Van Nuys 4 Bedroom 2 Bath Mid-Century Modern with Pool 91405
This impressive house is a dream, with High Ceilings, Central Air and Heat, Beautiful Original Wood Flooring, Great Wood Ceilings, Great Front Door, Fireplace Hearth, Great Open Space, Pool, Pergola, Recent Kitchen Remodel, Built-In Is Great, Modernist Design and extra midcentury windows and natural light. Plenty of closet space. Major appliances included. 2-Car Garage. Available now. Call for updated pricing and showing times (213) 880-9910.
Van Nuys Mid-Century Modern 4 Bed 2 Bath High Ceilings and Swimming Pool – Call for updated pricing and showing times (213) 880-9910
Van Nuys, California — Van Nuys offers nice suburban residential neighborhoods with single story and two story single family homes and condos for sale. It’s easy to find a move-in ready house with high ceilings and large bedrooms. Many homes have amazing expansive yards, landscaped gardens, porches, scenery and privacy, original hardwood floors, gorgeous stone fireplace, french doors, kitchens that are the delights of entertainers, swimming pools with cascading waterfalls, and large attached garages.
The town has a 100 year history and vibrant international culture exemplified by its many ethnic eateries, shops and government offices. Considered by many to be the nerve center of the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, or, “the Nuys,” is bordered by Sun Valley to its north, Valley Glen to the east, Sherman Oaks to the south, and Lake Balboa to the west. #vannuys #homesforsale
Van Nuys has diverse suburban zoning with plenty of residential, commercial and industrial areas. The area is known for abundant public transportation and convenient freeways, parks, wildlife areas, free wifi zones, bars, pubs and restaurants, jazz clubs and hot dog stands.
Your SoCal Home REAL ESTATE NEWS IS READY! (click here)
In this month’s issue:
*Labor Day is a backwards holiday!
*How Your Referrals Help the Kids who most need it!
*Photo’s of the action and more in this months SoCal Home REAL ESTATE NEWS (click here).
Go Serve Big!!!
Corey Chambers
Your Home Sold Guaranteed
P.S. Your referrals help the Kids…
Our Go Serve Big mission to raise $25,000 for Children’s Hospital is on and we could use your help. As you probably know Children’s Hospital does great work in helping kids fight through and survive nasty diseases and cancers, as well as early diagnosis of autism and spinal cord injury. And since Children’s Hospital is a nonprofit, they depend on Sponsorships and Donations to continue their leading edge care and keep costs down for the families of these amazing kids. We remain committed to donating a portion of our income from selling homes to the great work that they do. So YOUR REFERRALS HELP THE KIDS!
Anyone you know considering buying or selling a home please refer them on over to my real estate sales team. Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but a very worthy cause will benefit as well. You can always call me direct at 213-880-9910 or forward my number on.
Thank you so much for checking out this month’s SoCal Home Newsletter and supporting our Go Serve Big mission. Have an awesome Month!
I always thought the powers that be in the U.S. got the name wrong – Labor Day. Since it’s a Holiday intended to be just that, a Holiday – I would think the proper name would be Relax Day or Lazy Day or Off Day or Sleep in Day, something other than Labor Day. Unfortunately, most celebrate Labor Day by doing just that – Laboring. Government employees and Bank’s typically close up shop on Labor Day, but according to recent studies the majority of Americans are laboring on Labor Day. So to celebrate the month of September and the affection for Laboring, I have a special announcement to make: I will be Laboring, but for a very special reason. Right now, many would be homeowners and home sellers are caught in a catch 22. They are nervous about moving or the opposite, desperate to make a move. This is why we have developed a special program for those you know that are considering a move.
Just like the weather seasons come and seasons go, so do the seasons of life. I’m sure you have noticed, as I have, the older I get the faster the seasons move by. These “seasons of life” go by so fast, my hope is that you enjoy each one or at least grow from each one. Yes. Some of life’s seasons will be HOT and others will be COLD, some high and some low. The lows we want to move by quickly, the highs we want to stay in forever sometimes.
This is where you come in…
For the month of September, if you or anyone you know is considering making a move to a new home, we will Guarantee a minimum $10,000 Savings for every $200,000 in sales price on the home purchase or I will pay the difference*.You read it correctly – my labor saves you and those you know considering making a move a nice chunk of change. The reason why I can make such a special offer is simply because our 15 year track record of selling homes and specialized knowledge allows us to negotiate the best deal on the best home for our best clients.
IN THIS ISSUE: VOL 4, ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2018
– HAPPY LABOR DAY
– How Your Referrals help kids
– And Much More #realestate #newsletter
September 2018 News Letter
Even if YOU are not moving, you can still benefit
Each month in my special SoCal Home Newsletter, I ask “Who do you know that may be considering a move?”
This is because YOUR referrals help the kids…
Anyone you know considering making a move, wanting to buy or sell their home, please refer them to me without hesitation. They will receive the guarantee I detailed above and you can rest assured your referrals will help the kids at Children’s Hospital.
With a guarantee like this, you, your friends, neighbors, work associates and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and avoid the uncertainties in the marketplace.
If you missed last month’s SoCal Home Newsletter, we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund, so we are donating a good portion of our income from home sales to them. As you know Children’s does a tremendous job of helping kids fight through and survive nasty life-threatening diseases like Cancers, Leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: stuff that many times rob the life right out of young people.
Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. BUT, the Recovery Center survives on Sponsorships and Donations. So YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…
Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?
Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but we donate a substantial portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Helping Hands Fund.
Your Referrals Really Do Help the Kids…
I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move:
You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move.
Over the last two decades of helping thousands of families sell their home and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award-winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive from the transaction will go toward a very worthy cause.
It’s easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move. Simply go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or, of course, you can always call me direct as well at 213-880-9910.
I hope you and your family are well and this Independence Day brings you
much joy and happiness. With all my appreciation.
It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move. You can also call me direct or pass my number on: 213-880-9910.
Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their home right here in the SoCal area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Southern California, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.
Sincerely,
213-880-9910
Below is the story of a patient so young and so undaunted by his ailments that he compels us to want to face our adversities more bravely.
