Timely Real Estate News………………………………………………15 December 2012
********************************************************************************************************************Santa Claus knows who has been naughty or nice….and you?
Have you been ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’? That’s the question. I don’t want to know, but Santa does! You see, Santa keeps track of these sorts of things. My sister and I would always make sure that Santa knew we were ‘very, very nice’ and we’d put a plate full of 
carrots (for his reindeer) and cookies and milk (for Santa) by the chimney, and the next morning, we’d find the almost empty plate with tooth marks on both the carrots and cookies and the glass half filled with milk, and more gifts. Perhaps one of my favorite memories of celebrating the holidays is when my cousin brought this ‘package’ in from the garage — it was a basket full of the cutest, most lovable black cocker spaniel puppy — with a huge red bow around her neck — with her pink tongue hanging out. I was so thrilled….”she was just the most adorable puppy in the world!” We named her “Cindy”, because she was black as coal.
The tradition of Santa Claus visiting on Christmas Eve is so ingrained in our holiday celebrations…. Santa and his nine reindeer are seen everywhere — on television, on rooftops in your neighborhood, everywhere. I think, secretly, we all still believe there is a Santa, and that yes, if we’re nice, we just might benefit from that behavior, somehow. Santa Claus, the myth as we know him today, has been around for 190 some years in the United States when Clement Clarke Moore wrote his famous poem, “A Visit from St. Nicolas” and later, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast portrayed Santa as this portly, white-bearded gentleman who surrounded himself with magical elves. So, every December 24, Santa can be seen hooking up his reindeer, loading up his sleigh with presents, and taking off on his global jaunt to reward all those who have been ‘nice’. If you’ve been naughty, no need to put a plate by the Chimney – he knows who you are. P.S….the rumor that Santa has sold his reindeer and bought nine red Mercedes is not true.
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Beverly Hills gets ready for the holidays with block-buster sales in November
“It’s beginning to look a lot like…..Beverly Hills”. According to the Multiple Listing Service, out of the 16 homes sold in Beverly Hills in November, 2012, 14 were over $3 million, which is a record of sorts during the past four years of some rather dismal performing periods. These numbers do not include private sales which are not tracked by the MLS, but are occurring all over.
Beverly Hills, one of the four communities I report on each month which also includes Beverly Hills Post Office, Bel-Air, and Brentwood. This past month, Beverly Hills residential sales totaled over $107 million, which included several large transactions over $10 million. The median sales price was $5,300,000, again one of the higher MSPs for 2012. There were four homes over $5 million, one over $7 million, two over $9 million and one for over $10 million, one over $14 million and one over $16 million. All of these homes were sold during the previous three to four months, but they all closed escrow in November 2012. The average days on market was 101 days. 
Beverly Hills Post Office had over $27 million in sales for November, and the median sales price was $1,600,000 for the 11 homes sold. There were three homes over $3 million, the highest being $6.575 million. The average days on market was 104…..Bell-Air also had a strong November, posting more than $54 million in sales. Median sales price for Bel-Air was $1,838,750 for the 12 homes sold. There were four homes over $3 million, one for $10,200,000 and one for $18,100,000. The average days on market was 114. Brentwood….had 28 homes close escrow last month, with more than $72 million sold for the 28 homes listed on the MLS. Median sales price was $1,606,573, and the average number of days on market was 112.
Encouraging news is the increase in sales volume for the year. The November sales mentioned above pushed total residential sales for the four communities to $2.147 billion for the year-to-date, a 14% increase over sales for the previous same period in 2011. This is the largest increase over previous year sales we have had in the past two years, where year-to-date sales have been
languishing near even compared with 2011’s performance. Because we have had several large transactions — in Beverly Hills
particularly — we can expect to see some sizable bumps in volume during the year, but strong November sales was a pleasant surprise. We have always had the buyers, but what has been lacking is higher- quality inventory. Homeowners who have been considering putting their homes on the market should be encouraged by the uptick in prices and sales volume — not at the level we saw four and five years ago, but much better than we have experienced lately. This is good news.
