Best of the South Bay

Redondo Beach Boardwalk

2011-09-15T14:09:26Z

Redondo beach boardwalk is a pathway for bikers, walkers and joggers alike. A starting point to a trail touring the south bay beaches , that gives visitors a tour of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Dockweilder and even Venice. Located just off of Pacific Coast Highway, one can find an array of things that Redondo beach has to offer, especially during the summer. During the day the hot sad is covered in footprints from families, volleyball players, and friends all enjoying the ocean breeze and sun. At night the beach is calmer, but not completely deserted. There are fewer footprints amongst the sand left over by those from the day, and a few new prints from couples who like to layout and gaze at the twilight sky. If you are on the boardwalk , night runners randomly pass by and the night lights of bikers gleam across the path. As calm as most nights are, nights at the beach can get busy especially during Grunion Run. This is when young adults, older adults, teens and families wait along the shore to see hundreds of grunions spawn up from the sand. Many people even try to catch the Grunions with their bare hands. Definitely an alternative to fishing with a pole. At the end of the board walk, signs read, please “ Please walk you bike beyond this point” marking the entrance to the pier.

Redondo beach pier, is a musical attractions. With popular venues such as the Brixton, the Dive, New Starboard Attitude and Breakwall Surf Bbq that host live bands through the week and the weekend, to music on the pier during the summer. And since 1952 the pier has been serving good food with the opening of Tony’s on the Pier. And since then the pier as expanded to restaurants such as El Torito Four Kitchens, Kincaids Fish, Chop and Steakhouse and Maison Ritz. And if you aren’t interested in the deserts at the restaurant your can walk around the pier and visit some of the many ice cream, frozen yogurt and churro shops. And for those who want some fresh seafood but aren’t in the mood for a restaurant atmosphere, they can always join the fisherman fishing right off of the pier, or choose a crab to take home from on the pier seafood vendors.

http://LosAngelesSouthBay.com

Moving to Rancho Palos Verdes?

2011-07-23T19:20:34Z

Rancho Palos Verdes Real Estate

If you are moving to Rancho Palos Verdes and would like to buy or rent your next new home, you’ll want to know which neighborhood is best for you. Compare schools, restaurants, crime rates and real estate prices online in one simple step. Visit http://LosAngelesSouthBay.com and click Market Insider for more info.

Foreclosure Friday Rancho Palos Verdes

2011-07-09T00:48:17Z

Address	WAS	NOW	Diff
30691 Calle De Suenos	$2,100,000	$2,300,000	$200,000
28208 Ridgepoint	$407,000	$519,000	$112,000
6542 Ocean Crest Drive #B309	$417,000	$339,000	($78,000)
5959 Peacock Ridge Road #4	$150,000	$250,000	$100,000
26453 Basswood Avenue	$957,602	$699,900	($257,702)
28130 Ambergate Drive	$790,000	$730,016	($59,984)
3200 La Rotonda Drive #504	$669,000	$480,000	($189,000)
1712 Byerton Court	$218,000	$360,000	$142,000
5987 Peacock Ridge Road #204	$375,000	$599,950	$224,950
27025 Springcreek Road	$1,225,000	$1,100,000	($125,000)
28722 Lomo Drive	$735,000	$795,000	$60,000
6542 Ocean Crest Drive #B111	$320,000	$275,000	($45,000)
6314 Villa Rosa Drive	$789,000	$758,000	($31,000)
3558 Bendigo Drive	$2,000,000	$1,299,000	($701,000)
5987 Peacock Ridge Road #213	$710,000	$550,000	($160,000)
6307 S Sattes Dr	$1,843,000	$1,099,000	($744,000)
29666 Grandpoint Lane	$1,200,000	$870,000	($330,000)
6941 Grovespring Drive	$1,275,000	$929,900	($345,100)
6425 Via De Anzar	$680,000	$700,000	$20,000
26716 Menominee Place	$877,500	$869,900	($7,600)
29641 South Western Avenue #303	$238,500	$281,200	$42,700
1940 Avenida Feliciano	$633,250	$710,000	$76,750
4206 Stalwart Drive	$529,000	$865,000	$336,000
28525 Vista Madera	$625,000	$393,000	($232,000)
5940 Finecrest Drive	$890,000	$829,900	($60,100)

Is Home Staging Worth it?

