Category Archives: Misc

The Soleta zeroEnergy One

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From Sammy Medina at Co.DESIGN comes this story about a recent innovation in sustainable home design: “The project, currently on display outside the American embassy in Bucharest, was developed by the Justin Capra Foundation for Invention and Sustainable Technologies (FITS). The goal was to design and build a zero-energy shed that could be used as a house, studio, or office in various climates. It also had to be affordable and versatile.”

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“Nearly every sustainable feature imaginable was embedded in the house, including solar heat, rainwater collectors, in-floor heating, ‘natural’ and ‘forced’ ventilation systems, LED lighting, and high-efficient fixtures… Best, it’s easy to control: You can use your smartphone to calibrate the interior environment to your exact specifications.” (Images courtesy of Soleta, their website is here.)

If the zeroEnergy One house intrigues you, be sure to reach out to us at Tracy Do Real Estate. We can find a vacant lot suitable for any type of home, whether it’s designed from the ground up or from pre-existing plans. In many cases, the cost of building from scratch is comparable to the price of buying an existing home. To explore your options, contact us here.

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Congratulations to Our Friend Eric Garcetti, Mayor of LA

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Both candidates were outstanding, but for us, supporting Eric Garcetti was the clear and natural choice. His strong stewardship of CD13 has made Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village and Glassell Park some of the very best places to call home — and we would know. Having represented many clients in these neighborhoods, through hundreds of transactions, we’ve seen firsthand the growth, livability and rising property values.

Tracy Do Real Estate is proud to have co-sponosored multiple fundraising events for Mr. Garcetti. It’s been fun getting to know him, and we are certain that his warmth, intelligence and boundless energy will serve LA well into the future.

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Prices Surged Last Month

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From Alejandro Lazo at the LA Times: “Homes sold at the fastest clip for (April) in seven years, as regular buyers and investors snapped up more than 21,000homes in the six-county region, real estate firm DataQuick reported Tuesday. That was a 4.1% increase from March and a 9.5% jump from a year earlier.” Full story here.

 

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Listen: LA Housing Market Tightens Up

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Inventory is down, heralding the return of bidding wars, all-cash offers… it can tough to be a buyer these days. On KPCC’s “Take Two” this morning, host Tess Vigeland spoke about the housing market with Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics. Says Thornberg, “We knew this was coming. I just don’t think anyone expected it to be quite as dramatic as it has turned out to be.” Their 7-minute conversation is worth your time. Find it here, and be sure to click the “listen now” button on the left.

 

There are several takeaways here, among them the fact that in a tight marketplace like this you need a competitive edge. Put yourself in business with the people who will work hardest for you: the experienced, approachable and always professional team at Tracy Do Real Estate.

To receive new listings by email, or to schedule a viewing click here!

The “Mortgage IQ Test”

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Our friends at the Zillow Blog have come up with a Mortgage IQ Test which “showed that prospective home buyers answered very basic mortgage questions wrong nearly one-third of the time.” You can take that test yourself here if you’d like. And once you have…

 

Get in touch with us here at Tracy Do Real Estate. Whether you got those questions right or wrong, it’s not an issue when you work with trained, experienced realtors like ourselves. Step-by-step, we will guide you through every phase of the home buying process; from securing a loan that fits your needs to closing on the property you always wanted. Don’t let a mortgage loan be the reason you stay out of the market. Contact us anytime. Even if it’s just to ask a few questions, or clarify some things — we can help! And we’re happy to be at your service.

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Cost to Rent in LA County Heading ⇡

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From our friend Eve Bachrach at Curbed: “A new report predicts that LA County will see average rents jump 4.5 percent this year, a record increase and more than double last year’s. The brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap blames low inventory and a rebounding job market.” Her full story can be found here.

 

For some people, renting makes sense. For others, their desire to buy is hampered either by finances, a lack of “affordable” homes — or a lack of homes in general in this tight LA real estate market. If any of those sound familiar, we encourage you to connect with us at Tracy Do Real Estate. Your search for a “rent alternative” gets a lot easier when you’ve got professionals working for you; we do this all day, every day. Whether it’s exploring emerging neighborhoods, alerting you to under-the-radar “pocket” listings, or connecting you with lenders and loan programs that suit your needs, we’re here to help. There’s no obligation, no up-front costs. Just advice and guidance from friendly, knowledgeable people who are very good at listening.

Rents keep rising. Yet the cost of taking out a mortgage loan is near an all-time low. Let’s kick your home search into high gear. Call, text or email anytime to Tracy Do Real Estate.

To receive new listings by email, or to schedule a viewing click here!