Rodeo Realty February Magazine

RODEO REALTY JOURNAL

local expertise, global presence.

FEBRUARY 2013

February 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. RODEO REALTY Welcomes New Agents 2. RODEO REALTY Monthly News: Architectural Lecture 3-4 Agent Appreciation Letters 5-7 HOT PROPERTIES IN THE PRESS 7. Advanced Training Classes 8. AGENT STORY: Chika Kawahara 9. Beverly Hills HOME Project 10. Message from Syd

INDEX

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RODEO REALTY

Welcomes You

Beverly Hills Calabasas Noam Bitton Dale Clamp Angie Rivas Marco Pirozzolo Matthew Dickmann Nanette Marchand Kyle Draper Kris Mooney Joni Greer Debra Ziven Suzette Kitselman Amir Mahyari Eddie Amuwa Joseph Orfali Vida Nahmouli Billy Blair Anna Marie Simpliciano Linda Faber

Brentwood Studio City Ramshad Tahmasbi Theo Zervoudakis Aaron Mirsky Tom Cooper Nikki Hochstein Victoria Mejia C. Scott Price Normajean Jonz Carol Feiler

Sherman Oaks Sunset Strip Asaf Betesh Ari Lindner Alexander Steinman

Encino Northridge David Elan Candice Garcia Patricia Harrington Beth Freedberg Eric Rojany Joe Hernandez Tony Truisi

Thank you for the confidence you have entrusted in me and my team.

Welcome to the Rodeo Realty family -- Syd Leibovitch

MONTHLY NEWS

CENTURY CITY MALL AMC MOVIE THEATERS

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APPRECIATION LETTERS FROM CLIENTS

Corrine Draper, Calabasas PERSEVERANCE

I remember in 2006 saying to myself that I would probably never be a homeowner as I saw the skyrocketing home prices in Los Angeles (and lots of other areas as well). Then 2008 hit, I got a promotion and well….things change.

When I first set out to fulfill my dream of becoming a homeowner I had no idea that I would have to go through such a struggle and overcome just about every obstacle and scenario that one could imagine.

My great adventure started in January 2012. I began by searching online just as most people do and was put in touch with an agent through an inquiry from a website. I looked at maybe 15-20 homes with her and made a couple of offers. In the middle of a short sale she began speaking to me disrespectfully, so to make a long story short I took my business elsewhere. A few days later I was contacted by another agent who was also not very respectful to me. I don’t stand for that so…on to the next one.

Shortly after my 2nd negative experience with real estate agents I was contacted by Mrs. Corrine Draper of Rodeo Realty.

I could tell by her demeanor that I would not have the same issue. So on with the house hunting. I looked online every night for listings that I wanted to see and she also sent me listings through her Listing-Book service. We saw house after house after house and made offer after offer after offer.

I made offers above asking price, I made offers on homes that had 33 other offers, I made offers on homes that were deliberately under-priced to provoke bidding wars, I made offers on homes that were remodeled by investors, on homes that were over-priced, I made offers on homes that I had not even seen yet, I made back-up offers and 2nd back up offers, I made offers on townhomes and condos and on homes that were on the market 30 minutes, on homes on the market 6 months, on short sales and long sales, red sales and blue sales, standard sales and foreclosures and fixers, Lions and Tigers and Bears…Oh My! On one occasion I made an offer on a home in which I was asked to remove all contingencies in order for them to accept my offer.

I began to get discouraged and wanted to give up. I had now seen 80 something homes. I was lucky to have an optimistic real estate agent. This is where I really started to appreciate all the hard work that Corrine put in. I didn’t know what to think about this crazy experience. Corrine told me to hang in there and she promised me that we would find a house.

I remained positive. On the way back from seeing a home that I had e-mailed the night before we saw an open house around the corner…Should we stop? Should we stop? We almost didn’t stop.

We made an offer on this very nice house but were told the next day that they’d accepted another buyer’s offer. So… we were back-up. The next day my phone rang…It was Mrs. Corrine Draper….I knew what she was going to tell me before she told me…we developed this unique type of relationship. They accepted your offer. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel. I was very excited to finally hear those words.

Could it really be? Is my adventure coming to its end? The next part of the adventure was about to begin. Going through the escrow process for the first time was pretty stressful. At one point I really thought the whole thing was dead due to a large misunderstanding with my employment. I was on an emotional roller coaster.

Now that I have officially closed escrow and am now a homeowner I see this as a great learning experience about real estate, about people and about life. PERSEVERANCE. Thank you Corrine. I am so unbelievably happy!

