The real deal about real estate.....really....

Zen Business Management - A good, affordable, trustworthy bookeeping service in the Los Angeles area.

Zen Business Management is a mobile business management and bookkeeping service that works with the client in a number of ways in order to help them run their business more effectively and more profitably.

The core of their offering is a bookkeeping service, which is on an as-needed basis. This is the most important foundation for proper financial management. They organize and manage your finances, keeping track of all money in and out, in order to generate the reports you need to run your business effectively, such as the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows, accounts payable and accounts receivable reports, and many more.

They’ve also established relationships with various reliable vendors, which allows them to analyze their client’s expenses and suggest ways for them to save money, bringing even more value to their business and helping to offset the costs of their services. This could mean helping you save on your business filings, payroll, merchant services, etc.

One of the main differentiators between them and a typical business management firm is that they are mobile, and can work from YOUR office. It’s like having an in-house accounting department without the large overhead costs of having an employee. They are located in Sherman Oaks, CA and will work with anybody they can reasonably drive to or connect remotely with, which is just about anyone.

Jordan Merritt is owner/manager of Zen Business Management.  He's a great guy, knows his stuff, takes a very geniune approach to his clients, and has a great sense of humor.

Jordan is a magna cum laude graduate of the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, with a degree in Finance. He’s acquired several years of experience with bookkeeping, account management, financial reporting, and individual and corporate tax preparation at several Los Angeles-based business management firms. He is also a Quickbooks Pro Advisor. He founded Zen Business Management in February 2010 based on a demand he recognized for convenient, affordable and customizable small-business management and accounting. He greatly enjoys working with and helping other business owners manage their finances.

If you’d like to learn more about Jordan's services or receive a free quote or a free consultation, please contact Zen Business Management at:

Cell: 818-585-4522

Email: Jordan@ZenBusinessManagement.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmerritt

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Just when I thought I've seen it all, then I see this.

A friend of mine sent me this video.  I had thought that I've seen just about every stupid pet trick there was, but this is actually quite amazing.

I mean this "dance routine" lasts about 3-4 minutes!  To see a dog do something like this is actually kind of mind-blowing to see they have the capacity to remember such a long sequence.

Anyway, I though you all would enjoy:

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Vacant homes do not stimulate the economy........and their "ungy"

I am optimistic about all that the government and banks are doing to try and make homes and loans affordable, and make short selling a property easier for a homeowner who has no other sensible alternative.

As we all know, homes that sit vacant over time, on the simplest level, are just not attractive (or as my little neice would say, they're "ungy")

But not only are they an eye sore and a cause for depression within the neighborhoods that they are in, more importantly they do not help stimulate the economy, which is really needed right now.

A homeowner living in a home who is paying their mortgage are contributing in many ways:

• They are paying interest to the banks, who in turn invest their money in the national markets
• They are consuming goods for the home - personal property, appliances, furniture, cleaning supplies, plants, electronics, etc - and by doing this they are helping to keep the employees of all those companies employed.
• They are paying for utilities - helping keep that sector of the economy going and keeping those workers employed.
• They are homeowners, so not only did they provide a transaction for 2 real estate agents, a loan officer, an escrow officer, title officer, etc., but they will most likely need to either upgrade or relocate, which will require a transaction all over again.  This also keeps those professionals in the real estate business going.
• And very importantly, especially here in California, a homeowner pays property taxes.  This is a huge source of revenue for the state and local government to be able to fund programs and public works projects

When you help your client short sale their property to avoid a foreclosure, or when you assist your buyers in purchasing that REO, you are actually doing your local and national economy a huge favor. 

So it is vitally important that we do whatever we can as a society to keep the home ownership principal available to everyone.

Any empty house means empty pockets to many people.

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We got a visit from the Queen this week!!

Earlier this week, the Queen visited my home.  To be more precise, she visited a branch under my Birch tree in the front yard...............Queen Bee, that is.

I was watering my lawn yesterday and noticed a HUGE hive under a lower branch within reaching distance on my Birch tree.

I googled a Bee removal service, and they came down this morning to remove the hive.

They do not kill the bees, they put their space suit on and remove the hive and put it in a container that lets the bees fly into so that they can re-congregate before they take them away.

The rep told me they either take them into the wild, or that they add them to their honey farm.

He also stated that bee removal should be taken seriously and carefully these days due to the fact that our bee population has declined rapidly.  We actually need bees to keep the ecosystem in balance.

