By Marc Davison, 1000Watt

You are the most important entity in the real estate business. Hands down.

The commissions you earn flow outward to sustain a vast array of companies and people.

Without you, the real estate ecosystem as we know it would not exist.

You guide buyers and sellers through minefields. It will take centuries still for artificial intelligence to match the emotional intelligence you use to bring solace, confidence and clarity to people who need it.

Those around you, myself included, don’t do enough to vocalize this truth and express gratitude for it.

While most of what I write is for everyone in and around our business, this one is devoted to you, the great real estate agent. Continue reading Dear Agent,

RE/MAX Estate Properties Welcomes Melanie Archer as General Counsel

Melanie Archer, General Counsel RE/MAX Estate Properties

RE/MAX Estate Properties is proud to welcome Melanie Archer as the company’s General Counsel. She is a valuable asset and we are thrilled to have Melanie lead our in-house legal team! Melanie has a deep knowledge of real estate and business law with a very practical approach. She assists our agents with one-on-one support, risk management, round table legal discussions, and agent education. She provides insight into the ever-changing real estate industry, while ensuring our agents are expertly trained on all new laws and policy changes.

Melanie practiced real estate and business litigation at Cox, Castle & Nicholson and later at Spierer, Woodward, Corbalis & Goldberg prior to joining RE/MAX Estate Properties. While there, among other things, she gained extensive experience in helping buyers, sellers, and their agents negotiate the difficulties that can sometimes arise when purchasing property. She previously worked with her husband at Archer Building Group, Inc. where she acquired extensive knowledge of the construction industry. She received her BA from USC and her JD from UCLA School of Law. She is also a real estate investor and owns/operates apartment buildings in Southern California.

Melanie is a South Bay native with three adorable, young boys. She spends her weekends watching little league games and trying to find time for tennis and yoga (good luck!). With a dynamic intelligence, Melanie can speak to agents about anything from residential and commercial sales to raising three boys. She is poised and has a calm demeanor. She’s helping RE/MAX Estate Properties soar to new heights by giving us a General Counsel with tremendous business comprehension and a willingness to amplify RE/MAX Estate Properties and our agents as a whole. We’re so happy to have her.

The Market

We’ve got the real estate market data you need for moving in this marketu. The better you understand your local market, the savvier a real estate investor you will be. We’ve made it very easy for you to stay up to date with our monthly Market Intelligence Reports! Westside, South Bay, and Palos Verdes each have their own report and highlight the communities within. Please enjoy and continue to edify your real estate market knowledge!

Palos Verdes Report

South Bay Report

Westside Report

Insider knowledge at your fingertips!

Fresh off the press, our favorite Sales Summary Quarterly Report is available for your sharing and downloading needs! The report covers Q1 of 2017 and includes all residential closed transactions and closed Sales Prices organized by city. With that also comes insightful information such as Total Sales and Average Sales Price (again, specified by city) compared to Q1 of 2016.

With such powerful information this report not only gives you insider knowledge about the home that sold down the street, but it also help you understand the current market relative to the past. An educational piece with actual exciting information in an easy to read layout, just for you.

There are three Reports: one for Palos Verdes & Harbor Cities, the South Bay & Westside. Take your pick!  

Peek through this for 5 minutes and come back for more at the end of Q2 !

What you should Know about 60/90

60 & 90: Propositions you, your friend, your mom, your mom’s friend and everyone in the county should know about! These two Propositions, 60 and 90, were passed in 1986 and 1988 to diminish property tax burdens for “senior citizens” looking to buy new property. You see in California when you buy a home, the property is reappraised and a new base tax is determined. However, with Propositions 60 and 90 or “60/90” persons 55 years or older can transfer their existing home for another home in a participating county of same or equal value and keep their original tax base!

Continue reading Propositions 60/90: Why You’ll Love Being Called “Senior”

For Professional Realtors

Don’t let your client’s dream home slip away before you ever knew it hit the market!

Sign up with the link below to be notified of New Listings from our RE/MAX Estate Properties agents.

Specify which areas you are interested in tracking.

An easy tool to get you in-tuned with the real estate market for trained professionals.

What’s that you say? You’re not a Realtor? Sign up and get the latest in new listings, open houses, floor plans and more. 15 seconds is all it takes to jump in on our Realtor announcements. Be on top of your home search.

Add Value with the Right Projects

Sometimes you don’t see the money you put into your home resonate in a higher home value. A house is one of the largest, if not THE largest asset you have. As such, when discussing resale value, upgrades must consider not only aesthetics, but also financing. We want you to make the right improvements in your house, not necessarily the most costly. So, what can you do to amp up your home’s value in order to see the greatest ROI? It’s about improving the quality of life in the home. Below is a list of ideas to guide you in this process.

Continue reading Renovate without Breaking the Bank

Simple Tips

It’s your home. Your unique flare is evident by your use of color palette, furniture, finishes, and chachkies. You may absolutely love it, but that doesn’t mean a potential buyer will. Staging a home to sell is about finding a perfect balance between depersonalized and lived-in. The main focus is to give buyers an idea of how to use the space, but also to allow them to imagine their own lives in the house. We’ve created a list of staging tips to help you attract buyers. Continue reading Staging Your Home to SELL