The latest S&P Case-Shiller index shows home prices jumping 8.1% in January, marking the biggest year-over-year increase in prices since June 2006. “This marks the highest increase since the housing bubble burst,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. The index, which tracks the 20 largest markets in the … Read more

The Agency’s Mauricio Umansky was one of the featured panelists at WESTWEEK 2013, the annual design industry show held last week at the Pacific Design Center. Umansky spoke on a panel led by Jennifer Polachek, publisher of Interiors California, discussing the art of catering to the discerning tastes and desires of high net worth clientele. As Lauren Beale of the L.A. … Read more

The arrival of Spring in California brings out a desire to hit the open road and sleep beneath the stars without leaving all the modern luxuries of home at, well, home. California-based Shelter Co. solves that problem by making sure those things are there when you arrive, no matter how far flung your California destination … Read more

Mike Leipart, The Agency’s Chief Marketing Officer, was a guest on 89.3FM’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle this past Friday, talking about The Huxley WeHo and The Dylan WeHo, the two new luxury residential communities being developed in West Hollywood. The Agency, along with Susan Manrao Consulting, is handling all branding and marketing efforts for the developments, which will … Read more

  More people put their homes on the market in February and homes sales jumped to their fastest pace in more than three years, reported the National Association of Realtors on Thursday. The number of available homes for sale rose 10% last month, said the NAR, marking the first monthly gain since April 2012. Analysts believe … Read more

The two all-inclusive luxury leasing communities currently under development on the eastern edge of West Hollywood now have names, as well as “Faces” to put to those names. Residents of the 187-unit residential/retail development located at the southeast corner of Fountain Avenue and La Brea Avenue will call “The Huxley” their home, while those living in the companion, 184-unit development at the northwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue will come home to “The Dylan.”… Read more

When I was asked to test drive a Lamborghini, I jumped at the chance. But, this wasn’t just any old Lamborghini; this was the very special Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera model. Superleggera in Italian means superlight (the car tips the scales just under 3000 lbs) and the 570-4 stands for 570 hp and 4 wheel drive. In short, this equates to an equation like this: superfast plus super light equals tons of fun. Also, rumor has it that this is the last year of the Gallardo’s production run.… Read more

The Commerce Department on Tuesday reported that new home building in the U.S. continues to gain momentum with permits for home construction jumping 4.6% in February, the biggest gain in nearly five years. Once again, analysts say the data supports the notion that it is the housing market that’s driving economic growth in the U.S. right now. … Read more

In 1955, Laurance Rockefeller commissioned his personal friend, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., to create a private golf experience at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico that would be the Caribbean’s finest. Eighteen holes ultimately grew to four championship golf courses, still considered among the top 25 of Jones’ illustrious career. Over the past 50 years, the resort’s … Read more