January 2010 
There are 22 blog entries for January 2010.
Weekend Opens (1/30-1/31)
Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 4:35am. 136 Views, 0 Comments.
There continues to be just a bit more each week that's new to see, and we're still a week away from the Super Bowl.
The Sand Section is quiet, though, with no new SFRs – a few townhomes are open, but we don't (yet) cover that ground so we'll skip the beach this weekend.
Click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link from the "Property Search Tools" pull-down menu in the top navigation bar.
As always, click any highlighted property address for more pics & details via Redfin.
Please report back here at MBC on any open houses you visit – what you like, what you don't like, etcetera.
Hill Section
1011 Pacific (6br/5ba, 6050 sq. ft.) is huge and boasts big ocean and PV views out the back, to the west. The…
The Sand Section is quiet, though, with no new SFRs – a few townhomes are open, but we don't (yet) cover that ground so we'll skip the beach this weekend.
Click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link from the "Property Search Tools" pull-down menu in the top navigation bar.
As always, click any highlighted property address for more pics & details via Redfin.
Please report back here at MBC on any open houses you visit – what you like, what you don't like, etcetera.
Hill Section
1011 Pacific (6br/5ba, 6050 sq. ft.) is huge and boasts big ocean and PV views out the back, to the west. The…Adjusting Upon Return
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 9:00pm. 129 Views, 0 Comments.
Our last post mentioned 1011 Pacific coming back to market, having finally shed excessively lofty ambitions for a big markup over a 2004 acquisition price.
The newest listing in MB has a similar story.
560 35th is a big Craftsman (6br/6ba, 3600 sq. ft.) purchased in January 2004 for $1.635m.
About 4 years later, in July 2008, the sellers tried to find someone new to take title at a hefty markup: $2.425m (+$790k/+48%).
That didn't work. The price dropped to $2.125m over about 6 months, but the listing quit in January 2009 and the home was rented out, we believe.
A year later, the home's back at $1.895m, still a substantial step above 2004 (+$260k/+16%), but not the near-50% markup first sought.
In a "Weekend Opens" piece in July 2008, MBC said:
the home is…
The newest listing in MB has a similar story.
560 35th is a big Craftsman (6br/6ba, 3600 sq. ft.) purchased in January 2004 for $1.635m.About 4 years later, in July 2008, the sellers tried to find someone new to take title at a hefty markup: $2.425m (+$790k/+48%).
That didn't work. The price dropped to $2.125m over about 6 months, but the listing quit in January 2009 and the home was rented out, we believe.
A year later, the home's back at $1.895m, still a substantial step above 2004 (+$260k/+16%), but not the near-50% markup first sought.
In a "Weekend Opens" piece in July 2008, MBC said:
the home is…
Pacific Connection
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 4:43am. 161 Views, 0 Comments.
On and off for about 14 months, 511 Pacific has been offered to any and all comers.
Well, those with $5-8 million to spend.
At last, the huge, spectacular new home has made a connection with a buyer. Last list price was $5.750m.
In fact, we're told that once a serious buyer stepped up, suddenly there were multiple offers.
So it looks like we can take this beauty off the board one way or another, while inventory of new construction in the Hills slips to 2.
Side note: About that word, "new." The build date in the listing for 511 Pacific is 2008, properly reflecting the date of completion and first offering of the home late that year. Since then, the home's been staged and then unstaged, but never lived in, so that's "new" in our book.
511 Pacific – which…
Well, those with $5-8 million to spend.
At last, the huge, spectacular new home has made a connection with a buyer. Last list price was $5.750m.
In fact, we're told that once a serious buyer stepped up, suddenly there were multiple offers.
So it looks like we can take this beauty off the board one way or another, while inventory of new construction in the Hills slips to 2.
Side note: About that word, "new." The build date in the listing for 511 Pacific is 2008, properly reflecting the date of completion and first offering of the home late that year. Since then, the home's been staged and then unstaged, but never lived in, so that's "new" in our book.
511 Pacific – which…
MB Market Update for 1/15/10, Trees
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 4:33am. 139 Views, 0 Comments.
One last look here at the first half of January as we prepare for data on the second half. This time, the Tree Section.
