Kim & Kristine, Westside Los Angeles Real Estate & Short Sales » Historical Homes

Rare Find: Santa Monica Historical Home on Georgina

kimandkristine — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:23:07 +0000

Back on the market! The first buyer wrote an offer without seeing the home, and this creates an opportunity for a lucky buyer to own this home. 147 Georgina, Santa Monica CA 9402 is located in the highly sought after North of Montana neighborhood (see below for full property details.) Georgina is a wide street lined with palm trees, and this block is a short walk to popular Palisades Park overlooking the Santa Monica Bay.

Rarely do homes come available on this block, especially a historical home. The current owner has taken very good care of this home’s renovations, so well the home was featured in Home & Garden magazine. One of the benefits of owning a historical home in Santa Monica is the Mills Act. The Mills Act is a special reduction in property taxes to offset the costs for any renovations to preserve the Historical Landmark. The City of Santa Monica has a Landmark Division to help oversee the renovations. According to several city historians, the exterior must be maintained if any changes occur, and application for a Certificate of Appropriateness is to be submitted for landmark review.

When viewing this home, you’ll be amazed by the large lot. The home is located toward the front of the parcel. The lot is so large you would never know there is a half-pipe is in the back for skateboarders. A few of my favorite features of the home, in addition to the location, was the houndstooth mosaic bathroom tile. A refreshing update to see in a historical home.

To schedule a private showing of this historical home, contact Kim at 310-737-8173

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 11523613 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

This home has been withdrawn from the multiple listing service. Find more homes in Santa Monica’s North of Montana neighborhood.

SOLD, When Another Couldn’t

kimandkristine — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:28:08 +0000

SOLD, BY KIM & KRISTINE, WHEN ANOTHER COULDN’T

Selling a Home, When Another Couldn’t

Have you ever noticed a home on the market for months or even years? Other homes in the same neighborhood sell, new owners move in, & that one sign is still in the yard! Well that is the case with this home, the picture above that says SOLD in big red letters.

I’m going to share with you why I was able to sell this home when another agent couldn’t. Not to boast, this could save you some time & money when selling your home.

The home is a historic home in Santa Monica & has been in the family for decades. Their was a death in the family which lead to them selling this home. Initially, I was scheduled to meet with the owner to discuss their goals for the sale. Well, sadly that appointment was canceled. Another agent came in & said it would sell for over $2,000,000 and have multiple offers. The owner was so impressed, he went with the other agent.

Six months goes by & I get a phone call. They are not happy with the agent, the home hasn’t sold, & how can I help. We made a time to meet & this time we did meet. It was very disheartening to hear a few weeks after the agent took the listing, she stared to beat them down to lower the price. Since their was a death in the family, the sale & price had to be approved by attorneys. Every time the price had to be lowered it took months to get an approval.

So long story short, we set a realistic price, put our marketing plan in place & the home sold.

The moral of the story is set the price right from the beginning AND make sure you chose an agent that will be upfront with you about a realistic price, their strategy, & marketing plan. If a home is overpriced, it will sit on the market for too long. Everyday the home doesn’t sell the homeowner loses money; money from the sale & the costs to keep up the home.

To simplify, here are the facts:

Top 3 Reasons Why Homes Don’t Sell

1. The marketing exposure to find the right buyers.

2. The location and how the property shows.

3. The price.

Here are the Top 3 Reasons Why this home sold:

1. Marketing

Find buyers who will love a historical home. Market to agents & over 20 different websites. Hold open houses every weekend. Give buyers time to absorb the home & envision living there.

2. Location & Showing

Great location, the property needed work. Keep it as accessible as possible & allow for buyers to come back several times if needed.

3. Price

Price it $1,500,000 to attract multiple buyers.

We help sellers on a daily basis get the best price for their home. If you find yourself needing a consultation on how we can help you, we’re offering 30 minutes to you. To schedule your free consultation; simply reply to this email or call us at 310-737-8173.

info@KimAndKristine.com

We’re going to straighen this economy out, one seller and one buyer at a time. Let’s start with you.

Call 310-737-8173 for a confidential call.

*Traditional Sales*Mortgage Modifications*Short Sales*Foreclosures

Prudential CA Realty, Santa Monica

If your home is listed by another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation. DRE#01761439

Santa Monica Landmark Home, For Sale!

kimandkristine — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:02:09 +0000

This is the home I’m talking about. I took this photo on the Historic Adelaide tour in April. Click here to read about the other homes on the tour.

