About four months ago, I noticed some people on the street near my home so I approached them to see what was going on and saw that there was an elderly lady flat out on the pavement.  Turned out, she had tripped and fallen, and she had a badly bruised forehead and a bloody nose.   The bystanders were ready to let her get up and leave because she was adamant that she was fine, but she looked awful to me so I persuaded her to let me call 911 and we got her off to hospital.  I called her daughter a few days later to check on her and found out that she had a concussion, in addition to a broken neck.    She spent three weeks in the hospital and a few months later, I saw her, (all 4'6" of her) walking along with her dog, wearing a neck brace.   Completely out of the blue, I received a call from her a few days ago, thanking me for my help, and inviting me to lunch so today I had a very enjoyable time with a very interesting and appreciative 94 year old!   Knowing you've done something good for someone else is its own reward but it sure was nice to be treated to lunch!

Calling all investors!  There are some unbelievable deals to be had in Sherman Oaks, California!  For those of you not familiar with this city, it is in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles and is a fabulous place to live.  Single family homes can be purchased from the $500ks up to multi-million dollar homes, it's a safe and beautiful place to live, the freeways are easily accessible and it's not unusual to spot celebrities at local coffee shops and eateries.  Disclosure:  Charlie Sheen lives in Sherman Oaks!

But that's not what I want to talk about:  I recently showed Sherman Oaks condominiums in great neighborhoods, priced under $200K.  These same condos were selling in the mid-$300ks approx four/five years ago and represent tremendous value to anyone looking for investment property or a cheap place to live.

If you are looking for inexpensive investment property, please give me a call.  I know the valley like the back of my hand and will be happy to help you through the process.

Rose Osman, Realtor

John Aaroe Group,

818-634-6388

www.roseosman.com

If you're going to live in the San Fernando Valley, Sherman Oaks is one of the best cities to live in; I should know, I've been a resident for almost 20 years!  You can find affordable condos and townhomes for sale either side of "the boulevard" as it's known, and if you head south of the boulevard, south of Valley Vista, you'll find spectacular multi-million dollar properties for sale.  The further south you go, the more amazing the views: 

If you have young children, there are some good elementary schools in the area: Dixie Canyon Elementary, Sherman Oaks Elementary and Roscomare Elementary, and when the kids get older, there are some excellent private schools in the area! 

The main thoroughfare of Sherman Oaks is Ventura Boulevard, offering hundreds of stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and markets, and one of the fun things about living in Sherman Oaks is the likelihood of spotting celebrities going about their daily business, or seeing movies shoots in progress. 

If you like to shop, the Fashion Square Mall on Riverside Drive/Hazeltine is a great place to go.  Macy's and Neiman Marcus are the anchor stores and the mall is big enough to do some damage to your pocket but not big enough to get yourself lost.

Located at the corner of Sepulveda and Ventura Blvd, the Sherman Oaks Galleria is considered by many to be the undisputed residence of the Valley Girl, a cultural label popularized by the song and 1983 movie of the same name, although the Galleria is better known these days as the site of the ArcLight Movie Theater, Cheesecake Factory and P F Chang's.

Sherman Oaks is close to the 101 & 405 freeways, and there are numerous canyon routes that will take you over the hill to the Westside of Los Angeles, so it's a very convenient place to live as well.

For more info about the city of Sherman Oaks, contact www.shermanoakschamber.org and if you're considering buying or selling a home in Sherman Oaks and want help, please give me a call!, I'll be happy to help!

I took this photo this morning, initially because it caught my attention on my drive to the office.  I consider myself to be more spiritual than religious, but the sign made me think.  As self-employed people,  we like to believe we have good judgement but so often we are our own worst enemy and often don't take the right path in our decisions.  So, not be be facetious or disrespectful, how would God do real estate? 

Bell Canyon equestrian community is a guard gated neighborhood offering custom built homes on minimum half acre lots, with property prices starting from $649,000. The scenery is breathtaking and there are miles of beautiful trails for the hiking and trail riding enthusiast, and a baseball diamond and playground located in the park close to the creek.  The HOA dues for Bell Canyon equestrian community are surprisingly reasonable and the community is located within the Las Virgenes school district.

If you want to live close to nature, but within easy driving distance of Los Angeles, Bell Canyon equestrian community is a wonderful place to reside. It's not unusual to spot deer, rabbits, coyotes or hawks and although you don't have to be a horse enthusiast to live here, the opportunity to ride is certainly available to you.  Bell Canyon offers a full service equestrian center with professional riding instructors and horse trainers, and can accommodate up to 120 horses.  The center offers a jumping arena, a dressage court, a round pen, a large turnout arena and smaller sun pens.  For more info, visit www.Bellcanyonstables.com.  

