The Malibu Real Estate Blog

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is as an agent to use every means possible to market a property. We got this listing because we excel at finding new ways to expose properties to the world and really think “outside the box” when it comes to online marketing. We had the print areas covered being featured in OceanHome Magazine, LA Business Journal, LA Times, Malibu Times, and in dozens of online websites. What we really wanted was television coverage and we couldn’t have asked for a better segment than this for NBC. Check it out! To find out how we can do a better job marketing your home than anyone else, call Mike Gardner @ 310 699 8428.
www.themalibuvilla.com

I am totally hooked on finding interesting stories for this blog. I also love spinning the PR wheel and finding ways to get media exposure to my listings. A few weeks ago I saw a new Malibu home for sale in the MLS for a home where a Ferrari was being given away. I called the agent up and said “Do you realize the size of media gold mine you are sitting on?”. He had no clue so I asked for permission to run the story on my blog and call my media contacts because I’m not letting this one go to waste. The original story can be found here . So here’s what happend…The story first went out to Wallet Pop. After that it found it’s way on to 30 different auto sites and forums. Then it hit the newspapers…. the big ones. Lastly it went on Fox News. So with a good story and a few calls I was able to bring in about 30,000 page views to the blog, got mentioned on dozens of portals, and got the agent some face time on TV. So I got to ask…..Does your agent go to these lengths for your home. If the answer is no then call me 310 699 8428. I”ll tell you what I’ve done for my listing here.

Update! reduced to $12,950,000

A new home in Serra Retreat went on the Malibu Real estate market this week for $14,795,000 . The home, best described as a “Modern interpretation of a barn” is sure to find favor with buyers looking for privacy and stylish design. The home is located at the back of Serra Retreat and sits in a bowl surrounded by the hills of the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s private enough that one will feel at ease with nothing on in the master Continue Reading »

Carbon Beach, aka billionaires beach, has given us one more reason to believe it’s name. A new $57,000,000 listing came on the Malibu real estate market this week. This is not your average beach house! This Malibu home for sale is on a triple lot on Carbon beach and has almost 13,000 sq.ft. with 180 feet of frontage. The home is exceptionally done in a Cape Cod style and  boasts Continue Reading »

A home seller in Malibu has come up with a very unique and creative way of bringing attention to the sale of his home….he’s throwing in his red Ferrari F40. The iconic Italian sports car has less than 800 miles on it and only 1315 production models ever rolled off the factory floor in Maranello, Italy. The car was originally offered at $400k, though some buyers were willing to pay a bit more to possess this stellar sports model…up to $1.6m! The F40 was the first ever legal production car to exceed 200 mph. A Japanese Ferrari dealer once filmed himself hitting 201 mph only to be arrested after he sold a videotape to an undercover policeman. Bail probably wasn’t a problem, he had already sold 10,000 of the videos. The only catch on securing the car is that the home for sale must be purchased before 6-30-2010.

Oh, and about the house! The home’s asking price is $4,399,333.00 and it has expansive ocean views on half an acre. There are 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and close to 6000 sq.ft. of living space. There is a pool, room to park 13 cars, and is less than a minute walk from the beaches along Encinal Bluffs. The house across the street is asking $49m! Call for a showing of the car or house! 310 699 8428

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For seriously straight talk about actually buying a home and living in Malibu, call me on my cell at 310 699 8428.

On Monday mornings we have our office meeting to discuss various aspects of the Malibu real estate market. One question we always throw around is, “What was the best thing on caravan?” About half the agents, including me, thought the new listing on Birdview was the nicest house for sale. The home has a distinctly Asian feel with the kiln-fired and blue glazed tile roof, an Indonesian/Bali feel with the tropical landscape, and a zen/Craftsman interior that smartly leaves the Japanese feel at the door. The shared feeling by many agents was “what a pleasant surprise” and “this house has a great feel.” The house, in fact, was so unique and special, that the $11m asking price seemed to be a side note. This is the type of home someone will walk into and just “want it” because of the emotional connection.
From the MLS “SEASIDE BLUFFTOP ESTATE- PRIVATE PATH LEADS TO SANDY SHORELINE- ROMANTIC AND PRIVATE SETTING- LUSH LANDSCAPING ENVELOPES YOU IN A TROPICAL PARADISE- INCREDIBLE OCEAN VIEWS SPAN THE PRISTINE COASTLINE- OPEN & FREE FLOWING FLOOR PLAN 6 BEDROOMS- MEDIA ROOM, OFFICE, GOURMET KITCHEN AND EXQUISITE MASTER BATH- SEPARATE GUEST HOUSE BY LAGOON POOL WITH ADDITIONAL BEDROOM, BATH AND GYM- SPACIOUS PATIOS WITH OCEAN VIEW DINING AND ENTERTAINING SPACE- NO NEED TO VACATION ON A TROPICAL ISLE, HERE, YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FANTASY RETREAT.”
Listed with Chris Cortazzo and Bobette Halverson

There’s a skit on SNL/Hulu that we watch called “What Up With Dat”. It’s silly and doesn’t make a ton of sense but the catch phrase get’s so stuck in your head you to will be saying it to your spouse like I do. My wife will say, “The dog just jumped on the bed with dirty feet!” and I’ll reply, Continue Reading »

No, it does not have Asanti Diamond “Dubs” on the axles. No, there are no oil reserves underneath, and you don’t even own the land. What you do get is an incredible ocean view on Point Dume, Malibu and the security knowing that tornados Continue Reading »

If you are in the market to buy a home for sale in Calabassas, Agoura, or Thousand Oaks, you may want to venture up Kanan to see this amazing deal on a new luxury home in the development known as Vintage at Hidden Park. This is the last built home available and it just had a major price reduction minutes ago. Continue Reading »

There are several condos on the Malibu real estate market that are heading into the  ”half off” sale category so take note of these deals!

