The McLaughlin Group Team

The McLaughlin Group Team
www.TheMcLaughlinGroup.com

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 272 Car Detailing At A New Level



Hey there,

This is an introduction to our newest blog partner in our network of vendors that we highly recommend. I had the great pleasure of meeting Lydia Derian who is the manager and spokesperson for Lavaggio, a high end auto detailing shop on 30205 Canwood Sreet in Agoura Hills. This high end shop coupled with this high energy lady is sure to make all of our car lovers very very happy. I look forward to a long lasting relationship and please make sure to print out out first page of the blog and experience a car detailing experience like no other. For the next couple of days we will highlight what they do better than anyone else and we are so excited to promote this dynamic new business in Agoura Hills. Our blog offer cannot be combined with any other offer.

Lavaggio is an evolution of an idea that began with The Agoura Hills Car Wash. It was created to provide top-quality and customized detailing services for car owners of Southern California who demand excellence. The mission at Lavaggio is to improve the level of workmanship, provide unsurpassed client care with concierge and executive services, provide a lush but comfortable waiting environment for our clients – all at affordable prices! This place is unbelievable! Go to their website, www.lavaggio.net, and navigate through their service menu to see the many packages that are available to meet anyone’s needs. Lavaggio takes professionalism to new heights. This shines through from the moment you arrive at the state-of-the-art detailing facility until they deliver your vehicle to you. As a bonus, Lavaggio is offering 20% off any car service you desire. Simply print the first page of this blog and bring it in. This is a MUST DO!

Monday, January 30, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 271 A Buyer's Eyes


Showing a lot of property lately to buyers and this is the predatory look I see in most buyer's eyes. You can see they are hungry, sharp and very focused on getting the best possible buy!Nothing wrong with that. If you are a buyer there is nothing wrong with sitting in the tree, waiting for the right meal (deal) to rush out of the brush and strike. The bird is an Eagle Owl that a local falconer brought by for a peek...Awesome Creature

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 270 Sunny Smiles

Unbelievable morning! If you did not wake up with a smile on your face after looking outside, crawl back in bed, pull the covers over and pause for 5 minutes. Start over and repeat the process 3 times and if you are still not smiling, seek medical attention immediately, for I fear you are not well. For the rest of us, we will race towards sunset with much to accomplish, enjoy and appreciate and we will do it with sunny smiles on our faces.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 269 Sunset over Sugarloaf


Driving home last night, I had to stop and take this shot of this majestic Oak and Sugarloaf Mountain. The photo made me a bit melancholy as I pondered the sunset and the symbolic picture of what the sky had painted in front of me. The sunset is so different from the sunrise, both strikingly beautiful, but, they are as far as the East is from the West. Sunset: The end of life or a relationship. Sunrise: life springs forth and hope lives in the new day. Sunset: The flowers of the fields fade into darkness. Sunrise: The flowers unfold and their colors reflect the piercing morning light. Sunset: The predators rise up in Africa and death rules the darkness. Sunrise: The prey bounds for joy as they have lived to see another day. And my favorite of all, Sunset: My cellphone stops ringing. Sunrise: Ring Ring Ring...Hello this is Dave.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 268 Hot New Property



This First Neighborhood home in Westlake Village is going on the market later today. This premium cul-de-sac lot with pool and spa will go fast! Copy and paste the link below to see the digital magazine.

http://www.themclaughlingroup.com/ibrochure-single/index.cfm?listingid=32970

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 267 The Scare

While showing property today at the Vintage Community, I received a disturbing phone call about the website. The site was directing people to a different location other than our site. Thankfully our web operators in Minnesota answered the call and had the domain up and running again. A most horrifying thought considering all the money we spend on the sites and losing www.themclaughlingroup.com would be unimaginable. The stomach and nerves were churning but they resolved it at 6pm so I was able to eat after all.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, January 20, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 266 Here Comes the Rain

I don't know folks, I thought it was supposed to be here sometime today. Really glad that it did not come. We snuck in a photo shoot and have a late afternoon showing and the bigger bonus is, I won't have to sit in the rain tonight for the girls soccer game. We do need a little spray to freshen up the hills but I hope it comes while we sleep away and dream of sunny days.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 265 Annual Shout Out

Every year I try to shout out to all my friends and family asking for referrals. If any of you know of someone who is interested in buying or selling, please pass them along to our group and we will do our best to give them the professional service that they deserve. I hope 2012 is great for all of us!


This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 264 Our Resolutions

These New Year's resolutions are popular year after year.

1. Drink Less Alcohol
2. Eat Healthy Food
3. Get a Better Education
4. Get a Better Job
5. Get Fit
6. Lose Weight
7. Manage Debt
8. Manage Stress
9. Quit Smoking
10.Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
11.Save Money
12.Take a Trip
13.Volunteer to Help Others

Come on. Are you kidding me? My resolution was to call my mom more often. Dave's was to let his hair grow out a little longer. Kelly's was to go blond like the rest of the group. Dylan's was to be more like Dave. Janet's was to win the lottery. Shawn's was to learn to dance, SHIZAM!

