What’s New This Weekend? Manhattan Beach Open Houses (1/29-30/2011)

The theme this week is “move-in ready.” Each of these homes is ready for the new owner to move right in. Some buyers may want to add a personal touch. But none of these homes are fixers or tear-downs. The newly-listed Manhattan Beach homes reviewed below are open to the public this weekend. You can use the links to the right to see a list of other open houses for Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Village.

See this MLS Link for more pictures and information about these homes. Post your opinion in a comment below.

937 11th St. Unit A Open SUN 2-4 ($979,000, 3br/2.5ba, 1714 sf, listed by Uni Mayesh – Shorewood Realtors). Most Hill Section townhomes are on Manhattan Beach Blvd. This one is tucked away among the multi-million dollar homes on 11th St., right next to a church parking lot. It is the south-facing, front unit of a 3-on-a-lot development, built in 1979. HOA fees are $190 per month. 

The 3-level townhome was remodeled in 2008 and is move-in ready. The 2-car garage and entry are on the lowest level. Living areas are on the middle level and all bedrooms are on the top floor. It has tree-top views of the Hill Section. The full lot is about 6,227 square feet including a small yard shared by all units. This unit last sold in 2007 for $930,000 as a short-sale. The closest, most recent comp would be 932 Manhattan Beach Blvd. (built in 2010, 2,050 sf, 3br/3ba, 3-level townhome), which sold for $920,000 in the second quarter of 2010.

1411 17th St. Unit B Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($999,000, 4br/2.5ba, 2341 sf, listed by Tad Thormodsgaard – Palm Realty Boutique). This townhome is the rear unit of a 2-on-a-lot development, built in 2000. 17th Street ends at Manhattan Beach Preschool, just 3 lots away. So there is no through traffic – just traffic exiting the school parking lot. It is also within walking distance of Meadows Elementary School. The home is move-in ready and the rooms are large, by townhome standards. Two bedrooms and an office (with access to the rear yard) along with a 2-car garage are downstairs. The living areas and master bedroom are upstairs. There are city/mountain views from the top floor. This unit last sold in 2004 for $1,034,500.

2104 Faymont Ave. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($1,525,000, 5br/3.5ba, 3399 sf, listed by Jim Van Zanten – South Bay Brokers). This large Liberty Village home was built in 1998. It has been well maintained and is move-in ready. Floors are travertine or new carpet, counters are tile, cabinets & wood trim are oak. The home is bright and spacious with a traditional floor plan. The 5,346 square-foot lot is nicely landscaped including a grassy backyard and covered patio. For comparison, the house right across the street (2109 Faymont, 4888 sf, built in 2007) sold for $1,639,000 last August.

1450 5th St. Open SUN 2-4:30 ($2,099,000, 5br/5.5ba, 4317 sf, listed by Chad Fahlbusch – NW Real Estate Brokers). This custom home was built by DeVico Development in 2001 on the 7,500 square-foot lot. The home has a 2-car garage and a single-car garage each with its own driveway. The back yard is mostly hardscape with a pool, spa and small plot of grass. One bedroom and bath are downstairs. Upstairs, the master suite runs the width of the house and includes a sitting area separated from the sleeping area by a dual-sided fireplace. One of the upstairs “bedrooms” is more like an office, with one side open to the foyer.  This is the home of former L.A. Laker Chris Mihm, purchased in 2004 for $2,160,000. It is a beautiful home, worth a visit.

224 34th St. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($2,999,000, 4br/4ba, 3690 sf, listed by Dave Caskey – Shorewood Realtors). Located on a North End walk street, this home is just a block and a half to the beach. The house was originally built in 1982, but was completely remodeled in 2003 from the studs out. The home has beautiful finishes and great ocean/whitewater views. There are frosted windows to preserve the light but obscure the not-so-great views of neighboring homes. The home is full of custom features and beachy built-in cabinets. In the master suite, an exercise room adjoins the master bath and has an interior window between the two rooms. It has a 4-car garage (2x2) that is roomy enough that you might just be able to fit in a small 5th car. The 2,700 square-foot lot has garage access from 33rd Place. This property last sold in 2006 for $2,925,000. Manhattan Beach Confidential has also written about this home. It is a unique home in a very desirable location. Go see it.

If you plan to buy a home in Manhattan Beach or a neighboring area, contact me, Janie Sue Nagy to help represent your interests in the transaction.

Vitality City Focus Groups Need You

Here's your last chance to participate in the few Vitality City focus groups left.  They would love to have your input & there is no charge to participate.

