Today’s everyday reality is pretty different than it looked just a few weeks ago. We’re learning how to do a lot of things in new ways, from how we work remotely to how we engage with our friends and neighbors. Almost everything right now is shifting to a virtual format. One of the big changes we’re adapting to is the revisions to the common real estate transaction, which all vary by state and locality. Technology, however, is making it possible for many of us to continue on the quest for homeownership, an essential need for all.

Here’s a look at some of the elements of the process that are changing (at least in the near-term), due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing, and what you may need to know about each one if you’re thinking of buying or selling a home sooner rather than later.

1. Virtual Consultations – Instead of heading into an office, you can meet with real estate and lending professionals through video chat. Whether it’s your first initial needs analysis as a buyer or your listing appointment as a seller, you can still get the process started remotely and create a plan together. Your trusted advisor is still on your side.

2. Home Searches & Virtual Showings – According to theNational Association of Realtors (NAR), the Internet is one of the three most popular information sources buyers use when searching for homes. Your real estate agent can send you listing information and help you request a virtual showing when you’re ready to start looking. This means you can virtually walk through the homes on your wish list while keeping your family safe. As a seller, you can still have virtual open houses and virtual tours too, so as not to miss those buyers looking to find a home right now.

3. Document Signing – Although this is another area that varies by state, today more portions of the transaction are being done digitally. In many areas, your agent or loan officer can set up an account where you can upload all of the required documents and sign electronically right from your computer.

4. Sending Money – Whether you need to pay for an appraisal or submit closing costs, there are options available. Depending on the transaction and local regulations, you may be able to pay by credit card, and most banks will also allow you to wire funds from your account. Sometimes you can send a check by mail, and in some states, a mobile escrow agent will pick up a check from your home.

5. Closing Process – Again, depending on your area, a mobile notary may be able to bring the required documents to your home before the closing. If your state requires an attorney to be present, check with your legal counsel to see what options are available. Also, depending on the title company, some are allowing drive-thru closings, which is similar to doing a transaction at a bank window.

Although these virtual processes are starting to become more widely accepted, it does not mean that this is the way things are going to get done from now on. Under the current circumstances, however, technology is making it possible to continue much of the real estate transaction today.

Bottom Line

If you need to move today, technology can help make it happen; there are options available. Let’s touch base today to discuss your situation and our local regulations, so you don’t have to put your real estate plans on hold.

Content provided by Keeping Current Matters.  

Downtown LA’s normally busy streets have been eerily quiet over the last few months. Lately though, its buildings have come briefly to life.

That’s when residents open windows and step out onto apartment balconies to join in a round of applause for healthcare workers fighting to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

It’s a ritual that’s spreading quickly through neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles—from Long Beach to Silver Lake.

Nightly cheering, clapping, and singing helped residents of Wuhan, China weather a long lockdown when the virus broke out there. The practice has been taken up in cities around the world, and formalized as a salute to frontline medical staff.

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council president Patti Berman says members of the neighborhood council were inspired by cheering taking place in New York and worked to get a similar ritual started in the Downtown area.

“There are so many people working at their own peril right now,” she says. “The least we can do is say thank you.”

Through emails and social media posts, coordinated by outreach chair Marcus Lovingood, the neighborhood council last week began encouraging people to clap every night during the month of April. Berman says her apartment doesn’t have windows to the street, so she can’t participate in the applause, but she’s been encouraged by videos of cheers circulating on social media.

“It’s gotten pretty loud,” she says.

South Park resident Sara Eastwood has lived in her one-bedroom apartment for two years. She says the 8 p.m. applause has brought out neighbors she’s never noticed.

“It’s built more of a sense of community here,” she says. “A lot of people say that’s lacking in Downtown LA. It seems like a dense neighborhood at times, but it’s pretty quiet [in South Park] most of the time.”

For more than a week, the Wilshire Grand, its hotel rooms darkened, has been displaying its own tribute—an enormous digital display that reads “thank you medical workers.”

Eastwood says these tributes are nice, but that she wishes some of the positive energy could be directed toward ensuring better pay and benefits for non-medical workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

“This sort of misses the custodians, grocery workers, and lower paid workers who are essential right now,” she says.

Berman says the nightly cheering is a small gesture, but that it’s a clear and easy way for people to feel like they are supporting their community at a time when public officials are urging most people to simply stay at home. It can also be therapeutic.

“There’s nothing like opening the window and yelling,” she says.

Originally posted by la.curbed.com. Written by Elijah Chiland. Photo by Valery Sahrifulin.

As we’re all dealing with the effects of COVID-19 on our lives, I want to share encouraging news: the government has approved the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which will help millions of people in this critical time. Perhaps even you.  

This sweeping legislation is unprecedented in the history of our nation and provides significant economic assistance to address the impact of COVID-19.  The CARES Act is over 800 pages long but here are some of the economic provisions most relevant for you.

