Special offer

Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA Real Estate News

By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
There were 25 homes on the August 4, 2009, Palos Verdes real estate Broker's Tour.  We currently have 280 active single family homes for sale in Palos Verdes ranging in price from $836,000 in Rancho Palos Verdes to $18,900,000 in Rolling Hills (the low in Eastview is $585,000).  There are 50 townhomes/condos for sale priced between $220,000 and $1,500,000.  My favorites were:  Click here to continue reading.....   
Comments 0
By Maureen Megowan, Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog
(Remax Estate Properties - )
The following are interest rate quotes from Al Hermann of American/California Financial Services : 30 Yr Fixed FHA Rate APR   5.000% 5.156% Details   Conforming 30 Yr Fixed up to $417000 Rate APR   4.875% 5.030% Details   Conforming Jumbo 30 Yr Fixed $417001 - $625500 Rate APR   5.125% 5.275% Details   Conforming Jumbo Fixed $625000 - $729750 Rate APR   5.250% 5.398% Details  
Comments 1
By Norma Toering Broker for Palos Verdes and Beach Cities, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes in L.A.
(Charlemagne International Properties)
The competition is keen for entry level homes in Palos Verdes.  It is not surprising parents want top-rated schools for their children, and year after year the Palos Verdes Unified Schools appear on a variety of "best" lists.  There is not doubt about it---the demand for the PV schools keeps steady pressure on the supply of entry-level homes in Palos Verdes. Location plays a lead role in determining real estate value, and the stunning hilltop coastal location of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is often breathtaking and always valuable.  This makes the land underneath the entry-level homes pricey. A three bedroom house often has a million dollar price tag.  Yesterday I showed Palos Verdes homes priced under $900,000 and was impressed with the variety and availability.  However, from an origin...
Comments 5
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  Have you noticed that there are more visitors in Palos Verdes?  Palos Verdes Peninsula was featured in the July/August edition of Westways magazine in the Day Trip section. After commenting on Palos Verdes real estate, the article goes on to recommend two spots to hike.  Trump National Golf Club is mentioned for its bluff top trails and public coastal access down to the beach.  Point Vicente Interpretive Center also has ocean trails along the bluff and docents to answer questions.   Wayfarers Chapel (also known as the Glass Church) was mentioned as a historical and interesting place to visit as well as Malaga Cove Library.  Click here to continue reading.....
Comments 0
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
In addition to being a fabulous resort that you can visit for a walk on the ocean's edge, enjoy a meal or have an extended stay in one of their beautiful rooms - you can also purchase one of Terrenea Resort's exclusive villas or casitas. There are currently 9 properties for sale at Terrenea.  The Casitas are 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,040 square feet and range in price from $1,995,000 to $2,750,000.  The 3 Villas are between 1,800 and 2800 square feet and range in price from $2,200,000 and $2,950,000.  49 Casitas/Villas have been sold to date.  Click here to continue reading......
Comments 0
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  "The typical monthly mortgage payment for Southern California buyers last month was $1,193, up from $1,052 in May.  Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 46% below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle" states the Los Angeles Times on July 16th.  I checked and in 1989, the average interest for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 10.32%.  That is twice as much as today's rates!  Click here to continue reading......
Comments 0
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
I have just earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert designation having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales.  Although we have not experienced many of these sales in Palos Verdes real estate, more are expected in the future.  In a nutshell, I learned how to assist homeowners who are either behind in their mortgage payments or are having trouble making those payments identify their options. I have worked with both buyers and sellers of short sales in the South Bay.  A short sale allows a cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property.  More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly to the bank than f...
Comments 2
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
There were 25 homes on the July 21, 2009, Palos Verdes real estate Broker's Tour.  We currently have 295 active single family homes for sale in Palos Verdes ranging in price from $836,000 in Rancho Palos Verdes to $18,900,000 in Rolling Hills (the low in Eastview is $475,000).  There are 50 townhomes/condos for sale priced between $250,000 and $1,500,000.  My favorites were:  Click here to continue reading.......   
Comments 0
By Norma Toering Broker for Palos Verdes and Beach Cities, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes in L.A.
