We were chatting the other day with a loyal reader/past client (a dual role you are welcome to audition for!), and they said something to the effect of:
You write about all the inventory and a lot of the comings & goings, but usually very neutrally. Which properties are out there that you really like?
Well we can't do this all the time, but let's give it a go.
For this first try, we'll focus on just the Sand Section.
108 Morningside Dr. (4br/4ba, 1914 sqft., 3337 sqft. lot)
Location. Also: location, location!
This is one of the South End's prime, unsung, ultra-quiet blocks, not far from Robinson, a pleasant walk to downtown and/or North Hermosa.
The existing older Spanish has its charms, but we assume this is a land sale, and they'll need to find the right price.
This is not a walkstreet, but adjacent to that neighborhood, where land values have crept to $4M and above – with one monster of an outlier on the 300 block of 9th closing for $5.500M.
Here on Morningside, the rare east-west lots are larger than your typical Sand Section lots, over 3300 sqft., in this case allowing for a new build of over 5300 sqft. in 3 stories, according to city data, without going to a basement.
It's true, much of Morningside is now under-built and you may struggle to see the potential. And there are no ocean views to be had, no matter how big you build. But we keep coming back to... location.
108 Morningside is asking $5.750M and is listed by Jo Ann Rodda, A Jo Ann Rodda Real Estate Co.
229 31st St. (5br/3ba, 2060 sqft., 4052 sqft. lot [lots])
This offering is two units on one lot (the subject address) and a bonus half lot fronting the walkstreet.
If you don't see the potential for this L-shaped walkstreet property west of Highland, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. Seriously, check your pulse.
This one is asking $5.500M, and if you're now going to ask which is better, Morningside or a walkstreet with double frontage, this is like picking which kid is your favorite. They're all different, OK?
229 31st is listed by Sherry LaMaison, Estate Properties.
220 Manhattan Ave. (3334 sqft. lot)
How many years have people coveted and inquired about this South End sloping walkstreet wreck? Erm, lot sale.
Seems like as long as we've had our eyes on local real estate.
Somehow, some number of years ago, we got a tour through – can't remember how. It was only useful for beginning to approximate the view potential.
To understand what could be done here, just look across the walkstreet. That newer home flies high above almost everything around, taking full advantage of the slope and MB's height-limit rules to soak in ginormous views.
Sure, this lot is asking $10.495M, which puts it in rare air, but this is one of those impossible-to-replace trophy locations with unbounded potential. Watch out when they finally get it sold and a new build is under way.
220 Manhattan Ave. is listed by Bryn Stroyke, Bayside.
What's that?!?
All of our "favorites" are lot sales?!?
How about an in-betweener?
222 24th St. (6br/5ba, 3100 sqft.) is a duplex that works for now, but the opportunity here is unblockable views aided by a unique property set immediately to the west.
That neighbor, 216 24th, is a rare 60' x 45' property, meaning a double frontage along the 24th St. walkstreet and half depth at 45'. The slope and height limit rules dictate that the fully built house on site will always be lower (by a lot) than the third story for a potential new home at 222 24th.
A midtown walkstreet location with unblockable views and no power poles?
Is that worth more than the $6.900M asking price?
Maybe not, if it's still unsold after almost 2 months, but you could make an argument.
For buyers who come to Manhattan Beach wanting views and walkability, and are often distressed that their budget can't get both, this one stands out for its potential.
222 24th is listed by Shawn Dugan, Strand Hill Properties.
OK, that's still mostly a lot-value proposition, so we'll try to find the ONE move-in-ready house in the Sand Section that's most interesting.
Yeah, you gotta love glam Strand homes like 3216 The Strand (now "just" $21M) and 1204 The Strand ($23.950M), but that's its own market. And who would not love a double-walkstreet home with pool (!) at 117 34th, even if it is $31.111M?
But we'll settle on the most mold-breaking, wild ride of a house we've seen in recent years.
It's 409 Bayview (4br/4ba, 3013 sqft.).
We're not going to bash the photographer here, but truly, there is no way to convey what this house is from a few still photos, and therefore the listing simply cannot tell the story.
If ever there was a second-home design for grownups, this is a second-home design for grownups.
There's no consideration to having lots of extra ensuite bedrooms for a growing family and guests. No, the 4th "bedroom" is actually the large, ocean-view media room just off the pool. Meantime, two actual bedrooms on the lowest level literally share a hallway bath (perish the thought!). Incredibly, that shared bath includes a sauna, cold plunge and steam shower – the kinds of things you put in the "gym bath" for the grownups, and not really what you normally would give to the kids.
As we said of this home when new to market:
409 Bayview is not fully built out. It's not boxy. There's no big top-floor open floorplan. Instead, it's mostly about the outdoors, featuring a truly fine, but somehow modest, series of separate living spaces that fully incorporate and drink in a connection to incredible outdoor spaces. You know how most Sand Section houses lack a yard? This one centers around an indulgent, central turfed "yard" on the middle level, with a small saltwater pool and hot tub, plus a covered outdoor kitchen, with heated dining and living spaces (plus a fireplace, no less)."
409 Bayview is asking $13.250M and is listed by Jen Caskey, Compass.
OK, that's our Sand Section tour. We'll see how each of these potential sales shakes out later.
And if the feedback is good on this post, we'll look at other parts of town next.
