In an interview on ThisIsMoney.Co.UK, real estate expert Phil Spencer, reveals tips to homeowners on how to increase their home values in a number of ways.

Surprisingly, one of the ways to increase home value is by simply giving your house a name. According to Spencer, this costs £0, adds up to £5,000 (or about $6,500).

This is also true for vacation homes. When homeowners give a name to their vacation home, it’s more attractive to renters according to an article in The Wall Street Journal in September 2020.

Choosing a name can be hard and you’ll need to choose a unique one if you are going to register it with your state. If you are not feeling creative, there is a Name House Generator you can use to help get started. It’s best to pick a name that has some relation to a home’s history or surroundings.

For example, if you have large wisteria vines and olive trees on your property in a sunny, tree-lined street with city views, these are some name ideas for your house:

Sunny End – Some people like to name a house after the prevailing weather.

Olivelands or Olive Lodge – Plant-related house names are incredibly popular.

Blue Jay’s House – House names that refer to animals are becoming increasingly popular.

City View – Many people like to name houses after what can be seen from them.

The Wisterias or Wisterialands – The definite article followed by the plural of a plant is very popular in many parts of the world.

Cityways – Many people like to name houses after what can be seen from them.

Treeside – Many people like to name houses after what can be seen from them.

For beach house dwellers, there is a great vacation listing website that will offer you lots of fun ideas. Create your own beach house name.

My favorite idea for a beach house name is Seas The Day! What is yours?

Registering Your Farm, Ranch, Estate or Villa in California

You can make the name of your home official in California by using a unique name and then protecting it from being used by anyone else. In this case the term “farm” includes a farm, ranch, an estate, or villa.

According to the Businesses and Professions code of California, “Any farm owner or lessee in this state may register the name of his or her farm with the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State shall issue a certificate setting forth the name and location of the farm and the name of the owner upon payment of the fee as set forth in subdivision (g) of Section 12193 of the Government Code.”

The form to register a home name in California costs a $10, but you’ll have to perform a thorough trademark search first to see if your name is taken.

History of Naming Houses

Naming houses is an old British custom starting with the upper classes naming their castles and manors. But, for the rest of the world, it’s a simple and easy way to boost the value of your home or vacation home to attract buyers and renters alike. Most famously named homes have historic significance.

Highclere Castle

Famous houses of England include the set of the popular television series and movie Downton Abbey set on the grounds of Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England.

The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island

This magnificent estate was a summer home built for The Vanderbilts. According to Wikipedia, “The Breakers is the architectural and social archetype of the “Gilded Age,” a period when members of the Vanderbilt family were among the major industrialists of America. It was the largest, most opulent house in the Newport area upon its completion in 1895.” In an article on AOL.com, The Breakers was named for the waves that crash below the estate.

Casa Felicia in Palos Verdes Estates, California

Closer to home are some classic homes, one of which I had the honor of representing the buyer. In 1925, renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. was given his choice of any site in Palos Verdes Estates in gratitude for planning the new city.  He selected this spectacular, 65,000 square foot bluff top parcel, with approximately 270 feet of ocean “frontage” overlooking the Pacific ocean, coastline and Santa Monica Bay. Acclaimed architect, Myron Hunt was selected to design the magnificent, Spanish inspired estate. Hidden by a grove of eucalyptus trees, and perched high atop the sea, “Casa Felicia” features thick plaster walls, old world charm and lush landscaping throughout.

 NFC Technology

“Near-field communication” is the tech that allows for payment exchange between objects and card readers, so you can pay with your smartphone or smartwatch, or by hovering your card over the reader — no swipe or chip insert required. 

Stay Safe When Paying on the Go 

Contactless is one of the safest ways to pay, since account information is encrypted and not actually transferred to the retailer. Still, prioritize safety with these tips: 

Use only trusted payment platforms.

Keep strong passwords and enable facial or fingerprint recognition where possible.

Immediately lock a lost or stolen phone. 

I hope you are doing well and have managed to get somewhere closer to a sense of normal as the state continues through Phase II of re-opening. Businesses and restaurants have slowly started to open and whether or not you feel comfortable to dine in, it is still a welcome sight to see our community begin to come alive. As we finish out the second quarter of the year, real estate activity has remained consistent, and one might call it strong. While inventory stays low, sellers are seeing well-qualified and highly motivated buyers confidently making offers. Needs like home offices are trending. Take a look at the chart below and see the current “Average Days on the Market” and “Sold/List Price Percentage” in the County of Los Angeles. These numbers show us that although there has been a significant decrease in inventory over the last few months, the average days on the market have lowered with buyer demand. Properties are selling faster across the Country. Click on the name of your neighborhood on the links below for the specific statistics in your area, then give me a call so we can discuss how these numbers may impact your current real estate goals. Right now could actually be the perfect opportunity to get your property sold while competition is lower than usual.

Data for your neighborhood: Beverly Hills El Segundo Hawthorne Hermosa Beach Lomita Long Beach Manhattan Beach Marina Del Rey Palos Verdes Estates Playa Del Rey Playa Vista Rancho Palos Verdes Redondo Beach Rolling Hills Estates San Pedro Torrance Westchester

Despite what has seemed like a continuous string of new obstacles and challenges to overcome this year, one constant remains…we will get through this together. June 20th will officially mark the first day of summer, so although the season may not be kicking off in exactly the way we are used to, over the next couple of days I hope you find an opportunity to bask in that happy, warm, and familiar feeling that summer has arrived.

The new year is a time when many people set new goals. What if there were an easy way to actually achieve those goals?

By dividing up big tasks into smaller ones, you can accomplish almost anything.

One way of doing is is setting only 9 tasks per day and dividing them by the size of the task. This is the reasoning behind the 1-3-5 task list.

Set up one large task for the day – maybe taking the car into the dealer for a tune up. The three medium tasks like getting the dog groomed or going shopping at the grocery store. Then five small tasks like calling a friend, scheduling that dentist appointment or writing an email.

As you check off each task each day, you’ll feel better about what you’ve accomplished.

Another key to a daily to do list is to only add tasks that must be accomplished that day and not the next day. If it can wait, then don’t put it on the daily list. Keep a separate master list that you pull from to add to the daily.

I keep my master list at the start of each month and roll over the big tasks as needed.

The Muse has a great template for the 1-3-5 rule and you can download it for free!