Days on the Market Giants in the South Bay

In a sign of vitality coming back to our market, a few our long-in-the-tooth homes have fetched buyers. See the image below. The General Sherman of the Day Count Giants is 117 Meadows in Manhattan Beach. As of today, 117 Meadows has been standing for 1285 days. The runner up is 722 Esplanade in Redondo Beach at 1201 cumulative days. For all of Southern California reported on our MLS, the absolute grand daddy is 1421 Goodenough Road in Fillmore. Goodenough has a staggering on market day count of 5497. I guess the street name hasn't helped the cause. Anyone else agree that Goodenough is one of the best street names they've come across. Definitely tells a story. 

All these days piling up lead to a simple question, why?

There are really only a hand full of reasons a home sits on the market 

• over priced
• something majorly flawed about the home or direct neighbors
• seller unwilling to negoiate

 At the end of the day, one phrase always rings true— a faily priced home will attract a buyer. 

click image to view the MLS page with property links

New Advertising at Pier to Pier Brokers

South Bay Digs Advertising. February 2012

Appraise This!

Ever wonder what sorts of services an appraiser specializes in? It's not just about valuating home as part of a loan approval.

Pier to Pier Brokers appraisal activities include valuations of: 

• Architectural properties
• Single family homes
• Estate pricing
• Town homes and condos
• Luxury ocean front properties
• 1 to 4 unit residential income properties
• Bank owned properties
• Real estate located in the South Bay of Los Angeles. 

Fans of the TV show 90210, take note

For those who care, 90210 will be filming on February 7th, 6 am to 6 pm at Saint Rocke's at Pacific Coast Highway and Second street. 

1544 7th Street, 1A, Santa Monica California | Official Page

This open floor-plan, loft style condominium is modern and hip, yet super comfortable because of the builder's use of smooth finished walls and ceilings, luxurious bamboo and travertine floors, and crisp designer paint colors throughout. The chef's style kitchen is roomy and features top quality appliances, granite counter tops and breakfast area.

There are large, east facing windows that allow the property to receive loads of natural light. Need privacy? Fully adjustable blackout blinds are ready to drop into place. For storage, the large walk-in closet has built-in drawers and organizers; there's also a hall coat closet to keep the loft space neat and tidy. A quaint, east facing covered balcony is ideal for a morning coffee or just relaxing in the fresh air.

This home is hip and cool and almost a decade newer than most of the condos for sale in Santa Moncia. If Eames, Nelson, Strark, and LC4 are part of your vernacular, 1544 7th Street, unit 1A is the home you've been looking for.  

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3212 ALMA, Manhattan Beach, California | Official Page

Custom-built in 2008, this contemporary townhome is warm, spacious, full of light and most importantly livable. Wonderfully durable 3/4-inch teak hardwood floors runs throughout the main living space, while the bedrooms are covered in quality carpet.

There are two west facing, ocean view balconies, one with a built-in DCS barbecue island. Large, 100% UV-cutting windows offer fantastic ocean views and loads of light. Reeded privacy glass is strategically placed throughout the home, which minimize one's need for window dressing or curtains. The home's 3.5 baths are each unique in style, but contemporary by design mixing porcelain, glass tiles and stone. The large chef's kitchen with walk-in pantry features Viking stainless steel appliances throughout, including the wine fridge.

There's also a private rear patio/yard that gets morning and afternoon sun. To move between the floors, there is a floating steel and teak staircase. For heavy loads, there’s a three-stop hydraulic elevator. In addition to the large two car garage, there are four additional parking spots available on the driveway, that's six parking spaces (eight if you're clever). Technology includes: wired for flat screen TV's in the living room and bedrooms, surround sound speakers and security.

Top of the line throughout, no expense has been spared, no corner cut. Every detail in this like new home is the highest quality available.  

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1124 8th Street, Hermosa Beach, California | Official Page

This is the only new construction, 2011 built project that is currently available in the city of Hermosa Beach, period. It's also the only contemporary single family home listed for under ten million bucks. There is absolutely nothing else like it. If you've been marching towards the cliff's edge of usual Meditercapecodian homes, 1124 8th is going to grab your eye.

Of course everything you'd expect in an A+ built home is here including: hardwood floors; ceramic tiles in the baths, hallways and kitchen; panoramic view roof deck; blue water ocean views from the living room; and a true chef's kitchen with loads of storage, Thermodore and Kitchenaid appliances and a real walk-in pantry.

The kitchen, living room, dining room, fireplace area and balcony share space within the large second floor open floor plan design. Build materials include: architectural wall panels, Brazilian hardwood floors, Caesarstone andSilestone countertops, mahogany door frames, cherry wood cabinets, and a central vacuum system. The ocean view roof deck is designed to support a hot-tub and is gas and 220-volt ready. Considered by many to be one of the best locations in Hermosa Hills, 8th Street above Prospect is super kid friendly, low traffic and central to all southbay destinations.

For the money, 1124 8th Street is the best value in the South Bay for top quality, new construction. If you like a modern vibe that's built around an open floorplan, you'll love this home. If you're going to leave near the beach, the home's ocean view roof deck is a must have feature.

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Buying a home? You need to check-out your insurance options ASAP!

Jeff Snyder

Talking from experience, getting home owners insurance in place is almost an afterthought for most of today's buyers. 90% of the time—no problem. A couple of phone calls, a little magic behind the curtain and you've got an insurance policy in place. Here's the big warning—most banks won't let you close escrow without seeing a copy of the actual policy.

Under most circumstances, insurance issues aren't investigated, coverage is simply ordered, and as we said, this normally happens a day before closing your escrow. But, What if your new home has some sort of insurability issue? You've already removed your purchase contingencies and if you cancel the purchase, you're running the risk of losing your good faith deposit. Here in the South Bay, the Good Faith deposit is customarily 3% of the purchase price—a big hunk of change, that's for sure.

The goal of today's journal entry serves to remind that insurance is a priority and that you need to investigate your insurance options during contingency period, which is usually 17 days or less from the acceptance of your offer.

We are partnered with the insurance team of Jeff and Cynthia Snyder. If you need insurance help, these are the folks for you. 

1417 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, 90266 | 310-546-7803

Lic. #OE41584 

What Motivates Home Buyers and Sellers

What motivates home buyers and sellers, the five D’s One of the most exciting aspects behind the business of real estate is never knowing what the next day will bring. The five “D’s” and how they influence one’s needs are very individual. But, to some degree, the five “D’s are with each of us every day of our lives. Internal and external events are constantly changing our view of real estate. More importantly, accelerating and decelerating our needs on a virtual minute-by-minute life clock. The five D’s are:

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A Better Home Thermostat | NEST.com

NEST, the home thermostat that doesn't totally suck! If you're like me, when it comes to your home's thermostat, you hate it, haven't read the manual and find yourself adjusting the temperature settings throughout the day—but you're either too hot or too cold. Today, a Palo Alto start-up named Nest has announced their introduction of a self-learning, self-programming thermostat.

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