Ben Lee Properties — June 2022 Newsletter
This Month's Article
By Ben Lee I t felt like a family reunion of sorts, seeing so many of you at the Open House and ice cream party we held at my Glenbarr listing last month.
Not only was it fun for me to see so many familiar faces, but I particularly enjoyed witnessing the excitement of neighbors running into fellow neighbors; bumping into friends they hadn’t seen in months.
There’s still something unexpectedly new and special about all of us being out from under that pandemic grey cloud and back to being social again.
Kids were tossing beach balls and frisbees to each other on the front lawn, parents were catching up with former school friends over a softserve cup of ice cream.
From every corner of the neighborhood, they came pushing strollers, walking dogs, helping toddlers on scooters- it was a busy, bustling scene and I was happy to be the host of such a fun, social gathering.
On more than one occasion, people arriving at this party apologized for being just neighborhood looky-loos.
They said they had watched the construction of the house for over a year and were curious to see the end result.
I welcomed each of these interested parties with open arms, proud to show off this house that had been a labor of love for so long.
So many people had taken daily walks by the property at each stage of its construction, watching it being built that they felt invested in its outcome, too.
The neighbors who felt like they were part of the process were interested in a way that felt different than when a typical house comes on the market.
So rest assured, everyone is always encouraged to visit my Open Houses whether self described ‘lookyloos’ or not.
In a way, we’re all in this together because if a new house on the market gets its asking price, all of our property values increase, too.
A happy byproduct of throwing a party for an Open House is that it shows a home in the way it ideally will be used by the eventual family who will be living there.
Having my wife help me at this Glenbarr Open, as well as our three boys working the gift/ swag table, really made it feel like we were hosting a great big get- together, inadvertently presenting how fantastic this house can function in party mode.
From the get-go, my real estate practice has always been a family affair.
My wife quit her job working in TV and segued her experience into helping me get the marketing strategy of starting a new business off the ground.
From an early age, our boys would run into my Opens on Sundays and I’d often carry one of them in my arms while touring buyers around.
Relatives trusted me with their real estate transactions when I was first starting out and lacked the experience I have now.
I was lucky in those early days for all the help I was given and I’ve never forgotten it or taken it for granted.
It wasn’t easy leaving the law to be a real estate agent but being so supported made the transition more palatable and I’ll always be grateful for my family’s love, patience and help to make our business a success.
It was so nice hearing from a handful of people who came to the Open on Glenbarr saying that they recognized the boys from the newsletter and felt as though they’ve witnessed them growing up.
And this month, our eldest is so grown up, he’s graduating high school and heading to college.
He was almost four when we moved into this neighborhood and now he’s getting ready to move out.
Thankfully (for us possibly more so than him!) he’ll be moving only as far as Westwood as he’s officially accepted a spot in UCLA’s freshman class.
We couldn’t be more proud of the man he’s become and the college student he’ll soon be.
And I think growing up in this neighborhood is just one reason why he’s so well adjusted and an overall fabulous human being.
Just like Mason, Cheviot Hills is down to earth, non-pretentious, safe but fun.
It’s friendly, stable and an ideal mix of respecting its past with an eye on the future.
We might have to consider extending the reach of this newsletter distribution into 90024 just to see how Westwood shapes his college years.
I’m sure he wouldn’t be too annoyed about that!?!
If this month marks the beginning of your child’s next journey, too, congratulations.
And best of luck to all the 2022 graduates.
Your hometown can’t wait to see all the exciting things you’ll accomplish out there—whether it’s furthering your education at college, learning a trade, getting a job or maybe joining the family business, the future is bright and yours for the taking.