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 263 Condo in Calabasas


Looking for a great starter or nice investment? Stop looking because you have found it. 2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms, private patio, lower end unit, gated community with pool and gym..Superb location.

Below is the link to the our online magazine.

http://www.themclaughlingroup.com/ibrochure-single/index.cfm?listingid=32198

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 262 The Hounds


Okay, do you think someone got carried away with the past glories? I can say for certain I had nothing to do with these photos. However, it is a good shot of the hounds in the Orange of Oregon State and the Green of Tulane.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, January 13, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 261 Saturday Night Out

Hey, looking for a great evening out. Try this out for Saturday night. The Shoemakers are playing at Cantara Cellars in Camarillo. A little wine and a dose of the brothers are sure to cure any post holiday blues. 7PM to 9PM Saturday Night.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, Keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 260 George


Here is a shot of George. He is about 7 years old now. He is the best fed squirrel in the neighborhood; Mango, walnuts, blueberries, pecans, pine nuts etc.etc. Raised on goats milk since the neighbor found him when he was about 2 ounces. I bet the number of animals now that we have removed from homes including birds, snakes, has to near 50 but luckily the calls slow in the winter but come spring they will return. So instead of a licensed realtor, we will be looking for an animal handler to join the group.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 259 Winter Blues



Holidays over, refrigerator empty, wine cooler empty, belly bloated, relatives gone and Dave wants a completed marketing plan for 2012 ASAP! I feel just like the beauty in this picture.

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Monday, January 9, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 258 East Lakeshore




Back on the market and waiting for the buyer who wants all that lakefront living has to offer.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 257 Parkview


Another one fell into the sold column last week. A great house with a fantastic yard and new buyers that are super excited about the community and schools. Poor appraisals from the lending institutions are still wreaking havoc on our market. Hopefully, the over correction by the appraisers will swing back to normalcy this year!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Friday, January 6, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 256 A Snake in the Pot


It was late spring Sunday along Three Springs Drive sitting the Brannigan's house open and I was anticipating an eventful open house. This was the second house that the Brannigans had asked us to sell and the previous open houses had drawn in a lot of people. It was about halfway through the open house when I noticed some activity out front. There was a large pot with some type of spring flower in full bloom right at the corner of the garage as people came up to the entry. From the living room window, I saw a lady and two small boys, maybe 8-10 years old jumping around this pot. As I opened the door I asked them politely, "whats happening?". The mom quickly replied for me not to worry, she was just trying to catch a small snake they saw in the pot. I asked what type it was and she calmly told me she had grown up with snakes and knew what she was doing. I said "great," but let me take a look just to see. The canopy of the flower made it almost impossible to see the snake but I did recognize the dark coloration and knew exactly what we were now dealing with. What amazed me was this mom had her hand reaching in and trying to grab this thing and she did not get bit. As I took my leather shoes and moved the flower aside, I said lady, "that's a rattlesnake." She turned white as a ghost and her breathing changed. I think it struck her, she had just escaped, by sheer luck, a very painful, potentially deadly and most embarrassing mistake. The boys were now scared but I looked right at them and said to them "you guys are lucky to have a mom like this, she is like Crocodile Dundee." This was before the Steve Irwin burst onto the seen but the boys knew exactly who I was talking about. They beamed with pride, mom relaxed and whispered a quick thank you. After they were done looking at the house, I grabbed a bucket, captured the snake, went home and had a lesson for Kelsey and Kinsey. They watched our King Snake, take the bites of the Rattler and slowly swallow him down. You see, Kings are great to have around because, the venom of the Rattler, which can kill us, has no impact on the King Snake.

So if you have a snake in the pot, you may want to clearly identify before you say "OOPS."

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 255 Group Photo


Here is the the new group photo for 2012. We look forward to seeing all of you on the top of the mountain.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 254 A 2nd Look


Wanted everyone to take a 2nd look at this awesome lake property. Besides the open floor plan and amazing views, members at Malibou Lake enjoy year round water fun with swimming, boating, fishing and more. Here is a great shot from one of the decks.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 253 The Eve and the Day

The Eve: Okay, last night at the Cornell Winery was one of the best New Years celebrations I have ever been at. Tim and his staff treated all 21 of us like royalty. The setting, food, and service was superb. Family and friends rolled on over to the Old Place after dinner to ring in the New Year. For a last minute idea, I give it a 10. For anyone seeking to do a private party just reach out to Djata Grant, the Cornell Wineries event coordinator, she was awesome and I am confident that if any of you plan a perty, you won't be disappointed. Will post a photo of the room tomorrow.

The Day: Up and out by 10 on what many would say was a spectacular day..In fact, while showing a gorgeous view property at noon, the little boy kept asking his parents if he could go inside because it was too hot outside. Other than a splitting headache, (caused by who knows what :)) the day could not have been more beautiful. From 8PM last night to the current post time of 6:18 PM, this New Years Eve and Day will be one of my highlights of 2012. So far, 2012 is lookin good!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!