Santa Monica, CA – Short sale negotiation firm L.A. City Short Sales launches nationwide service to help real estate agents close more deals and save time by handling bank negotiations for them.

Toni Patillo, owner and principal Broker of L.A. City Short Sales and Toni Patillo & Associates in Santa Monica, says that if agents are not doing short sale transactions, they are not doing as much business as they could be these days. The problem is that short sales are much more difficult and time consuming than most agents realize.

While she says that handling distressed properties can be a time killer for most real estate professionals, she has proven ways to achieve a much higher success rate than most agents acting alone.

“Our mission is simple: To close more deals between banks, sellers and buyers while removing the headache of the short sale process for referring agents.”

She says that as a result of her firm’s high success rate, agents who refer short sales to her firm L.A. City Short Sales can still earn a great income. Commission splits are generous and vary from 25% for straight referrals to 50/50 co-listing arrangements depending on the experience and desired involvement of the referring agent.

“We work with a lot of agents who have short sale experience and want some involvement in the transaction, but a large percentage of our affiliate agents simply refer short sale listings to us. We just write them a check when we complete the deal.”

Elizabeth Stein of Team Stein in the Pacific Palisades, one of Patillo’s referring agents, agrees. Stein is a believer, and says that for them, there’s no better way to make a living helping people in the reality of today’s difficult real estate market.

“Referring short sale business to Toni has been very rewarding. When I come across a seller that is behind on payments or even a competing agent that needs assistance, she’s the first person I call to step in and save the day for them.”

As an experienced short sale negotiator and expert co-author of the book “Should I Short Sale My Home,” Patillo has an intimate view of the short sale process from the points of view of the distressed property owner, the listing specialist and the negotiating agent. She says her compassion for the seller’s predicament drives her to get the best deal possible from banks.

“With the poor job market and arguably the worst real estate market in history, homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments and need to sell their home are in a very vulnerable position. It’s easy for them to be taken advantage of, and our job is to help them avoid that.”

About Toni Patillo

Ms. Patillo is currently the Broker of Record for the Keller Williams Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades Market Centers and is a member of the Beverly Hills Board of Realtors, Southland Regional Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Malibu Association of Realtors, South Bay Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors.

She is also a member of PartnersFirst, a Nationwide Real Estate Network that specializes in Pre-foreclosure. Toni has multiple certifications and designations in Loan Modifications, Pre-Foreclosures, REO’s (Bank-Owned Properties), and Short Sales.

At the KW Market Centers, she oversees the sales production of over 250 sales agents. Toni has consistently achieved the top 3% of all Sales Professionals within both the Prudential and Keller Williams, real estate networks nationally. While her specialty is listing residential housing with a strong focus on distressed properties, including short sales, pre-foreclosures, and bank-owned properties, she’s expanding her mastery into the Luxury Home & Commercial marketplace.

For more information, please contact:

Toni Patillo, CLMS, CSSS, CREOS
L.A. City Short Sales
Toni Patillo & Associates
2701 Ocean Park Blvd, #140
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-482-2035
http://calltoni.com
http://lacityshortsales.com
http://tonipatillo.com

Los Angeles, Calif. – Ralph Guerin, a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty’s Los Feliz office who specializes in Eagle Rock real estate says that Eagle Rock homes do exceptionally well at retaining their value because of a variety of factors that make the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood unique.

He says that its location near Occidental College as well close proximity to Downtown L.A., the Burbank entertainment/studio industry, and Pasadena’s Old Town, make it prime real estate. Many famous people have lived in Eagle Rock, from filmmakers to politicians. President Barack Obama even went to college at Occidental for a period of time.

Guerin notes that the amount of time homes remain on the market before they sell is generally less in Eagle Rock than other parts of Los Angeles due to its highly sought after status.

“Eagle Rock is holding its value very well compared to other Los Angeles homes. Local schools are excellent, and the Eagle Rock neighborhood has always had a small town feel that people want to live in.”

Eagle Rock is a small but diverse community, with a character that is unusual for Los Angeles. Settled in the early 1900′s and incorporated in 1911, the region remained rural farmland for decades before suburban growth pushed more home buyers into the area.

But Guerin says that there are no tract Homes in Eagle Rock, and that that’s one of the reasons home values are so good here.

“Homes in Eagle Rock are as unique as the community itself. All of the houses are custom built – there were no big residential builders that moved into Eagle Rock, and that has kept the integrity of the small town feel.”

He says that homes come in a wide variety of price ranges in Eagle Rock, with the most expensive home currently on the market being priced in the $1.4 million dollar range. The least expensive Eagle Rock listings is currently in the $250,000 range, providing ample value for working class families who want the peaceful lifestyle that comes with living in the city.

On top of all that, the commute is great from Eagle Rock to most employers in the L.A. area. The community boasts easy access to the Ventura Freeway (Hwy. 134) and Glendale Freeway (Hwy. 2), with popular destinations like malls and film studios being only a short hop away.

When asked what the Eagle Rock real estate market has in store for the future, Guerin says that no one can have a crystal ball. But he does note that if the past is any indication of the future, it should be an easy decision for buyers to choose Eagle Rock to buy their next home.

“Buyers need to be motivated to react quickly when new Eagle Rock listings come on the market, because they typically sell faster than listings in other parts of Los Angeles.”

For more information, please contact:

Raphael Guerin
Realtor/e-PRO, DRE LIC # 01381746
http://discovernelahomes.com/
323-369-5111

Mount Washington, Los Angeles, CA. – Raphael Guerin, a Los Angeles real estate agent specializing in Northeast L.A. homes, says that among the neighborhoods he covers, Mount Washington homes generally have strong property values as a direct result of community involvement to keep the neighborhood nice.

While nice may mean different things to different people, Guerin says Mt. Washington residents have been overwhelmingly successful at maintaining a desirable image for their community, primarily through communication and coordination of efforts.

“The Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance has been instrumental for many years in bringing the community together to achieve great results. Just the fact that there is a voluntary association of Mt. Washington home owners shows new residents that people here care about their homes, land, and community.”

He says the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance provides a wealth of resources to prospective home buyers, including oral and written histories of the neighborhood from long-time residents.

“When a community cares enough to pass on its history, you know that’s a place you can truly call home. There are some Los Angeles neighborhoods where the sense of community is lacking, but Mt. Washington certainly isn’t one of them.”

Guerin says that Mt. Washington consist only of custom homes, making each home unique in that are no tract homes.

“Varied architecture and beautiful views are the norm for residents lucky enough to live here. When you add the fact that Mount Washington is a short commute to downtown Los Angeles employers, the neighborhood has a lot going for it.”

He notes that home values, like all real estate nationwide, have come off their highs to reasonable prices for new buyers to come in and discover the Northeast L.A. lifestyle. But while prices have become reasonable again, he says he doesn’t expect them to come down much more.

Guerin says there is a limited supply of homes available for sale in the neighborhood, so for those who want to have a selection to choose from, it’s important to find out about listings as soon as they come on the market.

“At any given time there are often less than a dozen Mount Washington homes for sale. So for those who are interested in living in this great little community I encourage you to talk to me so I can show you what’s available.”

###

For more information:

Raphael Guerin, Realtor/e-PRO, DRE LIC # 01381746
Discover N.E.L.A. Homes
Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate

http://discovernelahomes.com/