Welcome to the latest edition of Around Brentwood.  This week we’ll look at a number of stories that made news over the past few days in and around the 90049 zip code including a recent spike in crime and a certain Super Bowl runner-up quarterback who will have plenty of time to get to know his new super mansion.

Property Crimes Up

The current edition of the Brentwood News features a front page story on increased crime in Brentwood.  While Brentwood certainly remains one of the safest communities in Los Angeles County, we are not immune to the issues which face any urban environment. Residential burglaries are the most common crime in Brentwood according to Officer Philip Enbody of the LAPD.  In fact, burglaries were up 133% in 2011 compared to the year before.

Officer Enbody reminds residents to always turn on your alarms when leaving – even for a short period.  Other tips include keeping all doors and windows locked, form a neighborhood watch group, get a dog, and keep drapes and window treatments closed.

Farmshop Artisan Market Opens

After months of anticipation, the Farmshop Artisan Market recently opened at the Brentwood Country Mart and features an enormous selection of high quality cheese and charcuterie offerings, as well as beer, wine, and prepared foods.

Located within the same space that houses Farmshop’s restaurant and bakery, the new market is open daily from 7:00am to 7:00pm.  I haven’t yet tried the restaurant’s highly acclaimed fried chicken – which is only available on Sundays – but you can bet I will.

No Super Bowl ring for Brady, will a 22,000 square foot home do?

Now that the season is over for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, he’ll have plenty of spare time to get to know his brand new 22,000+ square foot mega-mansion.  Various news (and gossip) outlets have reported over the last couple of weeks that the star quarterback and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen have finally moved in to the 8-bedroom home in Brentwood Country Estates – the gated community whose previous most famous residents were the Schwarzeneggers.

Will Rogers Neighbors Growing Tired of Visitors Parking Outside of the Park

Just to the west of us, our neighbors in the Will Rogers Park community of Pacific Palisades are growing more and more frustrated with park goers using the neighborhood as a parking lot.  A recent article in the Palisadian-Post highlighted the growing tension between residents, park goers, and the Parks Department.  While I sympathize with the homeowners, $12 for parking is highway robbery and I can’t blame anyone who chooses to park along Will Rogers Rd and walk to the park – especially since I do it myself. I’d be happy to use the park’s lot if it was a more reasonable amount.

Brentwood Real Estate Roundup

All signs are pointing to a brisk real estate market in 2012.  Money is still cheap, the economy is showing signs of recovery, and prices have held pretty steady over the past two years.  Locally, most of my colleagues have agreed that this was one of the most active Januarys we’ve seen in years.

In Brentwood alone, we’ve seen a spike of activity over the past two weeks.  7 single family homes have closed escrow and another 13 have opened escrow, while 23 new listings have hit the market.  Shifting to condos, although there were no closings over the last two weeks, eight units have opened escrow while another eight new listings have hit the market.

A lot going on in and around Brentwood, so if you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my blog for the latest and greatest news in our community.  And if you have an event or an announcement you’d like to share, please feel free to drop me a line and I will include it in the next update.