~ This is part of an ongoing series called “Life in the Start-Up Lane,” revealing true life adventures about launching a real estate brokerage during a recession! ~

Let me tell you something about mixing business with pleasure:

We are often asked during the course of our day, “How’s it going?” A simple and rather innocuous question on its face and yet, when asked in relation to our new company that is now one year old, the answer is far more intricate.

Taking a moment to gather my wits around the vast array of possible answers, I settle for, “exhilarating and exhausting.”

For starters, we are about to open our second office in Beverly Hills while simultaneously mounting a magnitude of new concepts and ideas all designed to make us stronger, better, and faster than our competition. Clearly, we are transcending the concept of simply surviving our first year to actually thriving as we launch into year two.

But, I really want to talk about the fun we’re having and how we can use our real estate platform to spread more humor as we reach out to our global audience. (It’s true that you can mix business with pleasure, after all!) And what better way to do it than with the premier talents of George Segal and Richard Benjamin.

I had this idea for a comedic short video that would inspire laughs while also providing valuable tips for anyone looking to sell their home. I started by showing George two pages of dialogue that set the table for the piece, never in my wildest dreams imagining that he’d actually want to be a part of it. Well, silly me, he started laughing right away and from there we were off to the races. Everyone contributing their talents — improvising, laughing, brainstorming. The creative process was a blast.

So, now we invite you to take a look at our first video in what could become a series — if popular demand yearns about what really goes on when a home seller and a real estate broker get together to talk about pricing a home. We hope you enjoy it.

And as always, we’d love to know your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and share this with anyone you know who might find it funny or valuable.

Nick Segal is President of Partners Trust.
He loves chili-cheese hot dogs, and has been known to
hit golf balls down the office hallway while speaking on the phone.
You can connect with him on Facebook.

Venice gave birth to a skateboarding revolution, numerous artistic movements, and an architectural housing boom – it’s rare to find a “new” happening in this beach town. However, I was lucky enough to experience something completely new: the first ever Venice Art Crawl.

The Venice Art Crawl was designed to be a monthly get together for local artists and galleries to showcase their artwork in a lively, community driven forum. One of the unique parts of the Art crawl is that it is held at all different sorts of venues along the Venice Boardwalk from art galleries to restaurants, hotels and even bike shops.

Now you might be saying, “Wait a minute, Venice already has a monthly get together centered around art: First Fridays.” While it is true that the basic premise of both is similar, anyone who has been to First Fridays recently knows it has become much more about food trucks, dinners at expensive restaurants, and tourists taking in Abbot Kinney than it is about art. Which is fine – don’t get me wrong – I regularly go to First Fridays and always have a great time, but it seems now that art is more of an after thought than the driving force.

That’s why I feel the Venice Art Crawl fills a much-needed niche: A monthly celebration showcasing artists and local galleries along the most recognizable stretch of Venice: the Boardwalk.

Just the mere night of the week that the Art Crawl is scheduled for is a clear representation of its intention. On a Thursday night the most likely demographics are serious art enthusiasts and local residents from Venice looking to peruse the various collections on display. The vibe at the first Art Crawl reflected that.

Most exhibits weren’t overly crowded but had steady traffic of people admiring the different works of art. Most people came in small groups who mingled while they waltzed from exhibit to exhibit. I even saw a couple of beautiful paintings sell to enamored crawlers.

I really enjoyed the Art crawl. I went with a few friends and just biked from event to event, taking it all in. My favorite exhibit was the C.A.V.E. Collection at James Beach. The art was outstanding, the ambiance was fun and intimate, and, best of all, they had an artist working on a piece for all to see.

The events on the boardwalk were very unique as well. Seldom do I venture down the boardwalk at night, but it was encouraging to see small exhibits displaying their collections to passer-bys and having a lot of success. One exhibit in particular was rocking with a DJ and a big crowd of people.