The Beach Cities Healthways Blue Zones Vitality City™ initiative is looking for your input in a series of focus groups that will help plan programs and events to help improve the well-being of the beach cities over the next three years. The focus groups are designed to identify great programs organizations doing work related to the Vitality City initiative, and people who want to get involved.

Several Vitality City Focus Groups are taking place this week, with two sessions in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday, January 26th. If you have not participated in a Vitality City Focus Group, and are interested in finding out what this initiative is all about, please visit the Registration website and RSVP.

You are also all invited (and encouraged!) to attend the sessions in the other beach cities. Please refer to the schedule below and on the Registration website to sign up for any focus groups that you are interested in. (You can read about all the programs being offered on the Vitality City Program Description page.)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 

• Social Physical Activity: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, North Redondo Library Community Room
• Walking Groups: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM, North Redondo Library Community Room
• Employers & Businesses: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM, Beach Cities Health District, Beach Cities Room, Redondo Beach

Wednesday, January 26, 2011: Manhattan Beach Police and Fire Community Room

• Substance Abuse Policy: 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
• Seniors: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Thursday, January 27, 2011

• Restaurants: 9:00 - 11:00 AM, Hermosa Rotary Hall, 2515 Valley Drive  
• Faith Groups: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM, Hermosa Rotary Hall

You can learn more about the involvement of Manhattan Beach in the Vitality City initiative by visiting the City's Going Green website. If you have any questions, please contact Sona Kalapura at (310) 802-5058 or skalapura@citymb.info

Manhattan Beach Homes Open (1/22-23/2011)

These seven Manhattan Beach homes will be open this weekend. Links to the right for the Beach Reporter listings of open houses in Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Village show additional homes open this weekend. Please share your thoughts by posting a comment to this article, if you visit any of these homes.

If you would like to see additional pictures and listing information for the homes mentioned below, visit this MLS summary link.

1304 12th St. Unit C Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($669,000, 2br/2.5ba, 1179 sf, listed by Edward Barrios – Shorewood Realtors). The 10-unit townhome complex was built in 1984. HOA fees are $250 per month and pets are okay. It is located across the street from Meadows Elementary School with the entrance to the subterranean garage off Meadows Avenue. In March 2010, Unit A (same size) sold for $647,500.

Each unit has an attached 2-car garage on the bottom level. Kitchen, living room, dining room and powder room are on the entry level. The third level has two bedrooms, each with their own bath. This unit was remodeled in 2009 (hardwood floors, new hardware in the baths, and black granite in the tiny kitchen). The kitchen window looks out on a small, private brick patio which is accessed from the dining room. It also has a covered patio outside the front door.

319 32nd Pl. Open SUN 2-4 ($769,000, 1br/1ba, 528 sf, listed by Lisa Stott – Shorewood Realtors). 32nd Place is a block-long alley between 32nd Street and 33rd Street. The original lots ran street-to-alley. When first built, this “home” appears to have been a separate rental unit. Sometime later the property was split, with the front home at 320 33rd St. on one parcel and this 1br/1ba unit over the 2-car garage on the other.

It last sold in 2002 for $545,000. The half-lot is 1,350 square feet and the home is 528 square feet. It has a living room, dining room, kitchen, bath and bedroom. All are tiny. It was built in 1932 and it retains the “charm” of the original construction, meaning there have been no apparent upgrades. The property is basically being sold for land value.

958 Rosecrans Ave. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($890,000, 2br/1ba, 972 sf, listed by Janet Stearns – RE/MAX Palos Verdes). This home was built in 1956 and sold in June 2009 for $650,000 as a bank-owned property. It was in truly awful shape then. The exterior has been significantly improved with paint and landscaping. There have also been interior upgrades, though those are somewhat inconsistent. The bath has been remodeled in a style that is not likely to have wide appeal. New floors and appliances have been added, but original floors remain in the bedroom. The kitchen has new granite counters, but the old cabinets were left. And something is just wrong when curtains substitute for closet doors in the bedrooms and hall. The lot is 5,968 square feet. The detached family room, off the garage, adds another 260 square feet of finished living space.

I had to double check the definition of fantastic, as the listing description indicates the property is in a “fantastic location." I guess if you go with the definition of fantastic as strange/bizarre/unbelievable rather than wonderful/superb/extraordinarily good, it could be considered an accurate description. Living across the street from the Chevron Refinery with the Rosecrans traffic could be considered an aberrant fantasy (which would make a good name for a rock band, as Dave Barry might say).

