My La Canada

The New Sports Chalet

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:58:00 +0000

I wanted to write this post and vent my feelings on the new sports chalet in La Canada.
I am so disappointed by the new store. I cannot believe they closed THE ORIGINAL Sport Chalet and replaced it with a cookie cutter store like the new one. I loved the old sport chalet, and I would go there even though it was out of my way because it was a place that felt comforting and welcoming with a lot of character. I loved the pictures on the wall in the fishing section, and I loved the small store feel. The new store looks like a kmart. What a disappointment! I really thought they would try to keep the feel of the original store considering the fact that it did have a lot of history and people really liked it. I for one am going to miss it and I'm sure a lot of other people will also. Not anyone I talked with during my visit to the new store including the employees liked the new store.

I know it's too late for them to do anything about it, since these CEOs think they are so smart they will stick with this design and wont have the brains to admit that it was a huge mistake with the local community and also a slap in the face to everyone who supported them. I know I did. One of the employees told me that they made the new Sport Chalet as a demonstration area for future stores. So when they want to open a new location they can bring the new management and owners to look at the La Canada location as an "example". Well this is a great example of how to F up your entire reputation. I hope that Sport Chalet goes bankrupt and a new smaller sports store opens up and allows the employees to continue working in a place they enjoy. I really feel for them because they have to put up with it every single day.

All I can say is that I'm as disappointed in my favorite sports store where I purchased all my camping, fishing, and outdoors equipment from as I was in tonight vice presidential debate. I feel like there is no bright future in any of this.

Thank You.

Contact Haro Gharbigi

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:43:00 +0000

Welcome.

You can contact me directly on my cell phone at (818) 624-0941 or go to my listing and community information website at http://www.harogharbigi.com - You've made the first step in contacting the local real estate expert!

Could first time home buyers get a helping hand with subprime difficulties?

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:43:00 +0000

San Francisco Chronicle: Subprime loan aid possible
By Matthew Yi
4/24/07
A state Assembly committee approved a bill that will create a fund that homeowners with subprime mortgages can use to refinance their loans.

Check information on any house from your cell phone?

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:39:00 +0000

The following is a article By Rocky Mountain News website:

April 9, 2007

Using your mobile device to get information about real estate is a hot technology, and Denver entrepreneur James Eberhard is taking advantage with his launch of HouseFront.

Eberhard's latest venture is a mobile service that allows users to find property values and other information on more than 77 million homes in the U.S.

Here's how it works: You're in front of a home you want to know more about. You type in the home's address, then text message it to the short code 46873 (it spells house), and HouseFront will send a response that includes an estimated value, along with the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, last sold date, and sales trends for that neighborhood.

The service is free, though text messaging rates for your mobile carrier apply.

"From any mobile phone, just text in the address, and send it to the short code HOUSE, and we give you back (that information)," said Eberhard, 28, who sold his previous business - 9Squared, a provider of downloadable ringtones - to U.K.-based Monstermob Group PLC for $40 million in 2004.

Eberhard said HouseFront, which has an online database at HouseFront.com, took nine months to develop.

"The information comes from public records, and we use a number of evaluation tools" to value properties, he said. "We take the public records and combine it with MLS (multiple listing service) data, everything from beds, baths, square footage, year built.

"We looked at the housing market and how it's moved over the past 10 years, and the biggest thing that helps people is access to information.

"The Internet is great, but would you rather be looking at picture on a screen or be sitting out front of the home looking at the information?"

Eberhard said the service is not meant to be a substitute for a Realtor.

"You still need to have someone who can take you into the house. We can give a good depiction through MLS and public records, but we can't tell you whether someone has knocked down a wall in the home."

Users of the service can create a free account at the Web site, which will maintain an online database of properties researched so a userSource: Homefront, Rocky Mountain News can do comparison shopping.

How it works

House Front is a mobile service that allows users to find propertyvalues and other information on more than 77 million homes.

Consumer sends in property address to 46873, or HOUSE.

Reply then is sent with estimated house value, house details\ and margin of error.

Local Real Estate Agent Links...

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:54:00 +0000

SERVING...
Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, Montrose, La Canada, Tujunga, Sunland
and surrounding areas.

Haro Gharbigi
4005 Foothill Boulevard
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Phone: (818) 624-0941

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Tujunga California Real Estate Site for Blogging.
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30-year fixed rate at 5.72%; 10-year Treasury yield at 4.65%

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:05:00 +0000

According to the Inman News Aricle dated Monday, April 02, 2007

"Long-term mortgage interest rates continued higher Friday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield rose to 4.65 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average gained to 5.72 percent, and the 15-year fixed rate climbed to 5.45 percent. The 1-year adjustable held at 5.33 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield stayed at 4.84 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mortgage rate figures are according to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states. Points on these mortgages range from zero to 3.5.

In other economic news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 5.6 points, or 0.05 percent, finishing at 12,354.35. The Nasdaq was up 3.76 points, or 0.16 percent, closing at 2,421.64.