Sincerely, Abner Sonnenburg

APPRECIATION LETTERS FROM CLIENTS

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Carmen Mormino, Westlake Village Carmen was introduced to us by a family member who knew Carmen as an activist in the community of Thousand Oaks. Carmen immediately became one of our family members and treated us as such. Carmen has a casual, engaging style that immediately puts the client at ease. He worked hard to understand the needs of his new “family” and even harder to make sure that he found purchase options that fit comfortably into our budget. At no time was he judgmental about our property needs and never, never, never exerted any pressure on us to make a purchase within a specific timeframe. Among his most endearing professional qualities is his organizational skill in arranging the visitation of properties in a sequential way that accommodated our tight schedules and his willingness to find the answers to the innumerable questions thrown at him.

If you should happen to be lucky enough to have Carmen as your real estate agent, be prepared to welcome a new member to your family and, by the way, be sure to ask him about his hometown of Chicago and the Blackhawks!

Linda and Ron Romano

Denise Cameron, Studio City Hi Wendy, My name is Lana Mihaeli, Denise was our agent and helped us to get our first home. It was EXTREMELY difficult time with the bank, Denise was very patient with us, professional, knows her stuff, she’s done an outstanding job convincing a seller, contacting bank’s employees (including the loan officer) with us SEVERAL times, she didn’t give up and kept our hope alive. Each time we’ve approached her with something - she made sure our request was answered to our satisfaction.

We DEFINITELY will recommend Denise to anyone we know and will use her servicen ourselves if we ever need it again. Our escrow closed in 90 days! Great agent, hard worker, very well knows her stuff, motivated, driven, professional.

Thanks, Lana Mihaeli

HOT PROPERTIES

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GOT A HOT PROPERTY with celebrity credentials?

Contact Rodeo Realty’s publicist.

Joe Babajian h h90and Brad Downs are the listing agents for this beautiful architectural masterpiece in the Beverly Hills flats. Located on 616 N. Foothill, this beautifully designed, newly constructed, approximately 10,000 square foot Spanish Mission style estate is the recipient of the Design Review Commission of The City of Beverly Hills award for architectural design. The exceptionally appointed estate features 7 bedrooms and 8.5 baths. The open floor plan is ideal for entertaining and includes large living and dining rooms, a study and a chef ’s kitchen which opens to a spectacular great room. Outdoors, the beautifully landscaped grounds include a large swimmer’s pool, grassy yard and outdoor entertaining pavilions.

Josh Flagg holds a stunning new construction located in Lobo Highlands area of Agoura Hills. The homes boasts 4 bed/4 bath, wood buring firplace and beautiful 360 degree views of the surrounding canyon and mountains.

On over 15 acres, this stunning property is pefect for a vineyard or horse property. With a wine tasting room, theater room and private office this estate is the perfect seculed property with unbeleiveable views.

Josh Flagg holds the listing for one of Bel Air’s legendary homes, The Merv Griffin Estate at 3051 Antelo View Dr has been owned by everyone from Albert Brooks to Polly Bergen, and is now available again for you! Set on over 2 acres and with more than 1 acre flat, this majestic estate is reminiscent of an old movie star’s playground. The property features a giant motor court, swimming pool, lush trees and a championship tennis court that hosted Merv Griffin’s legendary tennis matches. The lovely 5,100 square foot home features 3 bedrooms plus a master sitting room as well as a maids quarters. The layout of the house is superb and the 20 foot ceilings only add to the grandeur of this magnificent home. This site on the famous celebrity studded Antelo is perfect for any one who wants to make a statement.

HOT PROPERTIES

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Ted Fleming and Peter Maurice hold an iconic Hollywood estate famous for its film debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street and is listed for $2.1 Million. This spectacular Traditional/Modernist Fusion in this 2 -story, Spaulding Square home. Situated mid-block on a picturesque tree-lined street, your buyers are greeted by a classic center hall floor plan, with formal rooms to the front of the home, and open-plan kitchen/family room to the rear, flowing to lovely pool, garden and full ‘guest house’ with kitchen and bath. Upstairs, 3 gracious bedrooms, including custom built-ins, designer closets and en suite baths, including master suite with floating spa tub and floor to ceiling tile, custom designed walk-in closet and so much more.

Dan Drantch and Aaron Scott are representing a brand new luxury 48 unit condominium complex that was sold as a bulk sale all cash investment property in December of 2012. It is located at 11925 Kling Street Valley Village. The building features included a fitness center complete with all the gym equipment, a roof top patio deck with a built-in fireplace, a large courtyard with several lounging areas, an oversized spa and an atrium with water landscapes. The interiors have wood tile floors, granite kitchens, fireplaces and balconies with a mix of different size two bedroom flats and one townhouse style unit. All units came with two parking spaces in a subterranean garage.

Joe Babajian and Judy Cycon hold a famed Beverly Hills listing. This landmark Spanish Colonial Revival estate was originally built in 1927 by architect Harry E. Werner. It was built for George and Freda Kolb and later owned by the actor James Coburn and also by a relative of the Sultan of Brunei. The property has undergone a painstaking restoration and remodel by the legendary architects/designers Tim Morrison and Tom Proctor.

