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June 2014

What’s For Sale in Ladera Linda?

By | June 30th, 2014|Buyer Tip, Favorite Photos - Palos Verdes, Front Page, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes|

The Ladera Linda neighborhood in Rancho Palos Verdes is nestled in the hills overlooking Trump National Golf Course with the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island in the background.  In my opinion, it is one of the best neighborhoods on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to purchase a big ocean view property at a still attractive price.  Prices are edging upward with very few homes with price tags below a million dollars, especially if the home is remodeled and on the view side of the street. There is a reason the Palos Verdes Drive South area is becoming the resort side of [...]

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June Gloom Is Still Beautiful

By | June 28th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Inspiration, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is often enveloped in a coat of coastal fog during the morning hours in June.  The fog often hangs around until noon or so then is banished by the sunshine.  Some people are happy to see June replaced by sunnier Jul,y but I enjoy the coastal clouds even when they are close enough to the ground to be considered fog. Photos taken on a gray day, especially of the ocean, reflect the weather condition of the day, often in an unexpected way.  I snapped this photo while walking along the ocean's edge in Rancho Palos Verdes. [...]

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Sometimes We Miss the Memo

By | June 28th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

The Rancho Palos Verdes beach below Trump National Golf Course was designated a dog-free beach after a major brouhaha between residents who wanted to allow dogs and those who wished to make it a dog-free beach.  Each group made valid points. I remained a neutral dog owner, but I must admit multiple dogs running free reduced my desire to take my grandchildren to the beach for our beloved strolls and sea glass hunts.  I scheduled my own walks to avoid weekend morning when the beach looked more like an over-populated dog park than a pristine beach. Recently, I was there with my two year old granddaughter, [...]

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Yes, We Have Beaches in Palos Verdes

By | June 27th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Buyer Tip, Front Page, Inspiration, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

Palos Verdes is not famous for its beaches.  After all, the Beach Cities of the South Bay of Los Angeles are right next door.  They have miles of sand and we really can't compete with them in the beach department. We do have a few beaches in Palos Verdes along with miles and miles of some of the most stunning bluffs and coves you will find in Southern California. If your enjoy the coastal lifestyle, but not necessarily life at the beach, Palos Verdes may be the perfect place to begin your quest to find a coastal home close to the water, but a world away from [...]

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What’s For Sale in Portuguese Bend Club–Rancho Palos Verdes

By | June 27th, 2014|Front Page, Lifestyle in Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Drive South, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Palos Verdes View Homes, Rancho Palos Verdes|

"Not much."  This was my reply to a recent inquiry regarding what is currently for sale in the Portuguese Bend Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.  The enclave of beachfront and bluff top homes is located in a gated community off Palos Verdes Drive South.  This unique slice of coastal living offers a lifestyle far different from most communities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  The beach is private for starters, palapa shaded tables are abundant and there's even a playground for the kids.  One of my most memorable birthdays was an impromptu celebration at the beach with my daughter when I [...]

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To Stage, Or Not To Stage? That Is the Question.

By | June 26th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Seller Tip|

We are visual creatures and I'll be the first to admit I love to show a home that is perfectly staged.  Consumers get the benefit of seeing the functionality of the living space utilized to its highest and best use.  No imagination required. I recently explained the concept of staging to a seller whose last home purchase was over 20 years ago.  He bought the vacant home "without a stick of furniture in it" and was appalled at the cost of staging his now vacant property.  He saw it as a newfangled way to extract more money from a seller. [...]

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Did Zillow Price My House Right?

By | June 25th, 2014|An Agent's Life, Front Page, Los Angeles Luxury Homes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Seller Tip|

A growing number of sellers are relying on Zillow's Zestimates to establish the value of their property.  At a recent listing presentation the seller proudly quoted the Zestimate number.  I'm sure my eyebrows shot up, even though I attempted to dig deep into my Swiss ethnicity and remain neutral.  After all,  there was a  huge difference between what my local knowledge of the neighborhood and recent comparable sales showed and Zillow's number. I don't know Zillow's formula for determining value, but in this particular case I went online to see how in the world they arrived at their value.  This [...]

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Builders and Investors Move In – Redondo Beach Heats Up

By | June 21st, 2014|Beach Cities, Front Page, Income Property, Redondo Beach|

"Is Redondo Beach next?"  This question has been popping up from our income unit investors and builder clients for the last couple years.   The answer, based on the competition we are running into when making offers on property, is a resounding "Yes." Historical and forward looking Beach Cities average property values (2009-2014 actual, 2015 projections - Zillow) The Manhattan Beach Money Spills Over In the last 15 years, Manhattan Beach went from a sleepy beach cottage town to a booming, hip city of multi-million dollar ocean view properties.   Fueled originally by the run up in values through 2007, it continued the price [...]

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Tenant Estoppels and Profit & Loss Statements – Income Property

By | June 19th, 2014|Beach Cities, Front Page, Income Property, Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Torrance|

One of our investment clients recently asked us about some of the income property forms involved in selling their seven unit complex. While this client does have a manager on-site, he was still concerned about the procedures, paperwork, and expectations for these forms. Tenant Estoppel Certificate: This form verifies that the tenant/landlord/manager/new buyer all agree on the stated monthly rent, security deposit, lease dates (if any) and ownership of any appliances. Typically the tenant is provided a copy once the property is going into escrow and then it is signed by all other parties. In addition to the estoppels, landlords [...]

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Palos Verdes and South Bay – Housing Market Graphs

By | June 14th, 2014|Beach Cities, Front Page, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes|

Is the hot housing market cooling off in Palos Verdes and the South Bay of Los Angeles?  These snapshots that measure the pulse of the local housing market indicate all three markets we measure are drifting away from the white-hot housing market that favored sellers throughout 2013.  For the first time in months the Palos Verdes marker is hovering near 2,  and the South Bay market has moved off its solid 1.  The Beach Cities cool-off is less pronounced but is detectable. What does this mean for housing market participants?  Buyers will have more choices as inventory increases and sellers [...]

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