inventory

We'll remember the first half of February 2015 as the time when we said, "Oh, really!?!" a few more times.

The kinds of deals buyers are making early in the year continue to set the tone for another roaring year in Manhattan Beach real estate. Consider:

• 316 4th St., a corner lot at Crest and the flat 4th St. walkstreet, listed for $3.300M, about $600K above 2 recent nearby lot-sale comps, and is in escrow for more than 10% more than asking price; this says "watch out, South End." Ocean views helped on this one.
  

• Two East MB lots deep into the 1700 block, specifically 1721 Gates and 1727 Gates, listed for $1.400M and $1.500M, respectively, and made immediate deals. Previously, you might have penciled them in at $1.300M-minus each, but no. (FYI 1727

It was the end of the beginning.

The second half of January often sees just a little warmup in real estate market activity in Manhattan Beach before the Super Bowl kicks off the Spring market. And we saw that.

Consider 328 Marine Ave. (3br/4ba, 1900 sq. ft.), an ocean-view townhome with a sparkling new modern remodel inside. They might have waited to market this one till Marshawn Lynch victoriously blasted through the Patriots' defensive line the Super Bowl was over, but no, they saw an opportunity to sell in an uncrowded field, so they listed on Jan. 16.

Boom! Multiple offers. The $2.499M list price may have seemed a bit of a reach, all things considered, but with multiples, it seems to become all about winning.

We also saw a very quick deal on a

At this rate, the average DOM for East MB listings is going to be tiny here in 2015.

Two of this weekend's open houses were sold (in escrow) by the kickoff of the Super Bowl. Already, 3 listings from the prior week had made deals.

Indeed, as of early Monday morning, all 7 of the most recent Manhattan Beach real estate listings to go into escrow were east of Sepulveda.

Here are the most recent 9 listings in East MB to go into escrow. (Email subscribers will have to click here or "View this email in your browser" to see all of the listings in a grid.)

Among those, we'd call out a few:

1901 Lynngrove (3br/1ba, 1100 sq. ft.) is a corner-lot Liberty Village cottage that's a bit updated but still has the original 1 bath limitation. For some extra square

Some of the beachiest suburban land in Manhattan Beach is seeing a little burst of listings, all of a sudden.

The 500-700 blocks north of Valley, beneath the big Sand Dune, are a sought-after pocket of the Tree Section precisely because you get both neighborhood and beach proximity. The compromises of beach life – closer confines/density, limited parking – are reduced factors.

Now, in just a week, there are 3 new listings right in the heart of the area, all 600-block homes:

633 26th (5br/5ba, 3380 sq. ft.) is a 2000-built Mediterranean with updates on a somewhat larger-than-normal lot (5120 sq. ft.).

The first floor checks all the boxes for newer development, with a high-ceilinged living room at the entry, formal dining room and a big kitchen/family…