Featured Listings
Cheviot Hills - NEW LISTING! 10394 Glenbarr Ave. $8,750,000 6 Beds/8 Bath 6,972 Sq. Ft., 8,576 Sq. Ft. Lot A gorgeous new construction that redefines luxurious California living. Every detail is a work of art. Every feature, designed with care. As warm and inviting as it is elegant and functional, this 6 bedroom/8 bathroom with an unobstructed golf course view is the absolute premier property in Cheviot Hills. An open floor plan with light wood floors and high ceilings, there is a formal living room with fireplace, formal dining room and great room that opens to the beautiful backyard. The bright and sun-dappled kitchen has two marble islands, stainless top-of-the-line appliances, farmhouse sink, a butler's pantry and walk-in pantry for additional storage. Take the elevator or staircase to the level below where you'll find a festive and social gathering space that almost defies description. A stately tavern bar anchors the area and is surrounded by a cozy game room, gym, wine cellar and state-of-the-art screening room, reminiscent of an old-time Hollywood classic theater. Take the elevator to the top floor to find the family's sleeping quarters. Spacious bedrooms, all ensuite with high ceilings and generous closets. The sumptuous Master Bedroom suite has a balcony that overlooks the backyard below, a fireplace, coffee station, attached bathroom and two enormous walkin his/her closets. Surrounded by lush greenery, the serene backyard offers a lovely swimming pool, hot tub, al fresco dining area and outdoor kitchen. Additional amenities of this 6,972 square foot home include: three-car subterranean parking, laundry chute, ADU that could be used as private office and an unparalleled master craftsmanship that allows every intricate detail and feature to really shine through. A truly remarkable and exquisite estate worthy of your immediate attention
Rancho Park - NEW LISTING! 10629 Blythe Ave. $3,295,000 4 Beds/3.5 Bath 3,100 Sq. Ft., 6,126 Sq. Ft. Lot S eamlessly blending elements of both Spanish and Traditional styles, this 3100 sq ft, 4 bedroom/3.5 bath perfect family home on a quiet, tree-lined street in Rancho Park exudes warmth, elegance and grace at every turn. The impossibly high ceilings, impressive chandelier, and oversized stone fireplace welcome guests into the gorgeous living room. Hardwood floors throughout lead to the formal dining room basked in natural light and then to an enormous Great Room with a large built-in entertainment unit, adjacent to the large wet bar and beautiful display cabinet. The spacious kitchen offers a convenient in-island range with bar seating, plenty of storage and prep counter space and an adjoining breakfast area. The main level also boasts a large front office with built-in bookshelves, perfect for zoom meetings and working from home. A grand staircase takes us upstairs to all four bedrooms. The massive Master Bedroom suite offers a walk-in closet plus bonus closet, tree-top views in two directions, a beautiful Vanity/ dressing room area, and a renovated white marble and slate bathroom with two sinks, spa-style steam shower, toilet room and sunken tub. 3 additional spacious bedrooms and renovated bathrooms, each with generous closets and builtin storage. The backyard is surrounded by lush, tall hedges that create a serene, meditative space and absolute privacy. There is a pergola-covered patio with beautiful strung lights that leads to a vast grassy play area, perfect for outdoor parties all year long. Additional amenities of this lovely home include: separate laundry room, plantation shutters in every room, attached two car garage, upgraded Mr. Steam unit, whole-house water filtration system, security system with 24-hour hard-wired security cameras.
Community & More
Beverlywood happenings Westside Stories By Ben Lee T hank you to all those who entered our raffle to win the $50 gift certificate to one of our favorite Italian Delis on the Westside: Bay Cities.
James Hall, you are the lucky winner! We hope you enjoy all the delicious Godmother sandwiches that $50 can buy.
We have a fun raffle coming up next, especially for all you Dodgers fans!
We have four fabulous tickets (plus premium parking) for the July 21/7:10pm game against the Giants!
The seats are in the loge section, just to the left of home plate- they are great and it should be a really fun game.
To enter, simply send me an email: ben@benleeproperties.com and write ‘DODGERS’ in the subject line.
That’s it! We’ll pick a winner at the end of the month.