4104 Highland Ave. Open SUN 1-4 ($1,069,000, 3br/3.5ba, 2560 sf, listed by Gayle Probst – Coldwell Banker) This El Porto home is on a 1,799 square-foot half-lot. The lot slopes up to the rear, giving the lowest level a basement-like feel. The 2-car tandem garage and a bedroom with bath are on the lowest level. The master and another bedroom are on the middle level. The living areas are at the top. The top level offers panoramic ocean views and there are ocean views from the second level as well. The drawback is being right on busy Highland Ave. with views that include the liquor store and motel across the street. Also traffic noise is significant when out on the balconies. The back yard is small and virtually unusable, since access is from the front of the property along the side of the house.

This house was built in 1992. It last sold in June 2009 for $970,000 as a bank-owned sale. Based on previous listing pictures, it does not appear that there were significant upgrades to the property since the purchase, maybe just paint and carpet.

1340 21st St. Open SAT & SUN 2-4 ($1,689,000, 4br/3.5ba, 3466 sf, listed by Kristen Novoa – Shorewood Realtors). This home was built in 1991. It has a 3-car garage, but one of the spaces has been finished as a studio/office. Check out the pictures in the MLS which show the floor plan for this home. Room sizes are generous and the 7,500 square-foot lot allows for a large back yard. There are mountain views from the top floor. It still has a bit of the early 90’s décor with gold-edged, mirrored closet doors. And, I guess someone thought it was classy to have a sunken living room, an elevated family room and a step-up master bath area. This home last sold in 2004 for $1.499M.

1505 8th St. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($1,879,888, 5br/4.5ba, 4160 sf, listed by Ed Kaminsky – Shorewood Realtors). This was built as a spec home in 2002 by Rich VR and the home still looks new. It has the popular floor plan of the times, with a bedroom and on the ground floor, a great room and kitchen at the rear, other bedrooms and laundry room upstairs. The large, flat lot is 6,750 square feet. The backyard has a large patio and grassy area. It has a 3-car, side-by-side garage. There is a loft, office in addition to the bedrooms on the upper floor.

1525 Mathews Ave. Open SUN 1-4 ($2,175,000, 5br/5.5ba, 4510 sf, listed by Craig O’Rourke – Coldwell Banker). The house is new, vintage 2007, but it has been on the market for nearly 4 years. The previous listing expired last September with an asking price $20K higher. When first listed in 2007, it was offered at $2.479M. Seller financing is available to sweeten the deal. A very similar home at 1510 Mathews, by the same builder with seller financing just sold for $1.8M. It is a beautiful spec home on a large (7,500 sf), flat lot. There is plenty of room in the back yard. It has a 3-car garage, including one tandem spot. I liked the large laundry room which has its own huge closet with lots of shelves.

Are you looking for a home in Manhattan Beach or neighboring areas? Contact Janie Sue Nagy.

Scene Around Manhattan Beach #7

Have you seen this scene around Manhattan Beach?

If you can identify the location of this palm tree gate, post your answer as a comment. Hint: it is in the Sand Section. Enjoy the satisfaction of sharing your skills of observation and knowledge of Manhattan Beach trivia.

About once a month this blog will include an eye-catching Manhattan Beach sight, and ask observant readers to identify the location. Find the answer among comments to this post, within a month.

The location of the brickwork sailboat in Scene #6 from December has been given in a comment to that post.

Opportunity is for sale again! Just $30 Million.

It seems like every few weeks a Manhattan Beach property is offered for sale in terms of what it could be. This time the asking price is a mere $30 million. Yes, that is for residential property and it is being marketed as the dirt value. The offered opportunity is to build the next landmark home on a double lot with 66 feet of frontage on The Strand in Manhattan Beach.

The properties at 2016 and 2020 The Strand are for sale as a package deal (listed by Steve Heavrin – Shorewood Realtors). While neither existing home is a tear-down, it would be possible to build a spectacular (meaning palatial) home if the lots were combined. The combined lot would be 66.7’ wide by 100’ deep. The ocean views are fabulous, but the corner lot is next to 21st Street, a “drive street” with parking, rather than a more coveted walkstreet.

According to tax records, 2016 was purchased in 2007 for $7,900,000 and 2020 was purchased in April 2010 for $9,000,000. (By the way, the adjacent property to the south is also owned by the seller, but is not part of this deal.) Is it possible that combining the two lots creates a premium of more than $13 million or is the debut price an attention-grabbing exaggeration on the high side? It will be interesting to watch this one and see what the market will bear. Go ahead and post a comment with your guess of the ultimate selling price.

Perhaps a scarcity of large Strand lots justifies the price? A quick check of Manhattan Beach tax records shows at least 7 sets of twin Strand properties (adjacent lots with the same owner) and at least 7 more Strand lots that have already been merged and are larger than 6,000 square feet. The most recent purchase of comparable, adjacent Strand lots was in March 2009 for 204 & 208 The Strand. Together those 2 lots are the same as 2016/2020 (66.7’ wide by 100’ deep) and sold for a total of $12.8 million.