Metro’s bike sharing program has arrived in the San Fernando Valley, and its first stop is North Hollywood.

Bicycles are now available to rent using a TAP card from 16 stations sprinkled near the Orange and Red Line stations in North Hollywood and surrounding areas, such as Valley Village and Studio City. 

The 150 bikes rolled out this week in North Hollywood are part of a larger bike-sharing program that Metro has already launched in other parts of the city, including the Harbor area, Los Angeles’s Westside, downtown Los Angeles and near USC.

The “Smart Metro” bike model chosen for the North Hollywood program can be locked to any public bike rack for a convenience charge ($2 if it is within the bike share zone, $20 if outside). There are no extra costs if the bike is returned to a designated Metro bike share station, beyond the cost of the pass to ride. The cost to ride for 30 minutes is $1.75, with 30-day passes available for $17 and a year-long pass costing $150. A map of the stations can be found here. Metro also has a Bike Share smartphone app that provides information on the location of the closest bike stations.

Originally posted by dailynews.com. Written by Elizabeth Chou. Photos by Mike Meadows.

For those looking to move before the school year starts, here’s a look at what roughly $1.5 million buys right now in three of L.A. County’s top-rated school districts: San Marino Unified, Arcadia Unified and Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified.

SAN MARINO: Character and curb appeal are a few draws of this 1950s ranch, which opens to a park-like backyard with tiered gardens and an in-ground spa.

Address: 2225 S. Los Robles Ave., San Marino, 91108

Listed for: $1.568 million for three bedrooms, two bathrooms in 1,782 square feet (9,000-square-foot lot)

Features: Lattice windows; living room with corner brick fireplace; remodeled kitchen; sun room

About the area: In the 91108 ZIP Code, based on 16 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $2.329 million, up 10.9% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

400 Cambridge Drive, Arcadia (Realtor.com)

ARCADIA: A few blocks from the L.A. Arboretum, this property holds a 1950s home, a newly built guesthouse and a swimming pool.

Address: 400 Cambridge Drive, Arcadia, 91007

Listed for: $1.49 million for five bedrooms, six bathrooms in 2,683 square feet (13,503-square-foot lot)

Features: Circular driveway; living room with floor-to-ceiling fireplace; tile kitchen; sliding glass doors

About the area: In the 91007 ZIP Code, based on 16 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $1.213 million, down 25.5% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

1100 Via Zumaya, Palos Verdes Estates (Realtor.com)

PALOS VERDES ESTATES: This price-reduced property near the beach expands to a spacious balcony overlooking the ocean.

Address: 1100 Via Zumaya, Palos Verdes Estates, 90274

Listed for: $1.449 million for three bedrooms, three bathrooms in 2,288 square feet (10,779-square-foot lot)

Features: Flagstone accents inside and out; stacked-stone finishes; bold living spaces; deck and trellis-topped patio

About the area: In the 90274 ZIP Code, based on 23 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $2.094 million, up 5.3% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

1722 Hilliard Drive, San Marino (Realtor.com)

SAN MARINO: A colorful courtyard fronts this charming single-story home full of French windows and Spanish charm.

Address: 1722 Hilliard Drive, San Marino, 91108

Listed for: $1.55 million for three bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms in 1,836 square feet (7,714-square-foot lot)

Features: Beamed ceilings; arched doorways; indoor-outdoor breakfast nook; landscaped backyard

About the area: In the 91108 ZIP Code, based on 16 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $2.329 million, up 10.9% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

226 San Luis Rey Road, Arcadia (Realtor.com)

ARCADIA: Newly renovated, this two-story home on a tree-lined street features an open floor plan lined with maple hardwood and a fenced backyard with a pool and spa.

Address: 226 San Luis Rey Road, Arcadia, 91007

Listed for: $1.59 million for five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms in 3,151 square feet (7,787-square-foot lot)

Features: Custom paint; marble fireplaces; plantation shutters; backyard with fruit trees

About the area: In the 91007 ZIP Code, based on 16 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $1.213 million, down 25.5% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

1721 Via Zurita, Palos Verdes Estates (Realtor.com)

PALOS VERDES ESTATES: Neutral tones and wide-plank floors touch up this remodeled home with a custom-built lounge out back.

Address: 1721 Via Zurita, Palos Verdes Estates, 90274

Listed for: $1.55 million for three bedrooms, 2.25 bathrooms in 2,168 square feet (7,095-square-foot lot)

Features: Covered front porch; kitchen with breakfast bar; master suite with glass shower; second-story balcony

About the area: In the 90274 ZIP Code, based on 23 sales, the median price for single-family homes in June was $2.094 million, up 5.3% year over year, according to CoreLogic.

Originally posted by LA Times.  Article written by Jack Flemming.