Stock and bond figures are current as of 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time."

Overnight real estate rates sink

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:55:00 +0000

30-year fixed rate at 5.7%; 10-year Treasury yield at 4.6%

According to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states. Points on these mortgages range from zero to 3.5 long-term mortgage interest rates were down Tuesday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield stayed at 4.6 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average dipped to 5.7 percent, and the 15-year fixed rate slipped to 5.43 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 5.32 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield held at 4.8 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 71.78 points, or 0.58 percent, finishing at 12,397.29. The Nasdaq was down 18.2 points, or 0.74 percent, closing at 2,437.43.

All figures are current as of 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Rates drop even lower!

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 01:27:00 +0000

By: Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)

Interest rates across the country continue to go down the escalator causing home sales to rise in some Southern California markets. Sales in La Crescenta, Sunland, La Canada, Tujunga, Glendale, Burbank, and Surrounding areas have all picked up due to rate locks in the low 6%'s and even some in the 5% range.

Creative financing loans are still a major contributor for the prices in these areas holding fairly steady. The Holidays surprisingly have not had too much drag on the sales as they normally do. People don't seen to mind moving this year especially with the warm weather we've been having lately this time of year.

According to some sources the rates may continue to go lower which could have a impact on home prices either staying strong or maybe even turn the other way and go higher. This could cause an increase in speculative buying which has been slow in 2006, although I don't think we will see the same levels as we did in 2003 and 2004.

Mortgage Type Today Last Week Change
30-yr Fixed 5.58% 5.66% -0.08%
15-yr Fixed 5.34% 5.43% -0.09%
30-yr Jumbo 5.95% 6.01% -0.06%
5/1 ARM 5.39% 5.48% -0.09%
5/1 Jumbo ARM 5.60% 5.67% -0.07%

View Homes for sale in La Canada, Tujunga, La Crescenta, Sunland, Glendale, Burbank, and surrounding areas.

La Cañada MLS Search

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:20:00 +0000

You can search the MLS for homes or to see how the market is doing currently by clicking here.

La Cañada Demographics

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:13:00 +0000

La Cañada Flintridge is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,318 at the 2000 census. La Cañada is pronounced "La Kin-yaw-duh", rather than "La Can-a-da" (such as the country of Canada) because it retains the Spanish tilde (ñ).

Geography
La Cañada Flintridge is located at 34°12′22″N, 118°11′58″W (34.206047, -118.199499)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²), all land.

La Cañada Flintridge is situated in the eastern end of the Crescenta Valley. It is nestled between the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Rafael Hills, below the Angeles National Forest. La Cañada is home to Descanso Gardens and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

History
During the Spanish era, the area was known as Rancho La Cañada, or the Ranch of the Gorge.

The area used to be two unincorporated communities (La Cañada and Flintridge) until they incorporated in 1976, out of the unincorporated Los Angeles County land. The city name specifically does not have a hyphen in it, to illustrate unity between the communities that were once separately known as La Cañada and Flintridge.

Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 20,318 people, 6,823 households, and 5,690 families residing in the city. The population density was 906.9/km² (2,348.9/mi²). There were 6,989 housing units at an average density of 312.0/km² (808.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.53% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 20.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 3.31% from two or more races. 4.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,823 households out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.7% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 14.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $109,989, and the median income for a family was $122,779. Males had a median income of $92,760 versus $57,321 for females. The per capita income for the city was $52,838. About 3.6% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The La Cañada Unified School District serves most of the city. Three public schools serve grades K-6: La Cañada Elementary, Palm Crest Elementary, and Paradise Canyon Elementary. The public high school, La Cañada High School, which also serves as a middle school (grades 7-8), is a 2004 Blue Ribbon School. In addition, a small portion of the city is served by the Glendale Unified School District, with La Cañada students attending Mountain Avenue Elementary School (a 2005 Blue Ribbon School), Rosemont Middle School, Clark Magnet High School (a 2005 California Distinguished School), and Crescenta Valley High School (a 2005 California Distinguished School).

There are also several private schools in the city (Flintridge Preparatory School, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, St. Bede's and St. Francis High School).

City Government
La Cañada Flintridge is governed by the City Council, which is comprised of five councilmembers each elected to overlapping four year terms. Each year, the City Council selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and one to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem for terms of one year. The City Council is aided by five commissions and two committees, each with its own area of responsibility. In addition, the City Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney, City Treasurer, and all members of its advisory bodies. It also serves as the governing board for the Public Improvement Corporation, the Redevelopment Agency, the LCF Local Financing Authority, and Sanitation Districts No. 28 and No. 34.

The City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the La Cañada Flintridge City Hall.

BEWARE OF SHADY Real Estate Agents.

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 21:47:00 +0000

Dirty real estate tricks

David Rew is a real estate agent turned whistleblower,
and he wants everybody to know it. He claims to be
exposing the industry’s dirty tricks.