Weekend Open Houses (1/15-16/2011)

These five Manhattan Beach homes will be open this weekend. Three are new listings and two have been on the market a bit longer, but are just now open for public viewing. The links to the right for the Beach Reporter listings of open houses in Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Village show additional homes open this weekend. Please share your thoughts by posting a comment to this article, if you visit any of these homes.
This MLS summary link provides additional pictures and listing information for the homes mentioned below.

1508 Oak Ave. Open SUN 1-4 ($823,650, 4br/2ba, 1780 sf, listed by Leo Nordine – Leo Nordine Realtors). This bank-owned home is being sold “as-is,” which is not too bad since it has recently been repaired for sale. It was featured in earlier Best Manhattan Beach Homes News posts. The home was built in 1964 on a 4,256 square-foot lot. There is no real yard, just a patio in the back and a courtyard in the front. The Oak location, next to a parking lot may dissuade some buyers. But on the weekends you can stumble out of bed for breakfast at Grunions next door (the only Sports Bar I know that has a golf club). Go see this one while it is open this weekend.

2216 N. Ardmore Ave. Open SUN 1-4 ($1,399,000, 4br/3ba, 1864 sf, listed by Teri Hawkins – Coldwell Banker) This home was built in 1953 and needs a bit of maintenance here and there. It has been a rental recently, so the new owners will likely want to change some of the décor (perhaps the grapevine theme in one bath). Most of the home is on the level above the garage, with just the large master suite up another flight of stairs. Each of the three bedrooms has its own bath, though one bath also has a hallway entry. Only 3 bedrooms are shown in the photos and I don’t recall seeing the 4th bedroom mentioned in the listing. A large, side patio off the living room provides access to the back yard. From the MLS pictures you can see the rear yard is about the width of a volleyball net. Part of the back yard is an elevated terrace. The lot is 4,400 square feet and there are views of Veterans Parkway from the front of the home.

2818 N. Ardmore Ave. Open SUN 2-4 ($1,499,000, 5br/5ba, 3514 sf, listed by Lara Boyko – Oakwood Realty) This home was built in 2001 by Vince Devico. It last sold in 2005 for $1,675,000 and is currently listed as a short sale. The home is typical of Manhattan Beach spec homes: great room, open kitchen with large island, formal dining and living rooms, one bedroom with bath on main level, other bedrooms and laundry upstairs. The lot is 5,000 square feet.

1724 Oak Ave. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($1,595,000, 5br/4ba, 3333 sf, listed by Ed MacLaughlin – Shorewood Realtors) A custom remodel was just completed for this home. It was purchased in October 2010 for $1,060,000 in pretty dismal condition with the intent to fix it and flip it. After extensive rehab it’s like a new home. The walnut floors are beautiful. There are tree-top views from the front of the house. The lot is on the east side of Oak and backs to a parking lot, which provides more privacy than you would have with a two-story home behind. The original home was built by Norman LeBeau in 2000.

2512 Manhattan Ave. Open SUN 1-4 ($2,150,000, 3br/3.5ba, 2275 sf, listed by John Corrales – NW Real Estate Brokers) This detached townhome on a half lot (1,751 sf) was built in 1989. It is located in an area where utilities have been undergrounded, so views are optimized. This home has excellent ocean views from the top floor living areas and also from the master bedroom on the second level. The views are also enhanced by large the cornerless/frameless windows. Just a block from the beach and a couple houses from Bruce’s Beach Park, the location is quite nice. It has a 3-car garage plus driveway parking for 2 more cars. The closet in the master suite is on the small side and the room on the lowest level has no closet. But those are small sacrifices.

For additional information about homes in Manhattan Beach or the neighboring cities, contact Janie Sue Nagy.

Manhattan Beach Homes Open This Weekend

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011! After the holidays we are starting to see a few more new listings. The following Manhattan Beach homes have been recently listed for sale and they are open for public viewing this weekend. The links to the right for the Beach Reporter listings of open houses in Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Village show other homes open this weekend. For another opinion on these properties, you can check out Manhattan Beach Confidential. If you visit any of these homes, share your thoughts by posting a comment to this article.

This MLS summary link provides additional pictures and listing information for the homes mentioned below.

