvd. Look for the big red barn.

225 26th Street Santa Monica, CA 90402

Learn About Brentwood Zoning at the LA Department of Building and Safety

Let’s say you want to develop some land in Brentwood. You might want to tear down an old house on a nicely sized lot and build a new home in its place. If the lot is big enough, you might even want to build two.

Or you want to build condos or perhaps an apartment building. Or you would like to add a second level to an existing home. There are many factors that will determine what you can and cannot build on that property. The size of the lot and the zoning are two of the most important factors determining what you can and cannot build.

But how do you figure out what your options are? The answer: the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (DBS).

The DBS is a government office that many people will never visit. However if you are involved in real estate, it’s an office that can become your best friend.

The first step is to go to the main office located at 1828 Sawtelle Avenue, West Los Angeles (Between Santa Monica and Olympic). Go to the 2nd floor and take a number. They open at 7:30 am and the earlier you go the faster the service. All you do is simply bring the address of the property and the clerk will be able to give you a general idea of what you can and cannot build.

If you decide to move forward with the project, your architect will draw up plans and then submit them to the city for approval. The city will review the plans and require changes if necessary to meet the current building codes. The architect will make changes and re-submit. The process continues until the city approves the plans.

There is no cost to talk to the DBS and get information. It is a wonderful resource. And if you can’t make it to their office, the website is very powerful resource tool: http://www.ladbs.org.

Have you used their services before? Did they help you with your building project? Let me know about them in the comments below.

Brentwood’s Hidden Farmers Market

If you like fresh produce and a carnival-like atmosphere, then a Farmers’ Market is for you. There you can find fresh locally grown produce, as well as meet local artists, clothiers, candy makers and musicians selling their homemade and often handmade goods. There are several Farmers’ Markets all over the Westside. But back when I was a kid growing up in Santa Monica I only remember the one on Wednesday mornings on 2nd Street and Arizona. My mom and I would park at JCPenney and sneak over to the Farmers’ Market and get some produce. It was my job to carry the 20 lbs. bag of oranges. I was small but very strong.

You can see from the list below that there are several choices all over Los Angeles and this is just a small sampling. I do want to highlight the Farmers’ Market at the Veterans Administration property in Brentwood, know as the Westwood Farmers’ Market (not to be confused with the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market). Most people don’t know about it because you can’t see it driving by on Wilshire or San Vicente or Sepulveda or Ohio. But you can access it from all those streets. Just look for and follow the signs on Thursday afternoon. One of the best features is the huge free parking lot. The is small botanical garden too that is a pleasant place to sit under the awning and enjoy lunch.

Brentwood
741 S. Gretna Green Way at San Vicente Blvd.
Sundays, 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM

Westwood (Veteran’s Administration Property)
11010 Constitution Avenue
Thursdays, 12:00 Noon – 6:00 PM

Westwood Village
Broxton Ave. & Weyburn Ave.
Wednesday 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Santa Monica
2640 Main Street
Sundays, 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Open All Year

Santa Monica
2nd Street & Arizona Avenue
Wednesdays, 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Open All Year

Santa Monica
Virginia Ave. Park (NW corner of Pico & Cloverfield)
Saturdays, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Open All Year

Santa Monica
Arizona Avenue & 3rd Street
Saturdays, 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Open All Year

Pacific Palisades
1037 Swarthmore Avenue (North of Sunset Blvd.)
Sunday 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Century City
1800 Avenue of the Stars
(South of Santa Monica Blvd.)
Thursday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

West Los Angeles
11338 Santa Monica Boulevard at Corinth Ave.
(Behind the Public Library)
Sunday 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Beverly Hills
9300 Block Of Civic Center Dr.
Sunday 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

VA / Brentwood Golf Course Involved in $180,000 Conspiracy

Who even knew that the Veterans Affairs property in Brentwood had a nine-hole golf course? Certainly I didn’t. Until I read the Los Angeles Times article about the two VA employees who were arrested for stealing $180,000 in green fees over the last six years. The VA closed the course back in March of 2009 pending an investigation, and it has not re-opened. What I don’t understand is that if this little golf course generates so much money, then why wouldn’t the VA re-open it? I’m told they are planning a renovation, but a re-open date is not known at this time.

Check out the article here: Los Angeles Times

Tips for Buying a Short Sale Property

In our current market, many questions are asked regarding short sales and foreclosures, both of which can prove to be great deals. But it’s best to know what you’re getting into before you proceed.

What is a short sale?

A short sale occurs when the proceeds from the sale of a property fall short of paying off the entire loan on that property. Usually because the value of the home has dropped significantly, the Seller makes an arrangement with the Lender before listing the home for sale, and the Lender agrees to accept a lesser amount, figuring that something is better than nothing.

But buying one of these “deals of a lifetime” can be a little tricky. I sat down with John Ciolino, Senior Loan Officer with First Capital Mortgage to get some good advice about buying a short sale.

The Best Margarita in Los Angeles

We are the city of angels, but when we feel a little devilish and want to get a bit wild, a good margarita can really do the trick.

In an effort to help find the best margarita on the Westside, I personally consumed dozens of them this year. It was tough, but I did it. What can I say? I’m a giver.

Here’s what I learned. The house margarita at most Mexican restaurants is usually terrible. I recently had one at Lares in Santa Monicas. Awful! Tasted like flat seven-up and tequila. But the food was good; go figure.