First, he wiggled his fingers. Then he wiggled his toes. Now, he moves his head from side to side, and he furrows his eyebrows when he doesn’t agree with you.For 3-year-old Ali Al-Mutawa—and for his parents and family, and his doctors, nurses, and therapists at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—these seemingly simple movements are nothing short of extraordinary. That’s because Ali was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an often fatal genetic disorder that causes progressive weakness and muscle wasting. The disease has no cure, and it had no treatment, either—until Dec. 23, 2016. That’s when the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug called nusinersen, the first-ever SMA treatment. Ali has been undergoing treatment with the drug, which goes by the brand name Spinraza, at CHLA since October 2017. “It’s a game-changer,” says Leigh Ramos-Platt, MD, Ali’s doctor and director of the Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Clinic at CHLA. “He’s actually gaining function when he should be losing function.”
‘This is the only hope’
When Ali was born in July 2015, he appeared to be perfectly healthy. But his parents—Sarah Al-Musaileekh and Musallam Al-Mutawa—soon had him tested for SMA. They had good reason to be concerned. Although they have two healthy children—daughter Nadirah, 10, and son Aqeel, 5—the couple has lost two other children to SMA. Both of those babies, a girl, Fatima, and a boy, also named Aqeel, died before they were a year old. So when Ali’s SMA test came back positive, his parents were devastated.“I was very sad, just feeling that I will have to go through the same conditions and the same hard things I went through before,” Al-Musaileekh explains.Sure enough, at 6 months, Ali, who has the most severe form of SMA, began to rapidly lose his ability to swallow, move and even breathe. He was hospitalized and needed a full-time ventilator to breathe and a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) to eat.He had been in the hospital for nearly a year when Al-Musaileekh spotted the news of nusinersen’s approval while scrolling through her Instagram feed on Christmas Eve in 2016. Her first reaction was elation. But there was a problem. At the time, nusinersen was only available in the U.S., at a few specialized pediatric hospitals. Ali and his family lived half a world away, in Kuwait. The drug was not expected to be available in their country for two years—too late for Ali.
Ali’s doctor encouraged the family to apply for a Kuwaiti government program that would sponsor Ali’s treatment in the U.S. At first, Al-Musaileekh, herself a doctor, hesitated. It’s difficult to transport a critically ill child on a ventilator to the other side of the globe. Would this new drug really work?Or would she just be putting Ali and her family through more hardship and pain, on top of everything they had already endured?Still, she and Musallam applied for the program. When they were accepted at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the family packed their bags and boarded a plane—embarking on a 13,000-mile journey.“I told myself, you have nothing to lose,” says Al-Musaileekh. “This is the only hope you have.”
An innovative protocol
Ali arrived at CHLA on Oct. 2, 2017. A week later, he received his first dose of nusinersen. Chadi Zeinati, MD, director of Interventional Radiology at CHLA, carefully injected the medication into Ali’s spinal fluid.Five days later, Ali wiggled his fingers.It was his first movement of any kind since SMA symptoms surfaced. His family rejoiced. There was no doubt now they had made the right decision.“For the first time since Ali’s birth, I felt happy,” says his mom.
While not a cure, nusinersen helps the body make more of a protein called survival motor neuron (SMN). SMN is essential for motor neurons, which control muscle movement. In SMA patients, the gene that normally makes SMN is missing or mutated, causing their motor neurons to die. Nusinersen is not the only part of Ali’s treatment, though. Although most children receive the drug as an outpatient injection, CHLA is one of the few centers in the country to also develop an innovative inpatient treatment protocol. The protocol combines nusinersen injections with intensive physical, occupational, respiratory and speech therapies.Like Ali, many children on this protocol have made dramatic strides. “We have a couple of patients who are even coming off their ventilators for the entire day, and only need ventilation while sleeping,” Ramos-Platt notes. “It’s remarkable.”About 50 patients, including seven from Kuwait, are being actively treated with nusinersen at CHLA, both as inpatients and outpatients. The program—a collaboration between Neurology, Pulmonology, Rehabilitation, Interventional Radiology, and Orthopaedics—began just three months after the drug’s approval.
“A lot of people from across CHLA worked extremely hard to get this program started quickly so we could make a difference for these kids, no matter where they come from,” Ramos-Platt adds. “This has been a huge team effort.”For Kuwaiti patients like Ali, a big part of that effort is the Center for Global Health at CHLA, which serves as a vital liaison between families, embassies, and the hospital’s medical team. The Center works closely with each family throughout their stay at CHLA — giving them a primary point of contact and coordinating everything from admissions, meetings with the medical team, translation services, assistance in securing housing and a bank account, and eventually, discharge planning and seamless transfer of care back to their home country.“It’s not easy to come to a new country, a totally new place, a totally new health system, and families have no relatives or friends here to help them,” explains Anahit Petrosyan, RN, BSN, nurse care manager for the Center for Global Health. “We become their first point of contact, and we advocate for them. It’s a very close relationship.”
From teddy bears to storytime
So far, Ali has received five nusinersen injections, along with intense rehab, and is continuing to improve. He can now flap and turn his hands and flex his feet. He’s even trying to grasp objects with his fingers. Although his tracheostomy tube has prevented him from talking, he makes frequent “baby sounds” to try to communicate. In SMA, cognitive development is completely normal.That means that inside, Ali is just like any other 3-year-old boy. The things that bring him joy will be familiar to any parent of a young child: Curious George cartoons; a soft, cuddly teddy bear; toys with bright lights and fun sounds; and most of all, the telling of a story.“He loves stories!” says his mom. “Especially jungle stories and stories with animals.”Eventually, Ali and his family will be able to go home and receive nusinersen treatment in Kuwait. That date is not yet set. But there’s more hope on the horizon. Research in SMA treatments is ongoing, and a gene therapy currently in clinical trials has shown promise.“This disease was a death sentence,” Ramos-Platt adds. “To see this progress is really, really exciting.”Ali’s parents want to let other families know that there is hope for children with SMA. They also want to say thank you.“Everyone at CHLA has been very caring and supportive,” Al-Musaileekh says. “I am just thankful for God’s blessing and for the staff at CHLA, and for having the opportunity to have hope for this devastating condition.”
How you can help
Refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move: www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey 213-880-9910
How to Get an Extra $100,000 When You Sell Your Los Angeles Home
FREE SEMINAR Wednesday, September 26, 7:30 PM
When preparing to do the one of the biggest transactions in our life, we want to get the most money, fast, with the least hassle. Los Angeles real estate broker, Corey Chambers, gives information that is found nowhere else:
How to sell your home without and agent and save the commission.