Here is a great excerpt from their site:

"As you may have already heard, the honey bees are rapidly becoming extinct. Their populations have declined to 3% of original numbers. These events are directly correlated with the Colony Collapse Disorder which have been influencing the survival of bees for many years. ABC Bee Control strongly believes in Live bee removal to preserve the life of these amazing little creatures. Because without bees, we will not be able to enjoy sweet peaches, juicy strawberries, and many other fruits and vegetables that are on our tables daily. The method of live bee removal preserves as many bees as possible with the use of organic materials. Once we remove the bees, we relocate the them to our bee farm located in Malibu, CA. There they get back to nature, pollinating flowers and producing honey. Do your part to save them."

The removal service ended up costing me $150.00 for this particular hive to be removed from my home.  They also gave me a 30-day guarantee in case the hive re-establishes itself in the next 30 days.

Anyway, they did a great job and here is their website:  www.abcbeecontrol.com

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Everything I ever needed to know about life, I learned in kindergarten......

Just a little ditty I though I'd share.

Another one of my "Life According to Ralph" gems of information.

For those of you who do not have the time for any in-depth debates and are looking for the "Easy Button",

Here is everything you know about life:

1. SAY PLEASE
2. SAY THANK YOU
3. LINE UP

So there ya go.

And since I only have a dime, I'll need $.08 change please..............

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Baseline Hillside Ordinance - A MUST-KNOW for residents and investors in the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley areas!

On August 5th, the Los Angeles City Council approved the proposed Baseline Hillside Ordinance provisions with 2 changes and has asked the City Attorney's Office to review and prepare the official Ordinance.

The changes, in the form of Motions, should be available for download on the online Council File.  But as of August 18th, all the signs are indicating that this will assuredly be passed.

The ordinanance is going to have a HUGE impact on the residential areas that are approximately south of Valley Vista, north of Sunset, Hollywood Hills to the east, and Mulholland Park / Bel Air to the west.  Cities affected include but are not limited to:  Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Universal City, Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Bel Air

The exact map of coverage that will fall under the jurisdiction of this ordinance is still being finalized.

The premise is that tall, mult-level homes and homes that are not consistent with the existing architectural "culture" will no longer be allowed in this geographical area.  There will be strict limitations to height, size, grading, slope, and archtectural style with this ordinance.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT for those buyers looking to purchase now or in the future with the intent to renovate or develop in this area!!

There is a Facebook fan page to follow the developments with the Baseline Hillside Ordinance that you can follow here:  Baseline Hillside Ordinance

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A Man and his Dog...........

I found Scooter at the Burbank Animal Shelter about 4 years ago.  I guess I was looking for a little something in my life that perhaps I was missing, so I found myself visiting the shelter every couple of weeks.

Anyway, on one of those visits I was walking the rows of cages and saw him there.  On the card it stated his name given to him by the shelter was "Oliver".  I immediately thought of Oliver Twist, the lonely orphaned child (which I played the lead in many years ago in my teens in the musical "Oliver")

I immediately stopped and made eye contact with him.  He was wearing the world's ugliest sweater at the time and it was obvious he wasn't too happy about it.  I mean C'mon, how would you feel if you were forced to wear something amongst your peers that was ALL wrong for your skin tone?  Please.......

I made a connection with him instantly.  He of course was very fearful of his environment and you can tell he couldn't quite understand this place he was in with all the steel cages.

I asked to see if I could see him and so the kennel representative made arrangements for me to take him to a designated little park area at the side of the shelter for such types of reasons.

Scooter definitely has his own little personality.  He is half Italian Greyhound and half Chihuahua by the shelter's definition.

I knew that this was the dog for me, so I inquired about adopting him.  The shelter told me that I had to wait until the day he became available, which was about a week away on a Saturday.  They told me it was sort of a lottery approach and that most smaller dogs get adopted quickly and that I basically just need to show up as soon as they opened on that day and hope for the best.

So I did just that.  I showed up 15 minutes before opening, and waited.  The minute they opened the doors, I immediately said I wanted to adopt the dog in that particular cage number.  As it turned out, there was a couple their with their young daughter who were interested in him also, as well as another small dog in another cage.

I was a little heartbroken.  How could I possibly be that selfish when a little girl could possibly want that dog?  So I put on my best Acting 101 skills and tried to hide my emotions.

