Manhattan Beach Homes: Open January 21-22, 2012

Starting today and continuing through Sunday, downtown Manhattan Beach is having a sidewalk sale. Nearly 80 retail stores will be participating from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day. That leaves plenty of time to visit some open houses this weekend. Invite your shopping-deprived friends from other cities and bring them along to an open house. They may become your neighbor. Of course, I’d be happy to help find the best Manhattan Beach home for them.

As of Friday evening, there are 88 active listings for Manhattan Beach homes. This weekend two of the recently listed homes are having an open house. Both are in the Tree Section.

759 27th St. OPEN SAT & SUN 2-4 ($1,579,000, 4br/3ba, 3300sf, listed by Linda Dondero – Shorewood Realtors). See this one while you can. It is attractive and priced well, so it should sell quickly. The house was built in 1987 on the 4,800-square-foot lot. It last sold for $1,259,000 in 2003. It has been updated in the last few years and you could move right in. According to the listing it has a newer roof, water heater, flooring and lighting. The home feels spacious and enjoys lots of natural light.

From the entry, a half-flight of stairs takes you up to the living room, dining room, kitchen and office. The office has custom, built-in cabinets. The kitchen has been remodeled within the last few years and has stainless steel, Kitchen Aid appliances. Up another half-flight of stairs, the master bedroom and bath have a private location above the garage. The master bath has also been remodeled.

Access to the garage is a half-flight of stairs below the living areas. The garage is extra deep and can hold 3 cars with room to spare. The lower level includes three more bedrooms, a hall bath with dual sinks, the laundry room and a family room with French doors to the back yard. The back yard is beautifully landscaped and comes with a built-in barbecue.

2401 Oak Ave. OPEN SAT & SUN 1-4 ($879,000, 3br/2ba, 1161sf, listed by David Salzman & Carol Glover – NW Real Estate Brokers). This one is a Short Sale.  It last sold in 2005 for $1,077,000. The 4,484-square-foot lot is on the west side of Oak.  Across the street, a wall of greenery hides commercial property.

The single-level home was built in 1948 and has been remodeled. The bathrooms are newer and the galley kitchen has granite counters and travertine flooring. It still has the original hardwood floors, which have visible wear and need to be refinished. Crown molding and cheerful colors make this cute, starter home inviting.

You can check out the floor plan, which is included with the listing photos. Laundry hookups are in the single-car garage. It looks like one of the original closets was expanded and converted to an attached bathroom. The “master” bedroom also has French doors to a rear deck.

The two-tier deck is partially covered. It connects to a stone patio with a fireplace and a grassy area. The back yard includes an above-ground spa, built-in barbecue and refrigerator. Behind the white picket fence, the front yard has become a xeriscape.