2011-06-01T19:21:29Z

Did you know that staged homes typically sell for 1% higher than non-staged homes?

That means if seller spend an average of $1,500 on staging; then on a $900,000 home in Rancho Palos Verdes staging can result in a $7,500 return on investment at closing.

Add that to the fact that staged homes have more appeal to buyers and typically sell faster.

Consider it money in the bank and time well spent.

Shriver & Schwarzenegger Compound For Sale

2011-05-19T16:45:07Z

[idx-listing mlsnumber="11512641" showall="true"]

Katy Perry and Russell Brand List their Los Feliz Home

2011-07-08T01:56:03Z

Via LA Times: Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s Los Feliz home has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and is on the market for $3.395 million. The 1922 property is 4,706 square feet on a .36 acre lot, and it has a Mediterranean sensibility, contemporary interiors, and a romanesque outdoor pool (the LA Times called the home “stately”). Other features include an updated kitchen, stone and tile flooring, and french doors that lead to a veranda.

The super classy realtor photos leave us wondering — where’s any trace of bubblegum popstar Katy Perry or her delightfully deviant husband, actor Russell Brand? The historic home, with absolutely no trace of its current owners, makes us long for the garish gorgeousness of Christina Aguilera’s manse or the cold, sleek unattainability of Jennifer Aniston bachelorette pad. The LA Times reports that Brand’s 25-foot love teepee is still in the yard and Perry’s pink vintage fridge is in the kitchen, but neither come with the house.

[idx-listing mlsnumber="11526675" showall="true"]

Foreclosure Friday 5/13/2011

2011-05-12T22:56:17Z

Address	Last Sold	WAS	NOW	Diff	% Off
6307 Sattes Drive	6/28/2007	$1,843,000	$1,099,000	($744,000)	40%
2126 Palos Verdes Dr	3/14/2003	$838,000	$799,000	($39,000)	5%
2615 Pinale Lane	2/6/2006	$2,000,000	$1,500,000	($500,000)	25%
32 Avenida Corona	1/11/2005	$1,450,000	$1,100,000	($350,000)	24%
3602 West Estates Lane, 205	12/17/2004	$295,000	$214,900	($80,100)	27%
1025 Granvia Altamira	5/31/2007	$1,262,500	$995,000	($267,500)	21%
2568 Colt Road	9/13/2007	$1,400,000	$799,000	($601,000)	43%
3201 Palos Verdes Drive North	10/13/2004	$975,000	$1,050,000	$75,000	-8%
1940 Avenida Feliciano	8/28/1995	$280,000	$710,000	$430,000	-154%
11 Via De La Vista	7/13/2004	$1,111,000	$979,900	($131,100)	12%
6502 Abbottswood Drive	8/17/1994	Not Found	$900,000
28508 Vista Tierra	12/8/1995	$174,000	$405,000	$231,000	-133%
21 South Seaview Drive	7/17/2007	$680,000	$625,000	($55,000)	8%
3601 West Hidden Lane, 204	8/16/2005	$435,000	$275,000	($160,000)	37%
4206 Stalwart Drive	8/31/1990	$529,000	$929,000	$400,000	-76%
5965 Peacock Ridge Road, 204	4/5/2002	$325,000	$375,000	$50,000	-15%
28130 Ambergate Drive	7/14/2003	$790,000	$850,000	$60,000	-8%
5658 Ravenspur Drive, 207a	10/17/2002	$240,000	$268,900	$28,900	-12%
26453 Basswood Avenue	4/10/2003	$639,000	$749,900	$110,900	-17%
49 Headland Drive	4/27/2006	$1,850,000	$1,199,000	($651,000)	35%
1512 Via Lopez	12/3/2003	$2,150,000	$2,100,000	($50,000)	2%

Keller Williams Red Day in the South Bay

2011-05-02T23:14:14Z

Keller Williams Palos Verdes Realty, Red Day

Give Where You Live, May 12^th, 2011

Rolling Hills Estates, April, 26, 2011: On May 12th 2011, thousands of Keller Williams Realty agents across the country, choose to put their businesses on hold, put their “Red” shirts on and focus their time, energies and resources, towards giving back to their local communities – in honor of our 3rd Annual Red Day.

