Below is the Los Angeles Westside Market Report for June 2014 detailing local real estate market statistics and including year-over-year data:
Lonnie Mintz recognized by first time home-buyers
First time home-buyers,
Jason and Samantha, reached out to one of our agents, Lonnie Mintz, to recognize how helpful he was in their home-buying experience. Their letter reads as follows:
“My wife and I had been looking for a home in the San Fernando Valley for over one year. We spent time with many different realtors and made countless offers, none of which were accepted. That is until we met Lonnie Mintz. Lonnie was incredible. Within 3 months of working with Lonnie I am happy to say we are now home owners. I do not believe we could have got this house if not for Lonnie. He is aggressive, knowledgeable and really on top of everything. Lonnie will walk you though the process every step of the way. Lonnie makes sure you are fully informed of each step, which is extremely important, as we were first time home buyers. As I stated earlier we were working with many different realtors prior to meeting Lonnie. I can tell you from these experiences not many realtors,if any, work as hard as Lonnie. You can reach Lonnie, any time of day and if he misses your call, its only because he is with another client and he will call you back immediately. We have already recommended Lonnie to our friends and will definitely be using him for any future real estate transactions.
Jason and Samantha C.”
Lonnie followed up with, “This is why I became a Realtor and decided to work at Rodeo Realty. I really do help make people’s dreams of homeownership happen. There are few things more rewarding in this business than handing the keys to buyers for their first home once escrow closes! Not only do I have a really satisfied client, I have new lifelong friends!”
Rodeo's Marketing Department recognized by Debra Ziven
An honorable mention 
for Rodeo Realty’s marketing department. Debra Ziven, of the Beverly Hills office, personally took time to give thanks and praise to Glen Berg and Jeff Weston.
“Dear Glen and Jeff,
How are you? I hope you are half as ecstatic as the clients on [address redacted]. Your extraordinary execution of your jobs is greatly appreciated. As an agent, I am proud to carry a Rodeo Realty card and boisterously brag about the marketing department. The best part is that I’m 100% confident those claims will be backed up.
As the lucky one who gets to seeing the unabashed happiness on the clients’ faces and hear the excitement in their voices, I wanted to take a moment to let you know. You may feel that you’re just doing your jobs, but really, you’re making a tangible, positive difference in people’s lives. The marketing provides a sense of structure and helps the clients better envision the selling process and manage any inklings of trepidation. Thanks for all you do!
Have a wonderful day,
Debra”
Praise For Our Amazing Westlake Village Office Manager Demetra Kalivas-Rees
The following letter 
was sent by one of our agents giving thanks and praise to Westlake Village Office Manager Demetra Kalivas-Rees.
“Hi Syd,
I wanted to commend Demetra for assisting me in my very difficult deal. She has been wonderful, available to me 24/7 and I do not think this deal would have closed without her assistance. She is an amazing Manager and wanted to let you know.
Thank you for such an amazing manager for the Westlake Village Office.
All the best,
Fern”
Sometimes the work of our office managers can go unnoticed and it is always nice to be recognized. They work tirelessly to make sure everything functions smoothly and they can never be thanked enough. Thank you Fern for the feedback!
Rodeo Realty’s Joe Babajian lists a Historic Hollywood Hills Home
This newly remodeled 4,200-square-foot home in the Hollywood Hills has been home to many different celebrities for almost 100 years.
In 1931, Bela Lugosi, famous for playing the original “Count Dracula”, purchased the home. Ten years later, in the 1940’s Martha O’Driscoll, coincidentally also known for a Dracula movie, “House of Dracula”, moved into the home. She sold it in 1950 to Frank Sinatra shortly after his marriage to Ava Gardner who made it their first home together.
Located in the gated community of Outpost Estates, the home has just been remodeled and neighbors with residents just as famous as the past owners, Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, and Ben Stiller to name a few.
Some of the features of the home include a brand new kitchen, pocket sliding doors between the living room and patio to make it one giant living space, and gray-stained French oak floors.
The master bedroom on the third floor has a patio and is accompanied by two other bedrooms. The lower level is a full guest suite.