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Coldwell Bankerâs Market Share
Coldwell Banker….continues to dominate the market in Brentwood in terms of number of units sold and sales volume. Always the consistent leader in residential sales throughout the United States, Coldwell Banker’s local sales leadership for the past year (November 2011 through November 2012) shows that of the 172 homes sold in Brentwood, Coldwell Banker had 78 valued at 
more than $368 million, compared to 38 for Prudential, 26 for Partners Trust, 15 for Sothebys, and 14 for Keller Williams.
In Bel-Air, Coldwell Banker continues its dominance in the residential market — out of the 64 properties sold during the past year (December 6, 2011 thru December 6, 2012), Coldwell Banker has sold 31 homes, valued at more than $176 million, compared to 11 for Sotheby’s, 8 for Westside Estate Agency, 8 for Hilton and Hyland, and 6 for The Agency.
As one of the leaders in the Brentwood office (thank you), I can tell you that the office tempo has picked up considerably this Fall….agents are busier than ever with open houses and new listing appointments….and the sales volume CB has enjoyed these past few months is clear proof that our residential market is trending upward. For all of us — including buyers, sellers, agents, and homeowners — this means our properties are gaining back some of the lost property values we have experienced these past five years. Home equity continues to be America’s number one investment for our economy.
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UCLA’s Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden….amazing collection in your backyard
There is something magical about this place….tucked away on the North Campus of UCLA, the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden is remarkable for its subtlety and humbleness that makes the experience of seeing some of the world’s most famous works of art just standing there on a grassy knoll, very unassuming and yet, very dramatic at the same time. I’m sure many students are just scampering on to their next class or on their way home, unaware that many of history’s most pre-eminent 
artists have their work on display every day, rain or shine, on the five acres that contain over 70 sculptures on UCLA’s campus. The Sculpture Garden was dedicated in 1967 after the first acquisitions were installed, including eleven works from the estate of David E. Bright. What is amazing about the collection is that it is very eclectic.
The Collection is free to the public, of course, and I recommend that if you would like to visit the Gardens or perhaps schedule a tour, call the UCLA Education Department at 310-443-7041 for assistance or you may schedule a tour through the Hammer (Museum) Groups Tour at: http://app.formassembly.com/forms/view/7859.
Tour requests must be received one month prior to the date of the tour. Groups must consist of no less than 10 persons, and no more than 40 persons. It is well worth the visit and tour!
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Beginners guide to solar panels
A single 130 watt 14 kg (about 30lb) panel does the job â and the same panel should continue to do so for at least the next 22 years. All this from a combination of silicon, glass, aluminum and wiring â no moving parts or heavy maintenance required.
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A solar panel is made up of photovoltaic cells, usually 36 all told, varying in size depending upon the watt/amp rating of the panel. These cells are made from two very thin silicon wafers approximately 1 mm thick; one with a positive charge and the other negatively charged. When exposed to the sunâs rays, electron activity is generated which is captured by a grid of very fine finger-
like electrical contacts distributed across the panel. This is then channeled through the junction box on the back of the panel and emerges as Covering the sheet of silicon cells is a layer of toughened glass, usually around 3mm thick. It has to be strong enough to withstand hail, extreme temperatures and a degree of flexing, but thin enough not to filter out or reflect appreciable amounts of light. As silicon (which is usually sourced from sand) is also reflective; it requires a thin layer of anti-reflective material. The back of the solar panel is made from aluminum and the panel is set into an aluminum frame.
Cabling is critical
Once the juice exits the panel junction box, it travels along cabling. The size/diameter of cabling is of critical importance. If itâs too thin for the panelâs output and distance to be covered, itâs a little like trying to pour a large volume of water through a small opening. There will be a loss of electricity as it will convert to heat along the cable to the point the cabling can burn out.
This handy DC cabling size tool can tell you what diameter cable youâll need for amp rating of the panel you buy and the distance there will be between the panel and the solar regulator or inverter.
Mon crystalline vs. Polycrystalline (Multicrystalline)
Rigid solar panels cell are usually made up of either monocrystalline or polycrystalline (aka multicrystalline) cells. Mon crystalline cells are cut from a chunk of silicon that has been grown from a single crystal. These are used in the more expensive types of solar panels and are more efficient in converting the sunâs rays to electricity and also more tolerant to heat. Itâs one of the great solar power myths that hot days are the best for producing electricity â itâs actually cool and clear days that are. The advantage of summer is just longer sun hours. A polycrystalline cell is cut from multifaceted silicon crystal. More surface area is required due to inherent flaws and these panels are less efficient in converting the sunâs rays. However, polycrystalline technology has closed up the performance gap in recent years. Also, a 130 watt rated monocrystalline solar panel and a 130 watt moly crystalline panel is essentially the same beastie â they crank out the amount of electricity. I have a polycrystalline solar panel I purchased from Energy
Matters in Australia a few years back (whom I soon after started working for as a consultant and still do) and donât regret my choice in any way.
