Jodi Summers = Santa Monica Real Estate

FIND YOUR SCHOOL

edited by Jodi Summers

Here’s a really cool widget that lets you identify schools and districts in Los Angeles. Play with it, and you’ll discover…
School zones by address
Neighborhood boundaries for a particular school
How to assess and compare public school assignments in a city or school district
Please note that the data presented is for general information purposes only. To verify, please contact the school district directly.
Enjoy….

KNOW YOUR SCHOOLS

Looking for schools in your community? GreatSchools > http://www.greatschools.org/ < is a really useful website. GreatSchools is the country’s leading source of information on school performance. The site features listings of 200,000 public and private schools serving students from preschool through high school and more than 800,000 parent ratings and reviews. Word among homebuyers is that GreatSchools has become the go-to guide for parents aiming to make a smart school choice.

FIND YOUR SCHOOL

edited by Jodi Summers

Here’s a really cool widget that lets you identify schools and districts in Los Angeles. Play with it, and you’ll discover…
School zones by address
Neighborhood boundaries for a particular school
How to assess and compare public school assignments in a city or school district
Please note that the data presented is for general information purposes only. To verify, please contact the school district directly.
Enjoy….

FINALLY, A COMPOSITE SNAPSHOT OF HOME PRICES

by Jodi Summers

The Case-Shiller Price Index, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Zillow, Corelogic…so many analysts offering so many conclusions. Bravo to the Wall Street Journal, who has found a way to present an easy-to-read presentation of the constant flow of data from various housing indexes. Each month, WSJ will present an easy thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs to the side (hitchhiking?) graphic featuring the year-over-year percent change for the most recent month available.

The WSJ point out that there are differences worth noting, and offers this brief description of each index included in this feature:

S&P/Case-Shiller looks at repeat sales in 20 metro areas, using a three-month moving average.

The LPS repeat-sales index tracks sales each month in more than 13,500 zip codes.

Federal Housing Finance Agency’s purchase-only index looks at repeat sales, based on data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The FNC index has data from 100 major metro areas, and excludes foreclosed properties.

CoreLogic produces a monthly repeat-sales index.

Radar Logic tracks values for 25 metro areas. Monthly data reflect the 28-day value of the Radar Logic Daily Prices.

The Clear Capital index looks at repeat sales for several property types, including condos, across metros.

The Zillow Home Value Index is the median Zestimate valuation for an area and includes single-family homes, condos and co-ops, regardless of whether they sold in a given period.

We’re here to help you with your property needs. Please contact Jodi Summers and the SoCal Investment Real Estate Group @ Sotheby’s International Realty – jodi@jodisummers.com or 310.392.1211, and let us move forward together.

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http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/12/23/introducing-the-home-price-scorecard/

http://www.blytic.com/GetImage.aspx?name=7bf056aa379943e29ce95246220c188c_LARGE

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/0531-paperecon/10267013-1-eng-US/0531-paperecon_full_600.jpg

WALK SANTA MONICA > IT’S EASY

by Jodi Summers

More kudos for Santa Monica! Our City by the Sea has recently been named the 12th most walkable city in the U.S. This accolade comes courtesy of www.walkscore.com a website that takes into account a person’s proximity to public transit, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, parks and other amenities.

The theory is that walkable neighborhoods offer surprising advantages to the environment, our health, our finances, and our communities. Benefits include:

Environment: Cars are a leading cause of climate change. Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.

Health: The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6-10 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.

Finances: One point of Walk Score is worth up to $3,000 of value for your property, according to the website’s research.

Communities: Studies show that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%.

“A city that’s walkable is a healthy city,” confirms Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. “We’ve recognized that walkability is something that people look for in a community.”

Bloom cited the creation of the Third Street Promenade as an major step in making Santa Monica a pedestrian-friendly city.

“That became a model for cities all over the country.” Bloom shares.

What makes a neighborhood like Santa Monica walkable?

A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center. Santa Monica has several centers; the beach, Promenade, Montana Ave. and Main St., among other popular destination.

People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently. (Efficient mass transit, that would be living the dream.)

Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses. (Thank you Community Corp. and Step Up on Second.)

Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play. (You know that Santa Monica is obsessed about their parks and public spaces – take our upcoming $46.1 million park, for example.)

Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back. (Or separate structures, like downtown.)

Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes. (Hey, Santa Monica is only 8.3 square miles.)

Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit. (As opposed to endless cul-de-sacs.)

Here’s how it’s scored:

Walk Score Description

90–100                Walker’s Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.

70–89                   Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.

50–69                   Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.

25–49                   Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.

0–24                     Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

Santa Monica received a score of 81.9. Hoboken, New Jersey was the national winner @ 92.2 check it out:

See the full list @ http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/cities/

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http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/

http://www.builderonline.com/builder-pulse/new-ranking–america-s-50-most-and-least-walkable-cities.aspx?cid=NWBD110720002

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=75

http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2011-07-26-72265.113116-Santa-Monica-named-12th-most-walkable-city-in-US.html?utm_source=Santa+Monica+Daily+Press+List

http://www.walkscore.com/walkable-neighborhoods.shtml

GOOGLE GREENS LEASED LOCAL LANDMARK OFFICE SPACE

450 ENGINEERS INVADE DURING NOVEMBER

By Jodi Summers

Google has about 170,000 square feet of office space under lease in the Venice area, 100,000 of it in the three buildings it has leased, the Binoculars Building and two adjacent office spaces.

Word on that street has it that another 70,000 square feet at undisclosed locations has also been leased nearby, a common Google practice that ensures the company can maintain a long-term place in the community.

“We managed to hire almost 150 people last year,” Williams said. “We expect a steady rate of hiring, continuing to grow. The building we’re moving into should give us another year to a year and a half at current growth. Ideally, I’d like to keep it under 1,200 Googlers.” Williams acknowledged that things could change however.

Binocular building. By the time the press is over, you’ll know that it was built by Frank Gehry in 1985 as the west coast headquarters of advertising giant Chiat/Day. You’ll learn that the binoculars are the entrance to the parking garage, and that they were designed by husband and wife sculpting team Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Dig deep enough and you may read about Chiat/Day’s failed office and paper-less work experiment, and that the three different building facades are actually a part of the same design, meant to reflect the nuances of the buildings around them.

When creating fresh office space, use a fresh approach. Google’s idea for their new space on Main St. Venice, put the user first. For the same reason Google chose one of the hippest locations in the country for their office space > 340 Main St., Venice, 90291 > in hopes of luring the best talent. They’ve taken the same approach to their office space in the Binoculars building > make it a user-friendly experience.

Google’s goal (try saying that 5x fast) is to create the healthiest work environments possible so Google masterminds can thrive and innovate. From concept through design, construction and operations, the search engine’s goal is to create a brick + mortar workplace that optimizing access to nature, clean air and daylight.

To keep the Google brain trust at peak performance, they avoid materials that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other known toxins that may harm human health. Furniture, carpet, flooring, toilets > all green, and augmented by dual stage air filtration systems to eliminate plankton-like particles and remaining VOCs, further augmenting indoor air quality. Or, they could Additionally, the location is so fine, they cay just open the west facing windows and let the ocean breeze come rolling through, as it does from 10:30 a.m. – sunset on all days except for Santa Ana conditions.

Betcha want to know > in North America, Google purchases materials free of the Living Building Challenge Red List Materials and EPA Chemicals of Concern, and through the Pharos Project. They also ask their suppliers to meet strict transparency requirements.

Google is also making an effort to shrink our environmental footprint by investing in the most efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems (and opening the windows). In Venice, like in their other offices, they will perform energy and water audits and implement conservation measures to develop best practices. Venice’s efficiency will be tallied into Google’s worldwide office talley.

Their internal Sustainable Pursuit program allows location teams to earn points based on their office’s green performance—whether it’s through green cleaning programs, water efficiency or innovative waste management strategies. Using Google Apps to help track progress and achieve set goals has helped Google meet or exceed the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards, and make the world a greener place.

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http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/building-healthier-greener-google.html

http://www.grvnc.org/node/1657

http://venice.patch.com/articles/google-introduces-itself-to-venice-at-neighborhood-council-meeting

http://welovenice.com/2011/01/26/do-you-see-what-we-see-google-moves-into-the-binocular-building/

http://modiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/google-russia-office-interior.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/materialicious2/images/google-offices-interior-m.jpg?1280470846