Santa Monica Real Estate                      Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. - Warren Buffett                      Los Angeles Real Estate 

 Risk   should not be a factor in home ownership.  With a top 10% sales record, a public school teaching background, and Midwestern tell-it-like-it-is, clients become more knowledgeable and confident about their decision-making.  The Featured Properties and Testimonials pages have lists of experience and results.

 5/11/12 Headlines    Lots of activity - Multiple offers are being submitted on properties from 300k to 5m all over the Westside.  11 offers were received on a 1.3m house in Santa Monica, and a duplex in North Hollywood had 10 offers!  39% of April sales spent 21 days on market (dom) or less, and 58% of sales took place in 45 dom or less.  The pending sales (927) have not been this high for several years!  January, February, and March 2012 were better than any Q1 sales volume since 2007.  Is this the begining of a positive trend or another false start along the lines of Sep-Dec of 2010?  December sales volume was not only the strongest of the year, but the 2nd best month since 2007!  Request a copy of my monthly newsletter for more details.

 5/13 Open Houses    Happy Mothers' Day!  I miss you, mom.  There are 160 open houses on the Westside scheduled for Sunday, from a 182k Palms condo to an 8.9m house in the Palisades.  Updated on Fridays, find them all on the Open Houses page to the left.

Average House Prices Q1 2012:   Beverlywood - $787,000 Brentwood - $2,410,000 Cheviot Hills/Rancho - $1,382,000 Culver City - $577,000 Hancock Park - $1,056,000 Mar Vista/Palms - $773,000 Pacific Palisades - $2,225,000 Santa Monica - $1,929,000 Vence - $1,133,000 West Los Angeles - $782,000 Westchester - $601,000 Westwood - $1,409,000 Days on Market, Sales Price/List Price Beverlywood - 72 dom, 96.8% Brentwood - 76 dom, 94.0% Cheviot Hills/Rancho - 64 dom, 94.2% Culver City - 47 dom, 99.0% Hancock Park - 59 dom, 96.3% Mar Vista - 58 dom, 98.4% Pacific Palisades - 92 dom, 94.7% Santa Monica - 88 dom, 96.0% Vence - 75 dom, 96.5% West Los Angeles - 49 dom, 95.5% Westchester - 69 dom, 97.5% Westwood - 42 dom, 95.3% Family, candor, home - These are the words that best describe my understanding of and my approach to this field. To achieve your real estate goals, enlist an advocate with comprehensive experience: negotiations, investing, schools, marketing, mentoring new realtors, and real estate instruction. An average Joe without a shortage of will - From Lombardi Middle School in Green Bay, Wisconsin to the East Coast, England, East Africa, and finally to Santa Monica, there has been a lot of adventure and no quit. My father raised two boys on his own, and he instilled qualities in us from his childhood on my grandmother's farm. Most important is work ethic, followed closely by a sense of humor.  Serenity now!  Background   Raised in Green Bay - Go, Pack, Go! - my sons, Alex and Ben, now ask me to read stories to them like Jungle Book and Go, Dog, Go!  They have all things under the sun in green and yellow: a bib, stocking cap, clothes and, of course, a football. The army was home between 1988 and 1991. My father was an officer during the Vietnam War. So, following his lead, I enlisted at 17. First under Reagan and then Bush, I served in the Presidential Honor Guard / 3d US Infantry Regiment in Arlington.  As a college freshman I was called back to active duty during the Gulf War and attached to the army's 25th Infantry Division on Oahu in the winter/spring of 1991. Two university exchange programs took me to England and Kenya as an undergraduate.  Other Experiences   Prior to becoming a realtor in 2003, I was a teacher in Inglewood and Santa Monica.  With well over 200 students in 6 classes, Monroe Middle School in Inglewood was the site of my first teaching position and another real sense of duty; it was a great school. Before moving from New York to Los Angeles, George Mason and Columbia were schools that should have had majors in academic procrastination.  