Home Care In Westlake Village, CA

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Equity Union Real Estate announced that it has acquired an additional commercial building in Southern California with 14,650 sq.ft. of mixed office and medical use space located at 4353 Park Terrace Drive in Westlake Village, California. The building will house its Westlake Village branch of the real estate brokerage, as well as additional tenants.

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Approximately 8,000 sq.ft. of the newly acquired building will be dedicated as the real estate firm's 11^th location, which will include 18 private offices, 18 additional desk spaces for agents' individual use, conference rooms, a large training room, and additional shared desk space for agents to use who are on the move.

The company, Equity Union, has seen unprecedented growth over the past 16 months, adding many top producers, branch locations and services to its agents. "As someone that has sold real estate for many years', I understand when agents need more support from their brokerage, and it's now", said Harma Hartouni, CEO, Equity Union. "Westlake Village has always been a market that we've wanted to grow our relationships in. Many of our agents already live and work in the Conejo Valley, so it's always been on our radar of expansion. The support from the Realtor community here has been overwhelming and it's an exciting time to be able to grow our company together with them".

About Equity Union: The independent brokerage has over 650 agents companywide and sells over $2 Billion in sales volume annually. It's the fastest growing real estate brokerage in Southern California. Corporate operations for Equity Union are based in Sherman Oaks, with additional branches in LA's Westside, the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and Riverside County's Coachella Valley.

Founded by Harma Hartouni, groundbreaking real estate entrepreneur and inspiring author of the memoir Getting Back Up. Equity Union was created to be a completely unique real estate company with a strong emphasis on agent support, for an elevated buying, selling, and working experience. With an unparalleled commitment to service, integrity, and excellence, we are ready to both inspire your vision and help you bring it to life.

CONTACT: Dan Stueve, +13105955875, [email protected]

SOURCE Equity Union

By Ray Rogers

Look closely. Pay attention. “See those small buds on those branches?” asks our expert guide, naturalist Andrew Bearer, on a group hike through a national park above the Malibu coastline. “That’s life beginning anew,” he explains, after devastating fires raced through the area a few years back. While those fires were catastrophic for many people and their dwellings in the area, nature has an instinctual way of renewal.

Humans have many tools at the ready, too—it’s just a matter of learning how to access them. This became very clear throughout a four-day bespoke wellness retreat at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, a short drive inland from Malibu, as a small group of just seven participants learned how to ignite our own renewal: in the Wellness Kitchen, on the yoga mat, in the state-of-the-art gym and in individual life-coaching sessions throughout the four days.

Why do a wellness retreat? Think of it as a reset, a seasonal refresh. I attended the Retreat at Four Seasons Westlake at the start of this year, a perfect way to set up a new year ahead. Ten months later, I’m still returning to things I learned as I launch forward into yet another new season. You don’t have to wait till New Year’s Day to start anew. I like to do some kind of intentional reboot with the turn of each season, but you can do it anytime. (Purist has an excellent self-care retreat and stress detox coming up this month, on Oct 25-28 in Montauk.) The best ones offer a clear path toward clearing your mind and re-centering on your health and well-being.

At the Four Seasons Westlake, the focus was on small, actionable steps—things one could easily incorporate into their day-to-day life that could generate major leaps and bounds over time. The three-night, four-day program was so jam-packed with activities and tutorials, I found myself longing for a retreat from the retreat at various points. But in hindsight, I wouldn’t have missed any of the lectures or outings in favor of more downtime. I learned so much, every step of the way, and continue to draw on those learnings.

Four Seasons Westlake takes wellness seriously; the place has 90 to 100 wellness team members, the largest wellness group in all of the Four Seasons’ properties. Their areas of expertise ranged from diet and exercise to energetic and mental well-being, adding up to a total inner and outer body reboot.

We were reminded by the Retreat’s registered dietitian Emmaline Rasmussen that the “standard American diet”—whose initials, appropriately enough, spell out SAD—is loaded with high-fat animal proteins, refined sugars and carbs, and highly processed foods. At the Retreat, the focus is on a plant-focused Mediterranean diet, with organic proteins and healthy, colorful veggies and fruits. If you need a good reason to make a few healthy switches in your diet, consider this stat from Rasmussen: Good nutrition can add up to an additional 10 to 20 years of quality life expectancy. (More reasons to tend to your health: A healthy lifestyle can also decrease cancer risk by 65 percent, Type 2 diabetes by 90 percent, and Alzheimer’s by 76 percent.)

In the Wellness Kitchen, we all took turns chopping, mincing, grilling and plating a full menu of healthy, nutrient-packed dishes. For my part, I sliced vine-ripened tomatoes and quartered onions that were then oven-roasted with balsamic and pureed, with fresh basil leaves, into a hearty, flavorful soup course. So simple, yet so delicious and nourishing. The Wellness Kitchen cookbook that was gifted to participants has since become a staple in my home.

