Charles Crable

During 1986, Green Light Real Estate was established in Los Angeles by independent real estate broker, Charles J. Crable, IV. Having worked with a small group of licensed agents and later growing, the early nineties proved to be similar to the current economic climate. The interest rates were higher but home prices were depressed where the Department of Housing and Urban Development seemingly couldn’t give houses away. But in areas like Palmdale, Lancaster, and various locations of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley using the additional moniker of HUD ONLY real estate, we sold more than 400 homes for the federal government during the mid to late nineties and even more through non-HUD channels. We represented clients from South Orange County to Bakersfield, Oxnard, and Ventura and everywhere in between throughout Southern California.

A relationship with Housing and Urban Development included my serving as the chairman of an ad hoc committee formed to support the department and save the HUD/REO program from those in our government who were trying to divest HUD of all its inventory in favor of private enterprise. We had over 200 committee members. With coordinated efforts from other groups across the country, including the National Association of Realtors, we prevailed.

The period was also highlighted by a fabulous HUD sponsored “Home Buyers Fair” where thousands of homes were introduced in an atmosphere of festivity and excitement. I will remember those days fondly with tens of thousands attending and meeting clients-to-be at our booth and later working one on one, putting them in their first homes.

During that period there were the HUD auctions, then the “brown bag VA auctions,” nicknamed because they accepted bids in provided brown paper sacks, but if you didn’t win, the client’s package was simply discarded. I preferred working with HUD and then came the on line bidding which was a huge success as it is to this day.

Originally from Ohio, I have lived in Los Angeles for most of my adult life and have a family of six, including the sweetest little granddaughter who calls me DeeDaa, a name my son used first as a toddler to distinguish between his father and grandfather i.e., Daddy and deedaa. My oldest daughter is working on her PhD. in psychology, while my other daughter and son are still pursuing undergraduate work.

A graduate of USC and having completed some graduate work, with a background in insurance, loans, and precious metals, I am a booster of education in general and higher education in particular. I am also a published author and have spoken all across the country on issues relative to helping families both in real estate and keeping, primarily young men, out of harms way.

I have spoken for NASA’s Pre-service Teacher’s Institute using real estate, history, and self-improvement skills as a viable medium to that end. I own a farm in the Northeast and scout properties whenever there and other areas when traveling.

One of my topics dealing with real estate is the opportunity for urban families to move into rural type/farmland areas both to benefit from great real estate opportunities but also to expose their children to a more wholesome way of life far away from the nefarious influences of big cities. In fact, I am developing a real estate advertising program for those who can leave cities and justify living a different lifestyle.

In my spare time,  I continue writing and trying to figure this stuff out while spending as much free time as possible at my farm.