Vol. 4, No. 2, Summer 2017 EVENT CALENDAR MAGAZINE July 19th August 3rd September 16th Titanic at the Fork it Over Senior Concerns’ Reagan Library 32nd Annual Ultimate Dining Summer 2017 • Vol. 4 Issue 2 This Issue’s Featured Photographers Cover Photo (Westlake Lake) by Renee Appell Betsy Friedman 14 Holly Castillo 32 Juliet Wojciechowski 8, 9, 24 Renee Appell 1, 6, 10, 12, 16, 20, 22, 26 Conejo365 | Summer 2017 | 1 MORTGAGE EXECUTIVE MAGAZINE LA WEST CONVENTIONAL Freddie Mac Super Conforming Loan Program No up-front mortgage insurance premium Owner-occupied, second homes & investment properties FHA FHA Purchase to 580 FICO Owner-occupied primary residence Down payments may be gifted 3.5% down Direct Lender Purchase & Refinance JUMBO Delegated underwriting up Close On Time to $3 Million Competitive rates Owner or non-owner occupied 1st time Homebuyers allowed BRANCH LOCATION 5655 Lindero Canyon Rd. Suite #126 Westlake Village, CA 91362 STEVE HADDAD Branch Manager, Westlake Village NMLS# 238275 818.207.4889 [email protected] *14 business day guarantee only applies to purchase transactions. This guarantee does not apply to Reverse Mortgages, FHA 203k, loans that require prior approval from an investor, brokered loans, or loans with a 2nd td. The guarantee does not apply if events occur beyond the control of New American Funding, including but not limited to; appraised value, escrow or title delays, 2nd lien holder approval, short sale approval, or lender conditions that cannot be met by any party. The 14 day trigger begins when your initial application package is complete and you have authorized credit card payment for your appraisal. If New American Funding fails to perform otherwise, a credit of $250 will be applied toward closing costs. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act License. NMLS ID#6606. © New American Funding. New American and New American Funding2 | Conejo365.com are registered trademarks of Broker Solutions Inc. dba New AmericanIf you Funding. would All like Rights your Reserved. event Corporate posted Office in future is located publications, at 14511 Myford please Road, Suite contact 100, Tustin CA 92780. Phone (800) 450-2010. 01/2017 Robyn Long at 818-879-6050, ext. 127 or [email protected]. Your Conejo Why Summer 2017 is the Best Time by Susan Pascal to Sell Your Home in the Conejo Valley Is there a perfect season in which to sell your supply of inventory. Anything under that may re- home? The time of year is often a factor but so, sult in multiple offers since there aren’t very many too, is the ever-fluctuating real estate market, ac- homes for sale right now. It’s definitely a seller’s cording to Barbara Radke, CEO of the Radke Agen- market. cy in Westlake Village. 365: What is the median sales price in the Conejo Considered one of the top-selling realtors in the Valley right now? Conejo Valley, Radke left the corporate world in The median single-family home price is $834,750. 2005. Inspired by the book “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent,” by Gary Keller, founder of Keller Wil- 365: Why is the Conejo Valley considered a good liams Realty International, Radke pursued a career real estate market? in real estate. Radke: The Conejo Valley is one of the most afflu- In 2008 Radke became a partner with Keller Wil- ent areas in the country. Being adjacent to nation- liams, Westlake Village. Her team, The Radke Agen- al parkland that extends all the way to the ocean, cy, earned the #1 award for Team Listings in 2016 we are able to enjoy a mild, year-round Mediter- at Keller Williams® Westlake Village Market Center. ranean climate that offers warm, sunny, dry sum- mers and cool winters, considered Idyllic living real estate attorney before signing it. Radke, who hails from Los Gatos, California, en- conditions. Surrounded by rolling hills, majestic 365: What else should a homeowner consider be- joys her life in Westlake Village with her husband, oak trees, and open space what’s not to love? The fore showing their home? Tom, a private investigator. She has two children, Conejo Valley schools both public and private are Radke: People need to realize that the way you Lauren, 26, a federal agent, and Travis, 24, a pro- excellent and we have the additional academic live in a home isn’t the way you sell a home. Take fessional baseball pitcher in the San Diego Padres benefit of having a college in town–California yourself out of the role of being a homeowner and organization. Both recently married, the kids en- Lutheran University which helps to make this put yourself into the role of being a buyer. joy spending time with