How to know what your home is really worth.
Pass your inspection the first time
Avoid 7 deadly homeseller mistakes
Rancho Bernardo is a planned community in the northern hills of San Diego, California. The sprawling community of canyons and rolling hills includes shopping malls, golf courses and office parks. The neighborhood is known for its plentiful condominium choices, along with beautiful single family homes. The communities include: Distinctive Trails, Westwood, Gateway Hills, Bernardo Ridge, Bernardo Pines, Playmor, Seven Oaks and Oaks North Senior Living Center, overlooking the Oaks North Golf Course. #ranchobernardo
Southern California residents and visitors enjoy the annual carnival-type street fair, RB Alive! during the summer. Rancho Bernardo is home to the oldest operating winery in Southern California, the Bernardo Winery. Other commercial neighbors include Sony, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman and Amazon.
Poway Unified School District includes: Creekside,Highland Ranch, Shoal Creek, Turtleback, Westwood, Chaparral, Painted Rock Elementary Schools. Secondary schools include: Rancho Bernardo High School and Bernardo Heights Middle School. #homesforsale
Condominiums, along with impeccable gated estates grace the Trails of Rancho Bernardo. Many homes have breathtaking panoramic views of Rancho Bernardo and Lake Hodges. Residents also enjoy a private 5-Hole 40 foot One-Putt putting green. #sandiego
The month of August brings back memories for me when I was a kid and my Mom hurriedly racing around buying me a few new items of clothing so I could at least look appropriate when going back to school. Well, kids aren’t the only ones that can get a new look in the “back to school” month…
Making a move to a new house is the perfect way to a
new look. Unfortunately, the current marketplace has many doubting the possibilities or hesitant to buy in what many consider to be uncertain times. I heard just this morning on the radio that almost 40% of American’s are
doubting the American Dream is a possibility. #coreychambers
Yikes!!!!
Fortunately, I have the solution to that issue.
If you or anyone you know is considering making a move, we can help them look good and feel confident in their purchase. If for any reason a buyer purchasing a home through me is not satisfied with their purchase within a full
24 months after the close date, I will buy it back!*
I call this my VIP Buyer Satisfaction Guarantee. This is a huge benefit for Sellers and Buyers.
IN THIS ISSUE: VOL 4, ISSUE 6 AUGUST 2018
– August Used to Be Back to School Month, Now It’s Moving Month
– How Your Referrals
– And Much More #realestate #newsletter
*For Buyers the benefit is obvious – they have the peace of mind knowing they are getting a very good home at a fair price and if not – we will buy it back.
*For Sellers – we are able to tell buyers through our marketing that the Seller’s home comes with a Buyer Satisfaction Guarantee, making the sellers home stand out as a certified good value.
So everyone wins!!
With a guarantee like this, you, your friends, neighbors, work associates and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and avoid the uncertainties in the marketplace.
This is where you come in. Your referrals help the Children…Who do you know that may be considering a move?
We are on a mission to raise $25,000 for Children’s Helping Recover Center, so for every house we sell this year, we are donating a portion of our income to them.
Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. BUT, the Recovery Center survives on Sponsorships and Donations. So YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS:
Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?
Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but we donate a substantial portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Recover Center.
Your Referrals Really Do Help the Kids…
I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move:
You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move.
Over the last two decades of helping thousands of families sell their home and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award-winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive from the transaction will go toward a very worthy cause.
It’s easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move. Simply go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or, of course, you can always call me direct as well at 213-880-9910.
I hope you and your family are well and this Independence Day brings you
much joy and happiness. With all my appreciation.
It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move. You can also call me direct or pass my number on: 213-880-9910.
Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their home right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations we are happy to contribute and proud to support them. Sincerely,
213-880-9910
Following is the story of a patient so young and so undaunted by her cancer that she compels us to want to face our adversities more bravely.
Hazel’s Slice of Life
The Internet’s ‘Pizza Girl’ bites back at cancer
Hazel Hammersley, a usually bubbly toddler, was clearly in pain. She also had a fever, had stopped eating and was very lethargic. Lauren Hammersley’s motherly instincts told her that something just wasn’t right.
“I took her to the pediatrician the day after I first noticed Hazel had stopped eating or drinking,” Lauren says. “Something told me it was cancer.”
Her doctor told Lauren to get Hazel, who was 2 years old at the time, to the Emergency Department at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles right away. Lauren’s worst fears were confirmed; a tumor was found in Hazel’s abdomen, and it was diagnosed as neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor found outside of the brain in children and accounts for about 15 percent of deaths from childhood cancer. There are around 1,000 new cases per year in the United States and, despite advances in therapy and supportive care, about half of the children with aggressive tumors will die from their disease.
“In hindsight, I’m so thankful that doctors at CHLA diagnosed her so quickly,” Lauren adds. Neuroblastoma often spreads to other parts of the body before any symptoms are apparent, and the majority of children aren’t diagnosed until their cancer has spread.
Hazel’s cancer was at stage 3. The news was overwhelming, but there was hope. Lauren knew that a lot of the toughest cases of neuroblastoma were treated at CHLA.
“CHLA did an amazing job in the first few days. The doctors, nurses. Child Life team, social workers—everyone was so supportive.”
Still, Lauren was scared. With four children to care for—her youngest child was 5 months old at the time—she says the prospect of Hazel’s treatment seemed “insurmountable.” Within days, her daughter began the first of what would be five rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor prior to surgery.
Four months later, surgeons at CHLA removed a softball-sized mass from Hazel’s abdomen in a daylong procedure, eliminating nearly 98 percent of cancer, a millimeter at a time. The remaining live cancer was still deeply concerning, so she had to go through one more round of chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant—in the hopes of eliminating any resistant tumor.n the following months, the Hammersley family experienced a lot of ups and downs, including a couple of months of rehabilitation as Hazel learned how to walk and talk again after the transplant. However, she took it in great stride and made the most of her time at the hospital.I
“If you ask the nurses, they would say she was hardly in her room,” says Lauren. “She would play hide-and-seek with them, sit on the bottom of her IV pole and ride it up and down the hallway.
Aside from those occasional days where she wasn’t feeling well, she had a lot of spunk during her treatment.”
