What's happening?
Get ready to dive into...
1.
In A Packed City, Vacant Lots Abound
2.
Marina Del Rey Debrief + 160 Homes for Sale in MDR
3.
A spread of stories in Health, Business and Real Estate
4.
Current mortgage rates
5. Upcoming Events
7.
Inexpensive fixes to improve your home's value
8. Tips for Buyers and Sellers
11. Testimonials
12
. Three special recipes
*Some items may appear out of place because each e-mail client interprets newsletters differently.
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"The search for the Right Place is a lot like Falling in Love. You look for certain qualities, but in the end it is a matter of instinct - You just know."
To us, even more important than where you move is why.
We believe every client is an individual with a story, and those unique details combined with our expertise, guarantee the right real estate solution for the next chapter in your life.
~ Peter & Ty Bergman,
Father and Son
business
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--$27 million in sales this year
--Closed 66% of homes in the Silver Strand
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In A Packed City, Vacant Lots abound
| By Elliot Stiller, Social Media Manager / Bergman Beach Properties
Some 10 million people live in Los Angeles County, but there are still thousands of underutilized plots of land.
An interactive online map that was recently launched to identify empty lots, foreclosed properties and other land that's essentially vacant, L.A. Open Acres aims to channel community interest into putting them to good use. "If you put this data online and allow for community output, you have somewhere communities can meet, organize around and inform development interests," said Andrew Douglas, Launch Coordinator of the project. |
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Laopenacres.org identifies vacant land in red if publicly owned and in purple if privately owned. Users can click on a parcel to see a picture of the lot and learn how big it is and who owns it.
Plots of land highlighted with a pink border are "being organized" by residents, who provide contact information through the site.
Community activists often face overlapping bureaucracies, resistance from property owners and a steep learning curve in land use policy, so success in revitalizing blighted areas
typically requires collaboration among stakeholders such as neighborhood councils, public officials, nonprofit agencies and even developers.
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"Everybody would benefit if something that's been vacant becomes activated. It would become a new retail spot that the community needs and wants, and bring more people to the area to see the other businesses there," said Sarah Auerswald, founding president of the Mar Vista Chamber of Commerce.
Lots are vacant for different reasons, said Heather Davis, a policy analyst for Community Health Councils, the nonprofit organization that launched L.A. Open Acres. Some are neglected by absentee owners, some are abandoned by people who defaulted on tax payments and some are publicly owned but simply unused.
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The properties come in different forms: a partially used parking lot along Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, an uninhabited privately owned property in Playa del Rey; a strip of land along the 90 freeway in Del Rey.
"One of the roles of nonprofits is to push public agencies to change their policies around vacant lands in order to promote the best use of these properties, which tend to be lingering in bureaucratic limbo," said the Policy director of CHC.
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Two massive vacant lots near an airport
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On the other hand, collaboration among residents and city government has put energy behind plans to renovate the Fire Station 62 in Mar Vista into a community center.
The effort began with the Mar Vista Community Council working with then-L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl to keep the building from being sold, said current Council Chair Bill Koontz.
Councilman Mike Bonin, Rosendahl's successor, earmarked $30,000 for repairs to the building.
The money has so far gone to clean up the heavily vandalized building (including hazardous material remediation), repair broken windows and the building's roof, and increase security by improving lighting/ adding a fence, said Bonin spokesman David Graham-Caso.
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Mar Vista residents and government employees team up to rehabilitate former Fire Station 62
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"LA open acres would take a lot of the burden off us and put it onto the servers. Instead of us having to be
the middleman, it would be right there - an aggregator of information," Koontz said.
Community Health Councils will partner with Los Angeles Trade Tech College to give stewardship of the site to proff. Marcela Oliva.
She had a leadership role in a sustainable buildings program for the Los Angeles Community College District that involved students in virtual-world planning of campus construction and renovations over eight years. She hopes to follow a similar process, with L.A. Open Acres.
"What's most exciting to me about L.A. Open Acres is the stuff that I haven't even thought about that people will to come up with. We don't even know what all the possibilities are," Douglas said.
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Marina Del Rey Debrief
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New 20-unit apartment
building in MDR
begins construction
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R
endering of future Gateway Apartments
The Venice Housing Community Corp. hosted a meeting March. 4 for the renovation of its newest affordable housing development, a 20-unit apartment building at 13368 Beach Ave. in Marina del Rey.
Named the Gateway Apartments, the 9,300 sq. ft. building was a foreclosed property purchased by the nonprofit low-income housing administration.
Construction will be complete February 2016, be fully leased by June and cost $11 million, said Venice Community Housing Corp. Executive Director Steve Clare.
