Drew Donovan: Con Man of Beverly Hills, LA

He’s back: Drew Christian Donovan AKA Christian Andrews AKA Jimmy Wayne Jackson

REAL ESTATE NEWS — The Con Man Comes Again #drewdonovan

The next time a wealthy, charismatic gentleman offers to pay your bills, gift you a car or house, alarm bells in your head should ring loud and clear. Drew Donovan is out of jail, and back on the prowl in West Los Angeles. His latest victims are surveying the damage — substantial losses upwards of $50,000 or more. A full-time career criminal with conspiring accomplices, the convicted felon has spent his life bilking hundreds of individuals and businesses out of millions of dollars. With a cheerful smile and earnest demeanor, the slick professional employs his well-honed skills to separate unsuspecting marks from their money and credit cards to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars per sucker. #conman #fraudster | Blog Video

Some of Donovan’s most recent pawns have included seniors with disabilities, women with young children and sophisticated elderly ladies, taken by the charlatan’s convincing charm and highly polished skills of deception. In most cases, the swindler presents himself as a helpful wealthy benefactor, handing out generous fake checks that bounce, offering to pay bills using phony phone payments, and endowing his targets with simulated “gifts” that end up as big fat goose eggs, returned unpaid weeks later. To lend an air of legitimacy, the skilled scammer sometimes uses the aura of real estate and financial trappings, such as oblivious bankers and unaware agents, as tools for his fraud set-up. Now over 50, the creep is still spending his ill-gotten gains on his depraved lifestyle of sex and drugs.

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Donovan, sometimes spelled Donavon, is currently on the loose again, and has recently been swindling innocents in the past few weeks, around West L.A. Brentwood and Beverly Hills area. The public is asked to report any sightings of the criminal to the police and also to the L.A. Loft Blog at news@laloftblog.com


Homeless To Move Into Luxury Hotels

Apparently, the $3 billion per year spent on less-than-effective homeless programs by the City of Los Angeles is just a start. Now that we have corona-panic, it’s time to go totally A-Luxe and put homeless into super luxury hotels, according to a report by ABC News. The city will pick up the tab for hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps closer to a billion dollars (what a steal!) to give the homeless the fine services that they deserve. Meanwhile, tent cities, pop-up junkyards and derelict motorhome parks continue to sprawl across Los Angeles sidewalks and streets.

Project Roomkey is a collaborative effort by the State, County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to secure hotel and motel rooms for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. It provides a way for people who don’t have a home to stay inside to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

LAHSA apparently did not get the memo from doctors who now say that corona is flu, and spreads more indoors. It’s not clear how much additional funds will be spent to treat the staff and guests who come into contact with more viruses. Not surprisingly, some hotels have been reluctant to participate in Project Roomkey. While it might be just the thing for some travel hotels that are empty, luxury hotels are unlikely to take part in a corona-related program that will chase away profitable fat-cat guests. The city council just voted to smear the names of hotels who refuse to take part in the program. Now the council is considering possibly taking over the hotels by force. Of course, homeless are exempt from many laws in L.A. It’s also not clear on whether homeless will be eager to follow rules, such as no guests and no leaving the room except for essential services. No word on whether the program includes room service. #homeless #luxury #hotel


Reader Questions

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Help find Andrew Donovan a new home. Report fraud to police and news@laloftblog.com

Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE 01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 213-880-9910 or visit LAcondoInfo.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

SOLD Lofts and Condos Real Estate Downtown Los Angeles: Getting More By Negotiation

Comprehensive negotiation required for home sales during coronavirus Force Majeure

With L.A. real estate rocked by pandemic, economic crash and non-performance due to coronavirus Force Majeure, only 78 out of 217 listed properties sold successfully in the last two months in Downtown Los Angeles and the surrounding loft neighborhoods MLS areas 23, 42 and 1375. In the today’s market besieged by panic and collapse, unique selling strategies and marketing tactics are required in order for home sellers to achieve a fast, smooth home sale for the highest selling price. Here are some of the most successful home selling criteria for the covid-affected housing market: | Blog Video

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  • Track record of high sale amount to asking price
  • Faster sale time to outpace falling market
  • Guaranteed Sale Program on terms of seller
  • Large database of buyers looking for an urban home with character
  • Advanced negotiation methods