I don't know. I guess no matter how hard you try, there are just certain vibes that you can't stop from being transmitted to those around you.  There must have been something in my face, or in my energy at that moment that the parents picked up on.  They just looked at me and smiled, and decided to move on to the other dog instead.  I swear I thought I was going to cry at that moment.

And no Olympic athlete could probably have run faster than me at that moment as I made a mad dash back to the front desk.

I started the adoption procedure and was able to pick Scooter up in a few days.  They told me that he needed shots, and that I could pick him up from the veterinarian that they were sending him to in a few days.

When I picked him up from the vet I was so happy, but a little sad at the same time.  Now that I saw my little Scoot without his ugly sweater on for the first time, he was so emaciated that I could see his little ribs.  For a split second, I had an instant flashback of what this poor little guy's life must have been like for him to end up so thin.  But it didn't seem to matter to him at that moment because when he came out of the vet's office, he was so happy to see me.  He remembered me!!  I picked him up and held him in my arms.  And this time there was no acting going on, I really did cry.

And the rest is history:  A history of a man with no children who now has a furry son.  A history of this little guy greeting me at the door (with his brother Rascal - that's another blog) so happy to see me EVERY time, no matter what.  A history of him, no matter where I'm at in the house, finding me and laying with me for a shared nap.  A history of chasing flies and squirrels, and EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY (oy, vey....) wanting to play tug-o-war with some old blanket or piece of rope.  A history of letting me know no matter how stressful my professional life gets, I can still "go for a walk".

A history of teaching this 46-year old man that I am just but a speck in this universe, and that it's all about respect for all the other beings in this world of theirs and mine that we SHARE.

My little guy....................

SPROUTS Farmer's Market - My new favorite place to shop!!

Sprouts is a newly expanding (or exploding) chain of indoor farmer's market type of grocery stores.

They ROCK!!

They are sort of like Whole Foods at Trader Joe's pricing.

There is one opening within walking distance from my home in Santa Clarita, but not until September 1st.

In the meantime, I was able to visit the newly opened location in Pasadena.

I was like a kid in a candy store!!  For those of my peeps that know me well, I tend to be fairly frugal when it comes to spending money on clothes, cars, and things that are typically "material".

But when it comes to food, I don't minding spending a few extra bucks on good, wholesome, REAL food.  I feel it is one of the most important things you can invest in because it dictates your health, happiness and productivity in your life.

But I'm thrilled with Sprouts, because now I can get the best of both worlds - good food and good prices!

On my trip to the Pasadena store, they were still under the Grand Opening phase, so they had some unbelievable promotions going on.  Broccoli crowns at 49 cents a pound, chocolate almond milk not only at a great price but buy one get one free!!

I had brought 2 re-usable bags into the store with me, and ended up having to break down and use 3 more of the stores paper bags because I ended up buying so much.

Right now, Sprouts has locations in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.  And I'm hoping that they keep on expanding because I feel it is SO important for people to have good, healthy food available to them at affordable prices.

Give their website a snoop at:   www.sprouts.com

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Got an accepted offer on an REO property for my buyers.....with a pleasant surprise....

We wrote a good, strategic offer for my buyers on a bank-owned REO property.  We got a counter which was do-able, and signed off.

And then, as customary, we received the bank addendum.  We read that with a fine tooth comb, and nothing that is out of the ordinary for a bank addendum.  (VERY important to read the bank addendum carefully, multiple times)

However, there was an additional addendum entitled "Notice Regarding Buyer's Right to Select Escrow Agent and/or Title Insurer"

About a year ago, the laws changed in the state of California, specifically CA AB 957 - Buyer's Choice Act -  that mandate the buyers to have the right to choose escrow and title.  I wrote a blog about this a while ago.

I was pleasantly surprised to see this addendum, and basically if the buyers want, they can choose escrow and title.

The only caviat is that if they want escrow and title, we need to fill out another C.A.R. addendum stating such and submit the seller's portion of the escrow fees.

The seller (bank) can accept these fees, reject them, or counter them.  And my assumption is that they probably compare those fees to the fees they will pay with their in-house escrow (which is very aggressive in pricing due to their economies of scale and affiliation with the bank) and title in making their decision.

As it turns out, the bank's title company is the same as our in-house title company, which is Lawyers Title, and they are one of the most reputable title companies around.  So my buyers are going with the bank's providers while at the same time not rocking the boat.

I knew about the change in laws but it was very cool to see tangible proof of those laws come to fruition first hand.

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