Ben Lee Properties — November 2026 Newsletter
This Month's Article
Each month in the calendar is known for symbolizing something and if I have to sum up November in a word, it would be: gratitude. Even if wonderful things happy during the previous months of the year, November asks us to pause and reflect on what we’re grateful for. Right off the bat, I feel blessed to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving which has always been my favorite holiday of the calendar year. Our table won’t be as full as it normally is—with middle son Spencer spending a year abroad in Amsterdam, his absence will be sorely felt.
It’s always been an unofficial family tradition that he and his younger brother Vinnie, ever since they were very little, were first in line to each get an entire turkey leg to devour for themselves. I’ll miss taking that annual photograph of them looking like two miniature King Henry-the-Eighths with their massive turkey legs that once looked bigger than their heads. This will be the first Thanksgiving that the 5 members of my immediate family aren’t together and I’m certainly sad Spencer won’t be home, but happy he’s having an amazing experience in Amsterdam this year and lucky his two brothers will still be in attendance. And I guess the ‘bright side’ to Spencer’s absence is now we’ll have an extra drumstick on the platter should any of the other guests want to try it this year!
In addition to Thanksgiving, November also means it’s that time of year when time when politicians seek to be elected and we get to cast a ballot. While I’m not impressed with either mayoral or governor candidates and the tones of these campaigns are unsurprisingly ugly, I am still grateful for the democratic process and optimistic about using the ballot as our voice for change. I’m eternally hopeful that whoever gets elected really does something to help us out because as much as I love my hometown of Los Angeles, the relentless homeless problem, tough job market and rising crime does not make for a perfect place in which to live. I’m blessed that the real estate market has been good to me and despite the increased interest rates, people still want to buy and sell homes.
The frenzy of spring and early summer typically dramatically slows down starting now and lasts through December. Properties will still sell but often not as quickly as they would during earlier months of the year. The ebbs and flows of the market are to be expected but what we don’t need is our government officials mismanaging and mishandling our hard-earned tax dollars. The so-called mansion tax has only penalized homeowners without actually helping or addressing any of the homeless problems it was meant to solve.
The government bloat and its lack of smart, financial oversight is insulting to every citizen and I’m not convinced either candidate will do much to fix the issues. Maybe instead of spending millions of dollars on campaign ads, they could’ve shifted those funds toward the betterment of our communities: quicker crime response times, helping the homeless find shelter, repopulate vacant commercial properties, and for the love of twisted ankles everywhere, couldn’t they at least fix the crumbling and broken sidewalks? This month, I’m grateful for the mail-in ballot I submitted early and hopeful that whoever takes office can do something or anything that makes our lives better. This month I give thanks for friends who are game for being late to work if the surf is cooperating, I’m grateful for family members who’ll always have my back and for neighbors who’ll let me know if our garage door was accidentally left open.
I’m equally grateful for the neighbors I might not know as well yet, but who feel like friends when I see them at Open Houses, at movies in Culver City, restaurants around town or while walking the dog. The overwhelming kindness and support of the majority of neighbors outweigh the one or two who will yell at me about receiving the newsletter or our holiday gift. Yes, they do exist and they go out of their way to make me feel awful. But, I guess this month, I should show a little gratitude for those few folks, too.
Maybe they’re going through a difficult time and feel like they can take it out on me? If that’s the case, I can take it. I asked our publisher to take those two individual’s addresses off the distribution (so hopefully that happened and they won’t even be reading this newsletter now). What’s harder to do is eliminate individual houses from our big Ben Lee Properties holiday gift that will be given later this month.
Hardworking guys canvas Cheviot, Rancho Park and Beverlywood to hand deliver the present to each home. That’s thousands of houses to cover and while we can ask about skipping one or two out of 10,000+ properties, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee that happening. We honestly do try to make the gift something wellmade and worth keeping so it can function in your home without being immediately tossed in the garbage (I hear the ice cream scoop is still in the top position for favorite item with the pie server and tongs running a close second and third.). As you might know, I changed brokerage houses a year ago which means all the Coldwell Banker branded blue items are now sorely outdated.
