Tuesday, July 22, 2008

UPDATE: Jeff Lewis

Cross your fingers kids because it looks like professional house flipper Jeff Lewis and his bizness partner and ex-luvah Ryan Brown may have finally sold that damn house on Valley Oak Drive that is featured on the current season of Bravo's boob toob favorite Flipping Out.

Since so many of the children seem to take an impolite delight in real estate schadenfreude, let's go back and have a look-see at the asking price history for this property. The hillside house in the Los Feliz neighborhood was first plopped on the market in April of 2008 with an optimistic asking price of $3,195,000. Just about a month later the asking price was hacked to $2,995,000, then a month later it was given another $200,000 haircut to $2,795,000 where it sat for another four or five weeks when it was given another $200,000 ka-rah-tay chop to its current asking price of $2,595,000.

Anyhoo, the listing for the 3 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom residence is now marked, "Looking for Backup" indicating that the property has entered escrow and will soon be sold...if the deal sticks together. Your Mama is sure that Missus Lewis and Brown are happy as pigs in shit that the house has finally sold and so are we because the more houses they sell the more likely we'll get to watch Jeff's crazy obsessive ass on the tee-vee.

Your Mama will let the children and the Chicken Littles discuss and duke it out about whether the $600,000 price reduction is a result of the house being over priced to begin with or if it's a reflection of the state of the market.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

lovely house...over priced from the start, especially in that part of LA.

Anonymous said...

Since beauty and what it's worth to an individual is in the eye of the beholder, I'll refrain from offering an opinion about what the application of Jeff Lewis' design talents to this piece of real estate should have listed or sold for. Rather, I'll just say that while I think Jeff has a good eye for design, his renovations impress me as rather clinical and sterile, whereas properties Ryan is in charge of renovating turn out with a warmer, more homey vibe. I personally much prefer Ryan's design esthetic and business acumen/ethic to Jeff's.

Anonymous said...

Jeff Lewis is an egomaniac who is bitter and lonely and controlling GOD DO I LOVE THAT SHOW!! It is a train wreck that you cannot stop from watching, I value great TV as shows that I yell at while watching and let me tell ya I yell while watching Flipping Out!
The house is nice actually sterile but so in tune with what is going on in decorating.

Alessandra said...

I'm going to ignore 7:12 and not take the bait.

Thought the house was a bit over-priced and did not necessarily care for the "flip job" that had been done to it. It was still a discernible sow's ear, despite the silk purse touches.

Had it been more architecturally interesting and cohesive, he would have been able to get within his original asking price.

Oh, and 7:12, Realtors don't set the price; they suggest prices based on comps and give a recommendation. The final price is determined by the owner. And 9 times out of 10, the owner goes with the highest possible price, despite whatever evidence is available to the contrary. Don't mess with me right now. I'm wielding a very large and very hormonal club.

pch said...

And you can't blame this situation on an agent -- at all. Lewis is a flipper looking to maximize his profit, plain and simple. There's actually one episode where he throws a hissy fit trying to slash an agent's commission after she'd gotten him an excellent price. Now, that's sleezy in my book.

Anonymous said...

You kids are all off base. Have any of you been to Valley Oak? Live in the HOOD? This is a great property, and has so much valeu DUE TO TO SPECIAL LOCATION. The jerk who down played AGENTS - you are so off base; you must be selling single wide trailers in Ohio someplace. Valley Oak is worht every bit the initial asking price; its the dam market forces and the dumpy comps that make this jewl seem LESS IN VALUE.

Anonymous said...

This home is really quite lovely. I looked at it when it originally hit the market and while I liked it, felt it was a high price for the particular home.

The neighborhood is A++++! For all those not familiar, Los Feliz is one of the charming neighborhoods that attracts many who don't care for the snob appeal of areas like Bevelry Hills. Many homes in Los Feliz are modest with amazing views, much like this one. Valley Oak itself is probably the premier street in the Oaks, as we know Brad Pitt and Angelina live right across from this home.

This house flew off the market when they got it to the right price, which $2,595,000 appears to be that price. A year ago or more, they probably could have gotten closer to the $3mm range.

lil' gay boy said...

Isn't this that odd, Motel 6'ish house with the weird clerestory windows and frosted glass pool surround?

Sorry, not feeling it. I'll take the word of the locals that Los Feliz meets the required, "location, location, location," litmus test, but looks can be deceiving.

Anonymous said...

It is the odd Motel'ish looking house, but I'm actually kinda digging it. While if I were to build, it's nothing like I would build... but the finishes and design are somewhat quirkey and unique that it's an appealing property.