Hotel Erwin was a popular destination during the evening with 5 separate exhibits headlined by the Dogtown Sweet’s showcase with the Boys and Girls Club and the Historical Society’s collection of vintage Venice photographs at High – the rooftop bar with spectacular views.

I would count the first Venice Art Crawl as a success and would expect it to become a permanent fixture on Venice’s already crowded social calendar. Make sure you get out and experience it next month!

Alex Quaid is an Associate Partner for Partners Trust Real Estate and Acquisitions. He is an avid surfer and is unhealthily obsessed with the Lakers. Connect with him via twitter @alexquaid5

Image courtesy of jondoeforty1’s Flickr photostream.

In fact, according to the LA Times, “California leads the way in deals in which lenders accept less than they’re owed. Home short sales have tripled in the Sunbelt state since 2008.”

Because of the current economic conditions and the fact that homeowners are owing more on their homes than what they are worth, short sales are becoming more and more appealing to investors and banks. Short sales are a cheaper way out than foreclosure for everyone involved.

The truth is that banks really do not want to foreclose on you. If they can do a short sale and it make sense fiscally, then the banks will do it because the banks want to try and recover as much as possible. When a bank forecloses on a property, it costs them at least $50,000 once you add up all of the legal fees, upkeep, and other costs.

But in a short sale, the banks and investors will recoup at least 70-80 percent of their money. This is unlike a foreclosure where sometimes the banks get less than half of what they are owed.

Now is a much better time than in 2008 when it was very tough for banks to do these sales. According to the same LA times article, “there’s some regulatory pressure to get stuff off the balance sheet. And lenders are less in denial now, coming to grips with the reality that the economy isn’t going to snap back.”

On top of that, short sales could actually end up boosting the job market for a couple of reasons:

1. Unemployed homeowners who can escape underwater mortgages have an easier time moving around, which allows them to then expand their job search.
2. Also, short sales take a softer hit on your FICO score than foreclosures, meaning that you’re most likely able to purchase another home within 18 months of the transaction, which is drastically different from a foreclosure which could affect your ability to buy a house for up to seven years.

In essence, short sales are here to stay for the foreseeable future and homeowners should not be ashamed or embarrassed if they find themselves in a situation where they have to short sale their home.

Darlene Hutton is a Realtor and community expert in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. Originally from Michigan, she loves the Southern California lifestyle. You can reach her at darlene.hutton@thepartnerstrust.com

In this short video, Nick Segal gives you three key things to keep in mind when going through the home inspection process.

During the search for your new home there will undoubtedly be surprises along the way.

It can go either way:

• you may come across a lemon that you originally thought was the home of your dreams
• you may come across a diamond-in-the-rough, in an area you had not previously considered, that eventually becomes the home of your dreams.

However, once the papers have all been signed and you are in your new house, you do not want any surprises.  Not one.

Therefore, I believe that it is incredibly important to do your due diligence and obtain all of the necessary home inspections.  You do not want to find the mold under the carpet near the water heater, or the termite-infested structural beam after you have entered escrow!

What are the recommended home inspections, and when do you order them?

Ask your licensed real estate professional to provide you with a variety of qualified inspectors from which to choose. Meanwhile, here are the home inspections that I normally get when I buy a home:

~ Physical Inspection

~ Termite Inspection

~ Chimney Inspection

~ Roof Inspection

~ Sewer Inspection

~ Mold Inspection

~ Geological Inspection

~ Drainage Inspection

…and be sure to watch the video above, from Nick Segal, with inside tips to help you navigate the home inspection process!

Dane Findley is Marketing Director at Partners Trust Real Estate Brokerage & Acquisitions. He enjoys adding chocolate chips to almost everything, his favorite low-tech productivity tool is a clipboard, and he’s managed to own the same pair of sunglasses for over 4 years. You can connect with Dane on Twitter, via @danenow.

Nick Segal is President of Partners Trust.
He loves chili-cheese hot dogs, and has been known to
hit golf balls down the office hallway while speaking on the phone.
You can connect with him on Facebook.