Case in point - I once pulled three consecutive nearly-all-nighters in Butler Library for my senior seminar.  27 pages written in just 3 days...  Stuyvesant High School, in the shadow of the Trade Center, was the home of my mentor teacher (the wacky but insightful Warren Donin), who was also an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia.  Community Ties   My family supports charities for AIDS, cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and the Sierra Club.  These three diseases have affected family and friends, so the causes mean that much more to us.  As a college student, I volunteered at a homeless shelter in Washington (McPherson Square) as well as an after-school tutoring program in New York (East Harlem).  Ask about Meals on Wheels, especially if you'd like to join me for a fun and memorable morning.  Philanthropy   2004 - In tribute to the lessons of my father, The Gordon Clark Scholarship Fund was created to help my former students pay for their college educations.  Please contact Linda Gross at the Ed. Foundation if you would like to contribute: smmef@smmusd.org or 310.396.4557. Meals on Wheels has been a part of my routine since 2010.  As both a volunteer driver (roughly 36 meals delivered every Thursday) and a board member, this cause means a lot to me.  My grandmother and mother received extraordinary outreach and compassion, and Meals on Wheels was one facet of that care. The hospice care-givers who looked after my mother in the last 9 or 10 months were absolutely remarkable.  Thanks especially to Michelle, Sarah, and Deacon Bob :-)  My brother and I will never forget you. Chris Clark Keller Williams Realty 2701 Ocean Park Blvd, Ste 140 Santa Monica, CA 90405 310.251.2145 California DRE #01399762 E-Fax: 310.626.9746 Email:chrisgordonclark@hotmail.com	310.251.2145 Clark Real Estate Partners chrisgordonclark@hotmail.com	Average Condo/Townhouse Prices Q1 2012:   Beverlywood - $445,000 Brentwood - $632,000 Culver City - $295,000 Hancock Park - $343,000 Hollywood - $500,000 Mar Vista/Palms - $322,000  Marina del Rey - $563,000 Pacific Palisades - $704,000 Playa del Rey - $367,000 Santa Monica - $932,000 West Hollywood - $451,000 Westwood - $733,000 Days on Market, Sales Price/List Price Beverlywood - 75 dom, 94.6% Brentwood - 86 dom, 97.7% Culver City - 86 dom, 97.6% Hancock Park - 67 dom, 97.1% Hollywood - 123 dom, 96.2% Mar Vista - 74 dom, 97.8%  Marina del Rey - 90 dom, 97.0% Pacific Palisades - 83 dom, 95.6% Playa del Rey - 81 dom, 97.6% Santa Monica - 74 dom, 94.1% West Hollywood - 83 dom, 96.1% Westwood - 86 dom, 93.1% A biography in pictures: Warning: I have two very, very, very cute sons! real estate mugshot Milwaukee, WI (1970-71) Green Bay, WI (1971-1988) The Presidential Honor Guard / 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, Arlington, VA (1988-90) George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (1990-94) 1994-5 ski season spent in Aspen and Snowmass, CO This is neither me nor anyone I know - photo of me eating it not included. My skiing improved in 5 months (from embarassing to passable), but black runs with bumps was as good as it got. Columbia University, New York, NY (1995-1999) Los Angeles, CA (1999 - 2012) Alex and Chris, July 2007. Time to roll up my sleeves as a teacher, then a realtor, and (in 2005) a father.  Fridays were Mr. Mom days when they were little.   3 generations of Clark boys together for Christmas 2007 - An avid fan of the tell-it-like-it-is t-shirt, the old man tends to remind people of Archie Bunker or Fred Sanford... in a good way. Here is the last photo that we took of Great-grandma Vivian Eileen Clark on 6.7.08, just days before her 87th birthday.  Alex was laughing his head off!  We were in Green Bay to celebrate my little sister, Sarah, and her graduation from West High School and acceptance to Lawrence University. 2.4.09 - Ben arrives!  The cutest little brother ever. 12/26/11 at the zoo
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