He's even taken out ads in the paper. Exposing agents'
tricks and tactics, it has sent shockwaves through the
well-heeled village of Mount Eliza on Melbourne's outskirts.

"There is nothing that makes the unscrupulous agent flourish
more than the ethical agent doing nothing," he said.
"So I think that really...if we bring this into the open,
it will stop some of them using these practices," he said.

David claimed a lacklustre property market meant a lot of agents
were grossly overvaluing properties in a bid to lure sellers.
That lead to unhappy people and unsold properties.
"Well very often they're entrapped by an agent that comes
along with a very high valuation on their property and also
a low commission," he said.

"A lot of vendors would say its terrific: slash the commissions,
it's all the better for us, but if you're going to slash your commission
you can put nothing else in - you can't afford to give the service
that a house demands, therefore the vendor's suffering again,"
he said.
"The difference between getting another $10,000, $20,000
on a property is significantly greater than saving one or
two thousand dollars on a commission," he said.

MORE...
David said he valued one house at $750,000 but lost the sale
to another agent who cited its worth at over a million dollars.
David said three agents later, the house sold for $660,000,
close to $400,000 less than the questionable million dollar
valuation. And there were a lot of questionable things
happening in real estate.

You couldn't rely on the fall of a hammer - nor did it seem
you could rely on those glossy brochures depicting the house
and land being offered for sale.

First homebuyer Shane Crawford put a deposit on his so called
dream property, and all the advertising said it measured 2.5 acres.
"I feel I have been very misled," he said.

"I just assumed it was correct, like a lot of people would," he said.
But to Shane's horror, three days before settlement he measured
up and found it was only a 1.5 acre property. Problem was the
deposit was already paid, the contract signed and the agent
wasn't liable.

"From my understanding, the agent's basically took the vendor's
word for it.""He didn't inspect the title of the place and he obviously
didn't think to question their word at all."

"He said he's very sorry, but basically because I signed the contract
and I looked at the property, it was a case of tough luck," Shane said.
So the moral of the story was caveat emptor, or buyer beware.

"To everyone buying a house and land be very careful," Shane said.
And we haven't heard the last from David Rew, who said he would
keep blowing the whistle on unscrupulous practices.

Go to source: Today Tonight on Seven

New Listings From Haro Gharbigi

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Wed, 03 May 2006 00:22:00 +0000

$290,0001 beds

1 baths
18530
Hatteras St

Tarzana, CA

91356

MLS# 12071018

TR# 32721849

Listed 4/8/2006

Listing Agent:

Haro Gharbigi
Slide Show URL:

Slide show of Tarzana condoThis is a beautiful top unit condo in a great Tarzana location. North
facing mountain views from the Balcony and very bright living room and
kitchen. This condo is mostly in move in condition. Be sure to check out the
sparkling pool and hot tub. The hugerec room is on the first floor near the
pool. Laundry facilities are on each floor throughout the building. The
convenient elevators make going up and down fast and easy
Spanish:

Esto es un condo superior hermoso de la unidad en una gran localización de
Tarzana. Mountain View del norte de los revestimientos del balcón y sitio y
la cocina vivos muy brillantes. Este condo es sobre todo adentro movimiento
en la condición. Sea seguro comprobar fuera de la piscina chispeante y de la
tina caliente. El cuarto del hugerec está en la primera planta cerca de la
piscina. Las instalaciones del lavadero están en cada piso a través del
edificio. Los elevadores convenientes hacen ir arriba y abajo de rápido y de
fácil

$599,9803 beds

1 baths
2108 Glenwood Rd

Glendale, CA

91201

MLS# 12070501

TR# 32668182
Listed 4/6/2006

Listing Agent:

Haro Gharbigi
Slide Show URL:

Slide Show Of Glendale House
This is a great 3 bed 1 bath house in a highly desirable area of North
West Glendale. You can remodell to your own liking and relax in the huge
backyard in the warm summer months. Be sure to check out the amazing
fireplace inside the house that can be the focal point of your next family
gathering.
Spanish:

Esto es una gran casa del baño de 3 camas 1 en un área altamente deseable de
Glendale del oeste del norte. Usted puede remodell a su propio tener gusto y
relajar en el patio trasero enorme en los meses calientes del verano. Sea
seguro comprobar fuera de la chimenea asombrosa dentro de la casa que puede
ser el punto focal de su reunión siguiente de la familia.

Must home seller disclose noisy neighbors?

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:37:00 +0000

"One of the reasons I am selling my house is the noisy neighbors next door. They are a "hippie couple" who are normally quiet during the weekdays. But on some weekends, their loud motorcycle gang friends come to visit to drink and do drugs. I had to call the police on several occasions..." Read More...

My La Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Haro Gharbigi (REALTOR)) — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:23:00 +0000

Thanks for visiting My La Canada!

be sure to visit the following sites also...

They are all Real Estate related

La Crescenta real estate prices and listings

La Canada houses and sales records

glendale condos and town houses real estate