Teen Streets Getting Their Due

In a little beach town chock full of micro-markets, one of the easiest to miss is the teen streets east of Highland.

These are just 4-5 blocks featuring walkstreets that are incredibly close to downtown. But because they dead-end at or above Live Oak Park, there's no regular foot traffic besides neighbors. (And no vehicle traffic, because they're walkstreets.)

You could live in Manhattan Beach for years and never find yourself on any of these streets – 16th to 20th Street.

The hill rises up suddenly beginning with 17th Street, meaning that the homes enjoy not only the walkstreet lifestyle, but also, often, pretty nice views. Heck, they're at a higher vantage point than the pricey walkstreets west of Highland. What's wrong with that?

It seems like years go by without listings or trades on these streets, and they can be "out of sight, out of mind" for potential buyers.  

This year, already we've seen 3 quick sales, and there's one more listing still looking for buyers. 

It's like the secret's out all of a sudden. 

Let's take a brief look at this year's listings. 

The most recent to make a deal was 324 17th (4br/5ba, 3634 sqft.). 

It's a 2009 custom modern, upgraded gracefully after a recent purchase (2023) by the current owners. They successfully lightened and refreshed the home, adding some bling and understated luxury. 

It has good, current ocean views, although the neighbor – well-kept as it is – could, someday, build up.

Asking $7.500M, the listing was in escrow in less than 2 weeks.

(324 17th is listed by Bryn Stroyke, Bayside.)

Just one block over, at the same address, is the headliner among recent sales on the teen streets.

It's 324 18th (4br/5ba, 4215 sqft.), a masterful 2021 modern that we probably undersold by calling it both "ultra glam" and "a 5-star-hotel-level residence."  

Projecting confidence, luxury and comfort somehow all at once, this was a must-have type of home. 

How do we know? Because when they canceled the listing, a buyer – upset to have missed it – rallied and persuaded the seller to let the home go for more than the list price. 

Asking: $9.700M. Closing: $10.000M.

(See our post, "Quitting to Win," for more on the backstory.)

Last, but not least, among the sales: another on 18th.

332 18th (5br/5ba, 4098 sqft.) is a 2002-built Mediterranean with all kinds of quirks and custom angles to the floorplan.

There is a nice front walkstreet patio, and some rooms like the kitchen have been modernized. (Others, not so much.)

There are no views really, as the neighbor to the west built up to perfectly block everything, so thoroughly it almost seemed spiteful. 

But you still have the walkstreet's privacy and lifestyle. 

Asking $7.400M, this one closed with just 6 days on market officially. 

Meantime, one listing is still looking for a match.

429 20th (3br/3ba, 1779 sqft.) is up at the end of the final walkstreet, sporting almost a giant front yard paradise, which almost could not be more private, considering it's 5 little blocks to downtown and right next to a park. 

The interior remodel is captivating, fun and maybe even magazine-worthy. 

They've been asking $5.499M for 2 months now, no deal yet. 

Not everyone can go for a smaller house like this, although it's not hard to imagine a universe of downsizers or second-home buyers who could gravitate to it. 

(429 20th is listed by Lauren Forbes, Compass.)

We've sold and shown a few homes on the teen streets, and always felt like the lack of sales meant that the area was under-valued for what it offered.

A $10M sale and some of these others will start to fix that, but if we go through another dry spell – no sales in the area for a while – people could forget again.

For now, with all this recent activity, some buyers will wake up a bit to the charms of the teen streets and start putting the little pocket on their wish lists.