"Beverly Hills-That's Where I Want to Be!"

Exploring one of Los Angeles's most Glamorous and Obnoxious Suburbs

Some "words of wisdom" from Real Housewife of BH Kyle Richards

Today, we'll take our white BMW out of the garage and drive through the suburb of Beverly Hills!

Beverly Hills celebrated its 100th anniversary in June of 2012 and named The Beverly Hills Hotel (BHH) as its first historic landmark. What most people don't know is that the BHH was actually the first building to ever be constructed in the suburb. The hotel existed long before the city ever did! Therefore, the hotel is going to be our first stop on our tour of this suburb.

The BHH, also known as the Pink Palace (for its exterior), has long been the watering hole of Hollywood and played host to countless events and guests. If the walls could talk, they'd have so many scandalous stories to tell! When you pull your car up to the valet you instantly feel transported back to the Old Hollywood Era. The staff will make sure that you're given the complete red carpet treatment from the moment you step foot onto the property. I personally recommend stopping by the hotel for lunch at the Cabana Café. While you're there order the McCarthy Salad, and for dessert get one of their scrumptious soufflés.

The entrance to The Beverly Hills Hotel

Next up on our tour is the world famous Rodeo Drive! It's a good thing you got some food in you because walking up and down Rodeo Drive can be exhausting. If you don't believe me just ask the obnoxious, famous for being famous, Rich "Kids" of Beverly Hills-Dorothy Wang & Morgan Stewart...This is the perfect place to go shopping-if you've got lots of money to burn or are just trying to impress your friends! Rodeo Drive is filled with boutiques from the world's top designers and jewelers...You're bound to lust over an item whether it's from Valentino, Vera Wang, Harry Winston or Tiffany's! The street is filled with tourists from all around the world! 

Donald Sterling when he found out you'd be house-hunting on his street soon.

So after spending a few hours in Beverly Hills, you may find yourself deciding that you'd like to move into this area. Let me give you some insights on how much money it would take for you to become neighbors with one of the "Real Housewives", Donald Sterling or Cher Horowitz. 

According to Zillow.com, the median home value in Beverly Hills is $3.19 million dollars. Home values have gone up 18% in the past year and are forecasted to rise another 5.7% within the next year.  I suggest you find yourself a home north of Santa Monica Blvd.-especially if you want something large in size. If you desire privacy, you should find yourself a beautiful estate north of Sunset Blvd. Beverly Hills is a wonderful area for families with children...However, many of these kids are notorious for growing up extremely spoiled and obsessed with plastic surgery. In my opinion, Beverly Hills is wonderful but can be a bit overrated. Nevertheless, if you enjoy vulgarly flaunting your money, bragging about your zip code (90210 or bust), and need to be in close proximity to the best plastic surgeons in the world, then Beverly Hills is the place for you! 

One of the most famous estates in town, the former residence of William Randolph Hearst

Growing a Farmer-Part 2: Reflections on Kurt's Journey

The second half of Growing a Farmer takes readers through the nitty gritty details of the manual labor that is involved with caring for various farm animals. It is within this half of the novel that readers are given a behind the scenes look at how much work it takes to get products from animal to table-the process is longer and more complicated than one would expect. I prefer not to think about this process for several reasons, but mostly because I lose my appetite once I hear these gory details. In addition, in the final half of the novel, Kurt gives readers his own personal reflections on what he believes he's accomplished thus far. It is wonderful to see him come full circle from bakery owner to farmer.

I think that one of my favorite aspects about reading this novel was the fact that upon purchasing the farmland, Kurt acknowledged the road ahead of him would be long. Nevertheless, Kurt embraced every step of his journey, struggles included, and learned from every experience. In a sense, this book is a sort of metaphor for life-you live, learn and constantly try to improve your circumstances. In addition, readers get to view the expansion of Kurt's agricultural and business knowledge. At the beginning of the novel, I personally thought that Kurt was crazy for even purchasing a large amount of land and entering into a venture he knew almost nothing about. As the novel went on, I appreciated the fact that he began to get more realistic with his goals and situation. Instead of simply operating on a whim, he takes calculated risks. Kurt states his dreams of "sell[ing] enough food to pay the bills so that a job in the city is no longer necessary" (Timmermeister 282). This is a dream of self-sustenance that I think everyone can relate to. 