Get What You Want in Real Estate Through Negotiation

In times of difficulty and uncertainty, negotiation is one of the key tactics that prevent escrow from falling out, and allow for a smooth, successful home sale. Based on lessons from Stuart Diamond’s Best Selling book “Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life,” here are some of the elements of negotiations credited for saving the deal on a current loft condo transaction. Use these tactics for getting more:

Start by being optimistic. With an intention to make your home sale successful. Start with a principle that you can get more. No matter who you are. No matter what your personality. You can be an excellent negotiator. You can get more. Make human contact. Talk in person when possible, otherwise by video conference or voice phone. Negotiation is at the heart of human interaction. Every time people interact, there is negotiation going on verbally or non-verbally, consciously or unconsciously. Negotiation occurs constantly, while driving, talking to family, doing errands, you can’t get away from it. You could only make a choice to do it well, or do it poorly. Have a goal in mind. Know what you want at the end of the negotiation, that you don’t have at the beginning. Get to know the perception sensibilities needs and personality of the other party. Find out who they respect and who can help you. How do they form relationships? Put yourself into their shoes. Don’t use raw power or brute leverage, or you will receive retaliation. To be most effective and persuasive, you must get the other party to want to do things. Make emotional payments by using empathy. Apologize when necessary, offer them things. Every negotiation is different. Whenever you encounter animosity, or if you have a hard time negotiating, your response should be to say “Tell me more,” so that you can learn what they are thinking, feeling and wanting. That will better persuade them. Incremental persuasion works best. People often fail because they ask too much all at once. They take the steps that are too big. They take a bridge too far. That scares people and makes the negotiations more risky. Take small steps, lead people from the pictures in their heads to your goals. Lead them from the familiar to the unfamiliar at one step at a time. When there is little trust, it is even more important to be incremental. Take small steps, and test after each step by asking if they are on board. Following you if they agree. If it makes sense for them. If it works for them, you can narrow the gap incrementally.

Trade things you value unequally. For instance, one person wants a condo while the other wants to get rid of the condo. All people value things unequally. Some want money, while others want convenience and time-savings. First, find out what they care about and don’t care about. Big and small things: important and seemingly unimportant in the deal and outside the deal, both rational and emotional. Then, trade off items that one party values, but the other party doesn’t. Find their standards. What are their policies? How do they make decisions? Call them out when they are not consistent with their policies, especially when dealing with hard bargainers Be transparent and constructive. Do not be manipulative. Do not deceive people. They will find out. And your long-term results will be poor. Be yourself. Do not try to be tougher or nicer than something that you naturally are, because people can detect fakers. Being real is credible, and credibility is the biggest asset when negotiating.

If you’re in a bad mood, too aggressive or you don’t know something, then say so. It will help alleviate problematic issues. Your approach and attitude are critical. There’s no need to be too soft, and no need to disclose everything up front. Just be honest and real. Always communicate: When there is an obstacle or disagreement, state the obvious, frame the division. Most failed negotiations are caused by bad communication or none at all. Don’t walk away from a negotiation unless all parties agree to take a break or unless you want to end the negotiation. Not communicating means not getting information. Threatening or blaming the other party just results in their responding in kind. The best negotiators state the obvious. If you’re not getting along, then say “we don’t seem to be getting along”. Give them a vision of where you want them to go. Find the real problem, then make it an opportunity to find or fix the real underlying problem in the negotiation. Ask “what is really preventing me from meeting my goals?” Probe until you find the real problem. Get into their shoes. Turn problems into opportunities. Embrace differences. Most people think that different is worse, risky or annoying. Uncomfortable, but different is actually much better as it leads to a more profitable and more creative opportunity by allowing more ideas, more options, better negotiations and better results. Asking more questions about differences will produce more trust and better agreements. Make a list of negotiation tools. Again, start by putting a picture in their head and taking small steps to get to your goals.

In a recent loft transaction, the buyer and seller had to overcome many issues that would commonly be seen as unsurmountable and impossible. Through careful analysis of the problems, goal-oriented negotiation created a path to a successful outcome.

Find out what your neighbor’s loft sold for. Get a free list of recently sold homes with prices, along with a list of homes currently for sale. Fill out the online form:

LOFT & CONDO LISTINGS DOWNTOWN LA [MAP]

  Lofts For Sale     Map Homes For Sale Los Angeles

SEARCH LOFTS FOR SALE Affordable | PopularLuxury
Browse by   Building   |   Neighborhood   |   Size   |   Bedrooms   |   Pets   |   Parking

Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE 01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 213-880-9910 or visit LAcondoInfo.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

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