On one occasion, Hazel took full advantage of this spunk when she and her grandmother decided to spell out “Send Pizza Rm 4112” on her hospital window as a fun project. Soon, the sign, which faced Sunset Boulevard, attracted passersby and was eventually posted on the community website Reddit. Generous people began to send pizza to the hospital for Hazel to enjoy. She was dubbed “Pizza Girl” by the internet.
Although Hazel has fond memories of the hospital, nothing beats going home. And we’re glad to say that for over a year, Hazel has been at home, doing well and currently showing no signs of cancer. She is back to being like any other 4-year-old who loves to sing, dance, play dress-up and go to preschool, and wonders what she wants to be when she grows up. But as much as Hazel seems like a normal kid, she understands that she’s not; she understands how amazing it is to beat cancer.
“She was standing in the bathroom one day and yelled for me to come over,” says Lauren. “She says to me, ‘Mom, I just love my scar. It’s so important to me, because it means my neuroblastoma is all gone.’”
How you can help
Refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move: www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey 213-880-9910
Sell It For More! How to Maximize the Selling Price of a Home
What makes one property sell fast for $100,000 above the comparable nearby recently sold prices while another home sits on the market for a long time, and then sells for a paltry $30,000 below the comparables? To help prospective home sellers avoid common mistakes and receive as much money as possible from a home sale, let’s compare and contrast two recent transactions. One performed way above all expectations while the other sold for far less than expected. #homeprice
Let’s start with the loser of the two. An SB Grand live-work loft in Downtown’s Historic Core across from Pershing square offered an excellent opportunity to sell a fixer for top dollar, but the seller did not take advantage of all of the opportunities. The loft did suffer from a lack of natural light and no views, but had a great open space, industrial character, high ceilings, private balcony and was a great canvas that could have conveyed one stunning pad. The unit was instead presented as a dumbed-down man cave only used by the seller for sleeping and work at home. The unit was plain, with little or no thought put into beautifying it. The owner was offered the opportunity to have the loft unit professionally fixed up by a top-notch interior decorator, beautifying it and masking all of the flaws for less than $2,500. But, the owner declined to have the loft beautified, and instead believed that he could instead simply change a few things, a new rug, clean up a bit, and move some furniture around. It was not nearly enough. #homevalue
The unit was only partially decluttered. There was still clutter in the main area, more in the kitchen and bath. Personal items were visible everywhere. A wardrobe cabinet was bursting open with a massive number of shirts protruding, giving the indication that the unit lacked sufficient storage. Family photos and personal objects gave the impression that the seller was not ready to sell. They clearly communicated reality.
The unit needed dozens of items to be beautified and rectified. The listing agent did bring in some string lights and flowers to turn the dismally dark light well into a somewhat of a romantic setting, he showed it to 50 prospective buyers, and even brought in 4 offers, including a cash offer. The offers were all well below the seller’s desired selling price, and below the price of recently sold lofts in the building.
A stunning interior could have made some buyers forget that there was no view. A well-decorated space could have attracted the eye to the interior. An OMG stunning ceiling lamp and brilliant sconces could have made buyers forget that there is not enough natural light. The seller failed to take most of the steps available to increase the attractiveness and value. If the seller had invested just $2,500 to beautify, spruce up, decorate, brighten up and boost the unit to the “WOW” luxury loft that it should have been, the seller would have gained approximately $30,000 more. An opportunity lost.
And The Winner Is
As we can easily tell from the first story, beauty and attractiveness have a lot to do with these two properties. Making up for faults is the other big factor. The loser mentioned above had big issues with that needed to be dramatically addressed. The seller of a luckier house two hours away in Palm Springs had plenty of faults and many details that required attention, and they got the attention they required.
While the successful Movie Colony neighborhood home and the Downtown loser loft were in different areas, and suffered from different problems, they both had things in common. Both areas attract more single buyers and investors and fewer permanent families with children. Both areas are sought after by AirBNB investors, and both properties have swimming pools and substantial tourism. They both had defects that needed to be remedied, covered up or made up for. The Palm Springs house ended up selling for well over $100,000 above the comps, and surpassed expectations because the seller invested the time and a modest amount of money to make the home into the attractive stunner that attracted top dollar from buyers.
Artist interior decorator Brother Andy gives his rundown on how he helped the seller to get $100,000 more: Curb appeal is just the beginning. A house must also have interior home appeal, as well as back yard appeal.
How to get more money from a home sale
When asked how he helped sell the home for $685,000 in a neighborhood that recently sells for around $500,000, Andy started of by giving lot of credit to the real estate agent’s beautiful presentation packaging that honed in on a specific type of client. Everything was presented in a way that was geared to a lifestyle. Even the marketing materials, the pictures and paper quality was tangible with expensive flyers that conveyed superior quality.
Of course the superior presentation must be all about a superior product. The house was adorned with candles, showings accompanied by music, freshly baked cookies, and high-end Starbucks coffee. Andy made sure everything was decluttered to make it look like as much space as possible. He left nothing indicating problems. Everything was in its place, all clutter and personal effects completely removed or hidden so that there was indication of a storage issue or lack of closet space. No trash cans were visible — No indication of effort or dirt. It looked like there was no need for an owner to ever do any yard work or housework. Andy made it look like a resort: towels out by the pool, a barbecue could be easily started at any second. The home was geared for pleasure, easy for anyone to enjoy — No indicator of any problem. Andy even hides the soap because soap is a mental indicator of the possibility of dirt and toil. He put away everything instead of leaving things out. Andy acts as the eyes and ears of the buyer, informing the seller of what turns buyers off and on. No garden hoses are to be seen. The home looks like a fantasy. Buyers offer more money.
After the home sold for so much, the seller said she could not have done it by herself because she needed an objective eye. Sellers can be emotional about the home and its details. Andy the interior designer was looking factually at what was happening. Andy knows that attracting extra money comes from going above and beyond, with fresh cut flowers and all the rest.
The successful home seems like it is right out of a magazine. Think Martha Stuart. All of Southern California has lots of nice places, but only a few like Disneyland. The less successful sellers, the cheaper selling home sellers are largely just getting by with the obvious. The successful home seller had the right idea when she wanted someone to fall in love with house. Prospective home buyers can look at 10 houses in a day. They will remember the one that is above and beyond.
