Iconic Bel Air estate becomes most expensive listing in America

An historic mega-mansion in Los Angeles just hit the record books as the most expensive property currently listed in the United States.

The Casa Encantada, an eight-acre Bel Air estate that translates as “the Enchanted House,” could well become the most expensive home ever sold in California if an interested buyer plunks down the current asking price of $225 million. As the Los Angeles Times reports, that perch is currently occupied by the Spelling Manor, which sold for $119.75 million in July.

Built in 1938, the Casa Encantada was designed to be the most opulent and extravagant mansion in Hollywood. Even during the Great Depression, building costs for the Bel Air estate ran up to $2 million (approximately $35 million in today’s dollars). Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton purchased the home in 1950 for $225,000.

Architect James Dolena designed the 40,000-square-foot mansion with a whopping 60 bedrooms. The mansion’s H-shape gives almost all of its rooms triple views of the city, the ocean and the park. T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbing, considered one of the most iconic decorators in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, picked out the interior furniture and design. The listing is held by Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland as well as Hilton’s grandson Rick Hilton and Shawn Elliott of Elite Real Estate Marketing.

 

NEW ORLANDO LISTING

4716 Rosewood Drive, Orlando, FL 32806

$549,000

Enjoy resort living at home! Exceptional estate encompasses spectacular vistas, gardens, trees and sweeping lawns. Minutes to town, schools and public boat ramp, the sun-filled, residence has been completely and masterfully renovated to the highest standards.  Characterized by beautifully proportioned rooms, high ceilings, magnificent architectural detail and extraordinary craftsmanship, this remarkable home offers amenities for a contemporary lifestyle while retaining the original ambiance and timeless elegance. Highlighted by one-inch wood floors, a foyer hall introduces nearly 3,000 sf of warmly welcoming interiors. Large windows flank the rear of the living room thereby ensuring a light-filled interior and sweeping views of the magnificent backyard pool. This home is the very definition of a place perfect for entertaining. An adjacent home office/den includes a floor to ceiling built in bookcases with trim and leads to the expansive backyard and rear patio with one of the prettiest pools I have witnessed. The stylish dining room is a showcase for the gourmet cook who has easy access to a charming kitchen and adjacent great room. The kitchen is open and inviting and cements the fact that this is a home for the kind of family or person who enjoys entertaining. The charming eat-in nook overlooks the front lawn and the kitchen features an amazing showcase pantry for your most exquisite china or pottery. The closets in this house will astound you with another pantry, two huge master closets and most rooms with walk in closets. The owners retreat offers HUGE closets and a sitting area along with a bathroom retreat featuring a soaking tub and a two-person shower. The fourth bedroom does not have an actual built in closet but has always been used as a working bedroom. This is truly a one-of-a-kind home and I promise you will not believe the amenities. While the home’s shell was built in the late 1950’s the entire house was gutted and reconfigured by former owners who were architects. The seller loves this home but a corporate transfer requires their move to Colorado so this is a great opportunity for the next buyer. Close walk to the public boat ramp for this neighborhood to the beautiful Conway chain of lakes. Finally, the new Pershing K-8 school will be completed in 2019 thus adding additional value to this home located on a private road. What an amazing value!

Estate Home

3150 Appaloosa Ct. Kissimmee, FL

5 acres, 5/6 bedrooms, plenty of parking including RV connection, and detached guest apartment. This home is LOADED and priced at appraisal at $545,000. CALL me to view this spectacular home.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/3150-Appaloosa-Ct,-Kissimmee,-FL-34746_rb/?fromHomePage=true&shouldFireSellPageImplicitClaimGA=false&fromHomePageTab=buy

The #1 Reason to List Your House, NOW!

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released the results of their latest Existing Home Sales Report which revealed that sales rose 0.7% month-over-month, but remain 1.5% lower than they were a year ago. Some may look at these numbers and think that now is not a good time to sell their house, but in fact, the opposite is true.

The national slowdown in sales is directly tied to a lack of inventory available for the buyers who are out in the market looking for their dream homes! The inventory of homes for sale has fallen year-over-year for the last 28 months and has had an upward impact on home prices.

NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun had this to say,

“Home sales in recent months remain at their lowest level of the year and are unable to break through, despite considerable buyer interest in most parts of the country.

Realtors® this fall continue to say the primary impediments stifling sales growth are the same as they have been all year: not enough listings – especially at the lower end of the market – and fast-rising prices that are straining the budgets of prospective buyers.” (emphasis added)

The houses that are on the market are selling fast, too! According to NAR’s Realtors Confidence Index, the median number of days it took for a house to go from listed to under contract over the past three months was 34.

Bottom Line

If you are one of the many homeowners who is debating listing your house for sale this year, the time is now! Let’s get together to discuss the specifics of our market!

How to Get the Most Money When Selling Your Home

Every homeowner wants to make sure they get the best price when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to ensuring you get the highest price possible.

1. Price it a LITTLE LOW 

This may seem counterintuitive. However, let’s look at this concept for a moment. Many homeowners think that pricing their home a little OVER market value will leave them room for negotiation. In reality, this just dramatically lessens the demand for their house (see chart below).

Instead of the seller trying to ‘win’ the negotiation with one buyer, they should price it so that demand for the home is maximized. By doing this, the seller will not be fighting with a buyer over the price, but will instead have multiple buyers fighting with each other over the house.

Realtor.com gives this advice:

“Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going rate. Today’s buyers are highly informed, so if they sense they’re getting a deal, they’re likely to bid up a property that’s slightly underpriced, especially in areas with low inventory.”

2. Use a Real Estate Professional

This, too, may seem counterintuitive, as the seller likely believes that he or she will net more money if they don’t have to pay a real estate commission. With that being said, studies have shown that homes typically sell for more money when handled by a real estate professional.

Research posted by the National Association of Realtors revealed that:

“The median selling price for all FSBO homes was $185,000 last year. When the buyer knew the seller in FSBO sales, the number sinks to the median selling price of $163,800. However, homes that were sold with the assistance of an agent had a median selling price of $245,000 – nearly $60,000 more for the typical home sale.”

Bottom Line

Price your house at or slightly below the current market value and hire a professional. This will guarantee that you maximize the price you get for your house.

2450 Via Sienna, Winter Park, FL 32789

For Sale at $775,000 or For Rent at $3,300. Beautiful country-style estate home in the heart of Winter Park. The best of everything in Central Florida.

Photos Make A Difference

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT my photograph and NOT my listing…now read on.

Having a multitude of quality home photos with your listings is so important as long as they are professional photos and do NOT include the bathroom. Seriously, would any person want this home based upon this revolting photo which is an actual MLS photo?

If you can’t feature good photographs, please just show the front and back of the house only. Anyone can take a picture of the front of a home. Otherwise, hire a professional or you may want to think about your real estate career aspirations.

First impressions do count.

MAI KAI Orlando CONDO

1935 Conway Road, Orlando, FL

2 BDRM – MAI KAI CONDOMINIUM

$69,900

New Listing – Great for Winter Residents – Must be Owner Occupants

New Price on Downtown Orlando Home

SIX bedrooms and great cul-de-sac location for $399,900. Check out the video below. Open house 2-4pm on Sunday, February 14th!

Video:

 

 

#1 Reason to List Your House Today!

If you are debating listing your house for sale this year or even early next year, here is the #1 reason not to wait!

Buyer Demand Continues to Outpace the Supply of Homes For Sale

According to the National Association of REALTORS’ (NAR) Foot Traffic report, there are more buyers out in the market right now than at any other time in the past three years.

The graph below shows the significant increase in foot traffic experienced this year compared to 2014.

The latest Existing Home Sales report shows that there is currently a 5.2-month supply of homes for sale. This remains lower than the 6-month supply necessary for a normal market and well below August 2014 numbers.

The chart below details the year-over-year inventory shortages experienced so far in 2015:

Bottom Line

Meet with a local real estate professional who can show you the supply conditions in your neighborhood and assist you in gaining access to the buyers who are ready, willing and able to buy today!