California Senate Bill 50 Proposed To Increase Housing Supply In December of 2018, California Senator and Democrat Scott Wiener from San Francisco proposed California Senate Bill 50, which is designed to increase housing supply surrounding public transit throughout California. The bill faces opposition from numerous cities and organizations, including the Los Angeles City Council, for…
Google To Take Over Almost 600k Square Feet At Westside Pavilion In a bid to increase its presence in Southern California, Google recently signed a 14-year lease to occupy 584,000 square feet at the new development called One Westside, formerly home to the Westside Pavilion shopping mall. The move comes after leasing 100,000 square feet…
Dine LA Restaurant Week 2019 Between January 11 and 25, Dine LA will provide diners all over LA will the opportunity to experience discounted prix fixe menus at some of LA’s finest restaurants. This bi-annual event has been massively successful over the past 11 years, exposing consumers to new restaurants and restaurants to new consumers. What…
2019 Real Estate Predictions 2018 was a year of perspective. Sellers may have been disappointed to see fewer buyers willing to participate in bidding wars due to increases in interest rates and resulting increased cost of home ownership. Buyers, on the other hand, saw a welcome cooling of the market. While we expect the cooling…
Debunking The Housing Bubble Myth It is, by far, the most common question asked about the real estate market by friends, family, clients, and strangers alike – “When is this housing bubble going to burst?” I always respond with a question of my own – “Why do you believe we are in a bubble that…
California Enacts Solar Panel Mandate For New Homes California is close to becoming the first state to mandate solar panel installation on all new homes. As of January 1, 2020, all newly built homes and condominium/townhome buildings of three stories or less must be built and sold with solar panels installed. The California Energy Commission…
Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line In a continuing bid to make public transportation a more viable option in Los Angeles, Metro is currently working on an expansion of its light-rail line to provide access to LAX. The new line, known as the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line, presents the exciting prospect of making light rail transportation an option for…
Case Study Houses – LA’s Historic Architectural Experiment In 1945, the publication Arts and Architecture announced its intent to build “Case Study Houses”. The goal of the program was to create experimental, model homes that could be easily and inexpensively duplicated, in order to address the post-World War II housing boom. The program was never…
2018 Real Estate Predictions The year 2018 promises to be an interest year in the real estate market. With a new tax plan in place that significantly alters home affordability, there can be little doubt that the revised tax code will have some impact on the housing market. Whether that impact will significantly slow growth…
Garage Conversion Restrictions Eased In California This year has seen a substantial increase in garage conversion units, also known as “granny flats” or “Accessory Dwelling Units“, due to California’s new Senate Bill 1069. The bill, enacted in 2017, was designed to increase housing supply by easing restrictions on garage conversion units. The bill also presents…