The successful seller respected the Spanish revivalist architecture and stayed true. She did not try to impose another style on top. The furniture placement was not for the seller’s use, but instead balanced for the buyer’s eye. Nobody is looking into the back end of a couch when the front door is opened. The furniture is optimized for traffic flow, scale, color and texture.
Andy says it’s also about knowing what looks cheap and what looks high end. In the back yard, the outdoor table is set up fully with 8 place settings. Every day the seller and Andy dusted, wiped off silverware, glasses and dishes. This was done daily for weeks until the home sold for top dollar. They invested the time hosing the ground and everything off to make it wet, fresh and clean. A perfectly profitable home sale is not necessarily a piece of cake. The seller and Andy spent sometimes 15 hours a day for up to 6 weeks.
Most sellers don’t go the extra mile. They leave the toilet wand in view, make buyers think about cleaning. The buyer subconsciously thinks of shit! Dirty toilets and having to clean it! Buyers are not going to pay much for that crap.
The stand-out sellers know that buyers in Movie Colony and Downtown Los Angeles both are not interested in mowing lawns. The successful seller documented her gardener, maid, window cleaner, all services listed to be handed over along with the keys.
The laws of attraction were all implemented to garner top dollar for the house. The staging and maintenance were just one part. The law of attraction was used to begin with years ago to find the worst house on block — torn up. The seller removed all of the Home Depot crap and the seller fixed up house the way it was designed to be seen. The seller knew that she needed to dress up the house pretty enough to look like a million to ensure that she could get $685,000.
The disenchanted DTLA loft seller tried to get by with the basics, while the desert champion seller was going for the gold. Their disparate results were in the cards from the beginning.
Here are 6 ways to improve the final sale price of a home, provided by the interior designer artist:
Aggressive Real Estate Staging Can Garner High Financial Rewards
By Brother Andy
Sellers may realize their property could use “a little help” and will accept the suggestion from a helpful agent to “stage” what the client is offering as part of an over-all marketing plan. In the whirl-wind LA and Palm Springs real estate markets, full of ever-changing trends, determining a potential buyer profile exactly and what they are looking for specifically can be difficult to access. An out-right investment in staging can be a gamble which can pay-off many times over — if done right. The goal is to aid the potential buyer’s imagination of owning the property, direct attention to what the buyer’s dollar is actually purchasing, and present the property’s valuable best qualities by matching marketing strategies to the potential buyer’s expectation.
Here is a great example of an insightful, sophisticated seller who risked an assertive “eye candy” staging strategy to justify a higher price, more than the flat, unexciting square footage comps might initially indicate. The seller succeeded at getting full asking price that included contents, within a week on the market, by building upon proven staging/marketing/advertising techniques. Here is what the seller did right:
1. Reality Check
The seller, at first hesitant to place the property for sale at all, started by analyzing the surrounding area (historic Movie Colony East in Palm Springs, California), the architectural style of her house (a 1930’s Spanish-Revivalist “cottage”), and the environment’s “vacation/tourist lifestyle” (plus AirBnBs, the recent changes in International economics such as the Canadian dollar exchange, County regulations on selling properties, up-to-the-minute MLS comps, demographics, how many property improvements were made, sought lawyer/financial advice, etc.). Creating a list of the “property detriments”, such as smaller square footage size in comparison to comps and a frustrating lack of closets, easily dictated staging — what to emphasize, what to compensate for, and what to ignore in the marketing presentation. The seller began with the hard-hitting, black-and-white, bottom-line business aspects of the property before working backwards toward the heart-tugging “pretty flourishes”, thus saving time, money and foreseeable hassles.
2. Hired Professionals
The seller found a talented, experienced photographer, knowledgeable in real estate, who captured outstanding images of the property both during the day and in the evening. The results were a limited number presentation of warm, inviting, homey pictures of a manicured, well-cared-for treasure.
No run-of-the-mill grainy one-sheet Staples fliers with cheesy head-shots of the agents here. This seller’s printed brochure was impressive: artistic, high-quality, detailed, calendar-sized on slick stock worthy of a magazine spread, even worthy of framing. Charm equals cash. Sexy sells.
The seller was open to hard-to-hear, blunt input from a trusted expert — meaning Brother Andy. The seller needed a fresh view point with a sensitive nose (Any odd odors?) to confirm and/or question whether the message of who the seller was talking to (the buyer), what the seller was saying (this property is chalk-full of character for a particular client to fall in love with), and what the seller wanted the buyer to do (fall in love…then accept the terms of the offer…ASAP). You have one chance to make a first impression and I was happy to supply my reactions as a mirror to what potential buyers might think. A good staging plan doesn’t place flashy furnishings and frou-frou flowers randomly, but address “the why” behind the decision-making process and the psychological “feelings” evoked by the space.
The smart seller also hired a professional cleaning crew who made every surface impeccably clean. The gardener worked conscientiously on the yard as well — not a rock, leaf or flower out of place.
An old garage turned into a lovely casita
3. A Buyer Beauty
In the “Vacation Second Home” market milieu, this seller wisely concentrated on a “one-stop shopping” approach by offering the furnishings (down to the silverware, towels, bedding, art, etc.), aimed at busy women with families and gay men, both of whom appreciate the value of a finished “designer house”.
Printed materials and staging emphasized the property’s “fun” elements (the bar-b-q, fireplaces, pool, televisions, etc.), even placing tea servings on lawn furniture. The purposes of the “fun” aspects were as clearly defined as “living room”, “Master bedroom”, and so on, were.
The “Marketing An Alternative” plan in a neighborhood of “boxy, impersonal Modernist Ranch style” older homes was structured around the “vintage charm” uniqueness of the house. This was done with antiques, candles, wood burning in the fireplaces, all lights turned on, curtains opened, TVs on, books, flowers, hand towels, and tables set with brightly-colored hand-painted china as though a party were happening. This refined tact also inevitably “alternative marketed” the property for a buyer seeking a retirement home, a rental property, or an equity-building investment. Coming onto the property, one could not help but want to sit down, sit back, relax, and picture a future of owning the place — even if you weren’t in the market for buying.
4. “When” Is As Important As “Where”
The old adage in real estate is: location, location, location. That may be Rule #1 but few sellers consider the importance of “when” optimal buying can occur. The time of year is vital to results when selling a property deemed a “vacation destination”. This seller consciously listed the property on the MLS when the Palm Springs weather wasn’t insufferably hot or rainy or cold, and the plants were the greenest of the year.