For physical fitness, guests had the option to take a full-body physical fitness evaluation, monitoring heart rate and endurance, and step into the computerized egg-shaped “Bod Pod” device to better determine body density and body fat percentage. Excellent trainers such as Jake Miller laid out the basics of a good HIIT circuit, alternating bursts of time on the treadmill at varying resistance and speed levels to boost heart rate, with functional workout stations, utilizing exercise bands and body weight for strength training. We were also encouraged to seek out movement in the great outdoors, with invigorating hikes in Malibu with spectacular ocean vistas. Each day began with morning yoga, to set the tone for the day ahead.

Spiritual health was also attended to, including a next-level sound bath from Stephanie Lekkos and her partner, with crystal bowls and live music—and a heart-shaped crystal to take home. (If you’re in LA, look for offerings from this dynamic duo here: stephanielekkos.com.) And relaxation was encouraged, including massages and facials at the serene spa, and time in its steam rooms and saunas.

More than any other retreat I’ve been on, what really stood out about this one is its 360-approach to wellness, incorporating optional sessions with energy healers, life coaches and therapists, who were available to help participants zone in on one often-overlooked pillar or wellness: purpose. Meeting Cyndi Horwitz, LMFT, felt like an answer to a prayer. For some time, I’d been pondering how I might combine my yoga teaching with talk therapy to help others be more at ease in their bodies and better process emotions and past traumas. This is exactly what Horwitz practices. Long after the retreat ended, she stayed in touch, sending notifications about various training programs in somatic healing to embark on to fulfill this longing. And my session with master intuitive energy healer Dr. Heather M. Beck, a depth and somatic therapist, was one of the most profoundly moving hours I’d ever spent with a practitioner. Her intuitive energetic healing had to be experienced to be believed. I walked away lighter, happier and more deeply committed to a path of wellness. fourseasons.com

It’s the subject few people really want to tackle but one that always stirs debate in the community: the need for more housing.

Many residents already have the fortune of living in the Conejo and Las Virgenes region where they don’t have to travel far to be near jobs and schools, but what about those who don’t enjoy the same benefit?

In these difficult times of high rents and high mortgages but not enough places to live, California is mandating cities identify areas where new housing construction might fit in with local general plans.

The process of identifying sites where both market rate and affordable housing can be built is part of the state process known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, a California law that requires each city to plan for their fair share of the state’s housing requirement in years to come.

The need in Calabasas is 354 units, in Agoura Hills it’s 318 and in Westlake Village the number is 142. All three cities—despite pushback from residents who are opposed to growth in just about any form—have done their due diligence in trying to accommodate the new housing that the state is requiring.

A few years ago, the Westlake Village City Council adopted its North Business Park Specific Plan in the hopes of revitalizing a sector of the city north of the 101 Freeway and south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard. To show the California Department of Housing and Community Development that Westlake Village can meet its responsibility to plan for new homes, the city identified properties in the North Business Park bound by Lindero Canyon Road and Via Colinas as suitable locations for possible new housing construction.

As in Agoura Hills, where the opposition to proposed homes on Kanan Road has been fierce, residents of Westlake Village showed little patience for one developer’s plan for almost 700 new apartments in the business park. (More about the April 26 meeting on Page 1.)

The number far exceeds the state’s requirement for 142 new units; this is because the city is having to make up for not abiding by a previous state housing cycle a few years ago. On the positive side, the 20-acre development known as Lindero Terrace does set aside 70 units for low-income qualifiers. We need this.

The aging business park, which is highly visible to the west off Lindero Canyon Road, is not exactly a thing of beauty in its present state, and it is clearly not the “best and highest use” of the property. As the demand for office space drops—a more than 20% vacancy rate continues to exist in the local office market— we see the Lindero Terrace project as an opportunity for the city to pivot and fill the very real demand for new residential housing.

The majority of residents who attended the recent study session spoke out against the housing, and their voices cannot be ignored. At the same time, the Westlake Village Council has before it a good first iteration of the proposed new apartments in the city. With a few tweaks it might be something the community could be proud of.

Let’s not throw every plan for new homes under the bus. The need is real and local cities are trying to do their best to answer the call.

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21st Annual City Celebration

Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 - 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Westlake Village Civic Center, 31200 Oak Crest Dr, Westlake Village, CA

From City of Westlake Village:

"Join us at City Hall on Saturday, October 14th, 3-8pm, for an incredible event, in partnership with #WhiteOakElementarySchool PFC.

"Get ready for a day filled with carnival fun, mouthwatering food, live music & more.

"WHITE OAK FAMILY FUN FAIR (3-8PM): City Celebration is proud to host the annual White Oak Elementary Family Fun Fair, sponsored in part by Martinson Sharpiro Real Estate group, Agoura Lacrosse, and Hawks Los Angeles.

"Purchase an unlimited ride bracelet for $40 or individual ride tickets for $5 each. One ride requires one ticket.

"Purchase your tickets at the event or visit the White Oak PFC website at whiteoakpfc.org/shop to purchase ahead of time. All proceeds benefit the White Oak Parent Faculty Club (PFC).