As graduation nears, I think more and more each day of what I truly want out of my life. While one chapter may be coming to a close, I feel it necessary to be ready when the next one begins...In order to achieve your goals, you have to start somewhere. Furthermore, as we've learned through Kurt, you are responsible for your own happiness! Similarly to Kurt, I hope that I will be able to provide myself with the lifestyle I prefer. 

Making Los Angeles Your Home

Everything You Need to Know about Finding a Place Live in LA

Famed chef, TV personality, and world traveler Anthony Bourdain describes Los Angeles as “468 square miles of something, with 114 different neighborhoods.” Given Los Angeles’s size and diverse culture, the city is an interesting place to live. Whether you “enjoy the safety, comfort and ‘greeness’ of living [within] the incorporated Whole Foods” that is Santa Monica or want to live in a “studio apartment [that] is New-York-sized” in Koreatown, there is something for everyone (Curbed LA). Allow me to be your tour guide and give you an honest glimpse into many of the Los Angeles neighborhoods. Here you’ll find the real deal information that your pricey real estate agent will probably neglect to admit.

This process doesn’t have to be time-consuming, and stressful if it’s done correctly. Your initial steps should be to assess your financial standing, and from there determine what you can afford. Afterwards, you may begin narrowing down which neighborhoods you like and start your search. From there, you’ll attend open houses and hopefully find your dream home and negotiate a deal for the perfect price. Not to worry, I’ll be here to walk you through every step of the way.

Home of Mohammed Hadid-LA's premiere luxury home developer (Courtesy of Zillow.com) 

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

First, you must review your finances and decide whether or not you’d like to buy or rent a place. Buying a piece of real estate is a long-term commitment and serious financial responsibility. The buying process takes a long period of time and effort in order to ensure that all goes smoothly. Renting (or leasing) a property is a simpler process that can be a better option if you’re still saving up to buy a home. As the buying process tends to be very complicated and long-winded, I’ll focus on finding a place to rent in Los Angeles.

Price is KING & always plays a large role in deciding on whether or not to rent a place. As a good rule of thumb, your monthly income should be at least 2.5 times larger than your rent. In addition, if your credit score is high, you’ll appear attractive to landlords. If price is king, then location is QUEEN! Depending on who you are, whom you’ll be living with, and your salary, there may be certain areas that are better suited for your needs.

Once you’ve decided on a budget and which neighborhoods you’d like to rent in, you’re ready to start looking. I must warn you that finding the perfect place is not always an easy task. The earlier you start looking for a home the better off you’ll be!

 THE SEARCH

The most efficient way to search for a place to rent is online. Here are the top free websites I recommend:

• Realtor.com
• Zillow.com
• Trulia.com
• Apartments.com

The last site I recommend is Westsiderentals.com, they charge a subscription fee but have many exclusive listings. These websites are a great starting point to help you look for your next home. They all operate in a very similar manner and have user-friendly interfaces. These search engines do the heavy lifting-all you have to do is input your preferences.

Another HELPFUL TIP: I recommend you use multiple websites when you’re searching for a place to live! Not only will this give you more options/results BUT it may also save you some money.

I’ll tell you a personal anecdote to show you just how important this is…I was helping a family member look for an apartment to rent this past winter. After figuring out what areas she liked and could afford, I created alerts on each of these websites so that I’d be notified if any new listings matched my search. I ended up finding her dream apartment listed on two different sites-at different prices!!! After we took a tour of the apartment, I made a follow up appointment to draw up the documents and sign the lease. Being a true negotiator, I came armed with a dated print-out of the cheaper listing in hand!! I even refreshed the webpage in front of the agent just to prove my point. Thankfully, we charmed him and he succumbed to our demands! Moral of the story-always, always, always, check multiple listing sites!

Once the websites have provided you with their search results pick your favorites and contact the listing agents immediately! The real estate industry moves very quickly in Los Angeles-an apartment could be listed one day and gone the next. If possible, set up appointments back to back on a weekend leaving a bit of extra space in between each to budget for travel time. In addition, you should keep records of all of the listings you’ve seen. BEWARE: online photos can be very deceiving-never commit to something without seeing it in person first (Glink).