Source: Argonautnews.com
By Gary Walker
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A new pipe will be built
under Via Marina
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A pipe will be installed under Via Marina from Marquesas Way to the mouth of Marina del Rey harbor, then continue across Ballona Creek to resulong Pacific Avenue and part of Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey.
Purple: New pipe
Red: Venice Main Line
Construction may last 2 years and will occur between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Cost= $60 million.
The new 48-inch sewer line will buttress the 54-inch Venice Main Line that was built in
1960 when Marina del Rey
was first being constructed.
See the full article
SOURCE: Argonautnews.com
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An 8.4 acre parcel located between
Mindinao and Bali Way in Marina del Rey with frontage on Admiralty Way opposite the twin Trizec towers.
Rendering of the possible Trader Joes
Leased by Pacific Marina Venture, LLC, Officers David Taban and Michael Pashaie. Pashaie is also the leaseholder of Fisherman's Village, and Parcels 95, 140 and 141 on Washington Boulevard.
All existing structures will be demolished and replaced by 5 new structures on the U-shaped property. The developer states that potential sub-lessees might be a Trader Joes and West Marine (currently located in the Waterside shopping center) and two restaurants. It will also include boater facilities, boat broker offices and retail spaces.
It is one of the last and most desirable properties in the Marina.
Source: Silver Strand News
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Passengers may experience wait times, flight delays & construction noise beginning in March.
This is due to a series of temporary LAX runway closures that has begun:
The hero of Indiana Jones was hospitalized with injuries he suffered when the plane he was piloting lost power and crashed on a Venice golf course.
Source: Argonautnews.com / Gary Walker
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A wave of sick sea lion pups
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In January and February alone, Marina Animal Rescue picked up 47 sea lion pups along the L.A. city coastline. 16 have been rescued in Marina del Rey.
Because facilities are nearly full, they have imposed a limit of three rescues per day-- leaving many of pups in jeopardy.
The wave of sea lion pups found dehydrated, dangerously undernourished and sometimes battling hypothermia is unprecedented.
Source: Argonautnews.com / Gary
Walker
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Cruise through the marina harbor on bikes that can be rented for an hour. Private lessons available.
-- Low impact on the knees.
-- Burn fat phenomenally
SPRING BREAK BOOT CAMP
5 days at the beach and park: Pajama Jam, Game on, A Voyage, Luau Beach Party, Saving the Day.
March 30th -- April 3rd,
7:30am - 6:30pm
$50 per day / 6-12 years old
Burton Chace Park
13650 Mindanao Way, MDR
Source: visitmarinadelrey.com
Patch.com/
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$2,078,000
$1,495,000
$1,290,000
$799,999
$749,000 $679,000
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HEALTH
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BUSINESS
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REAL ESTATE
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SET GOALS AND
GAIN CONTROL
Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation!
S - Specific (or Significant)
M - Measurable (or Meaningful)
A - Attainable (Action-Oriented)
R - Relevant (or Rewarding)
T - Time-bound (or Trackable)
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SCOUT YOUR
SURROUNDINGS
Instant Checkmate aggregates millions of publicly available criminal/traffic/arrest records
and posts them online.
Search within seconds & check as many records as you like
(friends, family, neighbors).
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HOME VALUE CALCULATOR!
Input values like when you bought your home and its
cost
to see its annual & total return.
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29 HEALTHY MEALS
YOU CAN MAKE IN MINUTES!
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MICROMENTOR.ORG
Sign up as a mentor, and guide
a bright and hopeful team to success! Mentored business average at 5x more revenue.
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100 WAYS TO
SAVE ENERGY!
See tips in cooling, lighting, heating, appliances, water heating, electronics, windows and roofing! From simple to complex, this is a savings fest.
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CORRECT YOUR WALKING
-- Avoid over-striding
-- Bend your elbows
--
Roll through the entire foot, from heel strike to the ball of your foot to the final push off with your toes. This allows your ankle to move through its full range of motion.
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PERSUASIVE TOOLS
No, I'm not talking about a hammer or a wrench. These are
emotiona
l tools: Reciprocity, Commitm
ent and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority and Scarcity.
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PLAYA DEL REY INNOVATION LAB LEASED BY BIG-TIME COMPANIES
The Reserve, a 20-acre site available for lease and designed to support creativity and balance, has been leased for a full year by TMZ, Microsoft, Playstation, EdgeCast Studios and Team One, according to Carl Muhlstein, who is in charge of leasing inquiries.
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Inexpensive fixes
to improve your homes
value!
Whether you're getting ready to sell or just want to spiff up your house, here are some good strategies.
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UNDER $100!
