All Blog Entries by Dave Fratello

Thanks for enjoying our annual April Fool's prank(s). We'll keep this story up for posterity, but no, there's no volcano to worry about. Do head down to Begg Field, though, to see what we were talking about.

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Local residents were shocked in the early morning hours of April 1 to find a smoking, 4-story-tall hill at the center of city-owned Begg Field, just up from Polliwog Park. A plume of white and grey smoke rose thousands of feet into the sky above the city.

It is the first volcano in Manhattan Beach since town records began in 1912.

The volcano emerged after a cluster of residents had reported rumbling and shaking overnight near their homes. The Manhattan Beach Fire Department rushed to…

Bringing a listing out publicly involves all kinds of calculations and hopes. To some degree, you're betting that if you do x, y and z right, buyers will respond as you expect.

Then you get to test your theories against the actual market.

Here are some recent cases where sellers made a certain kind of bet, and it all worked out.

East 11th St. Townhomes

When some land became available in furthest East Manhattan, a builder made a big bet:

We'll develop 6 new townhomes here. 3 per lot, like North Redondo.

If we give 'em quality and style, people will flock to the front doors.

One of the front units didn't even make it the public market. It pre-sold. Good sign!

Now, three publicly marketed 3br units have all sold:

1829 11th

Spring sure has sprung!

Here, you can take a look at the newest options in Manhattan Beach.

Below, click any address link to view all photos and property details. We generally feature listings with 3D tours first.

Listings appearing here come from the whole MB market and may or may not be represented by MB Confidential author Dave Fratello and Edge.

East Manhattan Beach 

1642 2nd (3br/2ba, 1207 sqft.) is a new listing by Dave & Edge.

From the official description:

"Life is good at this masterfully engineered, rebuilt custom beach cottage."

"Featuring high-level luxury finishes and details, this home is essentially all new, with a down-to-the-studs remodel just completed. The fully redesigned, modern floorplan allows for sizable

Manhattan Beach is a beach town. (There it is, right in the name.)

As such, people looking for real estate here often start out wanting an ocean view.

Prices often become a factor, and the limitations on what counts as an ocean view from many lower walkstreet properties can be disappointing at times. "You want $8 million for a view I can only get from the front deck?"

An unobstructed, and unobstructable, ocean view is a whole different matter.

219 27th has one of those views. And what a doozy.

Any south-facing panoramic view toward Palos Verdes and Catalina is among the most treasured in our marketplace.

The fact that this view from 219 27th rolls out over grassy Bruce's Beach Park is a bonus.

That's city property - the lifeguard…