Hello from New York City. I just wanted to send out a short message this morning and give you a quick update on our website and blogs.  First off our blogs have been fully restored and we are up and running at 100%.  So blog followers, readers and admirers – comment away!

Secondly the framework of our core website (CondoDomain.com) has been restored and successful moved to a brand new server environment.  In hopes to eliminate all of the bugs, errors and downtime we were experiencing, the new site is lightning fast giving you all a much better consumer experience.  Search 10X faster today!

Left to be done over the next week.

1.  Reinstall our core MLS search functionality on Boston, Chicago, DC, Baltimore & NYC

2.  Prepare MLS installations on the remaining 15 new markets.

3. Install our new “Condo Forum” and more features we have to surprise you!

On behalf of CondoDomain I would like to apologize for anyone who has experienced technical issues or website performance over the past few weeks.  I can assure you the problems are behind us now and we look forward to providing an even better experience, starting today!

Any questions – as always – contact your City Vice President and of course feel free to drop me a line as well!

Sincerely,

Tony Longo
CondoDomain/CEO
ajl [at] CondoDomain.com

Venice Beach will be the scene this Saturday for an incredible art auction. The 30th Annual Venice Art Walk and Auctions will occur at Dogtown Station, Venice’s innovative California loft. Greenfield Sacks Gallery will present an exhibition of Venice Beach artists. The VIP cocktail event will be from 4:30 to 8:00.

Dogtown Station is a 35 loft development, which is designed to accomodate the work/live lifestyle. When you are at the art auction, you’ll get to see this innovative California Loft building. Call me about a guided tour, and for more information.

Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers.

An unforgettable seaside experience awaits you in Santa Monica, just minutes from metro Los Angeles and southern California. Enjoy a holiday with the family on the famous Santa Monica Pier, and enjoy famous restaurants and hotels. Santa Monica residents enjoy two weekly farmers markets, and the year round open air Third Street Promenade, which is pedestrian only.

Residents of Santa Monica enjoy free summer concerts on the Pier, theatre, major recording and comedy acts. The Pier is 100 years old this year!

Take a look at these fabulous Santa Monica condo homes:
Sea View Collection
Sea Colony II
Nine Fifty One Ocean
701 Ocean Avenue
Park Plaza
Ocean Towers
Santa Monica Bay Tower
Thornton Loft
Venice Art Lofts
Dogtown Station
AK Live Work

Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers.

West Hollywood is an incorporated urban village which is home to diverse residents and very film industry friendly. It’s a high profile neighborhood where you will find many celebrities, and active night life, due to being located among the upscale communities west of downtown Los Angeles. TMZ on TV is produced in West Hollywood, and it is certainly a center of Hollywood film activity.

Living in West Hollywood is very desirable for those who are part of the film and entertainment industry. The village features the famous Sunset Strip, and the Pacific Design Center.

West Hollywood condos are built with green building ordinances, which insure that they are ecologically sound and energy efficient.

Take a look at these West Hollywood condos and lofts:
Granville Towers
Park Wellington
Westmount
Fountainview
The Croft Villas
Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers.

With two tax incentives in California, totaling $18,000, sales of Los Angeles condominiums appear to be picking up in volume. The market for Los Angeles condominiums still offers some incredible values. As we all know, Los Angeles is a top destination for business, film, and tourism. Our beautiful beaches and our California lifestyle in a large city make us unique.

Take a look at some of these Los Angeles condominiums that are a particularly good value right now:

Skyline
Bartlett Lofts
Westview Towers
Ten-Five-Sixty
Market Lofts
Buner Hill Tower
Savoy
The Longford
Little Tokyo Lofts

Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers

The Live/work contemporary lifestyle just got a prestigious, luxury boost from Dogtown Station. Venice’s brand new luxury lofts are continuing the success of the Venice Art Lofts.

