Foreclosure Fixtures

Worst MLS Photo Of The Day - A Triple Play In Rancho Bel Air

August 29th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures, Worst MLS Photo

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Hey Vince, This is the front of the house that I featured yesterday in the “Fun Features Found In Foreclosures” series.

These are the only 3 photos in the MLS, which is the reason I showcase the foreclosures in the series. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m guessing the Jeep belongs to the photographer.

 

 

 

 

 

Usually, I don’t blatantly identify which property the WMLSPOTHD comes from, but in this case…

You ask! I deliver!

 

 

 

The only thing worse than a bad picture is NO PICTURES AT ALL!

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

Fun Features Found In Foreclosures

August 23rd, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

Besides the ridiculously low prices, and the fact that the banks have no clue and are just trying to dump all this inventory, there’s some seriously fun features to be found. The vast majority of foreclosures merely have one front picture. Usually there’s trash cans, and they’re taken after dark without a flash (see Worst MLS Photos). Occasionally we find a picture of the top of a faucet.

But I try to go to see as many of them as I can. Thank heavens for rechargable batteries and digital photography. Here’s some of the almost 1000 photos I took in just in the last 3 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These first two are from a repo on 11th Street. It’s over 2500 sf with a pool, and it’s only 135,000!  I can’t imagine why they priced it like that, but first come first served.

There’s plenty of improvements that can be made, but it’s a great house and livable as is.

I was the listing agent when it sold the last time for 329,000!

 

 

 

 

There’s an abundance of Huntridge Bungalows at the moment that are bank owned. Some are in REALLY bad shape, and some just need some loving, but they can be had for less than 125,000 now.

There’s even a few with the original square tubs in the bathroom. I’ve seen them in grey and white and blue and pink and green.

 

 

 

 

The rest of this Huntridge house is a dump, but the add on family room is a terrific backwoods hunting lodge. It was originally a Huntridge Home, but you wouldn’t recognize it. Only $122,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jake grabbed this repo one on 6^th street the other day before I could put up the pictures. I took these three while showing it to him.

And…we had amazing response time from the bank and the listing agent. From showing to contract (signed! by the bank in less than 3 days. That’s another world record this week!)

 

 

 

 

 

The whole house has these round AC vents. Jake’s going to strip them all and have them powder coated at a body shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s his fireplace and the only piece of personal property left in the home which is a cute portable wine and cheese picnic kit. I’m guessing it’s from the 70’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And scattered thru all of them are great lights, pink bathrooms, fun kitchens, awesome patios and tons of other fun features.

I’ve gotten the hang of working the foreclosures now, and there’s some terrific property out there if you’ve got the time, energy, and money to put them back together.

If you don’t…. I know of some killer houses that aren’t foreclosures, but you have to pay more for them.

Either way, it’s a great time to buy a piece of Vintage Vegas.

 

 

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 2 Comments »

Fun Features Found In Foreclosures -

August 4th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

A Huntridge room addition but the rest of the house needs gutting.

$122,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

2000 sf in Paradise Palms for 120,000.

Someone grabbed this since I saw it on Wednesday, I see it went to contract over the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillside Terrace for 125,000

 

All the homes in Hillside Terrace had these hand plastered coffered ceilings in the living rooms.

 

 

 

Sorry, I should have taken a wider angle shot to show the whole fireplace.

Or you can call me and I’ll show it to you in person.

 

 

I bring these to you because there’s NEVER (almost) any pictures in ANY of the foreclosure listings. Most of them are pretty crappy in so many different ways, but there’s always something to work around!

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Fun Features Found In Foreclosures and In NOT FORECLOSURES

July 30th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

I didn’t pick an open house winner this week, since I’m showing homes this afternoon, but two of the buyers I’m working with won out on foreclosures, one got outbid, and I’m negotiating a deal on the Liberace Townhouse which is NOT a foreclosure.

65% of the sales in June were bank owned properties. This is very good, as more foreclosures are selling than new ones are getting listed. But that means the buyers are also grabbing up the really nice homes that have been loved and cared for. The inventory is shrinking and that’s good for everyone.

I’ve got a new listing in Paradise Palms. I haven’t gotten to creating the featured properties flyer yet, but you can see all the pictures in the MLS.

After a year of chasing the market, the sellers have dropped the price 60,000 with the new listing, and this home DESERVES to be seen especially at the new price of $309,000.

With the reduced price and an audience that appreciates MID MOD in general, beamed ceilings, enourmous rooms, and wide open space, one of you ought to jump on this one.