(Charlemagne International Properties)
August is a popular month for vacations, back-to-school shopping and house hunting on "The Hill" as the Palos Verdes Peninsula is fondly referred to by the locals.  Most sellers know they've missed the spring rush, the summer shoppers and by the time August rolls around they are taking a serious look at the price tag on their property and doing an in-depth analysis of their motivation to sell.   A few Palos Verdes homes will be taken off the market in August and their owners will opt to try again next spring when their price may be more appealing to shoppers.  Other sellers will decide 2009 is their year to sell and move forward with their plans with renewed zest.   Look for price reductions as a signal a seller is ready to sever the emotional ties and accept market value for his proper...
Comments 2
By Maureen Megowan, Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog
(Remax Estate Properties - )
The following is my Palos Verdes Peninsula and South Bay Los Angeles 2nd Quarter 2009 Real Estate Market Report. The market seems to be picking up for the traditionally busy summer buying season! In fact, within a recent two week period, I closed on 2 home purchases on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and put 3 of my listings into escrow within 3 days of each other!! News reports are beginning to mix in some good economic news in addition to the doomsday reports favored by the media. Lower priced homes are moving briskly with buyers taking advantage of significant discounts and record low interest rates. New tax credits are also giving great incentives to new buyers. PRICE CHANGES  Properties, on average, in the South Bay are selling for approx. 95% of list price. The mortgage meltdown and hu...
Comments 0
By Norma Toering Broker for Palos Verdes and Beach Cities, Palos Verdes Luxury Homes in L.A.
(Charlemagne International Properties)
My slumbering back-log of Palos Verdes buyers all decided July was the time to wake up and plunge headfirst into the summer pool of house hunting and better yet, house buying!  It's wonderful to be blessed with so much business, and I must admit I've worked more than a few 16-hour days the past few weeks, so blogging had to take a backseat--temporarily.    I welcome this new challenge of blending and balancing blogging with a more demanding real estate market.  I'm delighted when customers and clients tell me they read my blog, follow my local Palos Verdes market reports and "see my ads all over the Internet."  It's nice to know Active Rain, Google and a host of other sites are keeping my ads, my blogs and my brand in front of the consumer even when I'm buried in paperwork, engrossed in...
Comments 0
By Dana Graham, DRE #00877973
(Berkshire Hathaway)
I'm talking about real estate.  The basic process of buying and selling a home is not rocket science, brain surgery, or astrophysics.  It doesn't even involve knowledge of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.  So why does the realtor you choose matter?  Heck, why not do it yourself?  See how tense Kepler looks in this picture?  He was probably in the middle of an escrow, had figured he was smart enough to handle it, and had just listed with someone who left a card on his door. Most things in life are not rocket science.  When your car begins making a funny noise under the hood, water all of a sudden trickles out of your kitchen faucet or thru your ceiling, it's April 15th, or your favorite suit needs cleaning after you tried to diagnose the funny noise under your hood, what do you do?  Su...
Comments 0
By Maureen Megowan, Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog
(Remax Estate Properties - )
Jumbo Interest Rates quoted by Ron Goodkin of Coast Capital Group at ron@coastcapitalgroup.com  followi:   Options for loan amounts from $729,750-$5,000,000:  Option #1   5/1 ARM fixed at 4.625% (4.862% APR), or 3/1 ARM fixed at 3.875% (4.124% APR)These rates are available for .875 point plus closing costs and can be interest only! Option #2   7/1 ARM fixed at 5.0% (5.19% APR), or 10/1 ARM fixed at 5.375% (5.54% APR) for .875 point plus closing costs. These loans are also available as interest only!     Option #3  30 year fixed rate for loan amounts to $2,000,000! 5.75% (5.95% APR) for 1 point plus closing costs. 5.25% (5.39% APR) for 1.625 points plus closing costs.    Option #4 30yr fixed loans from $417,000-$729,750 5.125% (5.29% APR) for 1 point plus closing costs. For more informat...
