HAVE A WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY FROM RIVAS & ASSOCIATES!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY 2010

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Realtor
626-497-4606
Ramiro@RivasEstates.com

4th of july

Pasadena City Hall Night shot

This is a Pasadena Photo Blog of a night shoot I did at Pasadena City Hall.  Please enjoy.

Love the detail

View from within the romantic courtyard, weddings and events are held here often.

This is my favorite shot

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Realtor
626-497-4606
Ramiro@RivasEstates.com

Pasadena City Hall, Pasadena Photo Blogs

Home Staging Decor, Interior Staircase

What is staging?  Staging is preparing your home’s interior for viewing by Pasadena Realtors® looking for potential buyers, or the buyers themselves.  When preparing to sell your Pasadena home, staging is an important part in getting the most value for your home.  Once you have decided to sell your home, making it appealing to potential buyers is crucial whether you are occupying it or moving out and into your new residence.   

Staging your Pasadena home includes some preparation.  If you are still living in your home, a great place to start includes de-cluttering, cleaning, organizing, and depersonalizing your home.  De-cluttering, cleaning, and organizing will make the space appear larger, more appealing, and presentable to its viewers.  De-personalizing your home allows the potential buyer to have a better visual idea of the home with their belongings in it without the distractions of the home owner’s personal sense of style or sentiments.  

To tackle these tasks, make sure you clean your entire home.  Put items away in their appropriate place or put them in boxes and store them neatly away.  Take down family pictures or other personal items of sentiment.  If you have a lot of furniture and getting around is difficult, take some furniture out, especially large pieces.   Don’t forget to set potpourri or candles around your home to ensure it smells clean and fresh!  And don’t forget the appearance of your porch and backyard.  These too are important selling points of your home!  Some work, such as basic  and inexpensive landscaping may be necessary and are worth every penny. 

If you will not be living in the home, you can hire a professional stager to help you make the home appealing and look livable to others.  A professional stager will come into your unoccupied space and assess the type of décor that will work in your home.  After the assessment, the stager will have furniture brought to the home and then have it arranged, decorated, and accessorized.  

If you need help learning about preparing your Pasadena home for a sale or would like more information on a professional stager, Contact Us and we will consult with you about the process of selling your home from start to finish, including the art of staging.

Home Staging, Pasadena Homes for Sale, pasadena real estate

The Mission District Lofts in South Pasadena

If you are searching for a condo Pasadena is a great place to look since it is a city that has been becoming more urbanized over the past few years. Space in Los Angeles is at a premium, ever increasing, and many L.A. suburbs are starting to become re-urbanized. The most recent trend in many suburbs is retail developments with the inclusion of at least two floors of residential units above a retail city walk. Examples of such urbanization is the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, and Rick Caruso’s latest development, The Americana in Glendale.

The two key players on your team in a home search are the lender and your real estate agent. Once you have these selected, they can help you line up the additional help you need. The best recommendations for a real estate agent is one who is well educated about the market in your area. If you’re a first time homebuyer you may not have a resource of competent mortgage enders, reputable inspectors, or a trustful escrow company that will successfully help you through the purchasing of a home;  Therefore it would be of utmost importance to choose a Realor® that will have this resource of people to recommend to you to have the option of using.

The Del Mar Metro Station and Archstone Apartments

A first step is to find out how much you can afford. Most buyers will obviously need a mortgage in order to complete a home purchase. A lender will qualify you for a certain loan amount depending on how much cash you have available for a down payment and closing costs—the various fees associated with buying or selling a home. Other relevant factors are your credit score, your verifiable income and what type of mortgage you decide to use for your purchase. You can work with a mortgage broker who will shop the mortgage market for you and place your loan package with the lender that offers the best deal. Or, you can work directly with a lender, such as Bank of America or Citibank. Just make sure that you understand what kind of loan is being offered. You might want to consult with an independent party like your accountant or financial advisor to determine what kind of financing is best for you.

If you’ve never bought a home before, you should use an agent who is a good communicator and who will take the time to explain the process. Also, keep in mind that your agent will be interfacing with the other parties in the transaction. You want someone you trust and who you are sure will represent you professionally and work diligent on your behalf.

Pasadena Condos for Sale, pasadena real estate, pasadena urban living, south pasadena lofts

The Castle Green Pasadena

Originally named the Hotel Green, just north of Central Park in Old Pasadena is the well known historical Castle Green. Built in 1898, this magnificent architectural masterpiece was named in honor of the business entrepreneur Col. George G. Green, who was responsible for having the Castle Green built. The architect, Frederick L. Roehrig, pulled Moorish(Islamic), Spanish, and Victorian architectural elements all together, creating a completely unique landmark.
Initially consisting of three large separate structures, a bridge crossing over Raymond Avenue connected the center building to the one lying on the east. The building on the east side had long been gone but the bridge that connectedthe two still exists and can be seen when you travel past the Castle Green on Raymond Avenue.

 Although it had been built to serve as a hotel, times and the economy changes. At the turn of the century Pasadena started switching from a resort city that easterners vacationed at, to a place to live and eventually in 1924 a group of guests that frequented and resided at the hotel purchased the hotel as investors and divided it up. No longer the Hotel Green, the central structure was divided into fifty separate units for purchase and became what is now the Castle Green. The condos in the Castle Green are still used as residential units and are owned by residents that have respect and admiration for Pasadena’s history. The owner of each unit pays a monthly homeowners association fee that goes towards the constant preservation and maintenance of the building.

 In addition to serving as a residence for condo owners, the Castle Green is available and is constantly in use for events, filming, and weddings. Events and weddings at the Castle Green include use of the Lobby, Main Salon, Moorish Room, Turkish Room, Sunroom, and Ballroom, as well as the Gardens. A classic wedding set up in the outdoor gardens has become a popular write up in the local magazines, including Pasadena magazine which covered a large editorial on outdoor wedding receptions at the Castle Green.

Occasionally condos come onto the market for purchase in the Castle Green, as well as owners looking to rent out their unit. A current listing that is available for purchase is a 700 square foot one bathroom studio for $365,000. Feel free to contact us for additional information on condos at The Castle Green.

ERICA SWANSON

RIVAS & ASSOCIATES

Pasadena Blog, pasadena castle green, pasadena historic hotels