The easiest way to visually identify the difference between a monocrystalline and polycrystalline panel is the polycrystalline has a shattered glass look
Thin film solar panels
Thin film panels are created by the application of a thin layer of silicon or other photovoltaic compounds directly onto various materials. These can be applied in such a way that flexible panels can be made. Thin film panels are less efficient that polycrystalline and monocrystalline panels, so a larger surface area is required, which can be a problem if you have limited roof space. Again, performance in thin film technology is constantly improving in the area of efficiency. Given the processes to create thin film, cheaper alternatives to silicon can also be used, such as cadmium telluride; although cadmium is frowned upon by many as itâs a heavy metal.
The sun and geography
. When calculating the size and number of solar panels youâll need; kilowatts-hours per square solar âpeak hoursâ need to be taken into account; this is the number of hours a day when the sun has maximum punch in relation to potential for electricity generation. These peak hours are also measured against average winter sun; the time of the year when youâll have the least sunlight.
Solar panel orientation and angle
During summer, the sun sits a lot higher in the sky that during winter, so itâs best to âchase the sunâ so you can to get the
maximum oomph from your panels. However, this is difficult to achieve if the panels are sitting on your roof, so a happy medium is usually found. Basically, if you have the angle good enough to get you through the winter months, youâll have no problems during the summer.
The general guidelines are:
â˘Â   Solar panels should face South in the Northern Hemisphere and North in the Southern Hemisphere
â˘Â   A solar panelâs angle should be set to the equivalent of your latitude plus 15 degrees during winter or minus 15 degrees in summer.
Solar panels and shade
Solar panels and shade simply donât mix. While some panels claim to be shade tolerant, you will lose substantial charging power even if only a partial area of the panels is affected by shade. If one quarter of the panel cell area is shaded, the juice being cranked out will be virtually nil. Depending on the setup, an entire string of solar panelsâ ability to generate electricity can be affected by shading of a single module.
Solar panel care
One of the wonderful things about solar panels is thereâs no moving parts, therefore next to no maintenance! A wipe/brush down
occasionally will help prevent build-up of dust and grime that can impact on effectiveness; but usually the rain will also take care of this. Other than that, a visual inspection of frame seals and wiring from the junction box is all thatâs really needed.
Solar panel costs
Costs vary widely depending upon the type, wattage and brand of panel.
Calculating how many solar panels youâll need
Hereâs a quick and dirty formula. Itâs based on watts rather than amps (amps would be more accurate) for the sake of simplicity.
â˘Â   Jot down all the appliances you use
â˘Â   Next to each, record their wattage
â˘Â   Also next to each, record the numbers of hours of use a day
â˘Â   Get a total for each and add those figures up
â˘Â   Using the solar peak hours chart, gauge how many peak sun hours you get a day
â˘Â   Divide the total wattage by the peak sun hours
â˘Â   Youâll have a very rough guesstimate of the total wattage of panels youâll need
â˘Â   A residential system is usually in kW (kilowatts) â so 3,000 watts would be 3kW
To gain a more accurate idea, some web sites such as Energy Matters offer detailed solar panel calculators or easy to use solar quote tools that will take into account issues like your geography and other elements of the system; e.g. whether youâll have a grid connect or stand alone system and how much of your electricity you wish to generate via solar power.
Solar panels arenât cheap, so if youâre switching to solar itâs a great time to also carefully evaluate your electricity use. The less juice you need, the fewer panels youâll need and youâll save a good deal of money. Donât forget that there are some rebates, and there are programs whereby you can rent the equipment rather than purchase It.!
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As we get to the end of a most interesting year, one naturally reviews the highs and the lows. For me, the highs have been all of the new and wonderful people I have met, and some of the obvious lows is the loss of some friends that were near and dear.
Happy Holidays to all of you and I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy and happy New Year.
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