I am here to provide you with first rate service for all your South Bay (Hermosa Beach, Long Beach and Huntington Beach) real estate needs.  I specialize in the South Bay Cities and beach communities! Welcome to an incredible lifestyle!!-Specializing in South Bay Real Estate and Shoreline Homes. Looking for a property in Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and other South Bay cities? Contact me today, I live and work in the area so I can help you find the home of your dreams! View website http://www.colleenhartley.com/ 10/10/2007

I consider myself a relative newbie with regard to posting here on AR.  During the time I've been getting acquainted with protocol, I've noticed polar opposite opinions on announcing listings in blog posts, whether it is the proper forum, etc.Since there seems to be a bit of controversy and no set rule as to whether this is acceptable or not, I'm going to take my chances, but before I continue, please allow me to say that if the practice is indeed frowned upon, my apologies to any I've offended.  That said, considering I've flagged certain posts that were blatant cases of plagiarism and the staff at AR have chosen not to respond to any of my FOUR notifications, I don't think this post should be considered too far out of the realm of "acceptable behavior."  Sounds like the beginning of a... 09/12/2007

I recently walked the length of the Stand in Hermosa.  It left me feeling rather wistful, even a little sad.  While you'd never know it looking at me now, I've finished the L.A. Marathon three times.I can't begin to put a number of how many times I've run up and down that stretch of beach while training.  Of course, those days are well in the archives now, over a decade ago.  Which is probably why my stroll took me by such great surprise.  Back then, one of the things I'd do to take my mind off the physical challenge I was putting my body through was to look at each home as I ran by.  After about 10 years of training, I knew every facade, every unique external feature of the homes, old and new.As a real estate agent, one who works with developers, and understands the concept of "functio... 09/07/2007

Well, I'm happy to see we now have Mr. Michael Boito amongst our ranks as a Hermosa Beach local.Not only is Mike a great guy and a creative, aggressive lender, he's a former client of mine.  I listed and sold his condo out in Studio City, and helped Mike and his beautiful wife Jen find the town house in which they now reside, about 2 blocks from the water in Hermosa.In today's mortgage market, where low FICO scores and minimal down payments are often deal killers, call Mike.  If anyone can get a tough loan done in today's market, Mike's your man!  09/07/2007

Okay, it's no secret.  We're all trying to separate ourselves from the pack in the local market.  After all, everyone knows someone who knows a Realtor® And, while my work ethic of "I'm only as good as my last transaction" always keeps "I'm here to look after my client's best interests, provide them with the best service available" at the forefront my mind is great; it helps me to show my clients I care, and, more often than not, I eventually get a referral...Operative word: "eventually."Yes, word of mouth is the best advertising you can ask for because A) It's from a neutral third party, and B), with the exception you put into the client's transaction to ensure it went flawlessly, it's free!Which is why it can, at times, be hard to come by.Before I go any further, allow me to say there... 09/06/2007

Imagine yourself as the listing agent for a property that's in the name of a trust.  The two trustees, while brothers who love each other dearly, of course, have differing views.To make it even more interesting, my principle client, one of the trustees, is a retired attorney.We weren't planning to stage the property initially.  Then, with the help of my Staging Queen, the brothers were convinced it was a good idea.Now, the latest is "well, we'll stage it after the first 30 days, it may not be necessary."  I immediately told my primary contact about one of the horror shows currently going on within my office: a beautiful home that's been on the market for 150 days, originally listed for $2,285,000.  It's now been reduced to $1,685,000, and the updated description is "soon to be staged...... 09/05/2007

Summer is winding down, Labor Day and back to school ads abound.  Time to update the Hermosa Beach Market for August, 2007.  Like July, August proved to be an "up" month for Hermosa.  But when comparing 2006 to 2007, unlike July, only prices, or, as some would label it, VALUE is up.  Speaking in terms of closed units when compared to 2006, August is down by a full fifty percent.  This report was compiled at 0400 (PDT) on August 31, and the results are as follows.  As always, please allow me to be clear, these stats are based on Status dates, not List dates.Averages for August (8/01/07-8/31/07), 2007:Average Price: $2,099,000 with a low of $920,000 and a high of $4,290,000Cost Per Sq Ft: $1,086.88Days on Market: 46Total closed units (SFR Only) SevenBy comparison, there were fourteen clos... 08/30/2007