Bell Canyon is located approx five miles from the 101 freeway and close to The Commons in Calabasas,  an outdoor plaza offering restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and other stores.    There is also a farmers' market each Saturday morning in Calabasas, so living at Bell Canyon provides every convenience possible.

For more info on Bell Canyon real estate or any other equestrian real estate, please contact me and I'll be happy to help you with your real estate needs!

Browsing through my closet lately I noticed I had many business outfits I no longer wear, mainly because they don't fit me any more!  A search online brought me to www.dressforsuccess.org, which is an international non-profit organization committed to fulfilling the Dress for Success mission of promoting the economic independence of disadvantaged women, through career development and employment retention.  Dress for Success solves the catch-22 that confronts disadvantaged women trying to enter the workforce: without a job, how can you afford a suit?  But without a suit, how can you get a job?

That's where we come in:  this organization accepts donations of new or gently worn professional clothing, shoes, jewelry, scarves and other accessories appropriate for the office.  The closest location for me is at 1680 N. Vine, Suite 900, Hollywood, CA and they are open for donations on the second Saturday of each month from 9:30am-12pm, so that's where I'll be headed next week.  I'll also let my John Aaroe Group colleagues know about this organization so that I can collect more clothing donations.  

For more information, visit their website at www.dressforsuccess.org

Sometimes those opportunities for random acts of kindness or spontaneous pay it forwards don't come along regularly, so this morning, when I spotted a sign at my barn for a toy drive for needy children, I thought, aha, that's what I can do!  This week's pay it forward is a toy donation!  I know, nothing exciting but at least this group makes you go out of your way to do a good deed!

On my way to a home inspection in Northridge this afternoon, I passed this sign and couldn't resist doubling back to take a photo!  Any questions?  No, I didn't think so! 

Even if you don't know one end of a horse from the other, Grand Prix show jumping is an exciting spectator event and the rules are easy to follow.  This particular contest involves top class horses and riders jumping obstacles in excess of 4', and the goal is to clear the entire course of jumps as fast as possible, so speed - not style - is of the essence!

Saturday's event takes place at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, located at 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA. For more info, contact www.la-equestriancenter.com.  The event is held outside under cover of the Equidome, seats are in the bleachers so dress warmly and bring a blanket or cushion to sit on.

Directions:  Golden State Freeway (I-5). From the North or South, exit Alameda Avenue West and go to Main Street (3 rd traffic light). Left on Main Street to the entrance of the Equestrian Center at the intersection of Main Street and Riverside Drive. Main Street ends at the Equestrian Center entrance.

Ventura Freeway (134). From the East. Take the Golden State Freeway (I-5) North. Follow the directions listed above or exit at Buena Vista, make an immediate right onto Riverside Drive and go to Main Street, turn right into the Equestrian Center.

Ventura Freeway (134). From the West, exit at Victory Boulevard. Turn left on Victory Boulevard to Riverside Drive (1 st light). Left on Riverside Drive to Main Street, turn left into the Equestrian Center.

The Equestrian Center is next to Viva Restaurant and across from Pickwick Bowling Alley. It is located in the City of Los Angeles, part of Griffith Park, however, access streets are located in the cities of Burbank and Glendale.

I wrote an offer for my buyers last week; the purchase price offered was $65,000 less than the asking price but based on the comparisons for the area, it was a fair offer.  The big issue was, the seller was 83 years old and lived out of state and he didn't care about the comps and had already turned down similar offers for more, so he countered back at $775,000.  I decided to do something old-fashioned that worked back in the day of making an offer stand out amongst multiple offers: I asked my buyer to write a personal letter  to the seller, explaining that he understood where the seller was coming from, and that he (my buyer) had been in the same situation of having to adjust his expectations by coming down $70,000 on the sale of his own house because of the current market conditions.  My buyer also said that he realized it was a necessary step if he wanted to move on with his life and he assured the seller that the escrow would be smooth and worry free and the letter was sent together with a counter for $750,000.  I had the support of the listing agent and the seller's family weighed in on the decision as well.  After about five days of nail-biting, I got the good news: the letter had been the clincher and the seller signed off on the counter.  In these days of high speed technology, texting, e-mail, twittering etc, our business can become impersonal, but occasionally, a personal letter from one party to the other can make all the difference and humanize the transaction.   Keep this in mind next time you are in a similar situation!