The light-and-bright, “cheery” property was ready during the Holiday season when many buyers, programmed to shop for almost anything and everything, are easily influenced by “family and friends gatherings” and have a limited time to find a retreat for the summer season. Most sellers aren’t interested in selling/moving during the Holidays, which cuts down competition. Many upper-middle class buyers need to buy property before January 1 for tax purposes. This seller took advantage of the “de-cluttered luxury hotel” veneer of the property precisely when her potential buyer would likely be staying at a “de-cluttered luxury hotel”.
5. No Guts, No Glory
This savvy seller didn’t listen to those who tried to dissuade her due to what others saw as obvious risks by not “playing it safe”. In a business primarily selling “space”, the seller chose another route — charm and love. Instead of doing what everyone else did and getting the same results, this seller gave no reason not to buy by pushing the boundaries of tradition real estate business and going the extra mile. The seller’s “educated guess” — instinct — proved right.
6. Sincerity Sells
Buyers can smell a contrived hard-sell a mile away. Over-selling is just as much a “turn off” as underselling, making buyers suspicious “something is wrong” from too much “show”. Buyers can also sense when a seller loves the property and wants them to love it to. The seller, in this case, was confident about the value of the property because the seller was once the buyer of that very property.
Get a free quote for home interior design by artist Brother Andy. Fill out the online form:
Which of these costly homeseller mistakes will you make when you sell your Southern California home?
Greater Los Angeles Area – A new report has just been released which reveals 7 costly mistakes that most homeowners make when selling their home, and a 9 Step System that can help you sell your home fast and for the most amount of money. This industry report shows clearly how the traditional ways of selling homes have become increasingly less and less effective in today’s market. The fact of the matter is that fully three quarters of homesellers don’t get what they want for their homes and become disillusioned and – worse – financially disadvantaged when they put their homes on the market.
As this report uncovers, most homesellers make 7 deadly mistakes that cost them literally thousands of dollars. The good news is that each and every one of these mistakes is entirely preventable. In answer to this issue, industry insiders have prepared a free special report entitled “The 9 Step System to Get Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar”.
To order a FREE Special Report, visit www.SellerMistake.com or to hear a brief recorded message about how to order your FREE copy of this report call toll-free 1-844-837-3308 and enter 1000. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Get your free special report NOW to find out how you can get the most money for your home.
This report is courtesy of Corey Chambers Realty Source Inc BRE01889449. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract.
Corey Chambers SoCal Home Newsletter July 2018 | More Than Real Estate News
Celebrate ‘Your’ Independence… TOO!
July 4th, 1776 is a momentous day in history for all FREE countries across the globe – AND so is the day we buy our own home!!! Owning Real Estate, especially your own home, is a sure fire Celebration of Independence. In today’s market, many home owners really want to make a move, but are finding themselves in a catch 22 – whether to sell first or buy first. They don’t want to end up getting stuck owning two
homes or none at all. I am sure you will join me in saying we can’t blame them. I also believe that you agree with me on this; home ownership is good for ALL. The more who can buy a home, the more who can sell a home, the more our economy benefits. And as John F. Kennedy said, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” | PDF
Thank you to everyone who came out to join the event to help raise money for Children’s Hospital !! #coreychambers #chla
In This Issue:Vol 4, Issue 6 July 2018
— Independence Day is for people like you
— Special LIFE TIME Guarantee you can share
— How Your Referrals Help the Kids
— And More!!
Fortunately, I have a special program for Home Owners wanting to move and Buyers wanting to buy in Today’s market that turns the tables on this CATCH 22.
Over the last 20+ years of marketing and selling real estate, I have been able to develop and successfully implement a program that allows me to guarantee the sale of a property. Yep, you read that right. Actually guarantee in writing the sale of a home. Obviously a program like this gives sellers GREAT PEACE OF MIND (a true celebration of independence from fear). I guarantee, up front and in writing, that if their home does not sell at their price and within their time frame – I will step in and buy it myself.
The conditions are simple: the seller and I must agree on price and possession date. Buyers benefit too, because we are able to ensure they get the home they want and back up their purchase with a satisfaction guarantee: if they are not happy with the home, we will buy it back. This obviously is a win-win for all involved.
This is where you come in.
Your friends, neighbors, work associates and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and celebrate true independence from the fear of getting stuck with two homes or none at all.
And remember… Your referrals help the Children…
As I share with you each month, we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund. We do this by donating a portion of our income. Children’s does great work in helping kids overcome cancer and other life threatening diseases. In fact Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. BUT the Recovery Center depends on Sponsorships and Donations to keep rolling. So, YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…
Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?
Not only will they benefit from our award winning service, but we donate a portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund.
I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move, so here are your options: 1. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info on line or forward the link to who you know considering a move. 2. Of course you can always call me direct as well at 888-240-2500.
You and your referrals mean more than ever to my team and I. As we move forward in this new season, please know we are extremely thankful for you and your being a special part of our business
With all my appreciation
P.S. The story of this young person enclosed may cause you to look at your loved ones differently. It did me.
Check it out.
It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. Here are the Options Again:
You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info on line or forward the link to who you know considering a move.
Call me direct or pass my number on: 888-240-2500.
IMPACTFUL REAL ESTATE NEWS
Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard working health care professionals, most making their home right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people over come unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallys around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations we are happy to contribute and proud to support them. Sincerely, Corey Chambers 213-880-9910
Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard working health care professionals, most making their home right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people over come unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallys around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.
Sincerely,
Corey Chambers 213-880-9910
Contact Us
Your Home Sold GUARANTEED or I’ll Buy It*
Corey Chambers Team
200 N San Fernando Rd #119
Los Angeles, CA 90031
888-240-2500
coreychambers@yahoo.com
Visit us on the web at www.ReferralsHelpKids.com
Billy Becerra and the Unbearable Lightness of Grieving
In the wake of the first anniversary of his newborn son’s passing, a father finds solace in skydiving and triathlon training, making sure to never be far from the loss.
“Have you ever jumped out of an airplane?”
You got the wrong guy, buddy. Any points for parasailing?
No, none, Billy Becerra says. “That’s nothing compared to skydiving. It’s more like flying. When you’re falling, you can actually fly. You can move forward and back, and left and right. You can fly all over the sky.”