Comments 1
By Mary Thomas BH,MB,HB, PV, Estates LA+, Mary C. Thomas Your Agent around the Globe
( Remax Estates Properties)
Don't miss this awesome youtube video of the revival on 7-19-2009 at Disneyland. What a present and to think that this young generation has the smallest amount of Christians only 7% in the History of this nation. God is awesome and he is revealing himself in all his Glory now and believe it or not at Disneyland.. Amazing!! Real Estate for the Soul's Featured Property of the Week: http://activerain.com/blogsview/388938/32646-Coast-Site-Rancho   Rancho Palos Verdes Best Ocean view Condo http://activerain.com/blogsview/306368/4134-Pacific-Coast-Hwy Torrance Newer Home Best Newer Construction http://activerain.com/blogs/palosverdesrealtor4god/tags/homes%20historical Pasadena Victorian Updated and Prestigious Real Estate Articles:  http://activerain.com/blogsview/503521/Still-Have-an-Adjusta...
Comments 5
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  I have written several articles in the last couple of weeks about the current status of Palos Verdes real estate.  We have had better sales numbers in June compared to May.  Now Peter Hong of the Los Angeles Times, who is usually ultra conservative, has written an article entitled, "Southern California median home prices surges in June". Could it be that we are finally turning the corner?  Hong writes, "Southern California home prices may have finally hit bottom, with median values rising last month for the first significant increase in two years..." "I think we can now say with fair degree of confidence the pace of real home price declines has slowed dramatically," said Los Angeles economist Christopher Thornberg, who was an early predictor of the housing bubble."  Click here to cont...
Comments 3
By Maureen Megowan, Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog
(Remax Estate Properties - )
I recently completed training to become a Certified Distressed Property Expert. The Certified Distressed Property Expert designation demonstrates that I have the specialized knowledge to advise homeowners on how best to deal with home loan delinquency issues, foreclosures, and short sales.                                                           If you are dealing with a mortgage loan delinquency issue , please feel free to call me to discuss your various options such as renegotiation, short sale, deed-in-lieu or foreclosure and the pros and cons of each option. For nformation about Foreclosures & Short Sales  visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com
Comments 0
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  Recently, a client asked me "Exactly when did we start viewing our homes as an investment rather than the place we live with our family?"  I didn't have an answer for her.  I knew what she meant though.  Originally, we purchased a home for shelter and then because we needed more space or wanted our children to go to a particular school or needed to be closer to our job.  Now, we have those same needs but also ask ourselves the question, "How much will this house appreciate; how much money will I make?" Do we ask ourselves that same question when we buy a car, furniture or clothes?  Okay, you are correct if you said that a house is a much more expensive purchase but exactly when did we start expecting a large return on investment on our house?  I took that question to a Certified Publi...
Comments 7
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  Statistics for single family homes for the month of June for Palos Verdes real estate are now available and as I indicated in my post earlier this week, "Good News for Palos Verdes Real Estate," the numbers are looking better.   June 2009 had nearly twice as many closed sales (47) and one additional pending sale compared to May 2009.  Months of inventory (months it would take to sell existing inventory at the current rate of sale) decreased to 6 months for June 2009 compared to almost 12 months in May 2009.  Click here to continue reading.....
Comments 0
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
There were 22 homes on the July 7, 2009, Palos Verdes real estate Broker's Tour.  We currently have 293 active single family homes for sale in Palos Verdes ranging in price from $799,000 in Rolling Hills Estates to $18,900,000 in Rolling Hills (the low in Eastview is $475,000). There are 51 townhomes/condos for sale priced between $250,000 and $950,000.  My favorites were: Click here to continue reading....   
Comments 1
By Elaine Murphy Carlson
(RE/MAX Estates Properties)
  Preliminary sales figures for Palos Verdes real estate for June 2009 show an upswing in single family homes sales compared to both May 2009 and June 2008 which is significant.  That is good news for Palos Verdes real estate! June 2009 has 48 closed sales compared to 24 in May - twice as many sales.  And June of 2008 had only 38 closed sales compared to 48 this June.  It looks like buyers have moved "off the fence".   Another interesting statistic is the "mix" for last month.  Click here to continue reading.....
Comments 1