July 2009 
There are 28 blog entries for July 2009.
Surf Festival Weekend
Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 8:16pm. 148 Views, 0 Comments.
This weekend brings out some of the best, and craziest, of life in MB.Here's hoping you take advantage of the International Surf Festival events. (Click for complete calendar.)
Among other things, we're happy to see the lifeguard competition back at the MB Pier. It's quite a show. The utter seriousness of the guards' work was on display last week during the high surf, with hundreds of rescues and one tragedy that inevitably colors this weekend's battles. This is a good time to show your support.
The 6-man volleyball tournament is its own thing, a serious sporting competition disguised as a hilarious romp – or maybe it's the other way around. Do be careful what the kids see.
We live at the beach, right? That's what this weekend celebrates.
Please vote in our…
East MB Bucket (9)
Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 5:40am. 246 Views, 0 Comments.
We've been so unfair to our east-of-Hwy. 1 brethren.
It has been literally months since we last opened up an East MB Bucket for discussion of the goings-on so near, yet so far away.
Since that last one, the home we led off with (1407 12th) has actually sold – for $560k.
Not too bad for a well-worn 1950s cottage (3br/1ba, 1300 sq. ft.) that had begun as a FSBO at $1m.
But that seems much more than was paid earlier this year for a transcendentally marginal East MB offering that was featured in a different bucket last October. 1856 Marine, at the corner with Aviation, fetched $480k in February. That's $200k less than when we discussed it last Fall. Also, curiously, $420k less than a June 2007 sale that, frankly, looks wrong.
Of course East MB is not just about…
It has been literally months since we last opened up an East MB Bucket for discussion of the goings-on so near, yet so far away.
Since that last one, the home we led off with (1407 12th) has actually sold – for $560k.Not too bad for a well-worn 1950s cottage (3br/1ba, 1300 sq. ft.) that had begun as a FSBO at $1m.
But that seems much more than was paid earlier this year for a transcendentally marginal East MB offering that was featured in a different bucket last October. 1856 Marine, at the corner with Aviation, fetched $480k in February. That's $200k less than when we discussed it last Fall. Also, curiously, $420k less than a June 2007 sale that, frankly, looks wrong.
Of course East MB is not just about…
MB vs. CA & U.S. Trends
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 7:15pm. 203 Views, 0 Comments.
No doubt there's a little buzz growing – well, someone's always trying to grow it – to the effect that the local housing market is on the road to recovery.
A couple sources of that talk are a recent data release by the California Association of Realtors (click here for the CAR press release) and an uptick in the Case-Shiller home price index (click here for the Case-Shiller news page). Among the happy highlights:
A couple sources of that talk are a recent data release by the California Association of Realtors (click here for the CAR press release) and an uptick in the Case-Shiller home price index (click here for the Case-Shiller news page). Among the happy highlights:
- Statewide, the number of homes sold (closed) rose 20.1% in June 2009, compared to June 2008 (CAR);
- The Case-Shiller index, a barometer of home prices tied to same-house sales, rose 0.5% in May over April;
- A press release accompanying the Case-Shiller data says, amid various qualifications, that the figures represent "the first time we have
Deal Done Down Low, High on the Hill
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 3:27am. 228 Views, 0 Comments.
For more than a year we've been tracking the huge, gorgeous new home at 218 N. Dianthus.
Huge: 4br/5ba and 6100 sq. ft., with very big upstairs entertaining spaces and ocean views. We once likened the kitchen island to an aircraft carrier, and we now see that the listing claims it to be "the size of Capri." (We've been on both, and, yes, each description exaggerates a bit.)
Gorgeous: A name architect, lush interior with fine materials, great landscaping. If the layout downstairs was a bit maze-like and peculiar, at least we can say that was in the interest of maximizing private spaces.
But 218 Dianthus crashed against an increasingly dreadful reality – spec construction in the Hills is not working out these days for most of the builders.
Coming on the market…
Huge: 4br/5ba and 6100 sq. ft., with very big upstairs entertaining spaces and ocean views. We once likened the kitchen island to an aircraft carrier, and we now see that the listing claims it to be "the size of Capri." (We've been on both, and, yes, each description exaggerates a bit.)Gorgeous: A name architect, lush interior with fine materials, great landscaping. If the layout downstairs was a bit maze-like and peculiar, at least we can say that was in the interest of maximizing private spaces.
But 218 Dianthus crashed against an increasingly dreadful reality – spec construction in the Hills is not working out these days for most of the builders.
Coming on the market…
A Couple Sunday Opens (7/26)
Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 3:35am. 240 Views, 0 Comments.
Face it, AVP or not, this is not a busy season for open houses.
We'll take a modest break here at MBC by simply pointing you to 2 listings featured earlier this week in other stories that are debuting (again!) this weekend.
Of course, you can click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link in the right-hand column under "Prop. Search Tools."
As always, click on any highlighted address for more pics & details via Redfin. We ask MBC readers who visit these homes – or any open houses – to also report back in the comments here. Tell us what you see, what you like and what you don't like.
In the Sand Section, up on the plateau is 445 30th (3br/3ba, 2600 sq. ft.). MBC has labeled this home "a pretty sweet and…
We'll take a modest break here at MBC by simply pointing you to 2 listings featured earlier this week in other stories that are debuting (again!) this weekend.
Of course, you can click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link in the right-hand column under "Prop. Search Tools."
As always, click on any highlighted address for more pics & details via Redfin. We ask MBC readers who visit these homes – or any open houses – to also report back in the comments here. Tell us what you see, what you like and what you don't like.
In the Sand Section, up on the plateau is 445 30th (3br/3ba, 2600 sq. ft.). MBC has labeled this home "a pretty sweet and…Big, Beautiful, Too Much?
Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 5:08am. 788 Views, 0 Comments.
In case you haven't whizzed by recently to see for yourself, it's news that they're almost finished building the new home at 212 The Strand.This is the famous, or infamous, three-lot merger on which construction began nearly 18 months ago after plenty of wrangling and preliminaries.
The project was almost dragged down by the ongoing "mansionization" debate. But the very day after the owner got the green light from the city to proceed, back in early 2008, the bulldozers busted loose, and the long birthing process began.
What we see now is a giant, beautiful new home with plenty of beach character. Plans called for 6br/11ba and 16,000 sq. ft., including nanny's quarters and guest spaces. And yes, that's big.
Still, you'd be forgiven for thinking that, in…
Elm is Back, Too
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 2:52pm. 214 Views, 0 Comments.
Today there's another comebacker listing that might have made it into our story the other day (see "Welcome Back"), but for popping up a bit late.2812 Elm (4br/4ba, 2500 sq. ft.) probably deserves separate treatment anyway. (Click for pics & details via Redfin.)
Not so long ago, a long-running listing of this property set the high-water mark for DOM at 773 DOM (yes, seven hundred and seventy-three), by our count, having been continuously on the market from Sept. 2006-Oct. 2008. (Nearly 350 DOM ticked off without a bogus re-list, but one was filed in Sept. 2007, to our chagrin – see "Couldn't Hold Out Forever.")
A listing will only hang around that long if the home is dreary and/or priced wrong. For 2812 Elm, it was mainly a pricing problem for this…
Close the Books on the Twins in the Trees
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 5:22am. 263 Views, 0 Comments.
It took 18 months, but finally, finally, both of the "Twins in the Trees" have sold.
3307 and 3309 Poinsettia were developed on a double-lot that was split. The homes were built by the same developer, were the same size (5br/5ba, 3250 sq. ft.), had the same layout and were priced exactly the same to begin.
One (3307) had Cape Cod styling, and it went first – in December 2008.
The other (3309, pictured) was more Caliterranean and lingered much longer.
Here at MBC, we were struck by the apparent overreaching in the initial prices: $2.795m. At the time, with very limited exceptions, new construction in the Trees was barely hanging around $2.2m-$2.3m. So we called a pricing poll (see "Pricing Poll: Twins in the Trees") to ask what readers thought might happen when…
3307 and 3309 Poinsettia were developed on a double-lot that was split. The homes were built by the same developer, were the same size (5br/5ba, 3250 sq. ft.), had the same layout and were priced exactly the same to begin.
One (3307) had Cape Cod styling, and it went first – in December 2008.
The other (3309, pictured) was more Caliterranean and lingered much longer.Here at MBC, we were struck by the apparent overreaching in the initial prices: $2.795m. At the time, with very limited exceptions, new construction in the Trees was barely hanging around $2.2m-$2.3m. So we called a pricing poll (see "Pricing Poll: Twins in the Trees") to ask what readers thought might happen when…
We're Trying
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 12:04am. 139 Views, 0 Comments.
By and large, MB residents are trying to comply with the new Stage 2 water restrictions.
That's according to results of an unscientific poll here at MBC. (See "The Browning of MB?" and "Complying, or All Wet?")
Notwithstanding the city's dedicated efforts at befuddling residents (see "Thursday is Wednesday, 'Permanently' - Got That?"), most are trying to follow the new rules.
Given the option to anonymously self-report bad behavior, just 24% said they were "mostly ignoring" the water limits. Another 2% said they had been warned after violating the restrictions. (Click graph to enlarge.)
That left 74% of MBC readers claiming some degree of compliance. A quarter of readers volunteered that they had made "some mistakes," which suggests some awareness of the rules…
That's according to results of an unscientific poll here at MBC. (See "The Browning of MB?" and "Complying, or All Wet?")
Notwithstanding the city's dedicated efforts at befuddling residents (see "Thursday is Wednesday, 'Permanently' - Got That?"), most are trying to follow the new rules.
Given the option to anonymously self-report bad behavior, just 24% said they were "mostly ignoring" the water limits. Another 2% said they had been warned after violating the restrictions. (Click graph to enlarge.)That left 74% of MBC readers claiming some degree of compliance. A quarter of readers volunteered that they had made "some mistakes," which suggests some awareness of the rules…
Welcome Back
Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 10:45pm. 139 Views, 0 Comments.
A few listings from seasons past have now returned after some time off.
In 2 cases, we see substantially adjusted asking prices as the reality of our local market has begun to dawn on the sellers. In another, we see the first open recognition that a sale will mean losing money on a fairly recent purchase (2005).
Let's start with the biggest-dollar listing that's now below its 2005 value.
616 29th is a 4-year-old Craftsman home with 4br/5ba and 3500 sq. ft. (MBC has said before that the Craftsman styling seemed to be more around the edges, rather than a real commitment by the builder; we think you'll agree.)
The current owners paid $2.425m new in Aug. 2005. They faced a job transfer and tried to sell for a very small markup in April 2008: $2.475m. Over the…
In 2 cases, we see substantially adjusted asking prices as the reality of our local market has begun to dawn on the sellers. In another, we see the first open recognition that a sale will mean losing money on a fairly recent purchase (2005).
Let's start with the biggest-dollar listing that's now below its 2005 value.
616 29th is a 4-year-old Craftsman home with 4br/5ba and 3500 sq. ft. (MBC has said before that the Craftsman styling seemed to be more around the edges, rather than a real commitment by the builder; we think you'll agree.)The current owners paid $2.425m new in Aug. 2005. They faced a job transfer and tried to sell for a very small markup in April 2008: $2.475m. Over the…