This historic Hollywood home with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms is listed for $4.95 million by our own Joe Babajian.
Rodeo Realty June Newsletter
Check out June’s newsletter here! Some of Rodeo Realty’s own agents have been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, amazing hot properties, and a round up of the Summer Conference!
Rodeo Realty agents named to top national real estate agents list by The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends
Rodeo Realty once again has a strong presence on The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends Top Real Estate Professionals list, a prestigious national awards ranking. These agents are in the top one half of 1 percent of the more than 1 million real estate agents in the country. The report ranks America’s top 250 residential real estate agents and teams based on 2013 annual sales volume and transaction sides
“On behalf of Rodeo Realty I wish to offer my congratulations and deepest admiration to Ben Bacal, Joe Babajian, Jordana Leigh, Peter Maurice and Tregg Rustad.”, said Rodeo Realty Founder and President Syd Leibovitch.
Rodeo Realty agents named to the Top Individual Agents by Sales Volume:
#35 – Ben Bacal – $152M+
#50 – Joe Babajian – $131M+
#60 – Jordana Leigh – $119M+
Rodeo Realty team named to the Top Teams by Sales Volume:
#173- Peter Maurice and Tregg Rustad – $90M+
The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends also recently recognized Rodeo Realty as the 25th largest real estate company nationwide by volume. Making it, by far, the largest most productive independent in it’s marketplace!
The lists of The Thousand can be found at:
Peter Maurice of Rodeo Realty Helps Buyer Land Buzz Aldrin's Condo
Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin has sold his Wilshire Corridor condo. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Rodeo Realty’s Peter Maurice represented the buyer. The three-bedroom condo has an open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows with fantastic views of the city, the Wilshire Country Club golf course, and beyond. Aldrin, who is now 84, was the second man to walk on the moon in 1969.
Rodeo Realty Agent Todd Jones Launches Real Estate Radio Show
Todd Jones, a Realtor with Rodeo Realty Studio City, recently launched a new radio show: Real Estate Radio LA. Todd’s show can be heard on AM1150 Sundays at noon. Todd interviews people about real-estate-related topics and has already had on a wide variety of guests including David Hatfield from CAST Locations to discuss how to make extra money by renting your home for films and commercials; Gary Morris, a Trust Attorney who discussed the importance of having a Living Trust; and Matt Moses to discuss the benefits of solar panels. His next broadcast will feature Charles Fleming, author of “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles.” Mr. Fleming is also the entertainment industry business news editor at The Los Angeles Times.
For almost a decade Todd has been a top producing Realtor. From the beginning, his focus has been providing great customer service while informing and protecting his clients. Prior to selling Real Estate, Todd traveled the world working as a Producer of Television commercials for such clients as Home Depot, Chili’s, SONY, Chevrolet, and Jamaica Tourism to name only a few. Desiring to spend less time on the road and more time in Los Angeles with his family, Todd began working full time in his passion…real estate. Todd took to real estate immediately and was honored as Rookie of the Year for his first year, and he has continued as a top producer ever since.
For more info and to listen to past shows and view YouTube videos of the show please visit www.ToddJonesRadio.com.
Rodeo Realty Quoted In LA Times Article on Home Price Stablization
The real estate market is always changing. Right now the data seems to indicate that we are entering a time of market stablization (something Rodeo Realty president Syd Leibovitch began to predict late last year). The rapid growth of home prices has slowed and inventory still remains tight. Home sellers are testing the market and seeing multiple offers but the feeding frenzy of last year seems to have abated a bit. DataQuick’s latest numbers showed that the median price in Los Angeles County rose 10% in May to $450,000 from $410,000 a year earlier. This is significant but still lower than the big price jumps we were seeing last year.
In an article on this phenomenon, Los Angeles Times reporter Tim Logan interviewed Mona Cohen of Rodeo Realty Brentwood for her hands-on view of the local market. Mona explained that she often has to explain to sellers that they need to be realistic about pricing.
“They still think they’re in that little bubble of 2013, where you’d put it on the market and have 15 offers,” Mona told the Times. “That still happens in pockets. But buyers have become a lot more savvy.”