Save on energy:
An energy-efficient home will save you money now, which can be applied to other updates, and is a more valuable and marketable asset in the long run.
U
tility companies provide free energy audits of their customers' homes.
- Set refrigerator temperature between 30-42F.
Use the power-save switch!
-- Clean the dryer lint filter before every load to keep your dryer running efficiently.
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Use high-performance windows! They reduce
the
size and cost needed for an AC System
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$100-200
Low-maintenance plants
Purchase plants that are native to your region or drought-tolerant; these require less water and maintenance, which means more savings to you and more green in your wallet.
Curious how much value each plant adds to your home?
See here!
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$200-400
Visually increase the size of your house
--Replace heavy closed draperies with vertical blinds to let light in - a sunny room feels larger and more open.
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A single large mirror will visually double the space in a room.
-- Furniture and plain old stuff cramps a room: clear it! For less than $400, add an attractive shelving unit to an underused space and store your clutter out of sight.
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Tips for
Buyers
S
ellers
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+
Look Before You Leap:
Take a thorough look at your financial pictures and pay off debt; home ownership comes with many more costs than the monthly mortgage payment.
+ Skip The Starter Home:
The old approach is to begin small with affordable housing and move up later-- NO!
Buy a home that fits your growing family, now.
+ Get a 30-year fixed-rate
mortgage:
Old thinking was to pay off your mortgage ASAP. NO!
Long-term mortgages offer easier-to-budget fixed payments and payments that are lower than shorter-term FRM's. If you have extra cash along the way, you can make more payments towards the principal!
+ Borrow a financial safety net
Get a home equity line of credit soon after your first mortgage payment-- reducing time, paperwork and the cost of money. Its vital to have this line of credit ready: when an emergency hits you could be out of work, and with no visisble means of support, your application for emergency cash will likely be denied.
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Define your goal:
Do you want the highest sales price-- or the biggest check at closing? They are not the same; imagine that two homes sell for $900,000 but one owner pays 2 points and agrees to replace the roof. The owner who sold without such costs got a bigger check at settlement.
To
have a successful sale you need to look at price and terms-- have a strong negotiator.
+ Make the move-in ready
Buyers expect everything to work; fix and paint things now and they will not be an issue.
+
Use Quality Photography
Those who use professional real-estate photos sell listed homes 32% faster than all other listings, according to VHT Studios. Have a variety of clear, quality pictures.
Use Multiple-Listing-Service (MLS), online home listing sites and speak with your real-estate agent: they might recommend other methods of advertising, including open houses and direct mail postcards. Ask the agent how he or she plans on marketing the property before hiring the agent.
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Our Services!
We offer some unique services to our clients:
+ O
ff-market listings
+ Discounted vendors, such as stagers and plumbers
+
Design and decoration services
+
Inspection skills
+ Consulting
on new construction,
escrow and lender services,
managing escrows and anticipating pitfalls
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Our clients can call us 7 days a week
. We're a close-knit family business that's helped people buy and sell homes for over 25 years!
2015 is going great with over 15 million in sales in the first two weeks!
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Listings
Click on the title of the property to be
launched
to it's photo tour!
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Playa del Rey
Lease: $12,500 / month
A 6,000 sq.ft elevator home with panoramic views, located in Playa Vista.
This is the last home that's available in a strip of properties that each have amazing city views.
310 Washington Blvd., MdR
Gorgeous south-facing architectural townhouse with private entrance from 2-car side-by-side garage; beautiful kitchen with stainless appliances; peninsula wood
sit-up bar; enclosed patio and master bath with caesar stone counters.
A few steps away from gourmet dining and the Venice Pier. Minutes from the Marina boat dock & LAX airport.
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Upcoming Events!
Sunday,
March 8
Cartoon Quilts,
noon to 5
p.m.
Kathryn Pellmen presents her whimsical quilts of single-frame stories for the first time in 20 years at Ten Women Gallery, 1128 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 393-6253; tenwomengallery.com
Monday, March 9
Optimist Club Meeting,
9:30 a.m.
Club meets on Mondays at the Coffee Bean, 13020 Pacific Promenade, Playa Vista. (310) 215-1892
Comics on the Spot, 7:45 p.m.
Begins with an open mic before the pros take the stage at 7:45 p.m. The Warehouse, 4499 Admiralty Way, MDR.
Tuesday, March 10 20 Minute Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Six 20-Minute sets of solo, duo or acoustic bands for your listening pleasure. If you like variety, check out one of these nights that take place the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Witzend, 1717 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. Witzendlive.com
Wednesday, March 11 Green Living Workshop, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free city workshop on ways to save money and make a positive impact on your family and the planet through sustainable living. Also March 18 and 25. Santa Monica Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 458-8716; sustainableworks.eventbrite.com Thursday, March 12
Gourmet Wine Dinner,
7 p.m.
