I am proud to be a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales agent which leads in total luxury market share in Malibu and on L.A.’s Westide.

We undertand what it takes to attract affluent buyers today. Our vast inventory of luxury homes creates marketing synergies across the Coldwell Banker Previews International network, easily the most extensive online and international brokerage network in the world (with a presence in 50 countries and territories.) By combining our broad global network with traditional and digital media exposure through our publications and on-line placement, we are virtually unstoppable in finding qualified buyers who are posied to close on a luxury real estate acquisition.

I’m proud to say that my team is Colwell Banker. As your Buyer’s Agent or Sellers Agent, I have at my fingertips more market resources than any other brokerage firm can offer.

*Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage leads all other firms in representing sellers and buyers in 47 zip codes throught LA County.

*Coldwell Banker led all other national companies with 1,154 listings priced $1 million or higher, 604 more than the second place franchise.

*Coldwell Banker surpassed all other national companies by closing 45 percent more units priced $1 million or higher-24 percent more than the second place franchise.

*Coldwell Banker dominated the $1 million or higher segment with $2.6 billion in market share- $1.4 billion more than the second place franchise.

*Coldwell Banker led all other national companies with 47 percent of market share in total closed sales volume for homes priced $1 million or higher- 25 percent more than the second place franchise.

WHAT IS TITLE INSURANCE? For most of us, buying a home requires help with financing the purchase price. Your purchase loan is secured by the new home you are buying. Your lender will want to insure that the security for their loan is protected by title insurance and that you are the owner of record.  The Lenders Policy of title insurance insures policy. Many lenders condition their loans upon the purchase of a lenders Policy.

WHAT IS THE BUYER RESPONSIBLE FOR? According to real estate custom and practice you, as the buyer, will be responsible for paying the tile insurance premium for the lenders policy on your home loan. Equity Title gives you a big break on the cost for this important coverage. 

HOW IS THE PREMIUM CALCULATED? First, the premium is calculated on the loan amount, not the sales price of the property. Second, because the seller is providing you with an Owners Policy, Equity Title can give you a concurrent rate which results in a significant discount on the lenders policy. 

WHY CHOOSE EQUITY TITLE CO.? In the simplest terms, a title policy issued through Euqity Title Co. does say to you as the buyers “you own it” and puts the financial strength of one of the state’s largest title insurance groups behind you.

For more info. regarding Title please contact: Joe Galarze/Equity Title 310-804-5605.

First Captial Mortgage Company asks you to consider this: If you are on the fence and considering waiting for home values to drop further, add to your consideration where interest rates will be. If interest rates increase 1% from 4.750% to 5.750% the price of the home would have to descrease 11% to mainain the same payment.

Interest rates are currently at historic lows. Please call Scott Engel, Loan Officer, for further questions or information.  Being myself a real estate specialist for Coldwell Banker, the leading Malibu brokerage firm, I highly recommend Scott Engel for your mortgage lending needs. You can reacy Scott at: 310-739-6243 Cell. sengel@FirstCapitalMtg. com

First Capital Mortgage Co. is my referring choice for clients for their financing questions, qualifications and lending.  Here are a few positive trends that have taken place in 2010 which will carry over to this year.

1.  First Capital In-House Banking. Conforming and Agency Jumbo loans. In addition, 2011 they will be adding FHA and Jumbo loans to their banking abilities. These services provide my clients with LOCAL APPRAISERS, IN-HOUSE UNDERWRITING in Santa Monica, and IN-HOUSE LOAN DOCS & FUNDING (Santa Monica)

2. PERSONALIZED SERVICE: My clients gain access to big bank products with our personalized service.

3. FOCUS: Unlike typical banks, First Capital’s focus 100% on financing homes and their clients’ experience of getting there.

4. NEGOTIATION STRENGTH: Because of their high loan volume, they are able to negotiate unique lending relationships that give their clients access to programs and more favorable rates not offered to the general public.

5. FAST RESULTS!!!! Because First Capital has the following services, their lending experience delivers FAST results.

* Local Appraisers

*In-House underwriting (Santa Monica)

* In-house loan docs and funding (Santa Monica)

I PERSONALLY RECOMMEND:

Scott Engel/Loan Officer 310-739-6243 cell or

sengel@FirstCapitalMtg. com

As a Coldwell Banker Sales Agent, our companysells more real estate than any other brokerage.This chart shows Coldwell Banker Malibu Market Share SOLDSfor the year 2010 to present compared with other Malibu agencies.Coldwell Banker continues to be the #1 Real Estate Malibu Brokerage.

CHRISTINA CARMEL
Coldwell Banker Realtor® DRE # 0143610
cell: 310.924.5338
email: ChristinaCarmel@Hotmail.comChristinaCarmelBlog.com
www.ChristinaCarmel.com

Americans still perceive real estate as a better investment than the stock market. Last month Fannie Mae released a study that found most Americans- both those who currently own homes and those who rent-still strongly aspire to own a home and to mainain homeownership. In Oc. 2010, the National Assoc. of REALTORS also found that nearly eight out of ten repsondents to their 2010 National Housing Pulse Survey believed buyng a home is a sound investment.

“The relationship recently between mortgage interest rates, home prices and family income has been the most favorable on record for buying a home since we stated measuring in 1970,” says Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of REALTORS. Therefore, the market is recovering and we should trend up to a healthy, sustainable level in 2011.  Five or six years from now, continues Mr. Yun, “many people will look back to 2010 and say, “I should have bought a home back then.”

Despite the slow pace of recovery, we continue to see gains in net worth. Net worth for households and individuals increased 2% in third quarter 2010. The average U.S. personal savings rate also climbed from 0.4% in 2005 to 4.3% in 2009, and hit 5.5% in third quarter 2010. Improvements in consumer spending and consumer confidence, coupled with increased demand for goods and services plus falling unemployment claims are all cause for a brighter outlook for 2011, according to the Dec. 2010 Economic Outlook by Fannie Mae’s Icomomics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. All of these positive factors hold promise, since many consumers may be in a stronger position to purchase a home in 2011.

The Malibu market is experiencing numberous multiple offers, with 40%more closed units over last year. Buyer confidence remains strong in the luxury market across Greater Los Angeles with 154 closed sales of homes priced over $5  million, compared to 122 at the same time in 2009.  Additionally, there were 54 closed sales of homes priced over $10 million in 2010, compared to 34 in 2009. In the exotic market of homes priced over $20 million, 2010 saw eight closings, compared to only three in 2009. It appears that smart money is back in the L.S. real estate market!