If you caught the LA Times article about Million Dollar home sales in CA you know that in 2008 Manhattan Beach had more home sales over one million then any other community in the state. There were 296 sales in Manhattan Beach of homes above $1M in 2008 . While that probably makes most Manhattan Beach homeowners happy as an indication that values didn't take a complete nosedive... the information also points out that 2008 numbers were down considerably from the 403 homes that sold in 2007. So far this year that trend seems to be continuing with closed sales in January 2009 of 7 homes and 2 townhomes...ouch! None of this information is surprising if you are buying or selling a home in Manhattan Beach or any of the Beach Cities. Sellers are trying to figure out the magic number that will... 02/05/2009

Leadership Manhattan Beach Now Recruiting Class of 2011!! Leadership Manhattan Beach Now Recruiting Class of 2011! Leadership Manhattan Beach is the premier leadership training program in the region for mid-level and high-level professionals. It provides comprehensive training through interaction with the community's top leadership, experiential learning opportunities and community-service team projects. The nine-month program identifies people of promise, familiarizes them with community issues and services and develops their leadership skills to prepare them for prominent business, cultural and political roles. The 2011 class will begin in September '10 and end in May '11.  Sessions include history, civic identity and the arts; government; education; quality of life; business and econ... 02/03/2009

So this morning I'm sitting there in a room full of fellow Realtors in our Manhattan Beach office conference room trying to keep up with this sharp, fast talking loan broker holding court about the ins and outs of present day loans. He says that generally most banks want a tremendous amount of documentation, need to see a years worth of mortgage payments in the bank and these days they pick appraisers from some list instead of local, more appropriate appraisers. Being the social animal that I am I chime in, these days appraisals are not a problem. That’s all I said. You could hear a pin drop for what seemed like several hours and the broker turns to me with this quizzical look. I’m terrified, something’s wrong! I look around to see an uncomfortable smile slowly forming on my fellow Real... 01/30/2009

The Jews, of which I am one, developed this weird language in late 1800's Europe called Yiddish, which is spoken in a strange dialect of German but written in Hebrew. It is such an expressive language that many of its words have made it into the American lexicon, propagated mainly by Jewish comedians. So when I say this buyer had real "chutzpah" I mean he had the gull or the audacity to low ball me that much! The house is listed for 2mil, he originally made an offer for 1.7 and was ooched up to 1.75 but my seller held out for 1.775. He walked away. About 2 weeks later I get an offer for 1.75 from another buyer and my seller is tired of the game and is ready to be real. So I call the first buyer's agent and tell him about the offer and that the seller is ready to swim and maybe his buyer... 01/27/2009

IMMEDIATE RELEASE! Seeking seasoned agents (30-50 deals experience) for multiple positions available in both the regular real estate & auction divisions within our company. Looking for mutliple Real Estate agents, currently licensed & with experience (at least 30-50 transactions closed), for different positions within my regular real estate division operating under Shorewood Realtors ( http://www.ItzSold.com ) and/or my auction division (http://Premiere Estates Auction Company), both based in Manhattan Beach, CA. Interested parties should contact me via email and should provide a current resume, including transaction history. EK@ itzsold.com or fax to 310-798-8883. 01/23/2009

It wasn't long ago that homes on The Strand never even made it to market.  They would often sell before actually being listed as the demand has always been so high and the supply is certainly limited.  The Strand is the ocean front strip of homes that stretches from El Porto in North Manhattan Beach to the very end of Hermosa.  As ocean front land is always at such a premium there are rarely homes for sale.  That has certainly changed in recent months.  At the moment there are 13 homes for sale with 8 being single family homes, 1 townhome, 3 hotel condo rooms at the Beach House, and one multi unit income property.  In addition there are 3 homes currently for sale that have not been brought onto the market at this point.  The most expensive home (on market) is $13.9M with the lowest bein... 01/20/2009

Results for December put a cap on what was a very tough year for home sellers in Manhattan Beach. According to the South Bay Association of Realtor there were only 14 home sales (single family homes, condos/townhomes, and residential income) for the month of December the exact same number of homes sold in January. Despite the overall tough market December did show some signs of life. The average price of a sold home actually increased .6% from the start of the year. More telling the percentage of sale price to original list price increased from 91% in January to 96% in December. For the complete Manhattan Beach market analyis go to Manhattan Beach Real Estate Market Recap for 2008. 01/13/2009

