The Pitch: Best of Brentwood
In the high-caliber housing market of Los Angeles, every neighborhood has a distinct style, offering a list of pros and cons that can leave even the surest of buyers second-guessing. Better views lead to longer…
Tom Barrack saved Michael Jackson from default. Barrack’s investors say they need a rescue too
As the global recession deepened in 2008, Tom Barrack was in his element. Over the course of two decades, the chief executive of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital had carved out a reputation as a real…
California Inc.: Southern California home prices dip for the first time in years
Welcome to California Inc., the weekly newsletter of the L.A. Times Business Section. I’m Business columnist David Lazarus, and here’s a rundown of upcoming stories this week and the highlights of last week. In the…
Home prices fall in Southern California for the first time in 7 years
The Southern California median home price dipped slightly in March from a year earlier, the first annual decrease since 2012 and a sign of a remarkable downshift from the once-sizzling regional housing market. The 0.1%…
How a hijacked listing for one of L.A.’s most expensive homes led to a $60-million lawsuit
It’s hard to overstate the opulence showcased in developer Bruce Makowsky’s $150-million spec house, dubbed “Billionaire.” Perched above Bel Air, the four-story mansion offers a world of pure imagination within its walls. Jockeying for attention…
Facing retirement with parent student loans? Transfer them to the kids
Dear Liz: I’m 60. Should I take a $50,000 distribution from my 401(k) to pay down my $146,000 parent Plus college loan and then try to refinance the balance with a private lender at a…
Is the starter home a thing of the past? In L.A., it all depends on location
The starter home has long served as the steppingstone into homeownership. But lately it’s become difficult to tell first-timers from repeat home buyers, according to Zillow. Both groups have similar preferences when it comes…
Warner Music turns former Ford assembly plant into Arts District music factory
Employees of Warner Music Group Inc. for the last several weeks have been toiling in the same red brick building where men who could have been their great-grandfathers put together shiny black automobiles. Their new…
He started in a hotel laundry room and now runs a luxury resort chain
Radha Arora, 60, is president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, a 10,000-employee luxury hotel chain with 26 properties in 15 countries. A Rosewood venture recently opened in Montecito: a seaside resort built by real estate…
Southern California home sales slowdown deepened in February; agents see busier times ahead
Southern California home prices barely rose in February from a year earlier, as buyers continue to struggle with the high cost of housing, according to a report out Wednesday. The six-county region’s median price —…