An Internet Wiz in the Realty Biz

He's got one of the hottest Web sites on the 'Net. His name is Michael Greenwald, and he's a relatively newcomer to the real estate game. He's a Westsider. He has a Master's Degree in Speech Communication from UC Santa Barbara, and he worked in the entertainment business for awhile, as a TV scriptwriter. He penned the final episode of Hawaii 5-0 and reportedly wrote the last "Book him, Danno" of the series.

He moved on to the fitness trade, as owner and operator of the kinds of health clubs that attracted fit people with fat wallets. He owned the Matrix One and Mezzeplex clubs on the Westside, where the likes of O. J. Simpson kept in shape.

"They were really high-end fitness boutiques," said Greenwald. "But then the recession hit and people were out riding their bikes."

The fitness boom was hurt by the recession, so Greenwald decided to jump into something else. He felt he could translate his marketing experience into real estate, and he got into the business just as the housing market took a dive. He survived, and with the help of his mentor, Ron Wynn, a top seller for the Coldwell Banker-Jon Douglas company, he flourished. Greenwald said he's done $27 million in sales this year, sold about 23 properties and expects to do better in 1998. He gets a lot of business from doctors at the UCLA Medical Center and from behind-the-scenes showbiz types, "attorneys, directors, that sort of thing," he said. He was the top seller in the Brentwood office in 1996 and one of the top 100 in the company in California.

Greenwald is fascinated with the new technology.

"I look at the ways of communication as something we want to grasp and hold dear to us. The more you embrace it and learn how you can benefit, the better. It will keep you in the loop."

His Web site at http://www.michaelgreenwald.com/index.html is state of the art for the real estate business. It's lively, attractive, and while it has no massive picture files which take forever to download, it does display enough graphics to pull the surfer in. It opens up with a small photo of Greenwald, and a window with constantly changing pictures of his listings. Each one shows for about two seconds, and is labeled to show its location--Brentwood, Santa Monica, Bel Air. But those are only the teasers. The complete list is only a click away, and each one is neatly displayed on a page, complete with color photos--a pleasant surprise in a world where many Realtors list their properties online with blank windows where photos are supposed to appear.

The home page features a "Contest" button, and you are taken to a page featuring a photo and description of the Hotel Bel Air. Fill out the form and you may have a chance at a two-night stay in the hotel. The form gives Greenwald your name, address, phone number and all the rest, for his marketing list. That's the contest.

Greenwald also publishes a newsletter which he sends out to all visitors to his site. A sample from a recent one reads:

At present, the inventory of homes for sale on the Westside has increased, due to continued low interest rates, as well as the new capital gains tax, which has spurred many 'wait-and-see' sellers to finally enter the market. Consequently, there will probably be an influx of homes on the market that have been owned for many years by sellers who have not necessarily updated these homes much. For speculative builders and buyers comfortable with remodeling a home, this could prove a bonanza.

Go to Greenwald's profile and you're greeted with a picture of Greenwald himself, fully dressed in suit and tie, and immersed up to his waist in a spa. The message is: "Buyers and Sellers are Taking the Plunge, and Saying the Water's Fine!"

Greenwald's home page features graphical links to a number of other resources, including Local Weather, TicketMaster and lender and Realtor information.

Another fascinating feature is "WebSideStory" at http://www.hitbox.com/wc/world.html with links to just about anything you might be interested in. It's a mini-search engine on its own, pointing you to some of the top sites on an encyclopedic storehouse of information.

Greenwald is married with two small children and says the experience has given him insight into the problems and need of families on the Westside. He is especially interested in schools now, and says he will soon be providing detailed information to buyers on neighborhood schools--one of the most important buyer concerns.

Greenwald's crystal ball seems to be a bit cloudy, although he is optimistic.

"Weekly the market is changing," he says. "I'm hoping it won't end up like the '80s where you had 10 percent monthly inflation, because we could fall again. We have incredibly low inventory new, but high demand. People selling their homes now don't want a lease. They want to get back to the market to buy. They think they are close to the bottom. So a lot of people are selling and staying in the same area--moving up like in the '80s when you would sell your home and buy 'up,' and do the same five years later.

"Whereas for the past five years there wasn't even a thought of it, now a lot of speculators have gotten back into the business. Developers are buying high-end fixers to make a profit. They were out for the last five years. Now they're out in droves."

When he is not selling expensive houses, Greenwald said he goes bike riding with his family or traveling. One of his recent trips took him to a Costa Rican rain forest.