Today is January 13th. There are currently 5 homes for sale in the Manhattan Village. Here is what the market has been doing in Manhattan Village over the last year:   Date 10/07 11/07 12/07 1/08 2/08 3/08 4/08 5/08 6/08 7/08 8/08 9/08 10/08 11/08 12/08 For Sale 5 4 6 7 6 5 8 9 8 12 10 11 9 7 5 Sold 3 4 2 0 1 2 3 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 Pended 4 2 0 1 3 2 0 4 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 Months of Inventory based on Closed Sales 1.7 1.0 3.0 n/a 6.0 2.5 2.7 4.5 4.0 n/a n/a 5.5 9.0 n/a n/a Months of Inventory based on Pended Sales 1.3 2.0 n/a 7.0 2.0 2.5 n/a 2.3 n/a n/a 10.0 5.5 n/a 3.5 n/a Avg. Active Price 1506 1074 1266 1192 1356 1347 1226 1321 1318 1133 1086 1128 1080 965 954 Avg. Sld Price 1620 1304 1010 0 1350 1380 1481 1305 1092 0 0 814 1240 0 0 Avg. Sq. Ft. Price 638 684 579 0 570 675 659 647 528 0 0 55... 01/13/2009

In just a few hours 2008 will be gone. I don't think many will be sad to see it go. No one has escaped unscathed from the financial and economic turmoil of 2008. Our local Manhattan Beach-Beach Cities real estate market has certainly been adversely affected by the disruption to the economy. While we have fared better then other communities in Southern California we have not escaped the problems that affect California real estate. In our little slice of Paradise prices are down in all the Beach Cities and sales volume is lower then last year at this time. Interest rates have dropped, but jumbo loans( $625,000+), with few exceptions, are still at high interest rates when compared to overall rates. This is a real problem in our Manhattan Beach-Beach Cities real estate market with median p... 12/31/2008

While the real estate market around the country may be taking a hit, home values along the coast of the South Bay is almost as stable as ever.  The "sand" section of Manhattan Beach has remained particularly strong as oceanview and oceanfront homes that are walkable to the beach are always in demand.  Home prices in the sand section (see map) are reaching unbelievable highs with full lot walkstreets in the 3-6 million dollar range, depending on age, condition and view.                       Typical 1/2 Lot El Porto Home                                             Some Stunning Ocean Views While these homes are out of reach for most South Bay buyers, there is an area of Manhattan Beach that offers far more reasonable prices.  The area is known as "north" Manhattan, although it's more fam... 12/30/2008

The real estate market in Manhattan Beach remains very strong compared with some surrounding areas, but it appears as though the number of short sales and notice of default filings has been rising and there are now 10 distressed homes listed on the South Bay MLS.  This increase in bank owned and short sale homes should provide some opportunities for home buyers in the area. Click on the links below to see pictures and descriptions.  MLS # Type Address Price Br/Ba Year Sqft Lot Sqft F1792864 Short Sale 432 24TH St $1,199,888 2/2.00 1995 1768 1350 S08087696 Short Sale 465 30th St $2,200,000 5/6.00 2002 3357 2700 S08161735 Short Sale 1733 Elm Av $850,000 3/2.00 1950 1323 4480 S08142361 Short Sale 3109 Laurel Av $1,199,000 2/2.00 1953 1024 4322 S08119772 Short Sale 1608 Poinsettia Av $1,699... 12/16/2008

Holiday Lights and Spectacular fireworks! Thank you to the community of Manhattan Beach for such a great evening out! The Manhattan Beach Holiday Fireworks Festival is held at the Pier every year in December. This year they had the Skechers Snow Park which was set to a wonderful backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and a Decadent sunset. From a penthouse patio we stood awe-struck under the full glory of magestic fireworks! By the light of the display we could see the white-cresting waves, other onlookers with their neon light glow sticks and a sail boat. Ah! Winter by the Beach. We attended a Holiday Party hosted by the Panache Team http://www.panachetech.com/ With our gracious host we shared some cheer from Vino 100! Visit http://www.vino100valencia.com/To learn more about Manhattan Beach htt... 12/14/2008

As the parent of two here in Hermosa Beach, I'm always on the lookout for new and healthy activities in the Beach Cities and always happy to pass along information for kids activities.  We had the chance to get a free session at Dawn Barnes Karate Kids back in 2006 in Redondo Beach.  Our daughter seemed to enjoy it so we enrolled in the age appropriate class and were happy....for a while.  We quickly realized that the original tuition quickly becomes so much more.  Our one day a week class soon turned into two as our daughter got a bit older, and along with it our tuition doubled.....OK more classes more money...I get it.  As we had our first "belt test" I realized that the costs of this were starting to become a bit daunting.  In this "belt test" she performed the same moves she had in... 12/11/2008