"Beer and Wine Garden (3 - 8 pm). Presented and sponsored by 14 Cannons Brewing!

"Local Westlake Village brewing company Fourteen Cannons will be selling craft beer and wine on the back patio to adults 21 years old and up.

"Fourteen Cannons has generously donated all beer and wine for this event, and all sales will support the Westlake Village Community Foundation. Join us on the back patio of the Civic Center for the free photo booth, corn hole, and live music from local pianist Mark Anthony.

"FOOD TRUCKS - DINNER AND SNACKS (3 - 8 PM): Purchase dinner and snacks from a selection of food trucks and vendors.

"REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE. There will be a free filtered water refill station, so bring your reusable water bottle with you. Refill as much as you'd like and do your part to reduce single use plastics! Also, be sure to use our recycle and compost bins throughout the event!

"Free Family-Friendly Activities (3 – 6 pm)

"Fire & Sheriff Meet N’ Greet (3 - 6 pm)

"Live Performances (3 - 8 pm)

"Free parking will be available off Park Terrace. Please follow posted signs to the correct parking lots."

MORE INFO HERE

--Image via Shutterstock

Christie Realty Group, headquartered in Westlake Village, California, has welcomed luxury buyers to both the Los Angeles and Ventura counties for 30 years. Stephen Christie founded the brokerage when the migration along the Ventura Freeway to far-reaching upscale western suburbs was gaining momentum.

Like many Southern California brokerages, Christie Realty Group has experienced exponential growth during the months of COVID-19, resulting in numerous high-dollar sales and price records for the business. “All the market fundamentals here have changed since the pandemic. It's been so busy in all the areas we serve. We have implemented new strategies to be able to run that fast mile yet pace yourself," Christie says. He points to continuing low inventory across all markets as a major hurdle.

Westlake Village and neighboring communities such as Thousand Oaks, Lake Sherwood and North Ranch continue to attract buyers from Los Angeles, a migration that has only gained momentum during the pandemic, according to Christie. He attributes the westward shift to those "who want to get away from problems with schools, traffic and other urban issues affecting the quality of life there."

"People want to buy the right home and are willing to pay for it. When they move here, they feel like they can breathe easier," Christie adds.

Thousand Oaks, North Ranch, Lake Sherwood and Westlake Village have all experienced record-breaking sales activity and price creep over the last year. In Thousand Oaks, based on a six-month period through mid-September, has seen 70% of all active listings sell within the first 30 days on the market. The average sales price/list price ratio during that period was 104%.

Each of the four coveted communities comes with unique qualities and selling points. Westlake Village residents enjoy the 125-acre lake with 8 miles of shoreline for boating, waterfront dining, and walking trails that create the community's heart. Excellent schools and an abundance of green space lure those Los Angeles buyers to this master-planned community. The Four-Seasons Hotel is one of the area's top employers.

Westlake Village's average sales price is $2,587,336, with home values increasing 14.2% over the past 12 months. "In Westlake Village, properties are selling a little over asking," Christie confides.

With 11 top-rated elementary schools and several excellent private schools, families moving to the area look to Westlake Village as a place that is clean, safe, and one where you can put down roots. "This is a close-knit community yet is very welcoming to newcomers," Christie explains.

Scenic Lake Sherwood is located behind gates in Ventura County. Celebrities like the security and privacy of the 1,500-resident community and the relaxed lifestyle of Lake Sherwood, California's oldest man-made lake. Properties are large and often gated, with the highest-priced being waterfront. The lake offers swimming, boating and fishing.

"The average price [in Lake Sherwood] is about $3.3 million with a 95% list-to-sale price, and at that higher price point, we are seeing only about 30% of properties selling in 30 days," Christie said. Prices have increased an astounding 616% in the last 12 months.

Thousand Oaks, located in the Conejo Valley, is the second-largest city in Ventura Country with a population of 79,888. The recent average sales price rang in at $1,405,000. Thousand Oaks offers a variety of housing choices, from sprawling single-family to more affordable condominiums and townhomes. Its highly rated school system boasts 21 elementary schools, including nine private schools.

Over the last year, price increases in Thousand Oaks have held at a more modest yet healthy 9.8%. The city has a "smart-growth" policy limiting suburban sprawl.

The prestigious 4,700-acre gated community of North Ranch is in the hills above Westlake Village and home to many private, large-lot estates. The North Ranch Country Club has 27 holes of championship golf. Three unified school districts serve the North Ranch community, including Oak Park Unified, Conejo Valley, and Las Virgenes. Thanks to the area's long-standing desirability, inventory is scarce.

For homes of about 4,600 square feet, the average sold price in North Ranch was over $2.62 million as of mid-September.

Looking to 2022, Christie, whose industry experience covers several boom and bust markets, shares his thoughts. "I think the first quarter will determine the market of 2022. Sellers will still need to have the discussion of 'where am I going?' With inventory staying low, they should have a 'Plan B' of maybe renting for a while." Still, he cautions that "markets can change seemingly overnight though." How true that is.

Christie Realty Group is an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.