All Blog Entries by Dave Fratello

A large ocean-view lot in the Hill Section... that's something of an elite dream at this point in Manhattan Beach.

They trade rarely, sometimes under the radar. Values seem to climb as if there's no ceiling.

There's one lot new to market now, at 113 S. Dianthus. The spot is just about 2 1/2 blocks north of the Hermosa border, relatively high on the hill.

There is an existing 3br/1ba house on the lot, built in the 1950s, but you would not be paying the asking price of $5.600M for a little cottage.

But for a 50' x 125' lot with views and view potential, you might.

Moreover, as is discussed within the listing, you could buy this lot and "it can be paired with the lot next door," making possible a 12,500 sqft. lot. (At, presumably, roughly…

As Turkey Day nears, new listings usually become scarce, but you can never look away fully.

There's a beauty in the Tree Section debuting this week, plus interesting opportunities in the Hill Section and East Manhattan.

Below, click any address link to view all photos and property details. Listings appearing here come from the whole MB market and may or may not be represented by MB Confidential author Dave Fratello and Edge.

Tree Section

1725 Oak (4bd/5ba, 3278 sqft.)

From the official description:

“As you pull into the drive, you will feel as though you have been transported to Southern Spain and Portugal. You are first greeted by the Groin Vault Arched entry with the antique Moroccan light fixtures and peaceful fountain perfectly…

At this time last year, Manhattan Beach had 109 homes on the market, but the pace of sales was still blistering. (See "MB Market Update for 11/15/20.")

There was no November slowdown. There were 21 new deals posted in the first half of Nov. 2020, with 3 of the pending sales at the time being listings by our Edge Real Estate Agency.

This year, there are contrasts. We're at just 47 listings citywide, and the first half of November was calmer and somewhat more normal, at 13 new deals. (Equal to or better than several years prior to 2020.)

Edge does have a few escrows brewing, and we've closed several sales in recent weeks.

One was a very nice one, 124 21st Place (3br/4ba, 1940 sqft.), a half-lot, single-family custom modern in the Sand

First things first, last weekend, Mrs. MBC noted that it would sure be handy if MB Confidential's open house function also easily displayed Hermosa open houses. Not long after, we bumped into a longtime reader who said, simply, "Hey, pro tip, some of your readers would like to have Hermosa Beach open houses on the site, too."

Ask and ye shall receive.

Now, if you click "Open Houses" at the top of the site, the display of opens will be all the Manhattan Beach open houses, but there are links right at the top to Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach opens. (We decided not to wait for someone to ask for Redondo.)

These days, as we get deeper into November, you may need to search a little more widely. There's little new inventory this week, and next…