May 2011 
There are 17 blog entries for May 2011.
First Mistake on a Speedy Speckie
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 at 1:09pm. 174 Views, 0 Comments.
Welcome back, and here's hoping you had a great holiday weekend. Thanks for permitting MBC a little (unannounced) break.
We did have a new South Bay Confidential column this past weekend, looking at the biggest price chops we've seen this year in the broader region. Hint: The bigger they start, the harder they fall.
As to weekend opens, this weekend, it looked like a virtual boycott of Memorial Day. We saw only one new offering [226 42nd, (3br/2ba, 1600 sq. ft.), $1.088m, pictured] in the Sand, and El Norte at that.
Alas, we didn't visit or review, but we're open to feedback from any who did.
So with the past behind us, let's turn to the news.
And once again, somehow, it seems to involve the Speedy Speckies.
Turns out, the launch price of the flagship of the…
We did have a new South Bay Confidential column this past weekend, looking at the biggest price chops we've seen this year in the broader region. Hint: The bigger they start, the harder they fall.
As to weekend opens, this weekend, it looked like a virtual boycott of Memorial Day. We saw only one new offering [226 42nd, (3br/2ba, 1600 sq. ft.), $1.088m, pictured] in the Sand, and El Norte at that.Alas, we didn't visit or review, but we're open to feedback from any who did.
So with the past behind us, let's turn to the news.
And once again, somehow, it seems to involve the Speedy Speckies.
Turns out, the launch price of the flagship of the…Clogged Strand Finds a $6m Option
Thursday, May 26th, 2011 at 6:33pm. 200 Views, 0 Comments.
It's a wonder that it took 6 months for 3112 The Strand to reach $6m. (Technically, $5.999m.)Was it not obvious by late last year that the $6.9m start price was a drastic overreach?
Clearly, anyone's free to ask $1m, or $2m, or however many m's more than their property's worth. But 3112 The Strand seemed to start a bad trend along The Strand this year, so it stands out for special attention.
Back in early March, we featured 3 pretty new Strand listings, all now proving to be overpriced. One was 3112, the others:
2504 The Strand (4br/5ba, 3415 sq. ft.), touted as "exquisite" and "stunning," but actually dated with an older modernistic update (to a 50s original). Some square footage is tucked away in the back part of a duplex.
Motivated, If Soft-Spoken
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 at 4:10am. 147 Views, 0 Comments.
We've been puzzling over 3201 Laurel each time it's hit our radar.That's been over the space of more than 6 months now, so... a lot of small bursts of puzzling. (See our first review here.)
It's a home that seems littler than its official counts (3br/2ba, 1650 sq. ft.) would suggest – probably it's the tiny (but remodeled) kitchen that stands out to influence that view.
But it's a street-to-alley lot up near the crest of Laurel near 33rd, with treetop views to the south and west. The location is a quiet little pocket of the Trees. A cute home there should find buyers, no?
No, not yet. But the newest chop to $1.059m might start to get a buzz going. It's now down more than $200k (-16%) from the start at $1.268m last year.
The newest cut also came with a…
On 31st, It'll Stay
Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 9:15pm. 166 Views, 0 Comments.
One of the big questions with 608 31st (4br/2ba, 2220 sq. ft.) was, as we put it in a video tour last month, "should it stay, or should it go?"The home is a 1950 original cottage with an add-on in back. The nearly prime location on the "best" (south) side of super, canopied 31st St. would lead many people to conclude that this would be a lot sale.
But no. Not this time.
After multiple offers, 608 31st sold to buyers who intend to remodel the home – to mend it, not end it.
Final sale price: $1.210m for a lot tired home on a lot of average size (4770 sq. ft.) in a much-better-than-average location.
We wrote this past weekend of MBC's "preservationist instincts," which we expect to be thwarted in the case of 3120 Alma, a little vintage house on a Sand Section…
Weekend Opens (5/21-5/22)
Saturday, May 21st, 2011 at 5:14am. 194 Views, 0 Comments.
It must be Spring, because the Snoop has returned. (No, not the guy kicked out of Mira Costa last week.)
Of the 6 homes on this year's Sophisticated Snoop tour, 5 are in MB, including 2 near each other in the South End – a beachy treat and a European delight. You can go to any of the homes on the tour from 10-4 on Sat. or Sun. and buy tix at the door for $30 each. For more on the tour and links to the properties, see Janie Sue Nagy's post.
The Snoop options are great, but there's at least one option this weekend that could be a feature on the tour, too: 416 10th, but it's free. See our review below, and plan to drop in Sat. or Sun.
To plan out your (free) tours this weekend, try this Redfin map list of open houses – you can sort by price or sub-region of MB…
Of the 6 homes on this year's Sophisticated Snoop tour, 5 are in MB, including 2 near each other in the South End – a beachy treat and a European delight. You can go to any of the homes on the tour from 10-4 on Sat. or Sun. and buy tix at the door for $30 each. For more on the tour and links to the properties, see Janie Sue Nagy's post.
The Snoop options are great, but there's at least one option this weekend that could be a feature on the tour, too: 416 10th, but it's free. See our review below, and plan to drop in Sat. or Sun.
To plan out your (free) tours this weekend, try this Redfin map list of open houses – you can sort by price or sub-region of MB…
Flashbacks from '08
Friday, May 20th, 2011 at 4:11am. 149 Views, 0 Comments.
What kind of difference does 2-3 years make?
In recent days and weeks, we're seeing at least 3 listings hit the market that last sold in 2008, each with a not-insubstantial history at MBC.