Venice’s Dogtown Station is a new 35 loft development on Main street. The effect is to create a hip, artistic neighborhood, a sort of a “Soho of the West”. Venice is clearly a community for people who love the outdoor action – close proximity to the beach, great restaurants,  gym and yoga studios, and of course, the skateboarding and outdoor games that are a well known feature of Venice.

Have a look at Dogtown station and then take a look at other buildings in Venice:
Venice Art Lofts
Thornton Lofts
AK Live-Work

Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers

Hollywood is more than a tourist spot for movie fans and celebrity seekers – it’s a condo lifestyle for those who live and work in the most successful film capital of the world. With the recent tax incentives from the federal government and state of California, now is the time to buy that Hollywood condo residence that you’ve been planning. Live right in town – in the most glamourous town in the world!

Take a look at these Hollywood condos:
The Hollywood
The Broadway
The Lofts Hollywood and Vine
The W Hollywood

This luxurious Hollywood lifestyle is yours at today’s prices.

Contact us to tour these Hollywood condo residences.

Has our real estate market hit bottom yet here in Los Angeles? Reports of bidding wars for Los Angeles condos sound encouraging for sellers – it means that there is interest, there are buyers, and there is action. But it doesn’t mean the market is going up – it means that savvy sellers who have priced low and marketed their homes attract multiple buyers – who then bid the sale price up. It means that foreclosures are sold to investors who know what the price point is for their investment.

It also means that there are a lot of good deals out there now for Los Angeles Loft buyers.

Take a look at these Los Angeles lofts

Bartlett Lofts
Flower Street Lofts
Little Tokyo Lofts
Market Lofts

Find out why CondoDomain is different from other real estate brokers

The Wilshire Grand Hotel is set to be replaced by the luxury high-rise condominium & hotel tower and office buildings. The plan is to rejuvenate Wilshire & Figueroa and make it a downtown Los Angeles centerpiece.

Thomas Properties Group will develop a one billion dollar mixed-use redeveloment plan for the nearly three-acre Wilshire Grand Hotel & Office site, according to the press release issued last week.

The proposal is to replace the existing Wilshire Grand Hotel with two high-rise towers that will total approximately 1,750,000 square feet. One tower will consist of 40 stories featuring a luxury hotel and Los Angeles condominiums at the top floors. The other tower will feature 60 stories of office space.

Both buildings are designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification standards.

Read the entire press release HERE

Browse Los Angeles Condos

A major developer announced a $1 billion high-rise office and hotel complex in Los Angeles, the first new downtown construction project since the real estate spiral largely scuttled dreams of a resurgent city center.

Thomas Property Group’s plans call for a 60-story, glass-walled building with a slanted profile resembling a ship’s sail that would be built on property owned by development partner Korean Air Co. The design includes a 40-story hotel and condo tower and an 18,000-square-foot public park that would replace the 50-year-old Wilshire Grand hotel.

Company Chairman and Chief Executive James A. Thomas said the city’s first major office high-rise in about 20 years will satisfy what he sees as a rising demand for business real estate as downtown grows after the recession.

The proposal is to replace the existing complex with two high-rise towers, totaling approximately 1,750,000 square feet: a 40-story tower featuring a luxury hotel of up to 700 rooms topped by several floors of condominiums, and a 1,150,000-square-foot, 60-story office tower, connected with plazas and open space, designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification standards.

“This exciting and bold new project is a major step forward in our efforts to add green, multi-use developments to the center of our city,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Standing just a few blocks from Staples Center and L.A. Live, the Wilshire Grand redevelopment effort will help revitalize downtown, and we look forward to seeing this proposal proceed through the public review process and produce a new landmark that benefits Los Angeles, the community, and the local economy.”

“Downtown is continuing to evolve and it is rewarding to see that our collective vision for the area is inspiring private owners to re-imagine properties and shape them in a way that further enhances our community,” said Councilmember Jan Perry.

