Tag Archives: west hollywood homes for sale

New Listing Alert: Stunning Spanish in the Grove Area of LA $1,749,000

435 N Martel Ave

435 N. Martel Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (Walking distance to The Grove – lovely location)

3bedrooms/3.5bathrooms/2,500 Sq. Ft

ASKING PRICE: $1,749,000

Please contact me at jkryukova@gmail.com or call (310)402.8181 for more information or to schedule showings:

This rebuilt, remodeled, redesigned three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom Spanish residence in the heart of The Grove/Melrose area sets a high standard for the neighborhood. Walk to everything or stay home and enjoy a sequestered life behind gates and mature ficus hedges. Amazing finishes, fixtures and top-of-the-line stainless-steel appliances reflect a Hollywood era gone by, but provide a complete set of today’s most sought-after elements–including a built-in Miele espresso machine.

An elegant light-filled living room with extra tall and wide picture windows, wood-burning fireplace and barrel ceiling offers ample room for formal entertaining.

Just outside the living room is a lofty combination of rooms in the center of the house. A chef’s eat-in kitchen, dining area, media room and powder room form an axis of activity for residents desiring an open floor plan conducive to contemporary living and entertaining.

The chef’s kitchen features Caesarstone counter tops, custom Downsview cabinetry, a professional-grade Wolf range (multiple burners + griddle + grill + double ovens) and a stainless-steel Wolf hood. The room’s over-sized center island provides that hard-to-come-by space for cooking and entertaining while also keeping an eye on the game on the media room’s flat-screen television. Upper and lower cabinet lights and recessed halogens provide multiple options for mood lighting. Stainless double sinks with filtered water system, an appliance lift door (for microwave or toaster oven), Miele dishwasher and Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer make this kitchen one of the best in the area.

Bonus alert! A designated media/family room in three-bedroom Spanish homes around The Grove is a rarity. This room adjoins the dining area and provides a sight line into the kitchen area. Five-speaker surround sound makes watching screeners a theatrical experience. Custom floor-to-ceiling blackout draperies (throughout the home) convert this area into a true home theater.

Two guest suites (each with their own sparkling bathrooms) and a massive master suite with a huge spa-like bathroom and a giant walk-in closet provide plenty of private living space. The master bath has an over-sized step-in rain shower, a separate extra-deep tub, Carrara marble counters, Walker Zanger and Ann Sacks tiles, custom wood Downsview cabinetry, mirrors, double sinks, in-wall speakers and a TV monitor. Can you say “Mandarin Oriental” or “Ritz-Carlton”?

The master bedroom’s walk-in closet/dressing area has a floor-to-ceiling built-in closet system by California Closets including hanging areas, dressers and storage cabinets. Each of the other two bedroom closets also has built-in storage systems. One of the two guest rooms has a built-in “office wall” with upper and lower custom wood cabinetry by Downsview and a Caesarstone counter/desktop, a perfect work-from-home or study area.

A laundry room (with king-sized side-by-side front-loading washer/dryer) provides built-in storage shelves for cleaning supplies. A media cabinet and linen cabinet augment the house’s storage components.

The home has a security system, Harman/Kardon sound system (with individual room-by-room volume controls), climate control, art lighting, double-paned E-glass windows and French doors. A “California basement” houses some of the home’s systems, as well as additional long-term dry storage.

Outside is a restful, private backyard retreat with a pool, waterfall and spa. A shady, luxury hotel-style cabana with a vaulted ceiling creates opportunities for an outdoor living/dining room, game room or carport.

A driveway gate can be operated electronically and provides access to off-street parking. There is additional off-street space for two cars in front of the gate. Access to the grassy hedged-in front yard and front door is through an electronically-secured pedestrian gate.

This home is a rare example of an extensive renovation done right. Impeccable attention to detail and not a single thing to change. Move in, unpack and enjoy California indoor/outdoor living at its best.

NOTE: Assessor’s interior sq.ft. is 2,300. A recent floor plan draft from R.E.S.T. calculates interior sq.ft. at 2,439. Outdoor cabana is not included in these calculations. [Buyer to verify square-footage.]

Year-over year US home prices up sharply in November

U.S.  home prices in November extended their steady recovery from the housing bust,  rising 7.4 percent compared with a year ago. It was the biggest year-over-year  increase in 6½ years.

CoreLogic,  a private data provider, said Tuesday that prices also rose 0.3 percent in  November from October. The month-to-month figures are not seasonally adjusted.  CoreLogic compiles its indexes by tracking sales of the same homes over time,  using data on sales in all 50 states.

The  gains in home prices have been widespread across most of the country. And  CoreLogic forecasts that prices will increase 6 percent this year.

Prices  in November were higher than in November 2011 in all but six states. And only 13  of 100 large cities that CoreLogic studies reported year-over-year price  declines. That was down from 20 cities in October.

The  sharpest increases were in Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. North Dakota and  California rounded out the top five.

Steady  price increases are helping fuel the housing recovery. They’re encouraging some  people to sell homes and enticing would-be buyers to purchase homes before they  get more expensive. Rising prices also reduce the number of homeowners who owe  more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

“All  signals currently point to a progressive stabilization of the housing market and  the positive trend in home price appreciation to continue into 2013,” said Anand  Nallathambi, CEO of CoreLogic.

Despite  the gains, home prices nationwide are still nearly 27 percent lower than in  April 2006, when prices peaked during the housing bubble.

Some  of the biggest gains have been in states that were hurt the worst. Prices in one  of them, Arizona, have jumped nearly 21 percent in the past year, the most of  any state. But prices in that state are still nearly 40 percent below  their peak.

And  prices in Nevada have risen 14.2 percent in the past year but remain 53 percent  below peak levels.

The  states where prices continue to fall include Delaware, where they are 4.9  percent below a year ago, and Illinois, down 2.2 percent. Connecticut, New  Jersey, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania are also reporting declines.

Prices  rose 24 percent in Phoenix in the past 12 months, the most of any large metro  area. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. was next with a 9.7 percent rise. It was  followed by Los Angeles, where prices rose 8.4 percent.

Source: Sfgate.com