Katy Perry Sells Hollywood Compound at a Loss

Katy Perry can mark one New Year’s resolution off her list early.

After months on the market, the acclaimed songstress has sold her compound-estate in the Hollywood Hills. However, much like the sale of Reese Witherspoon’s Ojai retreat, it meant taking a loss on the home to do so.

Perry originally paid $6.5 million for the Spanish-style estate, which features seven bedrooms, nine baths and a whopping 8,835 square feet. She originally aimed to turn a profit on the three-story home after listing it for $6.925 million in April. However, the Los Angeles Times reports the singer took nearly a $1 million loss on the property after selling for $5.565 million.

Overlooking the Sunset Strip on a three-acre parcel in Laurel Canyon, the fortress-like property known as “Park Hill” is said to be a combination of state-of-the-art security and modern convenience.

Outside, extensively landscaped grounds feature an outdoor patio and a lagoon-like pool, while the property swells from mansion to compound status with a pair of separate guest houses and a carriage house with auto storage.

The main home opens to a stone foyer with a handsome staircase, and it has a two-story living room, a pub and a home theater.

Perry followed up her April listing with a fireworks display of multimillion-dollar purchases, including the home of Bruce Springsteen drummer and former Conan O’Brien bandleader Max Weinberg. The total on Perry’s spending spree? A cool $11.2 million.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, the 29-year-old entertainer enjoyed a breakout year in 2007 with the single, “I Kissed a Girl.” The song helped push her debut album, “One of the Boys,” into the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s Top 10. She has since produced two other studio albums, including the 2013 record “Prism,” which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200.

Ernie Carswell and Christopher Pickett of Teles Properties Beverly Hills had the listing. David Coe of Keller Williams represented the buyer.

Household Cleaning Tips: The Tough Problems

From TheFamilyHandyman.com

The right stuff for rust

Use the right rust stain remover

All-purpose cleaners won't remove rust stains from sinks, tubs and toilets, even with a lot of elbow grease. The trick is to use a stain remover like Super Iron Out ($10 for a 5-lb. jug). Look for a rust stain remover or a product that contains diluted hydrochloric acid (also listed on product labels as hydrogen chloride, HCL or muriatic acid). Be careful not to use a product containing bleach—it'll set the stain. For toilets, add Super Iron Out to the water in the bowl, then clean with a stiff nylon-bristled brush. For sinks and tubs, first wet the surface with water. Apply Super Iron Out to a damp sponge (wear rubber gloves and a mask—this stuff is powerful!). Wipe the stain with the sponge until it's gone. Rinse the surface with plain water to completely remove the Super Iron Out.

Centro condominium breaks ground

BY MARTHA BRANNIGAN

MIAMIHERALD.COM

Yet another condominium broke ground in Miami this week, this one with an unusual urban twist: no parking garage.

Miami developer Harvey Hernandez’s Newgard Development Group is developing Centro — a 37-story, 352-unit loft tower at 151 SE 1st Street in downtown Miami — in partnership with The Tilia Family of Companies, also based in Miami.

City promoters point to the project, which is near Metromover, Metrorail and the Miami Trolley, as further evidence of the city’s transformation into a more pedestrian-friendly work-live-play environment.

Plans call for Centro to keep a fleet of Smart Cars onsite in an arrangement with the Car2Go vehicle-sharing program.

The tower is designed by the Miami architecture firm Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership and is being built by Tutor-Perini Building Corp. It will have one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with open floor plans and 10-foot ceilings.

Details about the project on my Facebook Page

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/20/3830114/centro-condominium-breaks-ground.html#storylink=cpy

Florida’s population grows, but not enough to overcome New York

BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY

MIAMIHERALD.COM

A day after the New York Jets handed the Miami Dolphins a season-ending loss on the gridiron, New York beat Florida - again.

On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that New York had narrowly held onto the title of third-most populous state in the nation.

Some demographers had predicted that rapidly growing Florida would overcome New York and slip into the third-place spot this year. But population estimates released Monday put the Empire State ahead of Florida by a mere 98,267 people.

That isn’t to say that Florida won’t eclipse New York soon -- in terms of population, anyway.

The Sunshine State (population 19.6 million) has been growing at 3.75 percent since 2010, according to the latest Census data.

New York grew 1.3 percent over the same time period.

“It’s quite clear that Florida, in terms of overall population, is going to overtake New York,” Ira Sheskin, who chairs the Department of Geography and Regional Studies the University of Miami. “It won’t take much longer.”

Experts say the disparity in growth is the result of domestic migration patterns.

Both states have received a steady stream of immigrants, said Stan Smith, of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.

“But in terms of [domestic] migration, more people leave New York than move into New York,” Smith said.

Florida, meanwhile, has long been a haven for retirees, families and New Yorkers seeking an escape from the cold weather.

One benefit of Florida's current pace of growth could be additional representation in Congress, Smith said.

“The ranking itself doesn’t mean much, other than the likely shift in congressional seats following the 2020 census,” he said.

Population changes gave Florida two additional seats in 2010. New York lost two seats that year.

Monday’s Census Bureau release included only state-level population estimates.

The largest states were California (38.3 million) and Texas (26.5 million), according to the data.

Wyoming claimed the title of least-populous state with just 582,658 people.

Just two states experienced population declines: Maine and West Virginia.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

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  Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/30/3844068/floridas-population-grows-but.html#storylink=cpy