The property is located north of Sunset Blvd. and the famed Beverly Hills Hotel and is sited on close to 1 3/4 acres on an extraordinary promontory with wonderful views of the City. This 14,000 sq/ft estate is listed for $38 million.

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ADVANCED TRAINING CLASSES

Skirball Cultural Center 2701 North Sepulveda Blvd.

Los Angeles, 90049 Haas Room, Conference Center Free Parking Monday 2/11 Monday 2/18 Monday 2/25 Monday 3/4

Jason Katzman- Pricing Presentation NO CLASS Chris Sweeny & Chris Davis - iPad Class Syd Leibovitch- Listing Presentation

Rodeo Realty’s Advanced Training classes are provided for our agents to help keep you informed and help grow your business. Hear are what some of the agents are saying about the classes:

I attended the International Marketing training class and was so glad I did. It opened my eyes to some avenues to attract international buyers, and also brought to my attention several Luxury Real Estate Conferences overseas that I am thinking of attending. Basically, it was only a couple of hours out of my day that no doubt WILL result in $$$! Glad I was able to attend and look forward to attending more in the future...to not take advantage of these sessions is truly a wasted opportunity! –Carmen Mormino, Westlake Village I attended several of the advanced classes at the Skirball Center and I found them to be of great value.

The speakers are very knowledgeable in the areas they present. You either learn something new or you brush up on something you already knew, but forgot. You also get an opportunity to learn what other agents are doing “outside the box” to generate more business. I would highly recommend them to both new and experienced agents. -Liliana Alfonso, Studio City (For Wendy Furth)What a wonderful experience to learn from one of the best! It is evident why you are so successful, when listening to you discussing how to show a property- and then to actually have the experience of viewing a property and interacting with the seller...good stuff! I am so appreciative to have had the experience of the Sure Start training program and classes. I have had a smile on my face as I recall your comment about your ( z seater) “listing car! Many thanks, Robyn Lynch (For Paul Stafford) I want to let you know how much I enjoyed the Sure Start Program. I walked in the door feeling very welcomed and ended the week feeling knowledgeable and empowered. It just kept getting better!

I learned so much from you about ethics and many matters in the dealing of real estate transactions. I’m very excited to put all of this knowledge to good use. Cheers, Robyn Lynch

AGENT STORY: CHIKA KAWAHARA

Congrats to Chika Kawahara Rodeo Realty is pleased to announce that Realtor, Chika Kawahara of the Rodeo Calabasas office was newly installed as a member of the Board of Directors for the North Los Angeles Chapter of AREAA, the Asian Real Estate Association of America.

Founded in 2003, the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) is a nonprofit professional trade organization dedicated to promoting sustainable home ownership opportunities in Asian American communities by creating a powerful national voice for housing and real estate professionals that serve this dynamic market.

AREAA Advocates for policy positions at the national level that will reduce home ownership barriers facing the Asian Pacific American community.

AREAA’s purpose is to increase business opportunities for mortgage and real estate professionals that serve this growing community.

AREAA’s membership represents a broad array of real estate, mortgage and housingrelated professionals that serve the diverse Asian American market. AREAA is the only trade association dedicated to representing the interests of the Asian real estate market nationwide.

Membership includes housing and real estate professionals of all cultural backgrounds and is open to those who support the mission of increasing sustainable homeownership in the Asian community.

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BEVERLY HILLS H.O.M.E. PROJECT

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THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED TOYS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON !

H.O.M.E. project delivered boxes of toys to the Beverly Hills Fire Department.

And a BIG thanks to John Richette and our entire H.O.M.E Team who give their time so generously throughout the year.

MESSAGE FROM SYD LEIBOVITCH Keeping in Touch with People is the Key to Success My goal for all of you: TO BE ABLE TO WORK ONLY WITH PAST CLIENTS AND REFERRALS! It always puzzles me how little emphasis is placed on keeping in touch with the people we know. We hear about how we need to door knock, cold call, sit open houses, work expired listings and FSBO’s, but how many of the sales trainers remind us of how important it is to keep in touch with the people we know? Not many!

The best feeling as an agent is to meet a client at closing, give them the keys, and hear them say that they not only got a great house, they made a friend! We get referrals for a few months and then we wake up a year or two later and wonder what ever happened to them. I wonder how good of a friend they think they made then?

Do you want to work with only past clients and referrals some day? Keep in touch with these people!

Keeping in touch with your past clients, people that ask you questions, friends, relatives, and people you meet and the like, is key to building a business that allows you to work only with past clients and referrals. That should be every Realtor’s goal.

Why show three or four buyers from open house and hope to sell one, when you can sell almost every referral?

Why meet with 10 expired listings to get a listing when you can list just about every referral that you meet with?

The best time to begin keeping in touch with the people you know is now. Don’t let another day go by without taking steps to be able to work someday with only referrals and past clients!

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