It's definatley not a family friendly house but would be a rockstar Hollywood bachelor pad. I have heard through the grape vine that a "celebrity" maybe the buyer.

Momma any news on that front?

Anonymous said...

I saw the show last night and all I can say is that


it is Jeff Lewis, he can take a dump and turn it into a masterpiece

He will always be the exception to this crappy market

chris said...

It's delightful to know that the super rich house flippers are getting some of the same pain that has been inflicted on those farther down the pecking order. I'd love to see many many more of them lose a lot more from their flipping. Seeing ditzy celebrities in financial pain is a very special pleasure.

Anonymous said...

He claims he lost "$200,000" on Ben Lomand Place... is this true? OR is it that by the time he sold it it sold for $200,000 less than an offer was so he thinks he lost $200,000?

Anonymous said...

After all the Children's past comments, I tried to watch his show. I thought it was terrible. With those lips he looks like a male Janice Dickinson...but without her personality or the excuse for scantily clad male models.

StPaulSnowman said...

After reading this post, I watched the show, "Flipping Out" for the first time. This guy Jeff appears to have a seriously overdone blepharoplasty and a Chevrolet full of filler in his upper lip. His botox bill must rival the cost of landscaping the Valley Oak house. I wonder if the cost of these procedures is considered a business expense when you appear on television. Is this ceramic look considered a good one in California?

StPaulSnowman said...

I appreciate your comment. Your comments on the house could equally apply to his face.

Anonymous said...

Detail is not detected by every eye - just those that know. Those of you who can't see the value in this home are way off base. Charm and charcater in Jeff's homes are a great leap from the tacky - run of the mill half hearted attempts made by most others. Jeff's business partner has a great eye for creating as well.

Anonymous said...

I agree with above...many may not like the somewhat sterile style of Lewis and Brown and I'll agree that it does have a rich gay guy with Armani taste look, but they do what they do very well and the quality of the work seems, well, obvious.

Anonymous said...

So why, then, did they have so much trouble peddling this house? If it was that wonderful, even in this market, if would have been snapped up.

Anonymous said...

I think a couple of his assistants got memos to post glowing remarks about him or be fired.

Anonymous said...

Are they still employed on the job in Hancock Park(Windsor Square)???

What's going on at that house(former Dorothy Chandler home). Didn't it sell for 9 mil and after being re-done. Now the new owners hire these guys to do the house over again? What gives? How much money is the new owner spending on this house????

Anonymous said...

I would buy any home Jeff Lewis flips...his OCD would assure that no corners were cut, the materials are top notch, and the finished product would indeed be what he proclaims it to be. Not so sure I would want him for a friend and definitely wouldn't want him as my employer, but as my rehabber, bring him on!

Anonymous said...

I love Flipping Out - not for the ridiculously over-directed antics of Jeff Lewis - but mostly because I live in the area and love the scenes of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.

Here's my take on Mr Lewis - I feel his aesthetic is a bit 'one-note'. (doesnt the current Valley Oak house look a lot like the previous Valley Oak and similar to the Commonwealth house?) That one note does not allow him to be flexible for different houses and market conditions - he could be making a friggin fortune right now in LA - if he was able to make strategic decisions on how to spend money when renovating houses.

That brings me to the next topic - that Encino house. Weeks ago I knew that he was going to go over budget when he expanded the scope of the project threefold. Now they dont have enough money for 2 potted plants to go by the front door? Whats up with THAT?

StPaulSnowman said...

I can't believe I have started watching those two in the "Flipping Out" show. I watched for the first time to see who Jeff Lewis is. I am horrified, ashamed, debased and embarassed to be devouring all the broadcast episodes which I presume are from the last season. It is pathetic how much I am enjoying watching this drivel. I might as well be camped out on the freeway waiting to see a bad accident. My only hope is that "In Treatment" will return so that I can feel good about myself and TV once again.

Anonymous said...

Kissyface sez that the elements needed for fresh design - air! fire! water! - are all dragged down by a speculator's earthy tendency to repeat effects that worked financially in previous efforts. Eventually, earthy gravity always wins and saggy staleness results - just look at your own hips! That's true even where the product (Valley Oak) is passable. Mr. Lewis (the designer) is at war with Mr. Lewis (the speculator) - and the battle casualties are rising fast! That being said, never let it be said that Kissyface does not absolutely ADORE Mr. Lewis! He's so UNDERSTATED and ELEGANT by my standards!