Do they want more, or less, than their 2008 prices?
532 6th (4br/4ba, 2750 sq. ft.) is a high-concept modern that manages to be warm and family-friendly, too, though some spaces are cramped. Even with the Valley-front location, we've had a soft spot for this one somehow. We could rave a bit, but let's save that for another time.
The home sold for $1.818m in March 2005, tried (and failed) at $2.7m in late 2007, and eventually sold for $1.820m in Oct. 2008 – yes, just $2k above the 2005 price.
Just over 2.5 years later, 6th is back at $1.989m to start, a markup of $169k …
In recent days and weeks, we're seeing at least 3 listings hit the market that last sold in 2008, each with a not-insubstantial history at MBC.
Do they want more, or less, than their 2008 prices?
532 6th (4br/4ba, 2750 sq. ft.) is a high-concept modern that manages to be warm and family-friendly, too, though some spaces are cramped. Even with the Valley-front location, we've had a soft spot for this one somehow. We could rave a bit, but let's save that for another time.The home sold for $1.818m in March 2005, tried (and failed) at $2.7m in late 2007, and eventually sold for $1.820m in Oct. 2008 – yes, just $2k above the 2005 price.
Just over 2.5 years later, 6th is back at $1.989m to start, a markup of $169k …
Cheap Dirt, Pricey Walkstreet House
Thursday, May 19th, 2011 at 3:41am. 186 Views, 0 Comments.
It wasn't so very long ago that we saw a particular flat, South End walkstreet lot sell for a number that seemed a low point for the area for dirt in a good location.
The lot was then called 441 6th Place, at the corner of 7th/Ingleside. It hosted a little home and garage with a noteworthy cactus garden between. The dirt sold in Jan. 2010 for $1.5m.
Soon, an ambitious custom build was under way. The design was inspired by the "British Colonial" style that may be emerging as an alternative to "Cape Cod" and the various -erraneans.
The grandest execution of "British Colonial" – 212 The Strand, the first and last triple-lot on MB's beachfront. (See "Big, Beautiful, Too Much?")
At 441 6th, after all the searching for a perfect lot, and all the work building a…
The lot was then called 441 6th Place, at the corner of 7th/Ingleside. It hosted a little home and garage with a noteworthy cactus garden between. The dirt sold in Jan. 2010 for $1.5m.
Soon, an ambitious custom build was under way. The design was inspired by the "British Colonial" style that may be emerging as an alternative to "Cape Cod" and the various -erraneans.The grandest execution of "British Colonial" – 212 The Strand, the first and last triple-lot on MB's beachfront. (See "Big, Beautiful, Too Much?")
At 441 6th, after all the searching for a perfect lot, and all the work building a…
$2.2m for First Speedy Speckie
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 at 4:01pm. 189 Views, 0 Comments.
From 'dozer to domicile in 5 months?That's what they're promising at 2516 Pine, the first of 2 spec homes going up right now on the former double-lot at 2600 Pine.
It's the first of 5 new homes under way that we called the "Speedy Speckies" in a post just a few weeks ago. We were amazed by the rapid progress on all of these homes shortly after escrows closed on nearly simultaneous land deals.
This sketch is our first look at the expected end product. The listing promises 5br and 4.5ba, and while square footage isn't yet listed, you'd expect 3100-3250 sq. ft. or so.
Start price: $2.199m. They estimate completion in 90 days.
It's hard to compare these to any other new construction sales today because, well, there aren't any.
One comparison – if not a…Weekend Opens (5/14-5/15)
Saturday, May 14th, 2011 at 2:12pm. 149 Views, 0 Comments.
Thanks for hanging with us this week as the world of Google-hosted blogs – of which MBC is but one – experienced a huge burp. For a couple of days we could not log in to the system's "back end" to post or edit, and a recent post vanished, returned, and vanished again. (It's back).
That was annoying, but not quite as scary as the day back in March when MBC literally disappeared for almost an hour after the site was hacked. (We're looking at you, Mr. Bulgarian bad guy.) Fortunately, most readers didn't see any disruption from that previous problem.
It's good to be back, and humbling to be reminded that every single one of us is subject to the whims of The Google – unless we unplug. (Time for a camping trip?)
To plan out your tours, try this Redfin map list of…
That was annoying, but not quite as scary as the day back in March when MBC literally disappeared for almost an hour after the site was hacked. (We're looking at you, Mr. Bulgarian bad guy.) Fortunately, most readers didn't see any disruption from that previous problem.
It's good to be back, and humbling to be reminded that every single one of us is subject to the whims of The Google – unless we unplug. (Time for a camping trip?)
To plan out your tours, try this Redfin map list of…
Under $800k in the Sand
Thursday, May 12th, 2011 at 5:54pm. 166 Views, 0 Comments.
They finally sealed up 3515 Vista, roughly on the plateau near Rosecrans. It's a rare sale of an SFR under $800k in the Sand Section.Final price: $779k.
The listing still blares, "THIS PRICE HAS NOW GOTTEN TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE."
The home's a clean but dated 1950s cottage on a slightly-more-than-half lot (1650 sq. ft.).
Officially, the home offers 2br/2ba and 864 sq. ft. of all-upstairs living space over a 2-car garage. A little office/crash room downstairs has a window and probably doesn't figure in. It has the more updated of the 2 baths, oddly placed with its own door direct to the back patio (can you say, "fancy surf shower?")
Looking back to January 2007, we found only 2 true Sand Section SFRs that sold for less than $800k:
- 201 44th, a little cottage