“Thomas Properties Group has extensive experience with complex projects ranging from securing approvals through designing, developing and leasing. It is a highly regarded firm that has a long history in Los Angeles,” said Y. H. Cho, Korean Air’s Chairman and CEO. “They will immediately begin working with the community and the city to begin the approval process.”

Korean Air acquired the current Wilshire Grand Hotel in 1989 under the name of Hilton Hotel & Towers. The airline also owns three hotels in Korea and another in Hawaii.

“It is rare to have the opportunity to shape a new project on a full city block in the heart of a major metropolitan city center such as Los Angeles. With 2.7 acres, we can create a distinctive destination that is interconnected with the existing business, shopping and entertainment venues. As a property and business owner in downtown Los Angeles, we recognize the need for every development to enhance the walkability of our city and create a more vibrant street-level experience,” said James A. Thomas, Chairman and CEO, Thomas Properties Group. “Now is a good time to be working through the approvals of a new development. Together with Korean Air, we are looking to the future of this property and how it can better serve the community of Los Angeles.”

Thomas Properties Group purchased the nearby 2.7 million-square foot City National Plaza in 2003 and has completed a thorough restoration and repositioning of the iconic property. The firm is a leader in the management and development of sustainable and high-performance buildings.

A.C. Martin Partners are the architects designing the plans and buildings. Thomas Properties and A.C. Martin previously worked together on several projects including the CalEPA headquarters building in Sacramento that is the first LEED Platinum-certified high-rise in the United States.

Los Angeles has been the center of Korean Air’s operations in North and South America since its first transpacific flight in 1972. The airline now is the largest transpacific carrier out of LAX and operates 24 weekly flights between Los Angeles and Asia.

“Korean Air has a long and deep-rooted commitment to Los Angeles,” Cho said. “The Korean community here is the largest in the world outside of Seoul, and Korean Air is the largest transpacific carrier out of LAX. We have significant real estate holdings here and have a vested interest in Los Angeles’ success.”

(via Associated Press)

Possibly some great news for the rejuvenination for the downtown LA condo market!

Foreclosures are on many people’s minds lately.  Since the Federal Government has offered incentives to lenders to restructure people’s loans, local and state governments are encouraging home owners to seek help sooner rather than later and work with their lender to avoid foreclosure.  Help includes restructuring loans, and the purchase of homes by municipalities and non profits.

Foreclosure is the last stop on the money crisis train for home owners.  Once a home is foreclosed, the lender really does not want to own it.  This is why for the savvy buyer, these homes can be a great deal.

Los Angeles foreclosures are no longer just in risky neighborhoods.  The foreclosure crisis has hit all sorts of homes in all types of areas.  Pre-foreclosure, many homeowners and developers are willing to negotiate with a buyer/investor.  If they can walk away with a little cash and satisfied liens, and you have a property for less than the market value, it can be a win – win proposition.

How do you find pre-foreclosure opportunities?  By searching for them on our site!  Our partnership with RealtyTrac enables you to search all Los Angeles foreclosure listings.  Pre-foreclosures, foreclosure auctions, and bank owned properties are all at your fingertips on our site, and we can help you make sense of the entire process.  We can also assist you with obtaining financing.  Contact us today to learn more about Los Angeles foreclosure opportunities.

Los Angeles lofts are a popular lifestyle choice right now.  Whether built brand new, or converted from formerly commercial and industrial space, the convenient locations, ample space, soaring ceilings and light pouring in through large windows make an attractive choice, and are a magnet for urban designers.

In the heart of downtown L.A., The Market Lofts are conveniently located near Macy’s Plaza and the Staples Center.  This beautiful Los Angeles Loft features 9 1/2 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, private balconies, and gourmet kitchens.  One assigned parking space per loft is available in the secure temporary lot.  The building has a pool and sundeck, and is above the new Ralphs supermarket.  Market Lofts is an eagerly anticipated new loft development in South Park.

Call us to tour Market Lofts and remember, with CondoDomain, we give you money back at closing.