This Sunday  December 14Th Manhattan Beach will be having their traditional holiday fireworks show off the pier. The show starts at 6:30p.m.. There will be activities for the kids starting at 4p.m. including a snow and bounce park, and holiday singalong.  Admission is free however, a new unwrapped toy, canned food and cash donations are suggested. Also, the M.B. firefighters will be serving a spaghetti dinner all you can eat for $5 a plate from 3-6 at the fire station. All proceeds will go to benefit Officer Mark Vasquez fund. http://www.ci.manhattan-beach.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=1566   12/11/2008

Whether you are buying or selling a home in the South Bay and Manhattan Beach, it's important to understand the local real estate market and to see what is selling.  The market in Manhattan Beach continued to cool a bit with only 8 closed sales recorded at this point.  The average days on market for the recorded sales was 109 and the average sales price was $1,272,000.  Only one new construction home sold and was located in East Manhattan Beach and sold for $1,790,000. Click below to view: November 2008 Manhattan Beach home prices and home sales All South Bay cities closed homes sales for November 2008 Current Manhattan Beach homes for sale Keith Kyle - Realtor, e-Pro - South Bay Brokers- 2501 N Sepulveda Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 - 310-251-2344 - Keith.Kyle@SouthBayBrokers.com  Fo... 12/01/2008

Home sellers in Manhattan Beach continued to experience difficulties closing deals in October. For the month of October the MLS listed 232 homes for sale with only 26 homes closing, meaning barely 11% of home sellers were able to close a deal. In September 30 deals closed out of 224 listings and in August 38 deals closed out of 219 listings. For the complete breakdown of Manhattan Beach sales click October 2008 Manhattan Beach Home Sales. 11/22/2008

Today I went to a co-sponsored event, Emerging Trends in Real Estate. It was hosted by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Price Waterhouse Coopers. In summary, there are major issues with jobs, housing, credit, manufacturing, and other sectors that will continue to hamper economic growth through at least the end of 2009. Large and small real estate development firms are not developing product right now because, among other reasons, replacement costs are higher than current sale prices, and the capital providers are basically making credit impossible to secure. The outlook is rather glum nationwide, however, the pain isn’t going to be as bad for Los Angeles as it will be for over 50 other large cities. Los Angeles moderate income multi-family is expected to perform fair. LA Live is expec... 11/20/2008

If you are a home buyer looking in Manhattan Beach you can visit our South Bay public open houses page for helpful information on dates, times and locations.  Open houses are generally held from 1-4 on Saturdays and Sundays with new listings often open both days.  The open house list is updated weekly and offers days and times for open houses in the sand section, tree section, hill section, El Porto, East Manhattan and surrounding neighborhoods.   Keith Kyle - Realtor, e-Pro - South Bay Brokers- 2501 N Sepulveda Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 - 310-251-2344 - Keith.Kyle@SouthBayBrokers.com   For real estate information, open houses, and FREE MLS access visit www.KeithKyleHomes.com 10/30/2008

One of the many reasons people move to the South Bay, and the Beach Cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach in particular, is for the award winning schools. Buyers plan their moves and even their lives around these schools, but often make the move years before kindergarten begins. There are some great options for daycare and preschool in the South Bay and all have much to offer, but one thing that they almost all have in common is a waiting list. Some of the local daycares are in such high demand that they have a year wait, so better to get on those lists early. I've had my experience with several of the schools in the area including Sea Sprites, Beach Babies and Montessori. As every child is different, and every parent is different, they each appeal to varied people ... 10/28/2008

Halloween is a great time in the South Bay as it really gives the cities a small town feel.  There are plenty of events for the family and despite the 80 degree whether in late October....it makes it really helps make it feel like the beginning of the holidays. One of the local Halloween Carnivals is the Meadows Halloween Carnival.  The carnival is located at Meadows Elementary School in East Manhattan Beachand is located at 1200 Meadows Avenue east of Sepulveda and just north of Manhattan Beach Blvd.  The event will be from 4-9 on Saturday October 25th and will feature a haunted house, games for the kids, food and other Halloween fun.  Kids are encouraged to wear costumes. Happy Halloween in Manhattan Beach. >View Larger Map Keith Kyle - Realtor, e-Pro - South Bay Brokers- 2501 N Sepul... 10/23/2008