Honestly, I was hoping the home would stay in the family. Being built in 1911, the Milbank Home, has remained in the family all these years. Nearly, a century. You would think that being a Realtor I would be super excited that a home of this importance would be up for sale; a chance to find a buyer, home prices to increase, make more money, & so on. I guess my historian side is secretly cringing inside, hoping it is bought by a preservationist vs. an expansionist.

I am grateful for the opportunity to write such news.

The Isaac Milbank home, built by the Milwaukee Building Company, was intended as a summer vacation residence. The interiors were later renovated to accommodate year round residence by his great-granddaughter, who lived in the home until her recent passing.

Click here to read about the City of Santa Monica’s criteria & 2002 decision to make this home a Landmark. Being a historic landmark, the exterior structure of the home is to remain intact. However, the interiors can be tailored to the owner’s taste.

Not only is the home itself amazing. The grounds are inspiring. Set above street level, the grassy knoll makes me want to do a barrel roll down the lawn. With unobstructed ocean, mountain & canyon views from nearly every room.

Their are three trees that are near historic themselves. One is a Moreton Bay Fig & the others are twin Canary Palms.

The Moreton Bay Fig tree has a unique story. The locals say that this tree, in addition to The Miramar Hotel’s, was a seedling brought from Australia in a coffee can. The seedling owner couldn’t pay his bar tab, so he gave his seedlings to settle the bill. The bartender had a friend who was a landscaper. At the time “Miramar” was the residence for one of Santa Monica’s founders John P. Jones.

The Moreton Bay Fig is known for its exposed root system. (sorry, couldn’t get the photo rotation to post)

To own part of Santa Monica’s unique history, contact me.

Historic Adelaide Drive Tour with Santa Monica Conservancy, part trois

kimandkristine — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:05:55 +0000

Well, my friends, the Santa Monica Conservancy’s Historic Adelaide Drive Tour has come to an end. That is the homes I’ve had the privilege of viewing the interiors. Well, partial interiors.

A Craftsman style home influenced by English Arts & Crafts. It’s beautifully raised above street level. This home had the best panoramic views of the Santa Monica Bay, Pacific Palisades, & Rustic Canyons.

The Bishop Conaty House built in 1907 as a retreat for the Reverend Bishop Conaty of Los Angeles and San Diego. According to Santa Monica Conservancy the site was donated to the church by Judge Juan Carrillo, the first Mayor of Santa Monica. A subsequent owner was Mary Miles Minter, a silent movie starlet.

Apparently she was romantically involved with director Desmond Taylor, who was murdered in 1922. Unfortunately, his murder cut short her movie career. She lived in the house from 1953 to 1984. Now this is where the story gets a little confusing. At some point their was a murder or robbery in the main home. Fearing for her safety, Ms. Minter moved to the back house until her death in 1984.

The home was then bought in 1986. It was in desperate need of maintenance and restoration. Their were vines covering the exterior, stripping paint, refurbishing the infrastructure. Basically, the main house was left for ruin.

Thankfully it has been in the hands of owners who have a great respect for history and original character. The current owners bought the home in 1997 and continue to preserve the home.

Next, I’ll share about the gorgeous Moreton Bay Fig Tree and the incredible home it is a part of.

Historic Adelaide Drive Tour with Santa Monica Conservancy, part deux

kimandkristine — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:44:44 +0000

The next home on the Santa Monica Historical Home Tour was the cool craftsman style home next door. The second home on the West end of Adelaide. This home was built for Henry Weaver, a wealthy Midwest hotel owner, in 1910 by the Milwaukee Building Company who also built Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

I never knew how amazing this home is from the street. However, there is a quality that whispers, “this house is special & magical.” Hedges surround the front view with a cut out for the walkway up to the front porch. The deep shaded front porch with ocean views draws me in, I love a large front porch. The porch is a true “outside room” that is essential to Santa Monica and So Cal lifestyle.

This home was featured in the Los Angeles Times when it was built, September 4, 1910. The cost to build was a whopping $13,250. This was very expensive then.

This was such a treat to see. Notice the Moorish arched windows.

The home has been restored, is a Santa Monica Landmark, and part of the Mills Act. The Mills Act “provides financial compensation for preserving and restoring a historic house through property tax abatement.”

See the neighbors home in part three of the Historic Adelaide Tour.