Westlake Village Real Estate Blog

Perhaps the most qualified tennis pro in the area, Nico Riego de Dios is head pro at Pacific Tennis Club in Westlake Village. In charge of both the junior and adult programs, De Dios also coaches several top-ranked area young players, including Kareena Manji, Jack Sanford, Hank Workman and Isaiah Volk.

De Dios’s tennis career began when he was four, serving as a ball boy for his father in Olongapo City. Both his parents play tennis and instilled in him great technique and a passion for the sport. He played throughout his high school years there and competed in pro circuits.

A world-class player, de Dios has represented the Philippines in numerous tournaments in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Brunei, Vietnam and South Korea. He also manned the No. 1 position for Eastern Washington University, a well-known Division I school.

De Dios is also working to become a physical therapist, completing several PT internships. He can be reached at 805.444.2183.

Since SNÖ arrived in North America in 2009, it has been featured in VIE magazine as a top gift pick by The Film Festival and NBC and has sponsored the Miss Universe 2010. SNÖ of Sweden, a leading jewelery maker, recently won the beautiful business award, as well as 2010’s exporter of the year award. With representation in over 1,600 retailer locations, Kingo Couture has finally brought this coveted jewelery line to North America.

SNÖ of Sweden originated in northern Sweden. Founder Lena Jonsson Näslund designs the simply made Scandinavian-style jewelery. Nature’s own materials and colors are woven into a design with a stylish touch. SNÖ of Swedens works almost exclusively with semi-precious stones such as onyx, rose quartz, cherry quartz, jade, clear rock crystal, smoked crystals and cultivated freshwater pearls. The materials are linked by chains of coated silver and titanium plated copper and/or iron base which is nontarnished. All jewelry is nickle tested.

SNÖ of Sweden releases four new collections per year, which makes each collection highly desirable since it’s only available for a few months. Check out some of their handiwork at www.kingo.ca.

Soon, Westlake Village will have a venue at well. Wood Ranch resident Anette Manninen represents the line. If you are interested in purchasing a piece or selling it in your store, contact here at anette@kingo.ca.

Gentlemen, it’s February and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. What to do? Remember the old adage, Diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Or, in the current economy, let’s say, Jewelry is a girl’s best friend. So here’s an idea for you: Stella & Dot.

Enter Jessica Dreyfus, Stella & Dot stylist in Thousand Oaks. Stella & Dot is sold primarily through in-home parties – groups of friends enjoying a glass of wine, munchies and, of course, jewelry.  You can also purtchase it directly from Dreyfus (see contact info below). According to Dreyfus, more than half the line sells for less than $50 – a great price point for the quality. For the little Valentine princess in your life, a little girls’ line debuted last year.

Says Dreyfus, “I love the versatility of Stella & Dot.  I can find one piece that works at the park with my son, out with the girls, and at a spring wedding .”

So, gentlemen, perhaps you can get by this Valentine’s Day with only one purchase for less than $50! Contact Jessica Dreyfus (310.351.9652) to make your selection!

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He walked a thousand miles on patrol, toting his pack on his back through terrain that can only be described as desolate. He is Stateside now, but not at home in the Conejo Valley. Rather, he is at a naval hospital undergoing treatment and observation for back injuries. He considers himself fortunate: he can stand upright.

This is just one of the thousands of stories emanating from Afghanistan and Iraq. Project Holiday Stockings, now in its eighth season, seeks to provide a bit of cheer at this time of year to our troops enduring brutal conditions, injuries, and death on our behalf.

The stockings are filled with items requested by our troops. The Project is a nonprofit organization, with  no salaries or expenses. Everyone involved donates their time and associated expenses.  To date the Project has shipped over 27,000 stockings to our troops. 

To show your support, fill a holiday stocking not longer than 20 inches from top to heel with some of the items listed on the Project’s website. Be sure to include your personal holiday greeting and/or e-mail address, as well as a check for $10.70 to cover shipping for your stocking. Make checks payable to Denise Snavely.

All monies are deposited into a special account set up by the Westlake office of Merrill Lynch.  The checks drawn on that account are made payable to the United States Post Master of Thousand Oaks.     

You can deliver your stocking to one of the local collection points listed on the website. The deadline is December 13.

This year Project Holiday Stockings is dedicated to U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Jordan “A.J.” Castro, who graduated from Westlake High School in 2008; he was killed August 28 in a land mine explosion in Afghanistan.

The photos above are courtesy of a serviceman from the Conejo Valley. His mother, who live in Westlake Village, asked that I not share his name.

32070 Canterhill Pl., Westlake Village, is one of the most beautiful homes to ever come on the market in Westlake Village! On a recent broker tour, the listing agent commented that the owners spent a million dollars on remodeling it in 2003, and it shows. No stone appears unturned in this Oscar Schuster-built traditional. All baths and the kitchen have been stuningingly remodeled with gorgeous materials. Among its many features: wood floors and wrought iron staircase. The home is over 5,000 square feet on a lot of more than 35,000 square feet, and offers a pool, spa, barbeque, patio, lawn and a dramatic mountain view. Listed at $2,195,000 by Stacy Richardson, Dilbeck Realtors.

5838 Cape Horn Dr., Agoura Hills, on the Lake Lindero Golf Course offers serene grassy views. It has 4 bedrooms and a remodeled kitchen, as well as recently installed A/C, central heating, newer carpet and paint, newer lighting, roof and roller garage door. On a recent broker caravan, bouquets of fresh flowers greeted visitors, creating a welcoming atmosphere in this light and bright home. A nice buy at $494,000. Listed by Jennifer Auten-Ramsyer, Prudential California Realty.

For more details, go to Property Search/Listingbook,.

It’s a happening weekly event in Westlake Village. And no wonder! At $22.96 per two people, it’s a great deal. From 6:00 until 8:00 pm on Thursday nights, Bristol Farms in the Westlake Village Promenade offers several wines, each paired with a mini course of the chef’s specialties – and it’s sit-down style (no more balancing a glass of wine with a plate of food and trying to eat and drink at the same time)!

This month’s featured wines are from the Piedmont region of Italy. Last evening a merry group of eight ladies eschewed tennis, families and a teen-ager’s driving lesson for this delicious activity. The chef even prepared a special meal for one of us who was pork-shy.

At the end of the meal – no surprises here – all the featured wines are offered for sale at special pricing.

So for a wallet-friendly evening, grab a friend and head to Bristol Farms on any Thursday at 6 pm, where you can eat, drink, be merry, and buy your groceries too.