The thing is, for it to be the best, it has to consistent. So that no matter which bartender makes it, it’s always good. It can’t be bartender dependent. In other words, it’s all in the recipe and the ingredients. They’ve got to have good tequila. I like Patron’s silver for sipping, but Sauza Hornitas or 1800 are good, reasonably-priced tequilas for mixing. Cointreau is a must. Never let them use triple sec. And if they don’t have Cointreau, Grand Marnier is acceptable. Lime juice or sweetened lime juice. That’s it. No sweet and sour mix. (Rocks vs. blended ? Please, rocks.)

So my pick?

The Winner:

Marix Tex Mex in Santa Monica (Entrada & PCH) I recommend their “Kick Ass Margarita” because it most certainly will . . .

Runner Up:

Border Grill in Santa Monica (4th & Broadway) Very good indeed.

Honorable mention:

Don Antonio’s in West Los Angeles (Pico & Barrington) You can’t beat the prices.

El Cholo in Santa Monica (Wilshire & 11th) – the house margarita tends to be a little on the sweet side, but okay.

And if you feel like heading east:

El Carmen in Los Angeles (Third & Crescent Heights.) Very good. It is a tequila bar after all. But take a cab.

El Compadre in Los Angeles (Sunset & Alpine) – Good house margarita.

Care to add a comment to the discussion? I welcome your thoughts.

On Location in Los Angeles

If you’ve lived in Los Angeles long enough, its only a matter of time before you stumble across a film crew on location. This is after all a company town, only we don’t make cars or computers — we make movies and TV shows.

When you happen upon a film shoot, the scene is usually consistent: five or six big white trucks lining the side of the road, dozens of people quickly moving around unloading lighting and camera equipment, and tables over flowing with sandwiches, fruit plates, and bottles of water.

But the most tell-tale sign you’ve stumbled upon a movie sight? Motorcycle cops standing around.

It always seem like they just shot the scene or they are about to shoot the scene. Very rarely do you catch them actually filming the scene. So suppose you want to see Entourage or 24 being filmed on location in LA. Or you’d love to see Sex in the City 2 or The Green Hornet, both being filmed on location in the City of Angels. What do you do?

In order to film on the streets of Los Angeles, production companies must obtain a permit, issued by the (drum roll please) Los Angeles Film Permit Office. Before 9/11 anyone could stop by the office and for a small fee, obtain the list (called the “shoot sheet”) of permits pulled by production companies for that day. But now in our post 9/11-world the shoot sheet is only available to people in the entertainment industry. So until the LAFPO makes the list public again (don’t hold your breath) we’ll have to be thankful or annoyed the next time we see those big white trucks.

The Right Time to Buy a Bigger Home in Los Angeles?

Shoulda, woulda, coulda. With the downturn in the Los Angeles real estate market, do you feel regretful that you didn’t sell your house “at the peak” and you missed your opportunity?

Fear not. If your end goal is to own a larger or more expensive home, your timing could not be more perfect. Is a baby on the way? Are you tired of having four kids in two bedrooms? Are you ready to have your home theatre, dream walk-in closet or kitchen/great room? Whatever the reason for a larger home, “trading up” is the one scenario where now is actually a better time than two years ago.

Let’s run some numbers.

Let’s say in 2008 you could have sold your condo for $800,000 and the house you need would have cost $1,200,000. Now it’s 2010, and for sake of example, the real estate market in your area decreased 25%.

Let’s compare then to now.

2008: Sell your condo for $800,000 to buy a house for $1,200,000.

2010: Sell your condo for $600,000 to buy the same house for $900,000.

You have a $200,000 “loss” on the sale, but a $300,000 savings on the purchase. That represents a $100,000 net savings!

This is actually getting pretty good. Let’s run some bigger numbers:

2008: Sell your house for $2,200,000 to buy a house for $4,500,000.

2010: Sell your house for $1,650,000 to buy the same house for $3,375,000.

You have a $550,000 “loss” on the sale, but a $1,125,000 savings on the purchase. That represents a $575,000 net savings!

Simply put, whatever money you miss on the sale, you more than make up for with the discount on your purchase. So if the need is there, it’s time to start looking at some homes.

Getting Fit in Los Angeles

Los Angeles certainly does not have a shortage of fitness facilities. We have everything from the high-end and very expensive health clubs such as Sports Club/LA and Equinox to the less plush but more affordable LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness. I love the BIG clubs. It’s like one stop shopping for fitness: they have weights, cardio equipment, and hours and hours of classes. Check out my interview with Jessica Fisher, Pilates Instructor at Equinox and Bodyline.

But some of the best places to get into shape are the small, privately owned gyms and fitness studios. So what are you into? Core training? Yoga? Pilates? Spinning? The benefit of the small studios is that you can get more personal time with trainers who know what they’re doing and who can help guide you to your fitness goals. And because usually the groups are small, and the participants dedicated, you almost become a team. I’m less likely to skip a class when I know my “teammates” will be there training hard.

One of my favorites is the Krav Maga studio on Olympic Blvd. near Purdue. Krav Maga is a martial art, and it believe it or not, but non-stop kicking and punching for an hour will get you into really great shape. And it’s really fun. And what’s really amazing is that the classes are filled with people of all ages. It’s a great mix of people.

If you tend to get bored easily, I recommend Cross Fit in Culver City. They have incredible work outs, and every one is different. It’s some of the most unique training you’ll ever do.

Last but not least Burn60 in Brentwood has an amazing variety of core training classes. Best of all they make it really easy to get in shape. No contracts, just pay by the class. And they have free parking. Now you have no more excuses.

I’ve been exercising most of my life. And I’ve learned that if I’m not having fun, I’m not going to do it. So find your fitness fix anyway you can, just have fun doing it.

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