It’s at 1871 Papago Lane in Paradise Palms and you can see all the pictures for the moment on the MLS LISTING.

 

Over on the Foreclosure front……

I know which foreclosed homes all these pictures came from. They’re in all kinds of price ranges, and ALL kinds of overall condition. Some of them are financable, and some of them aren’t.  Some are in pretty good condition and some are just awful.

Just as every house is different, so is every buyer. If you want to get in on the big give-away, you’ve got to have your finances and mindset in order. Let’s put a plan together for you.

These are just some random fun things I’ve found in the various foreclosures I’ve visited.  

Paradise Palms, $410,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paradise Palms $280,000

Needs a good 100k to be spent on it. but it’s 3300 sf.

 

 

 

 

 

Same house as above, 280,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scotch 80’s

$829,000

 

 

 

 

 

Alta Rancho Historic District

$929,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 6 Comments »

Why All This Emphasis On The Foreclosures That I Find In Vintage Las Vegas ?

July 22nd, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

A) A regular reader that I met a few weeks ago told me they had bought a foreclosure. He commenced to tell me the horror story of dealing directly with the banks listing agent. I asked why they hadn’t called me. I was SHOCKED to be told that I didn’t do foreclosures and that I only sold the really nice homes.

NOT! I decided I’d better make that point clear.

B) I still get a kick out of the alliteration that I made up for the topic.  “Fun Fixtures Found In Foreclosures” can also be “Fun FEATURES Found in Foreclosures”. I find myself chuckling when I type either one.  

C) There’s terrific features and fixtures buried in all the dirt and clutter and abuse and neglect. And occasionally I actually find a real treasure because of the architecture,  or the ridiculously low price or because the agent doesn’t “get it” about Vintage Vegas. 

Most buyers start out with the fantasy of the “bargain priced bank owned repo”. Some actually have the stomach (as well as the money) for doing a home over from top to bottom. Most don’t, but have to get to that realization for themselves.

9 out of 10 bank owned foreclosures have only one photo which is usually worthy of being a WMLSPOTHD. Most of you will never get to see the insides of them unless I show you.

D) I have absolutely no sympathy for the banks, and the beating that they’re taking to get these homes off of their books.  They created the mess, and the buyers who are buying now are getting the benefit of the mess. And the sooner they’re gone, the better it will be for all homeowners.

E) I don’t have to get permission to publish the pictures. It’s not like I’m showing the owners kids in the pictures.

There’s redeeming qualities in even the worst of homes. Well, I saw one today that I laughed about when I left because the ONLY fun feature or fixture I could find was the door knocker.

 

 

F) Hopefully, the Tuesday Open House thing will continue to be as successful as last weeks. I went to contract with a reader today who came to last weeks open house at 704 Canosa.   TODAY we’re doing one in McNeil from 3 to 6pm. I posted the announcement the other day.

G) I hear it all the time that everyone seems to love it when I post pictures of fun fixtures and terrific features that can only be found Vintage Las Vegas Homes and Historic Neighborhoods. Since the foreclosures are full of them, why not kill two birds etc.

H) They’re easy to access. No phone calls, no appointments, no sellers following me around pointing out things that aren’t important. I can see every foreclosure in a neighborhood in an hour, and come away with dozens of great pictures. AND I’m totally on top of knowing the inventory, whether they’re bank owned or not.

I) I’m committed to keeping VeryVintageVegas fresh and entertaining. The average real estate blogger posts something every 4 or 5 days, and it’s mostly statistics. I’m about as prolific as you can get. That way you’ll tell people about me and about Vintage Vegas in general. You’ll want to call me instead of an agent that thinks anything that’s not summerlin is a gang infested slum. Whether you’re buying or selling, I want you to remember that guy who spends 2 to 3 hours of each day writing one of the best read real estate blogs in America (not my words). He’s the one who’s fully committed to saving or reviving our historic neighborhoods, and your referrals helps to fund that goal.  

J) Beat up foreclosures, as well as the nicest homes in Vintage Vegas are ALL THAT I DO, and I realized that I hadn’t balanced the two extremes very well as far as my coverage is concerned. For the moment, I’ve tipped the scales the other way.

That’s why all the recent emphasis on foreclosures. Tomorrow, I’ll talk again about some of the nicest of homes.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

Even Elvis is Eccstatic About The Fun Fixtures and Features Found In This Foreclosure

July 21st, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures, Paradise Palms

Update: 11:35 pm That’s my younger brother Joe who’s in the pictures. He does Elvis just for fun. And.. I added an exterior photo that I had missed when I originally posted.