Expect a small Agency-colored red item to land on your doorknob the week before Thanksgiving. If you are one of those people who don’t want to be given anything, feel free to donate or toss in the trash. But I do hope you will like it and receive it in the kind spirit in which it’s been given. A token of November appreciation, if you will!
Please use it in good health and know that I’m grateful, thankful, lucky, blessed and appreciative of being your neighbor, friend and realtor not just in November but all year long. Happy Thanksgiving! November, in One Word: Gratitude
Featured Listings
Pacific Palisades - IN ESCROW! 14707 Sunset Blvd. – $2,795,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath 2,842 Sq. Ft.
Culver City - COMING SOON!! 5213 Agustin Lane – $1,995,000 3 Bed / 3 Bath 2,036 Sq. Ft.
Cheviot Hills - GREAT NEW PRICE! 2890 Forrester Drive – $4,995,000 5 Bed / 4.5 Bath 4,438 Sq. Ft., 7,204 Sq. Ft. Lot Beverly Hills - INCOME OPPORTUNITY! 166 N Arnaz – $2,995,000 Unit 1: 1 total unit, 3 bedrooms, 2.50 bathrooms Unit 2: 1 total unit, 2 bedrooms, 2.00 bathrooms Unit 3: 1 total unit, 0 bedroom, 1.00 bathroom
Cheviot Hills - IN ESCROW! 10359 Monte Mar Drive – $8,995,000 6 Bed / 7.5 Bath 6,635 Sq. Ft.
Beverlywood - FOR SALE! 9224 Monte Mar Dr. – $6,195,000 7 Bed / 7.5 Bath 5,532 Sq. Ft.
Cheviot Hills - SOLD! 3320 Patricia – $7,495,000 5 bed / 5 1/2 Bath 4,851 Sq. Ft., 9,275 Sq. Ft. Lot Santa Monica - DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY! 819 Pier Ave. – $1,299,000 2 Bed / 1 Bath
Beverlywood - SOLD! 9015 Beverlywood St. – $1,270,000 2 Bed / 1 Bath
Community & More
Cheviot Hills happenings Thank you to all who entered our raffle to Cafeina! Congratulations to Barbara Neuberg. You’ve won $50 dollars to this delicious addition to the neighborhood. For November, you all will be winners! The week before Thanksgiving, a small Ben Lee Properties gift will be placed on your doorknob.
Just a small token to say thanks for using or recommending me for your real estate needs. If the delivery service accidentally misses your house, please don’t hesitate to let me know and someone from my team will drop one by. RAFFLE COME COOK WITH US! We are happily sponsoring a volunteer night at Our Big Kitchen LA on November 16th and you’re all invited.
But we are limited to only 60 people so please email me now if you’d like to come. We’ll send you the evite to RSVP: ben@benleeproperties.com This is a fun, heartfelt evening for the whole family so if you’d like to bring your (aged 5+) kids, that’s great! OBKLA provides hundreds of meals daily for underserved residents of Los Angeles and invites volunteers to come and help make 300 dinners in a 2-hour span. We’d love to have you join on November 16th!
If you’ve been collecting papers to safely shred, we have unfortunately needed to postpone. Our event that was going to be held at Hamilton on November 7 but due to a handful of logistical issues, we will move the event to spring and I’ll let you know the new date as soon as I can. Thanks! SHRED POSTPONED We had such a nice time transforming our home into a temporary art gallery for the night last month.
Argentinian fine artist Rodolfo Buonocore showed about 15 of his beautiful works of art and hundreds of supporters came over to meet Rodolfo and learn more about his process and inspiration. Gathering friends and neighbors for an interesting, enjoyable and culturally significant evening is just part of what makes our community so special. ART SHOW RECAP Thanks so much for Danielle Stark for hosting such a lovely and fun Wine Night. So many new women joined the festivities and it’s safe to say everyone had a fabulous time!
Our next Neighborhood Ladies’ Wine Night on December 17th will be the most gorgeous way to usher in the holidays! Mary hosted at the same time last year and it was an epic event! We are limiting the guest list so if you would like to join, please reach out as soon as possible so you can attend. Send me a note: lillijlee@yahoo.com or call/text: 310-650-7735.
I promise it’s going to be a fantastic night! NEXT WINE NIGHT