Hello All, I want to write and introduce myself. My name is Michael Boito. I am the owner of Apex Lending Group, Inc. We are located in beautiful Hermosa Beach, CA. I consider myself lucky to work and be a resident here. I have a beautiful wife named Jenifer who helps with processing loans and my father is Dino Boito. He is the broker of record and licensed since 1968; a wealth of knowledge for sure. Obviously, family is very important to me and I carry that into my work. As many of you have heard our industry is going through some serious changes. Although lending is more difficult than it was 2 or 3 years ago, I sincerely believe after this "shake down" of lenders and brokers, we will be stronger as an industry.  If you are a potential customer reading this, know that there is still 1... 08/23/2007

One of the truly great things about selling real estate in the South Bay is the real belief that there is almost no place better to live.  In many of the South Bay cities there is a sense of community that you just don't get in other parts of Los Angeles.  There is simply no place like it.  As a long time resident of Hermosa Beach, it never ceases to amaze the small town feel we have here.  A short walk or bike ride down the Strand proves it.  People love living here and it shows, and because of this everyone has something in common.  Many of my neighbors have lived here for 30 years or longer and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  The combination of friendly neighbors, love of the ocean, beach culture, and relatively small size make it pretty idyllic.  Let's hope that the rapid rise... 08/11/2007

July proved to be an "up" month for Hermosa, speaking in terms of value and closed units compared to 2006.  With nine closed sales of single family homes, status dates July 1 through July 31.  Let me be clear, these stats are based on Status dates, not List dates.Averages for July, 2007:Average Price: $1,290,611 with a low of $725,000 and a high of $1,950,000Cost Per Sq Ft: $789.29Days on Market: 77By comparison, there were only seven closed sales during the same time frame in 2006.  The averages for July '06 are as follows:Average Price: $1,213,143 with a low of $755,000 and a high of $1,700,000.Cost Per Sq Ft:  $720.57Days on Market: 24Obviously the difference is the inventory is taking longer to sell.  But, as I've been telling my clients, local property values should not be lumped i... 08/11/2007

It's no secret, the market is not moving at the breakneck pace it has been for the past several years.  The days of writing offers on the hood of my car are (for now) a fond memory.Can you imagine a first time buyer, or any buyer for that matter, having the eight page purchase agreement, and all the disclosures that go along with it, handed to them with their agent standing there saying "You have to sign here, here, initial there, there, and there... you missed one..." five minutes after showing a property?  No wonder so many people don't trust us!That was the standard procedure when showing a hot new listing in a seller's market.  And while always acting with their best interests in mind, of course I was nervous as I stood there, looking my clients in the eye and saying "if you don't w... 07/27/2007

I've been trying to set aside some time to write about not only the two cities in my subject line, both great and unique areas to in which to live, but my own, beloved Hermosa Beach as well.  The only thing is, I've been rather busy with clients lately.  Contrary to what the media would have the country believe, the market is alive and well here in the South Bay.  I briefly addressed my view on how the media sensationalizes the "doom and gloom" regarding the overall outlook on real estate in a book I contributed to this year, the cover of which can be seen by clicking here.  The book recently went to press and will be in stores late summer - early fall.  So, until time and scheduling permits, I thought I'd direct those interested in Redondo and Palos Verdes to the link pages on the larg... 07/22/2007

I'm sure people familiar with Hermosa Beach have seen all the new construction going on in the northern part of the city. Some of the construction is moving right along. And then there are the ones that just keep dragging on. You probably know of the two in particular. Both "homes" are on 29th Street. That big, ugly home at the corner of 29th and Hermosa Avenue and the "work in progress" home at 29th and Manhattan Ave. The big and ugly home is almost complete, after being build for over 4 years. The other, who knows what's going on with that one. The scaffolding has been up for 3 years and it's only worked on, occasionally. Walk by the home on Hermosa Ave. and 29th, take a good look at it. Look at all the vent and pipes sticking out of it by the front door. Look at the hodgepodge of sty... 07/11/2007

 Hermosa Beach is just south of Manhattan Beach.  Prices are a bit more affordable.. Prices in Hermosa Beach are catching up with Manhattan Beach.. but there are still some great opportunities..Sales volume was down and market time was up.. but you can still buy an ocean view town within walking distance of the beach for under $1,000,000.  **Data taken from the Greater South Bay MLS and does not include properties not in MLS data For more articles on Manhattan Beach and the beach cities vistit  Beach City Real Estate InfoAlso visit Kaye Thomas 4 Homes and Move 2 Manhattan BeachAll content copyright © 2007   Kaye Thomas   01/30/2007

The most common question my clients ask is where is the market heading?  While impossible to know the indications seem to show that it's definitely picking back up.  Our sales have increased dramatically in January and hopefully that's an indication that buyers have some confidence that now is a good time to be buying a new home. 01/26/2007