Very few of you will get to see the ridiculously cheap Paradise Palms Bank Owned REPO because it’s going to sell in just a few days. It’s over 3000 sf with a pool and garage and tons of Modernization, Tuscanization, Funkinization, and all kinds of other izations.

But it’s NOT a 259,900 home. But that is the list price. Don’t ask me why.

If it’s not already sold, or they’re stacking up multiple offers, I’ll make it the open house for a week from Tuesday, but it’s not likely that I’ll get to do it. (And I’ll have to have permission either way)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of it’s real vintage. Some of it’s retro. Some of it is suburban modern, some of it’s deco, but it all seems to work well together.

 

I’m just going to publish a bunch of the pictures. If you can’t pass up a REAL bargain, or think this might be right for you, then give me a call.

 

 

 

 There’s more pictures below the fold, and if I get a chance maybe I’ll add in some descriptions later tonight.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 2 Comments »

Fun Fixtures Found In Foreclosures

July 21st, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures, Glen Heather

Yesterday, I announced the winner of the new “weekly best foreclosure deal” open house. I’ll be holding it open on Tuesday July 22, from 3–6 pm.  

The runner up, however, deserves some coverage and a plug as well. It’s in Glen Heather, one of the other great mid mod neighborhoods at Oakey and Rancho.

The address is 1900 Loch Lomond. Here’s the link to the MLS, but it gives absolutely NO information about the house and only this one picture.

I didn’t pick it because it’s in too bad of a condition to meet the FHA “livability” standard, but there’s plenty of reasons why I might have considered it, and that you might also, if you’ve got lots of cash for a big downpayment and for fixup costs once you own it.

For starters, it’s only $180,500. BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!

The seller is offering a $3000. decorating allowance, not that you’d get real far with it.

It’s 2246 square feet, but that includes the REALLY bad garage conversion. It was permitted, but it’s really disfunctional, and unless you need the space, I think it would be better to put it back to a garage.

It does however have the stone fireplace wall and entry way wall that I showed before.

 

 

 

 

 

  

And it’s got a lot of holes in the walls, that are easily repairable by anyone who knows how to do drywall.

 

 

 

 

 There’s more pictures below if you click on the “read the rest of the story” button.

The swimming pool is empty, but appears to be salvageable.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bathrooms are a toss up as to whether to start over or to work with what’s there. I really like the  tile bathtubs in the master with it’s built in back rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the trustee sale that returned the property to the bank, someone changed out the main electric service panel, but no one finished buttoning things back up.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a huge patio cover that runs the full width of the house. The roof and Air Conditioner aren’t all that old either.

All in all, if you can get financing, have the cash or credit cards to do the repairs and remodeling, and are looking for a serious project, this could well be the right house.  If you’d like to see it, give me a call.

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Fun Fixtures Found In Foreclosures - Part 4

July 15th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

These leafed support posts are from a bank owned foreclosure on 7^th Street. It’s priced at 160,000. Needs a lot of clean up and finishing of a few small projects, but it should be FHA acceptable. It’s a slump stone brick home, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a bonus family room, and a huge yard.

 

It’s just around the corner from where I’ll be doing the open house TODAY from 2–5 that you just read about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a big fan of custom unique iron support posts that we find on many of the mid century modern homes. I’ve got a whole collection of pictures of them, and might just do a series one day of them.

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The Fun Fixtures Found In Foreclosures - Part 3

July 13th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures

 

Hinge mounted planter hangers over the wall of glass combine with an iron safety rail seen in the next picture to frame the view without obscuring it.

No, those aren’t ghosts. They’re just a reflection in the floor to ceiling windows in theMid Century Modern  bank owned property at 704 Canosa.

Watch for an announcement. I’m trying to get permission to do an open house there this week.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of iron work, the bank owned house down the street from me has an awesome “pin oak” room divider that creates an entry way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fabulous Fixtures Found In Foreclosures - Part One Of A New Series

July 10th, 2008 Categories: Foreclosure Fixtures, Mid Century Modern

There’s something to be said for looking at bank owned foreclosures with true mid century modern “enthusiasts”. The advantage is several extra eyeballs to look for the little details that it’s so easy to miss.

Sometimes the details are buried beneath the trash that I show you regularly in the Worst MLS Photo of The Day. Sometimes they’re just there to be spotted, if you stick around long enough to really take a look. Each buyer has a different agenda, but when I’m with the “enthusiasts”, we seem to spot them all.

I’ve started