Features wines of Belle Glos/Caymus Vineyards of Napa Valley. Presented by
Akbar Marina Del Rey and Gourmet Wine Getaways; hosted by wine consultant Peter D. Kerr. Akbar Cuisine of India, 3115 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey. $89. Advanced reservations required. (310) 574-0666; akbarcuisine-
ofindia.com
Friday, March 13 Hip-hop, funk, soul, 7 p.m. Crown and M.O.B. will play, in addition to special guests! Witzend, 1717 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. Witzendlive.com
Saturday, March 14 Peach, 9 p.m.  At the forefront of female-fronted blues acts performing modern and old-time blues with an All-Star band of musicians at Witzend, 1717 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. Witzendlive.com Sunday, March 15
Sunday Jazz Suppers, 7 p.m.
Watch the sun dip over the horizon while musicians fill the air with jazz music at Whiskey Red's, 13813 Fiji Way, Marina Del Rey. (310) 823-4522; whiskeyreds.com
Dive into more events
Real-Estate Events?
---------------------- ---------------------- THE TEAM! Peter Bergman Executive Director of Sales 
Since he began his Real estate career in 1989, he has risen above the downturns of the industry with a skill born from a true love of what he does. Success for Peter is not only having a client satisfied, but also coming back for more! Named by Wall Street Journal as one of America's top 250 agents. Ty Bergman Director of Sales 
A sponsored stand-up paddle boarder and an avid surfer! A realtor for over 23 years, Ty's work is driven by his "secret" to success: above numbers and statistics, the main goal is to earn each and every client's trust and respect. Ashley Bergman Sales Associate 
Ashley has over a decade of sales, marketing and real estate industry experience, from private mortgage banking to originating and marketing residential and commercial loans and loan products.
She has intimate knowledge of Westside neighborhoods, and loves tennis, running and home design.
Bennett Bergman Happiness Magnet 
Alyssa Garey Office Manager 
Alyssa is involved with animal rescue organizations throughout Los Angeles; her 2 doggies keep her on her toes. She has 15 years of experience in new home sales, transaction coordination, marketing and home buyers and selling. Kirstin Willingham Buyers Sales Director 
She's worked with hundreds of agents during transactions and is connected with Production Executives/ Realtors from Asia to Canada to Europe. Has been involved in a myriad of businesses; assisted mega luxury realtors in Beverly Hills, Brentwood & MDR. Elliot Stiller Social Media Manager Twitter/Facebook/Newsletter 
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In Escrow
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138 Channel Point Mall
Cherry wood floors, upgraded kitchen appliances,
open patio area.
3 bedrooms, 5 baths,
and a 3 car garage.
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120 Topsail Mall
A light-filled home with soaring ceilings, a designer kitchen, a media room, 3 bdrm, 3.5 baths, 5 balconies and a 2-car-garage.
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5 bedrooms, 6 baths, a
4-stop
elevator,
a 3-car
garage, 2 rooftop decks
with ocean, mountain &
canal views & other
beautiful features.
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 A 3-car garage home has large, dramatic
living areas, impressive stonework, a side balcony overlooking the water, top-of- the-line kitchen appliances, 4 bedrooms, 4 bath's.
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Closed Escrow (Past 6 Weeks)
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137 Reef Mall
 
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122 Union Jack
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123 Channel Point
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TESTIMONIALS
| "Bergman Beach Properties "WAS FIRST CLASS RIDE ALL THE WAY" TY WAS JUST GREAT TO WORK WITH !!!
Thank you all" |
"Thank you both so much for the beautiful basket that you sent. It's been great working with you and we wish you guys the best always.
Who knows, maybe someday we will work together again!
Take care. Best."
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"Having lived on the Silver Strand for over 16 years, we had many conversations with Peter and Ty Bergman about our future plans and the right time to sell. They were both excellent about contacting us from time to time to discuss the market. We respected and valued their knowledge and listed with Bergman Beach Properties when the market conditions and our personal timing coincided. Their expertise proved to be instrumental in finding the right buyer. We also truly appreciated the helpfulness and efficiency of their office manager and staff in closing the sale." |
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DESSERT CREPES
Eggs, Milk, Sugar, Salt, Butter, Flour
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DESSERT PIZZA
Strawberries, Grapes
Pineapple, Banana,
Cookie Dough,
Whip Cream.
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AVOCADO DESSERT
 Avocado, Milk, Sugar,
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Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication-- Roger Staubach, football player and businessman |
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THANKS for reading our newsletter!
Have a wonderful day
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