His first jump was with his wife, Elisha, several years ago. He got hooked, then certified, and now runs a side business leasing parachutes to other jumpers.
“It changed my perspective on life,” he says. “Life is pretty fragile, but at the same time, you just did something pretty cool, right? And my life has been pretty good. I have a really good job that I’ve had since I was 18 years old, and that has afforded me a lifestyle where I can buy a house. My wife’s dad’s a rock star and we get to travel all over the world. I have nothing to complain about. My life has been awesome! When I started skydiving, I became grateful for all that.”
He decided he would release his son’s ashes on a jump. He and Elisha would go to Hawaii on Rex Becerra’s first birthday, dive from a plane together, and cast Rex’s remains into the sky. Rex’s first birthday passed in March.
“I couldn’t,” Becerra says. “Couldn’t do it yet. Just wasn’t ready.”
Man plans, and God laughs
You know that one? Man plans, and God laughs?
“No, but I get it,” he says. “I wish I’d heard that long ago.”
In March 2017, Becerra had things all plotted out. He was getting back to his three hobbies. He was going to grab his drum kit and get his band, Rotus, back together, ramp up his skydiving, and play a lot more golf. He would get to all that right after polishing off his first L.A. Marathon in what he hoped would be under four hours.
“Google says that four hours is the breakpoint between runners and bucket listers,” he says. “If you’re under four hours, you’re a runner. If you’re over four hours, you’re a bucket lister.”
He checked off the first piece of the plan, finishing the marathon in three hours, 50 minutes. The race path took him right past Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Literally, on foot, ran right down it.”
The next evening he would return to CHLA in an ambulance, his newborn son’s life imperiled.
Several hours earlier, on March 20, 2017, Rex was born at a community hospital, near Becerra’s home in Monrovia. He looked ill from the outset. His legs were purple, while his upper body was pink. The pediatrician who examined him heard a worrisome murmur in Rex’s heart and had him transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit at a nearby center, where he was seen by pediatric interventional cardiologist John Ho, MD.
Ho found that Rex had an incompetent aortic valve, too small to pump blood out to the aorta and on to the body, which explained the discoloration in his legs. Unable to flow outward, blood was jamming up inside Rex’s left atrium, causing it to swell like a water balloon.
Ho had Rex transported to CHLA. Once there, Ho performed an emergency catheterization procedure to forge a hole between the left and right sides of Rex’s heart, enabling blood flow between the two and deflating the swollen left atrium.
But the procedure was a stopgap measure. Rex needed an intricate open-heart surgery known as a Ross procedure to address his aorta’s structural defects. The surgery removes the diseased aortic valve and in its place is sewn in the pulmonary valve, borrowed from the opposite side of the heart, where it ushers blood into the lungs. A donor pulmonary valve is then implanted to take over for the original.
“I told Billy, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is pretty much an 8 or a 9,” Ho says. “This is about as complicated and as difficult of a surgery as you can get.”
Cardiothoracic surgeon Vaughn Starnes, MD, co-director of CHLA’s Heart Institute, would operate on Rex, and he is widely known for his expertise in the procedure, shared by few other surgeons, Ho says. But Becerra saw a drawback in Starnes’ participation.
“I would hope they could say, ‘We got Joe the intern over here and he can do this on the back of his hand,’” he says, “than to know I’ve got such a serious condition that I have to have the best in the world.”
Mechanically, the surgery was a success, the valves replaced and the aorta opened. But even with its anatomy repaired, Rex’s heart was unable to perform on its own, having been so stressed in those initial 24 hours after birth. It never managed to regain the strength to sustain Rex’s life, and he passed away April 4, 2017.
Becerra says he was determined not to disintegrate from the loss. His perspective was framed by the two weeks he spent residing in his son’s hospital room.
“You get humbled really quick when you sit in that room and there are 30 other rooms on the floor, and there are 30 other families who are going through the same thing. I had seen people fall apart, and there was no way I was going to let that happen.”
He says that looking after his daughter, Nina, who turns 3 in June, has kept him occupied and centered.
“If I keep myself busy, then I don’t have time to have a breakdown. I can’t break down—I’m the father of the family. I’ve been a tough guy my whole life. There’s no way I’m going to let something crush me. There’s just no way.”
An open wound
“I’m not really a tough guy,” he says, quieting. He played football in high school, a wide receiver on a team whose offense struggled. He mostly served as a tackling dummy for opponents to get in their licks.
“I was the small guy on the team. I got crushed. The only way I could play was if I was dumb enough to take hit after hit after hit. There might’ve been a guy who was bigger, stronger, faster than me, but he didn’t want to get hit.”
He keeps his pain close now, afraid to part from it as if it were a material possession. He has chased it through nuisances like rain and heat, pursued it in ocean swims, run after it up mountain trails.
To keep Rex’s memory burnished and present, Becerra has dedicated himself to triathloning. In the first year since Rex’s death, he competed in five races, with a sixth up ahead, the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, a fundraising event for CHLA, offering Becerra another avenue to support the hospital. (He and his wife are also participating in Walk and Play L.A. on June 2. They were the top fundraisers at last year’s event, fueled by donations from fans of Van Halen, Elisha’s father’s former band. See sidebar below.)
Becerra has found his own course for grieving. The physical suffering of training straps him to the emotional anguish over his son’s passing, which he never wants to let far from his thoughts, lest one day he can’t recall it.
“I don’t want it to go away, you know?” he says. “I had a dog that I really loved, and my dog died. I’ve had two dead dogs, and that doesn’t bother me at all now. I do not want to ever feel that way about my son. That’s why I like to tell his story, because it keeps the pain real. I’m afraid the wound will heal.”
Training forces the wound open. He exhorts himself to bear up because his son endured far more. “When you’re thinking, man, I’m getting tired, it’s really easy to think back. Like, this is nothing.”
He increased his race distance as the triathlons became too easy. In April, Becerra did the Ironman 70.3 in Oceanside, the number signifying the full length of the race in miles. “I had to take the next step,” he says. “I can push harder, I can run faster, I can go further.”
When he’s not training, he still makes sure the pain doesn’t get far from view. He looks off to his right and starts to mime an illustration of the inside of his home.