We already noted that, of the 4 sales (new escrows) in the first half, 3 were in the Trees. (See the first overview of the 1/15/10 data from last week.) And another followed at 1413 Pine.
Since mid-month? Well, no sales in the Trees, but there are still a few days left in the month.
Really the news was in the new offerings, most of them over $2m:
We already noted that, of the 4 sales (new escrows) in the first half, 3 were in the Trees. (See the first overview of the 1/15/10 data from last week.) And another followed at 1413 Pine.
Since mid-month? Well, no sales in the Trees, but there are still a few days left in the month.
Really the news was in the new offerings, most of them over $2m:
- 2603 Palm (4br/4ba, 4725 sq. ft.) is a newer (2006) home on a double lot on a corner with a lot of "wow" factors. The beachy Craftsman-inspired home ("Tropical Plantation," they're calling it) started out with a big, sunny back yard – we're talking the Trees here, folks, it's all relative – and
MB Market Update for 1/15/10, Sand
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 4:35am. 138 Views, 0 Comments.
We've let a few days pass without wrapping up the MB Market Update for the first half of the month, but we can say there hasn't been a lot of activity since mid-month – save for a few new listings that we'll get to next week as February dawns.
Meantime, let's sew together the few loose threads from the first half of the month. Click here for the first update with inventory data, sales (new escrows) for all sections (just 4 sales) and the Hill Section update.
This post has the Sand Section data; the next will cover the Trees.
Sand Section (click for actives $2m)
The 2 new listings in the Sand were:
Meantime, let's sew together the few loose threads from the first half of the month. Click here for the first update with inventory data, sales (new escrows) for all sections (just 4 sales) and the Hill Section update.
This post has the Sand Section data; the next will cover the Trees.
Sand Section (click for actives $2m)
The 2 new listings in the Sand were:
- 1516 Highland (3br/3ba, 2225 sq. ft.), a newer (2005) contemporary looking for its third set of owners in 5 years.
Last to First on Highland
Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 8:16pm. 122 Views, 0 Comments.
The very last new listing of 2009 has already closed as one of the first sales of 2010.
1704 Highland (4br/4ba, 3300 sq. ft.) is a newer (2001) home with big ocean views and downtown proximity. (Click address for more pics & details via Redfin.)
The home was briefly the home of a former Dodgers pitcher, Brad Penny, who paid $2.425m in May 2005 and then unloaded the home to this year's sellers for $300k less ($2.125m) in Aug. 2006 – just 15 months later.
The listing began Dec. 29, 2009, the only new listing in MB west of Sepulveda for the second half of December.
A quick-closing sale on Friday for $2.100m (all-cash, 4-day escrow) puts the home down a few pennies from the 2006 acquisition price, which, on the surface, could mean the property held its value…
1704 Highland (4br/4ba, 3300 sq. ft.) is a newer (2001) home with big ocean views and downtown proximity. (Click address for more pics & details via Redfin.)The home was briefly the home of a former Dodgers pitcher, Brad Penny, who paid $2.425m in May 2005 and then unloaded the home to this year's sellers for $300k less ($2.125m) in Aug. 2006 – just 15 months later.
The listing began Dec. 29, 2009, the only new listing in MB west of Sepulveda for the second half of December.
A quick-closing sale on Friday for $2.100m (all-cash, 4-day escrow) puts the home down a few pennies from the 2006 acquisition price, which, on the surface, could mean the property held its value…
Sunday Opens (1/24)
Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 4:07am. 135 Views, 0 Comments.
This weekend doesn't feature the minor flood of new opens that we saw last weekend.
Minor flood... Pretend we didn't say that this week.
What we lack in quantity among new offerings, you'll see in quality. We'll focus narrowly on 2 offerings in the Hill Section.
Most of last week's featured opens are up again this week, so check out that list and the writeups if you're out this week instead.
Click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link from the "Property Search Tools" pull-down menu in the top navigation bar.
As always, click any highlighted property address for more pics & details via Redfin.
Please report back here at MBC on any open houses you visit – what you like, what you don't like, etcetera.
923…
Minor flood... Pretend we didn't say that this week.
What we lack in quantity among new offerings, you'll see in quality. We'll focus narrowly on 2 offerings in the Hill Section.