Deal numero uno…

28266 Rey De Copas Lane, Malibu

Top row remodeled unit with ocean views and twice the parking as any other unit. Exceptional finishes make it look like a swanky hotel room at a high end resort. Once listed at $1,075,000 now at $659,000. Here is the MLS description and pictures… Continue Reading »

What you need to know about the Malibu Real Estate market.

Whenever an agents list a property that is “distressed” they must disclose it in the MLS. There are several categories that they can check off such as bank owned, REO, short sale, or short pay. Not only is it the law, but it’s useful in that when I log on to do a quick search for Malibu homes for sale that have those designations. Today’s report shows 17 properties in this category and some of you reading this will want it!
If you are a bottom dweller looking for a steal, you may need to look in Vegas, Florida, o Palmdale… our market is still holding up fairly well!
Contact me for that list! Email Me
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Get your tweet on. I post live reports from the real estate field as they happen. Find me on Twitter @malibure
Want daily emails showing price reductions in Malibu? Email me asking for “Listing Book” for access to the MLS Malibu agents use.
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Breaking News!!!!! A Carbon Mesa Home (area near the Malibu Peir) just hit the Malibu Real Estate market this morning as a bank owned sale. It has 4 bedrooms, ~2600 sq.ft., an ocean view, and is on almost 2 acres for $1,141,000.
The list of 19 Malibu homes and condos for sale that are in the category of REO, bank owned, distressed, foreclosure, or short sale is available to those who request it via email. Email If you consider yourself a serious buyer for Malibu Real Estate do yourself a favor and contact me. I will not only send you a list of homes available now, but will also let you know of homes I can get you in to that aren’t listed or are about to be listed!
Without giving to many details I can tell you that one of the frequent readers of this blog was first to be notified about a huge, ocean view, home for sale in the distressed (short pay) category. He came out right away and now has an offer on a home, that if it gets accepted, may be the deal of the year in Malibu.

Despite the downturn in Malibu real estate, Point Dume still remains in demand with numerous homes closing this past month including one listed for sale $7.5m. A large garden estate located on Wildlife Road recently became one of the larger numbers seen on a property not located on the bluffs. The home, close to the beach gate, was over 8000sq.ft. on roughly 1.5 acres. Other transactions were seen on Grasswood, Fernhill, and in the Point Dume Club. There are still numerous homes for sale on Point Dume but if you are looking for desperate sellers, you may need to shop in Lancaster. Email Me to request a list of Point Dume homes for sale.

Listed with Mark Gruskin

If you are in the market for a very large Malibu home and require panoramic ocean views, room for entertaining large number of guests, privacy, and a “king of the hill” location, then Villa Cascata may be your next home. Located a few minutes off PCH up Latigo sits this incredible 14,000 sq.ft. masterpiece of Italian style architecture complete with horse facilities, tennis court, guest house, and formal gardens. The home is listed at $13,950,000 and when compared to other homes of equal size, appears to be a very good value. After a quick search on the mls, there are no other homes with the same amount of living space, acreage, or views that come close to this price range. Also noteworthy is that it is the personal home of designer Audrey Ruth who has finished the home with incredible details.

The property sits on 19 acres with additional contiguous properties available for sale…28 acres to the east and 88 acres to the West which includes Escondido Falls. For those who forgot their Spanish lessons, Cascata is “Waterfall” in Spanish. So why live in Beverly Hills without an ocean view when you could live in Malibu with your own private waterfall and enough land to plant a vineyard? Cascata Winery anyone?Call for a showing 310 699 8428. See the slide show of this Malibu home here.

From the MLS.

VILLA CASCATA IS YOUR NEW HOME. THIS AMENITY RICH PROPERTY HAS IT ALL. HORSE FACILITIES, SPECTACULAR POOL ENTERTAINING AREA W/ KITCHEN AND FIREPLACE, TRAILS, LAWNS, FORMAL GARDEN, KOI POND AND A LARGE GUEST HOUSE FOR YOUR OUT OF TOWN GUESTS. THIS NEWLY COMPLETED MASTERPIECE FEATURES INTERIORS BY NOTED DESIGNER AUDREY RUTH AND IS SITED TO COMMAND VIEWS FROM PT. MUGU TO DOWNTOWN LA. ADJOINING 103 ACRES ALSO AVAILABLE.

Listed with Mike Gardner and David Findley 310 699 8428

A quick search of the MLS within the Malibu Real Estate market  shows that there are are total of 14 homes for sale that fall within the distressed category. Home range from a $6m beach house on Sea Level to a $399,000 condo at Malibu Villas. The smart investor or opportunist might just want to email me for that list of homes!  Email Me
Want to be in the know about smoking deals? Sign up for the RSS feed. The second I publish, you get an email.
Get your tweet on. I post live reports from the real estate field as they happen. FInd me on Twitter @malibure
Want daily emails showing price reductions in Malibu? Email me asking for ” Listing Book” for access to he MLS Malibu agents use.
subscribe to my RSS feed! If you have no clue what an RSS feed is click here for a quick video.