Barbara and Tom at their area extremely desirable for family living. All of cabin in Montana. these things along with our low crime rate is what 365: Is this where staging becomes a factor? brought us to relocate here from Scottsdale, Ari- Radke: Absolutely! My agency offers a comple- zona 25 years ago. mentary staging appointment. We bring our stag- 365: If a homeowner is thinking of selling, what er with us to do a walk-through of the home from are the first steps he or she should take? room to room as well as the exterior of the home. The seller will then get a detailed written report on Radke: A home is typically the most expensive what can or should be done based on the seller’s business transaction someone will ever be in- budget, which includes links to make it easy for volved with in their entire lives. Unfortunately, them to see the ideas that are being suggested as many people ask more questions when getting well as paint color suggestions if needed. their hair cut than they do when it comes to sell- ing and buying their home. The first step they 365: What does staging entail? should take is to find two or three different agents Radke: It can be a broad range from just declut- Conejo365: Let’s get right to the issue. Why is this that they’d like to interview. Some of the things tering to painting to a full remodel and any mix in the best time to sell your home? they should look for are number of transactions on between. We know the things that bring the big- a yearly basis, whether they are a solo agent or on gest return and really try to focus on them. Barbara Radke: Currently, our inventory levels a team and, of course, past references. are the lowest they’ve been in quite some time. 365: If a seller can only afford to remodel one Plus summertime is when most buyers want to 365: What should a prospective home-seller do room in the house, what should it be? with their home before putting it on the market? make the move. They want to wait until school is Radke: The kitchen always has the biggest return out. Then they want to make sure to get their kids Radke: They should have a wood destroying pest on investment. settled into a new home and school district before and organism inspection done. In addition the 365: Once someone has brought you on as a real- the school year starts again in the fall. Water Conservation Act was just passed–California tor, how do you proceed? 365: How is the market doing right now? law (Civil Code §1101.4)–requiring all single-family residences built on or before January 1, 1994 to Radke: When we meet for our initial consultation, Radke: The Conejo Valley is enjoying a strong be equipped with water-conserving plumbing which usually lasts around one-and-a-half to two start to the summer selling season, but a lack of fixtures after January 1, 2017. hours, I take them through the three stages of sell- midrange housing inventory (generally priced ing a home and an introduction to my team. between $400,000 - $700,000) remains an issue 365: How do solar panel systems affect sales? 365: Which are? and is pushing prices higher. The absorption rate Radke: It depends on whether a homeowner is the rate at which available homes are sold dur- owns or leases their system. If a homeowner is Radke: One, what we do prior to putting the ing a given time period. It is calculated by divid- looking to put in a system, there are pros and cons. house on the market. Two, what we do once we’re ing the average number of sales per month by They should be aware that if they want to sell their on the market. Three, what we do during the ne- the total number of available homes. Here in the home, every solar company has different terms. If I gotiations, escrow and closing process. This way, Conejo Valley, the absorption rate is 2.35. First off, were going to install a solar panel system, I would they understand what will happen every step of a “normal,” “healthy” market usually has six month’s review the contract and/or lease carefully with a the way. The Radke Agency is located at 30700 Russell Ranch Rd. #200, Westlake Village, CA 91362 Phone: 800-405-1433 Email: [email protected] Join us for our $20 WEEKLY TASTINGS See our list of events on our website www.dukeofbourbon.com 4 | Conejo365.com 31149 via colinas, suite 601 westlake village, ca 91362 818.341.1234 www.dukeofbourbon.com Your Conejo The Palm Garden Hotel, the Conejo Valley’s Hidden Gem by Susan Pascal complementary breakfast, a weekend Happy Hour, a putting green, a large, tropical swimming pool (with a wading area for kids) and with a life- size chess set, fitness center and room service from Brendan’s.