Most of last week's featured opens are up again this week, so check out that list and the writeups if you're out this week instead.
Click here for the complete list of opens published in the Beach Reporter, or at any time use the link from the "Property Search Tools" pull-down menu in the top navigation bar.
As always, click any highlighted property address for more pics & details via Redfin.
Please report back here at MBC on any open houses you visit – what you like, what you don't like, etcetera.
923…
31st Anyone?
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 5:53pm. 140 Views, 0 Comments.
A corner lot on one of MBC's "Great Streets" in the Trees has lingered, surprisingly, for 3 months.
668 31st is on the "better" side of 31st St., meaning the street-to-alley lot connects in back with 30th St. (No disrespect intended with the "alley" reference.) The corner lot, smallish at 4200 sq. ft., is at the cross with Flournoy, at the start of the most heavily tree-lined, flat section of 31st.
There's a gentle downward incline toward 30th, which offers some layout advantages for a new home. Some of our favorite new construction along 31st has had living space or open space above a garage located on 30th. By contrast, the north side of 31st often forces awkward compromises in a home's footprint, with a garage forced to compete with the living space…
668 31st is on the "better" side of 31st St., meaning the street-to-alley lot connects in back with 30th St. (No disrespect intended with the "alley" reference.) The corner lot, smallish at 4200 sq. ft., is at the cross with Flournoy, at the start of the most heavily tree-lined, flat section of 31st.
There's a gentle downward incline toward 30th, which offers some layout advantages for a new home. Some of our favorite new construction along 31st has had living space or open space above a garage located on 30th. By contrast, the north side of 31st often forces awkward compromises in a home's footprint, with a garage forced to compete with the living space…
MB Market Update for 1/15/10, Hills
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 9:35pm. 120 Views, 0 Comments.
The new MB Market Update spreadsheets for 1/15/10 are available online now for viewing by clicking here, or at any time by using the pull-down menu at the top of the home page under "MB Market Updates."
Conventional wisdom says that a post-holiday inventory burst comes around the time of the Super Bowl. (An American football contest having nothing to do with real estate, but plenty to do with commerce.)
This year, the Super Bowl is a bit late (Feb. 7), while the inventory burst has started early.
In the space of about 10 days, we saw 12 new SFR listings hit the market west of Sepulveda.
Some, like the much-discussed 1413 Pine, were truly new offerings this year. Several were returnees that had taken a few to several weeks off after Thanksgiving.
Inventory at…
Conventional wisdom says that a post-holiday inventory burst comes around the time of the Super Bowl. (An American football contest having nothing to do with real estate, but plenty to do with commerce.)
This year, the Super Bowl is a bit late (Feb. 7), while the inventory burst has started early.
In the space of about 10 days, we saw 12 new SFR listings hit the market west of Sepulveda.
Some, like the much-discussed 1413 Pine, were truly new offerings this year. Several were returnees that had taken a few to several weeks off after Thanksgiving.
Inventory at…
Sand Dune Up for a Vote
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 10:09pm. 149 Views, 0 Comments.
Tuesday night, the fate of Sand Dune Park could be sealed.
After years of on-and-off controversy about "overuse" of the park, it has come to this. The city council is set to "consider" various "operational and parking options" for Sand Dune tonight. (See agenda here.) Council may or may not reach a final resolution after the discussion.
The Dune has been closed since August, and multiple commission meetings have attempted to sort out the options. Removing the fences now and going back to the status quo ante won't happen.
Permanent closure seemed to be the consensus of officials in recent discussions.
The only option that appears to have a chance at keeping the park open is some combination of a usage-limiting paid permit system for visitors, plus new…
After years of on-and-off controversy about "overuse" of the park, it has come to this. The city council is set to "consider" various "operational and parking options" for Sand Dune tonight. (See agenda here.) Council may or may not reach a final resolution after the discussion.The Dune has been closed since August, and multiple commission meetings have attempted to sort out the options. Removing the fences now and going back to the status quo ante won't happen.
Permanent closure seemed to be the consensus of officials in recent discussions.
The only option that appears to have a chance at keeping the park open is some combination of a usage-limiting paid permit system for visitors, plus new…