And, look, the days of "Looking for Backup" indicating that the property will soon be sold are long gone, even in Los Feliz and even with butt-covering caveats ("if the deal ...") tacked on the end. "If the deal sticks together" is a mighty big "if" these days. Houses are lingering in escrow for months and then falling out when some mortgage banker or appraiser, settling a pillow by her head, should say: “That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at all.” IT'S HELL OUT THERE!

For example, consider the two Barry Sloane brokered train wrecks at 2480 WILD OAK DR and 4101 PARVA AVE. Each of these has been in escrow for MONTHS. I'm just DYING to see the face of the CEO of whatever federally insured financial institution shells out a mortage on Wild Oak at anything like its $4.95 Million asking price! What a hoot! Where are the COMPS supposed to come from, Barry? Sure, some houses are marketed as "Beverly Hills in Los Feliz," but this is ridiculous! And for God's sake, the floor plan of this house would be like living in an Escher print (lots of stairs to almost nowhere).

Weeks and weeks of waiting, even tho the Parva listing demands that "offers should be for super fast close, all cash, no contingencies." Puleeze! Of course that house is known the length and breath of Los Feliz to be infested with mold and loaded with unpermitted work - including an entirely new pool impersonating a "repaired" pool! How droll! No wonder this is about the fifth or sixth time the thing has gone into escrow.

StPaulSnowman said...

Wow, anon. 10:15 has really revealed the sordid underbelly of this little world. Here I just thought it was a bunch of dysfunctional property developers staging overpriced crackerboxes........live and learn.

Anonymous said...

StPaulSnowman -

Welcome to the Day of the Real Estate Locusts! Here in Los Angeles it's the custom for the dysfunctional property developers to take the recently arrived midwestern naifs out back behind whatever overpriced crackerbox they happen to be staging at the time and lose the midwesterner's innocence for him. I hope it wasn't too painful for you!

Kissy, kissy. Ooooch, ooch!

- Kissyface

StPaulSnowman said...

Not nearly as painful as my encounter with an overzealous and SHEEPish real estate agent in North Dakota.

Anonymous said...

A brow lift? Is THAT what is so odd looking about Ryan this season? I keep thinking he looks like a manequin of himself. Those boys need to stay away from Dr. 90210....scary.

Doodle Whore said...

I love that house and it's about time someone snatched it up. BTW I've started doodling Flipping Out: http://doodlewhore.blogspot.com/2008/07/flipping-out-trout-pout-chris-is-out.html

Anonymous said...

O, Mama, it looks like the escrow done CRATERED! The "Looking for Backup" annotation has been removed from the MLS listing, replaced with a forlorn "Active." Sad. Here's the bad news:

http://guests.themls.com/profile_page.cfm?mls=08-273019&tab=search

... Kissyface

Anonymous said...

www.valleyoakdrive.com

TonyV said...

Oooh, things are not looking good for Mr. Lewis right now. http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20081117/bs_bw/0847b4109090693045;_ylt=ArM_XQZL2oa5ktlzWcPtKWkDW7oF

And I'm assuming the 2.5 million house referred to in the article is the Valley Oak property. Hopefully, he has saved for a rainy day.

Anonymous said...

Jeff, you're a good person and I know that you DO have a good heart. RYAN is doing things behind your back and I believe you should get out of that relationship you have with him and move on. You deserve a better future. I also believe the television network deserves better as well.

Anonymous said...

What most are missing here is F.O.'s not simply about entertainment, but a true love story. Jeff obviously still loves pain, Jenny loves the camera, Zoila loves to nap, Boy-wonder loves tight shorts (for Jeff), and we all love this crazy show! Keep flipping Jeff. Love it, love it, love it!!!

Anonymous said...

Jeff, the hell with Ryan. If he is happy moving to S.B., let him go! Just keep Flippin Baby! Infact, open an office in the Bay Area and teach some of these TV design queens up here a thing or two. San Francisco needs someone like you to stir the pot and kick up some heals. Watch out you Bay Area Bitches, the REAL Wicked may be coming to a neighborhood near you! Oooooh!

Anonymous said...

I have actually had the great pleasure of staying at this wild oak house, and loved every moment of it. The interior is beautifully decorated, each tile is hand drawn, the pool is lovely and the living room is transformed to an in home movie theater with the press of one button. If I had the money, i'd buy the house in a heartbeat. I have actually stayed in many of Mekeels houses, and love them all, though La Serena is my favorite. So, stop hatin', and i suggest you take a tour of the house. Maybe you'll fall in love wioth it as I did.