VISITING YOUR TOP PICKS

When you’re at showing appointments, be sure to ask the listing agent every question you have (Zillow). Is parking included (and how many spots if so)? When is rent due? What form of payment do they accept (check, money order, cash, direct deposit)? Which utilities am I responsible for paying? Who is responsible for repairs?

SIGNING THE LEASE

(Courtesy of Mr. McNamara of Shootingla.com)

Once you receive the lease packet, be sure to read through each and every document carefully! Sometimes, landlords will try to sneak in hidden fees or odd clauses. My suggestion is to give a copy to someone who is real estate savvy that you trust to look over it just in case. It never hurts to get a second opinion or set of eyes to make sure everything is sound.

Finally, once your lease has been signed, get ready to start packing and move into your new place!

Cheers,

Mary

(Courtesy of Zumper.com)

P.S. Here are some of the current hottest rental markets in LA

1. Santa Monica
2. Venice
3. Culver City
4. Mid-City West
5. Downtown Los Angeles

References

1. Bourdain, A. (n.d.). Anthony Bourdain's LA Travel Tips. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from Travel Channel website: www.travelchannel.com/shows/anthony-bourdain/articles/anthony-bourdains-la-travel-tips

2. Curbed Staff. (2014, November 18). The Totally Stereotyped but very Accurate Guide to what your LA Neighborhood Says about You. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from Curbed: Los Angeles website: www.la.curbed.com/archives/2014/11/the_totally_stereotyped_but_very_accurate_guide_to_what_your_la_neighborhood_says_about_you

3.Glink, I. R. (n.d.). Tips for House Hunters: Keep a Log and Take Pictures. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from Los Angeles Times website:                                                             www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-realestate

4. Zillow Staff. (n.d.). Things to Ask Before Signing a Lease - Checklist! Retrieved February 5, 2016, from Zillow website: http://www.zillow.com/rent/checklist/

Growing a Farmer-Part 1: Becoming a Farmer is NOT Easy!

The first half of Growing a Farmer was very interesting and allowed me to learn a lot about the farming industry. I enjoyed getting a history of Kurt Timmermeister's initial career as a baker/cafe owner. I love that he came from humble beginnings and slowly began to expand his business. There is a certain sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that you get knowing that you built something from the ground up!

I was caught off guard when Kurt expressed his interest in moving towards the suburbs/countryside and buying a farm (a very risky move)! This is not something that most people with a successful business in a large city would do. Nevertheless, I admire that he followed his true passions and embraced the obstacles and struggles he faced during his journey. While reading this book, I began to think more deeply about where my food comes from. In addition, reading this book has caused me to become more curious about how produce is grown and where my poultry comes from. Most of the time, we tend to just go to the market and buy our food and leave...We never really think about how much time, labor and planning goes on in getting the food from from the farm to the table! As a business student, I especially enjoyed Kurt's comparison between the local farmers' market and the New York Stock Exchange:

"A local farmers' market is really no different than the New York Stock Exchange or a large suburban mall. Sellers want to make themes money by selling at the highest price with the least expense. The basic method for achieving a high price is by selling unique products, through being either later or earlier than everyone else, or by having higher-quality products" (Growing a Farmer 46).


This book really made me think about my future career path. With graduation being about three months away, I feel a whole mix of emotions-happy, sad, grateful, anxious, excited! I feel especially torn about the career which I will pursue in the future. I love both the real estate and entertainment industries, however I have to figure out if there's anyway to combine these two passions. Both industries present their own risks but I think that it'll be great to get some experience in finance in order to have a better understanding of how investments work. Some days I gravitate more towards one industry than the other. I truly hope that I will have a career that I love in the future!

Finally, reading the "About the Author" page allowed me to put this story into context. It comes as no surprise that Kurt fell in love with the culinary/restaurant industry given that he went to school in France!!! I admire his entrepreneurial spirit and his initiative to gain a lot of work experience at a young age before venturing out on his own.