1346 2nd St. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($979,000, 3br/1.75ba, 1451 sf, listed by Ted Dodd – NW Real Estate Brokers). This home is on a 5,000 sf street-to-alley lot in the Mira Costa Section. The home is move-in ready with newer windows and hardwood floors. It was built in 1951 and the main footprint of the house has not changed much. The kitchen and baths have been remodeled, without being enlarged. The two smaller bedrooms (and I do mean small) share a Jack-and-Jill 3/4 bath. There is another full bath off the hall. A large, separate room with fireplace and bar was added as an attachment to the 2-car garage. It is accessed by crossing a patio from the main house or from the 1st Place alley. There are additional parking spaces for up to 3 more cars. The front yard provides a fenced, grassy area. The rear yard has a stone patio and a cement slab.

Traffic on Second Street is a concern, but the home is above street level and has dual paned windows to reduce noise. Also the garage is off 1st Place, so parking access is unaffected by traffic.

This home last sold in 2004 for $940,000. It has been a rental recently. Prior listings of this home indicate that the upgrades were done before 2001.

209 Crest Dr. Open SAT & SUN 1-4 ($1,350,000, 3br/3.5ba, 2288 sf, listed by Julie Christensen – South Bay Brokers). This home is listed as a short sale. It was built in 1999 and is a detached, two-on-a-lot townhome, with no HOA fees. It’s in a very nice Sand Section neighborhood, just a few blocks from the beach.

The laundry room, access to the 2-car garage, and a master bedroom with adjacent patio are on the lowest level. The middle level has two more bedrooms, one of which is a second master. The top level has an open kitchen, dining room, and living room. The ocean can be seen from the balcony off the living room. The home has several balconies to provide some outdoor space. Unfortunately the balconies mostly have alley views.

Recent Luxury Listings Now Open For Public Viewing

222 17th St. Open SUN 1-4 ($5,250,000, 4br/3.5ba, 4279 sf, listed by Lida Sandera – South Bay Brokers). This home was listed in September 2010, but this is the first time it is open to the public. It is really worth a visit to see all the unique features.

This contemporary-styled home was custom built in 2009. It is located on a walk-street just 2 blocks from the beach and near downtown Manhattan Beach. It has great ocean views. The home is beautifully designed. The use of exotic woods and glass throughout make this home a work of art. There is an elevator for ease of access to the three levels and a 4-car garage to deal with Sand Section parking. Some of the unusual features of this home include the exercise room, sauna, multistory fountain, motorized shades and windows.

3112 The Strand Open SUN 1-4 ($6,900,000, 3br/3.5ba, 3913 sf, listed by Debbie Walmer – Real Estate West). This home was previously reviewed in Best Manhattan Beach Homes News on December 12th - Ocean Front Fixer. It was listed for sale at the end of November 2010 and is now open for public viewing.

The home was built in 1968 and is currently configured as a duplex. The ground-level unit is a 3br/2ba rental. The upper owner’s unit has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, office and family room. The master bedroom has awe-inspiring panoramic ocean views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The floor plan is a bit choppy and it looks like the upper unit had been split into multiple units in the past. It has a 3-car garage with off-street parking for 3 more cars.

At this price, you are not buying the house, you’re buying the location. If the home was relevant, the price would be closer to $10M. The 3,829 square-foot lot is among the larger Strand lots. When it was listed, this was the lowest priced property on The Strand in Manhattan Beach. Since then a 4-plex built in 1972 on a 3,498sf lot has been listed for $6.25M.

For additional information about homes in Manhattan Beach or the neighboring cities, contact Janie Sue Nagy.

New Listing for Manhattan Beach REO - 2609 Oak Ave 90266

2609 Oak Ave., Manhattan Beach was listed for sale at $1,683,000 on December 29th (courtesy of Andre Tabacco – Palm Realty Boutique). Since it is a bank-owned home, it is being sold “as-is” with no repairs, credits or termite.

This Tree Section home has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and is 3,652 square feet. The 4,480 square-foot lot is on the west (“good”) side of Oak, meaning it is not adjacent to property along Sepulveda Blvd. zoned for commercial use.

In 2004, the property sold with an older home for land value at $985,000. On May 1st 2006, this custom home was offered for sale at a starting price of $2,399,900. Completion of construction was anticipated by the end of May. The price came down $100K in August 2006 and stayed there until the listing expired in June 2007. The Notice of Default was filed in May 2008 and the Notice of Trustee’s Sale that August. But the loan was with Washington Mutual, which was acquired by JP Morgan Chase Bank in September 2008. After some sorting out of its WaMu acquisitions, JP Morgan Chase Bank took the property back for $1,602,250 in July 2010. This bit of shadow inventory in Manhattan Beach is now coming to market.

If you are interested in this newer, bank-owned home, contact Janie Sue Nagy.