Good luck and go Dodgers! RAFFLE NEWS By Ben Lee M y late father-in-law, Michael Harris, authored two books (Westside Stories and Westside Stories Too).
He was working on the third volume in the series, More Westside Stories, when he passed away in December.
That third book will be published posthumously later in the year.
He would’ve been proud to know that Westside Stories Too has been chosen as a finalist for an Eric Hoffer Book Award.
Eric Hoffer was an American philosopher and every year an award in his memory is sponsored by the U.S.
Review of Books. It grants a cash prize to the book that best exemplifies his belief in “salient writing” and interest in small, independent, academic publishers.
Only 10% of all entries go on to the finalist round so already Westside Stories Too has beaten out roughly 900 other titles.
Even if it doesn’t ultimately win the grand prize, I think it’s safe to say my father-in-law would be incredibly proud of this acknowledgement.
Before he passed away, he was making sure that the new book answered an essential question: Why did West Los Angeles develop as a world class neighborhood in one of the world’s major cities?
But because he wasn’t able to physically handle the pen-to-paper work, he dictated his ideas, commentary and writing duties to his brother and publisher, Jeff Harris.
It was a project they enjoyed tackling together during the last several months of his life.
On occasion, Jeff would ask Mike to comment on some of the subjects they were collaborating on for the book.
Here is what he said about oil tycoon and real estate developer, Alfonso Bell Sr., the person credited with creating a handful of neighborhoods in Los Angeles: “I admire how he used his oil riches to develop communities such as Bell Gardens and Bel Air, rather than look for ways to increase his wealth through tax schemes or monuments to his wealth.” Over the next several months, I’ll be sharing more comments from Michael and articles that will be highlighted in his third book: More Westside Stories.
If he wins the Eric Hoffer Award, I’ll let you know that as well!
By Lilli Lee I wish I had better news to share but, unfortunately, my attempt to try and work with our city to fix our dangerous neighborhood sidewalks has failed.
It was my understanding that I could submit requests based on homeowners’ requests, then once those requests received approval and permits I could then spearhead the effort to get the damaged sidewalks fixed (at my expense) and then the city would later reimburse me, house by house.
All the research I conducted led me to this conclusion.
Many of you sent me a note asking for help because the sidewalk out in front of your property is hazardous.
My son and I would then come out to your address, take a picture of the sidewalk and then we’d submit the request to the city.
A few months would go by and on occasion the city would contact me to ask a question which I immediately answered.
Then, all of a sudden, the sidewalk office sent an email saying I wasn’t the rightful owner of such-and-such property.
I answered, ‘I know- I’m requesting this on behalf of the homeowner WHO GAVE ME PERMISSION AND AUTHORITY TO DO SO.’ The office staff replied saying, nope!
Can’t do that. If a property owner wants his/her sidewalk fixed, he has to submit the request him/herself.
They went on to say that I could go to each property owner and ask for a certified letter proving that I had permission to act on their behalf.
This became an insurmountable headache because even if I were to go back to each person individually, there was no guarantee that the city would honor the effort and proceed with extending the permit.
Basically, I was fighting an uphill battle with City Hall and found out exactly why people who try to get things done get frustrated and angry at the perceived futility of it all.
These people did NOT want to help our neighborhood get our sidewalks fixed and were going out of their way to make it impossible for me to do so, too.
At one point they said if I continued filling out these forms on behalf of people they would basically call it a felony!
I’m hoping whoever gets elected as our next City Councilmember makes our safety his/ her priority because as it stands now, no one in City Hall seems to care too much about people tripping and falling on city property.
To all those who sent me an email requesting help on this matter, I apologize.
I really tried but, unfortunately, to zero success.
You are welcome to resubmit a request under your own name by following the directions on this website: https://sidewalks. lacity.org/.
I’m happy to email you the photos we took if that helps.
I hope you have better luck than I did and, again, maybe under new city leadership miracles can happen.
In the meanwhile, watch your step and stay safe!
