OC Exclusives Blog

I was coming home from a dinner in Koreatown in Westminster last Friday night; we were out with our neighbors and had some great food... another story for another time... on the way home we could see what was obviously a terrible fire raging on one of the hillsides out ahead of us... we were just getting on the 22 freeway, heading back to the 5, so it wasn't evident yet where the fires were burning.

As we came into Irvine, heading south on the 5, it was clear that the fires were a lot closer than either of us had thought... they were raging along the hillsides that abut Portola Parkway... just as quickly as we were able to make out where the fires were, we were plunged into a stinking cloud of ash and smoke billowing across the freeway. We broke out of the smoke near Sand Canyon Road and we could make out the fires clearly, so we pulled off to get a little closer.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones thinking about getting a closer view, as the cars started lining up on the side of the road to watch the fires blaze. I don't think anyone knew then that the fires would get as out of control as they ended up getting. They are still burning on Saddleback at this very moment, almost ten days later, despite the change in the weather for the better over the past few days.

I didn't have my camera with me that night in Irvine, but I started carrying it later in the week, documenting what I could when I could. Here are a few photos from the past week.

Posted by JesseBee at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was driving out near the old El Toro Marine Base in Irvine this afternoon. The deconstruction/destruction of the old structures is well under way and has been for some time... I remember when the Marine Base closed down in 1999; the buildings have stood yawning and empty since, bees and creatures taking up residence behind the barbed-wire fences that ring the property.

I had an hour before meeting a client today and had to stop and document where the land is at right now, for better or worse. Either way, it is where it is, the rubble of 40's- & 50's-era barracks, hangars & buildings underfoot as progress marches forward.


Playground, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Up-Ended Footers, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Playground, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Canary Island Palms & Tangled Foundation, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Cracked Ceramic Electrical Insulator, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Fallen Metal Halide Street Light, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Northwest view of Hangars, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Barracks, Eucalyptus, & Blocked Street, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Service Bay, Warehouse, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

"End" & "Road Closed", El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Ranger Manual, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Dirt Piles Echoing Saddleback, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Chain-Link Fence, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Barracks & Dead Eucalyptus, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Sunlit Sandy Canyon, Near El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Dead End, Near El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Dry Palms & Blank Sign, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Canary Island Palms & Light, El Toro Marine Base, Irvine, California, October 2007

Posted by JesseBee at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When you are selling, or for that matter - listing - a vacant home, you should consider decorating - or "staging" - the home to show it in its best light possible.

The questions that begs asking is: Does a well-decorated and "staged" interior help a home sell faster and/or help retain a higher asking price versus a vacant home? The conventional wisdom answers "yes" to both questions, but I'd love to see some hard data on the matter. One of my clients just had their home staged, we received two offers within two days after the home was staged.

Kevin Htain of Identity Home did the staging and did a fine job. Take a look at a few "before" and "after" pix:

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

There are more than enough comparisons there to give you the idea - staging a home makes a house much more inviting than an empty space. Kevin Htain did an excellent job of looking at the interior & exterior of the home and creating an overall scheme that worked. Moreover, the owner of the home believed enough in the concept that he willing paid for the staging, hoping that it would pay off with a buyer who would see themselves in the home by extension of the furnishings.

The owner's investment paid off almost immediately after the staging was finished and after the property had been on the market for 5 months. Needless to say, the owner was relieved to have made a wise investment and was happy to finally sell the house.

I don't know whether or not the right buyer just came along at the right time, and the house had escaped their attention thus far, but I can't help bu think that the staging was the tipping point that made them act and make an offer.

Kevin Htain, ASP, IAHSP can be reached at:

IDENTITY HOME staging+design
www.identityhome.com
www.stagedhomes.com/identityhome
kevin@identityhome.com
562.884.1026

Posted by JesseBee at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)