This year, our Keller Williams Palos Verdes Realty office, is facilitating a food drive to benefit two local charities who are very much in need, Harbor Interfaith in San Pedro and House of Miracles in Redondo Beach.

Harbor Interfaith assists 12,000 people annually to get up and get away from poverty and back on the road to self-sufficiency.

House of Miracles is also a non-profit organization that focuses on helping people achieve a sober and successful lifestyle on their road to recovery.

To help, we need donations of non-perishable groceries as well as hygienic products. This includes canned goods, pastas, basic staples like rice and pastas, soups and any other food items that promote a healthy diet. They also need personal hygiene items such as tooth paste, tooth brushes, shampoo and soap. You may find that you already have some of these items in your pantry. Or perhaps, you may be reminded of it on your next trip to the grocery store.

Then, May 12th, you can either drop them off from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm at Ralph’s on Hawthorne Blvd. at Crest Road in Rancho Palos Verdes or Pavilions on Silver Spur Road in Rolling Hills Estates. Or, if you can’t make it to the store that day, you can also call the Keller Williams Palos Verdes Realty office to have an agent pick up the items from your house. Whatever it takes, we are here to help!

Pavilions

7 Peninsula Court

Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

Ralphs

30019 Hawthorne Blvd

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Join us in our 3rd annual Red Day Give Where you Live Event this May 12th. For more details or to have an agent pick up your donation call our office at (310) 544-6100. Thanks again for your support.

- All Keller Williams offices are independently owned and operated. Keller Williams Palos Verdes Realty is one of the top Real Estate offices in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles with over 160 active agents. For more information call (310) 544-6100.

- The mission of Harbor Interfaith Services is to empower the homeless and working poor to achieve self-sufficiency by providing support services, including shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, advocacy, childcare, education and life-skills training. www.harborinterfaith.org.

- House of Miracles in Redondo Beach has a mission to provide a safe and substance free transitional residence in which women can learn and refine new living skills that will enhance lasting recovery through the tenets of the twelve step program. http://houseofmiracles.org

South Bay Home Buyers Rush to Beat Jumbo Loan Changes

2011-04-27T17:48:45Z

More buyers in Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and other high end South Bay neighborhoods may be motivated to purchase a home before an Oct. 1 deadline when the government plans to scale back the size of “jumbo” mortgages it guarantees in costly real estate markets.

On Oct. 1, the maximum loan amount that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to decrease from $729,750 to $625,500. This might make mortgages more expensive or more difficult to get for buyers in high-cost areas, MSNBC.com reports.

For example, after Oct. 1, a borrower who seeks a government-backed mortgage for a $1-million property may have to come up with a $370,000 down payment instead of $270,000, Rob Chrisman, a mortgage banking consultant from San Rafael, Calif., told MSNBC.

Up until 2008, any loan more than $418,000 was considered a jumbo loan, but that later swelled to $625,500 and then was temporarily set at $729,750 (which expires at the end of September).

Once the current jumbo loan limit expires, lenders who want to make loans over $625,500 either will have to hold onto the mortgage themselves or find a private investor to purchase it.

Guy Cecala of Inside Mortgage Finance is confident that private lenders will step in to make up any of the downfall from the GSEs change. He’s already pointing to the signs: In the last quarter of 2010, private lenders originated more loans over $417,000–which is considered the traditional jumbo market–than did government agencies.

Source: “Rules for ‘Jumbo’ Mortgages to Change This Year,” MSNBC.com (April 25, 2011)

Bank Foreclosure Fraud

2011-04-27T23:34:24Z

With all of the Short Sales we do here in Rancho Palos Verdes and surrounding cities, it is amazing to see the levels of fraud within the mortgage systems of banks. Short Sales require having all of your documentation in order and complete. The same is not true on the bank’s side when they foreclose on home owners. This 60 minutes video is a must see for anyone going through the frustrating foreclosure process.

“It was just a matter of cutting corners,” Sheila Bair, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, tells CBS’ Scott Pelley.