“We’ve got these three shelves that go right into the corner of the wall. On the top shelf is him, his ashes, in a box that I made for him. I pack my own parachute; there’s no way I’m going to let someone else make an urn for my son, right? It’s four pieces of wood that are nailed together, but I made it, right? So. I made it. We baptized him in the hospital, so we have the holy water from that. Then the next shelf down is a picture of him in a frame that somebody gave us, I think it was my sister, that says, ‘You were here for a moment, but you left an effect on the world forever.’
“And then there’s a little bowl. My wife and my daughter once a week change out the flowers. My daughter loves that part.”
It didn’t happen this year, but there will be an April 4 when Becerra steps to the open door of an airplane, checks to see he has his wife alongside, and leaps, and then spreads Rex’s ashes in every direction, left and right, forward and back, trusting his pain to a sky that’s wide enough to hold it.
‘I Wanted There to Be Purpose to His Life, and There Was’
Billy and Elisha Becerra figured they could use last year’s Walk L.A. event on behalf of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a “platform for therapy,” Billy says. They signed up for the walk while their son, Rex, was receiving critical care at CHLA for a congenital heart defect.
“We thought, regardless of what happens here, we see good things happening and we want to support the hospital,” Billy says. “The only way really to do that is to help raise money.”
After Rex passed away, they planned a low-key walk together. Billy named the team Rex and the Heartbeaters and set up a website to accept donations. It began seeing more activity than he ever anticipated. A remarkable $50,000 came in from family and friends. His employer, a civil construction company, pitched in another $5,000.
The total then surged after a social media post by Elisha’s father, Michael Anthony, former bass player for Van Halen. Donations began appearing from Van Halen fans, in small increments of $5 and $10. “Like $30,000 from people all over the country,” Billy says. “I could never tell you who they were.”
Sammy Hagar, Van Halen’s former lead singer who remains close friends with Anthony, contributed a few thousand as well. And then one morning contributions jumped $10,000. “We just woke up one day,” Elisha says, “and were like, ‘What? $10,000? From who?’”
The source turned out to be Hagar’s Van Halen predecessor, David Lee Roth, whom Anthony hadn’t seen since the two were in the band together. “That was out of the blue,” Elisha says. “It was amazing. My dad hasn’t talked to him in probably 16 years.”
In all, Rex and the Heartbreakers raised just under $107,000, more than a quarter of the event’s overall fundraising take.
The breadth of Becerra supporters cut quite a presence at the walk. “I think we made up more than half of the people there,” Billy says. “It went all the way down to friends of cousins.”
The entourage included a former employee of Anthony’s who drove in from Bakersfield. If you’re browsing through pictures from the walk, he’s the one in the Buzz Lightyear costume riding an inflatable dinosaur.
The entire group was powered by Rex, Billy says. “I wanted there to be purpose to his life, and there was. His struggle is what got everybody to open their wallet and donate to the hospital. It was a memorial for Rex; it was his funeral. Since he didn’t have a normal life, he didn’t have a normal funeral.
“If there’s a benefactor to his memorial, it would be Children’s Hospital. They did everything they could to save his life.”
He and Elisha will be at this year’s event, refashioned as Walk and Play L.A., on June 2. They don’t expect the same level of fundraising, but there will be no dip in their ongoing commitment to supporting CHLA patients.
“Our story didn’t end very well,” Elisha says, “but there are kids out there, their story is going to continue, and we want in any way we can to help it continue.”
To donate to Walk and Play L.A., or to sign up for the event, visit www.WalkandPlayLA.org
Courtesy Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
How you can help:
Refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move:
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For home sellers who want to sell and buy a home at the same time, they often wonder exactly how they can sell and buy a house on the same day. Here’s a special report on how it can all go smoothly.
How to Avoid Getting Stuck With Two Homes
The Solution
We’ve all heard the old saying about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Well, unfortunately, that’s where most homeowners find themselves when they decide to move from one home to another.
The Real Estate Catch 22
You see, if you buy before selling, you could run the risk of owning two homes. Or, just as bad, if you sell first, you could end up homeless. That’s what is known as the Real Estate Catch 22, and for thousands of homeowners, it’s an extremely stressful position they find themselves in.
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“ If you buy before selling, you could run the risk of owning two homes . . .”
How to Avoid The Real Estate Catch 22
“ . . . or just as bad, if you sell first, you could end up homeless”
This financial and emotional tightrope is one many homeowners feel they have to walk alone. However, you should seek out agents offering specialized programs that can eliminate the stress and worry associated with selling and buying another home.
The Solution
THE DILEMMA
The biggest dilemma when considering purchasing another home is deciding whether to buy first or sell first. Either way is risky because you could end up owning two homes or no home at all. Let’s face it, the real estate market has become a tough environment for buyers and sellers alike. The fact is that it’s more difficult to get homes sold today and therefore it’s essential that real estate agents look for new and innovative ways to meet the demands of the market.
THE SOLUTION A new and innovative program that some agents offer actually guarantees the sale of your home and takes away all of the worry and stress associated with selling and buying another home.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
❶ Your agent will prepare a total market analysis including a computerized print-out of all comparable home sales and listings in your area.
❷ With this information you and your agent can determine a market value for your home.
❸ This establishes your guaranteed price and list price which you will receive up front (in writing) before your home is marketed.
❹ You are doubly protected because you know that your home will sell for the guaranteed price. However if you receive an offer from an outside buyer for more than the guarantee price you get the higher offer.
❺ You can confidently look for your next home and immediately place a firm cash offer (not a conditional one) when you find a home you like because you know the minimum that your home will sell for and when you can expect to receive the money from it’s sale.
❻ This service eliminates the usual stress and worry (the emotional roller coaster ride) of whether to buy first or sell first so you can avoid the risk of getting stuck with two homes or no home at all.
Remember, not all agents are alike and you should consider only those that can offer you the most innovative marketing plan available to ensure that your needs are completely and properly met.
“Especially jungle stories and stories with animals.”
We contacted Fast Home Offers in a desperate hope to sell our home as soon as possible. Their team made us an offer within hours and closed in 7 days! Fast Home Offers lived up to their promise. Thank you for your help!
The Solution
You see, if you buy before selling, you could run the risk of owning two homes. Or, just as bad, if you sell first, you could end up homeless. That’s what is known as the Real Estate Catch 22, and for thousands of homeowners, it’s an extremely stressful position they find themselves in.
