Tag: South Bay Beaches Realtor
The appreciated values of MB property has done better than most other areas of the country and the home values have held up pretty well and the property in all of the Manhattan Beach neighborhoods; The Sand Section, The Hill Section, Gas Lamp Section, Tree Section, The Village, East Manhattan Beach, Liberty Village and North Section (old El Porto) have held their prices for the most part. Since the homes in Manhattan Beach are always highly sought after, my friend indicated that real estate here will continue to be hot. Manhattan Beach has so much going for it; award winning schools, the historic pier, the warm sand beaches and lifestyle and great shopping options without having to travel very far. Top restaurants, cafes and coffee houses are almost everywhere within walking distance and that is one thing I like for sure. Of course the golf course at the Manhattan Country Club is one of the most popular places in the city for residents and out of town guests. Manhattan Beach has all the good things that a large metro area should have but with a small town atmosphere and of course the layed back beach and surfing lifestyle. Read More
Like no where else, the South Bay area of Los Angeles contains some of the most unique and defined residential neighborhoods. From Hawthorne, to Torrance, to Manhattan Beach you can find some of the most outstanding places to live, no matter what your favorite home or area style may be. Even the prices will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. Start in the city of Hawthorne for example and look at the types of nice neighborhoods that exist today and offer outstanding values in real estate. The older, more traditional area which had it's beginnings in the 1940s was the central area located from Imperial Hwy on the north, to Rosecrans on the south, Inglewood Avenue on the west side to Prairie on the east. The vast majority of the houses in this central part of town were built during the WWII era, and mainly for the population working at the new aircraft plants like Northrop, North American Aviation and Lockheed. The city gradually expanded west with new homes and schools reaching over to Aviation Blvd. During the 80s, the city changed somewhat with many new apartment complexes being developed in the southeastern part of the main city, near Crenshaw and Rosecrans. One of the oldest cities in the South Bay is Inglewood, where older more traditional type homes were built during the World War I and II years. These original homes were priced just a little higher than those located south of the city in Hawthore, Lennox or Lawndale. The city offered even more "high end" homes in the hills surrounding Centinella Park, north of the large Inglewood Park Cemetary, and eventually developed the hills on it's east side, called Morning Side Park, with many upgraded single family homes, strip malls and churches. Gated, private communities were made available east of the cemetary and Hollywood Park and were also unique to the city at the time. Torrance is probably one of the biggest cities in all of the Los Angeles area, offering many different style neighborhoods. The oldest of these is the "old downtown area" where spanish style homes are mixed in with traditional style homes built in the 1940s and 50s. One of the unique signatures of old town Torrance neighborhoods are the huge trees that line all of the streets of the neighborhoods, shading the entire street from curb to curb. This is one of the big draws of this part of Torrance. Torrance neighborhoods expanded heavily during the late 1950 and 1960s with new developments to the north, west and south of the original city. To the east was Del Amo Woods with many new and updated single family homes. Many Wilson developments that proved to be some of the most successful and popular housing developments ever built in the South Bay, came into being during the Aerospace boom of the 1960s and 70s. The homes in those many different neighborhoods are still proving to be highly sought after and popular today. Manhattan Beach is still one of the highly sought after living areas of Southern California with its many neighborhoods offering every type of residential option available anywhere. The hill section, gas light light section, tree section, Strand section, and the Village homes are still popular with homes still popular that sell almost as fast as they become available on the market. The beach homes in Manhattan Beach are still some of the highest priced homes of anywhere in the country and are always in high demand, no matter the price. Read More
We all know about the deduction you get on mortgage interest rates and on the property taxes on our South Bay homes, but did you know there are other benefits and tax breaks you can use with the ownership of real estate property. You could qualify for a $6,500 credit toward the purchase of a second home, as long as you move into it. Uncle Sam will fork over up to $1,500 to defray the cost of a pellet stove or water heater, and there are more. Tax code changes that occur every year allow property owners certain allowances and most of us cannot keep up with the people who are in charge of determining the tax laws. What is the difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit? A deduction reduces your taxable income. A credit reduces your taxes, dollar for dollar. A $100 deduction may decrease your taxes by $15, while a credit will reduce them by $100. What's the deal with credits for first-time home buyers? If you buy a second home but keep the first one, you may qualify, provided you move into the new one. Income limits apply, but generally if you have owned and lived in a home for at least five consecutive years over the past eight and bought a new one between November 7, 2009, and April 30, 2010—or have one under contract and will close before July 1, 2010—you can get back 10 percent of its purchase price, up to $6,500. If you're a first-time buyer or haven't owned a home in the past three years, you can get back 10 percent of the purchase price of a new home, up to $8,000. You can take advantage of this credit on your 2009 or 2010 return. Keep in mind: You have to include a copy of your closing statement, so you won't be able to file electronically. And if you move within three years, you may have to give the money back. If I sell my house for more than I paid do I have to pay taxes on the capital gain? You can exclude a gain of up to $250,000, assuming the home was your primary residence during two of the five years preceding the sale. And that amount grows to $500,000 if you are filing jointly as a married couple. The law was tweaked recently to require the seller to pay some tax on the capital gain if the house was used to generate rental income after 2008. Check with your accountant for the latest in any tax code changes. What are tax credits for home improvements? Most apply to energy savings, and they will exist on top of those cash for clunkers, appliance rebates, and state incentives for energy savings. Many people are now working from their homes, is that deductable? The area being used for the work must be a distinct portion used exclusively just for the work being done for business purposes. Example: You cannot deduct the size of the kitchen as an office when you are only using the kitchen table. Or if your office doubles as a guest room at night. Can you get a tax break for updating an old house? You might be able to get a credit for 20% of the renovation costs if the house is certified as being historic. What are the tax breaks for investing in energy savings for my primary residence: Appliance will not qualify, however there are many breaks if you invest in energy savings at your principal address between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010. You can use these breaks even if you benefited from similar ones in earlier years. High-efficiency central heating and cooling systems, water heaters, biomass stoves, windows and doors, insulation, and heat-deflecting roofs are among the upgrades that qualify. The credit can be 30 percent of the purchase price of one or more products, maxing out at a total of $1,500 combined for both years. In the case of central heating and cooling, you can apply the credit to labor costs, too. Keep in mind that products must have high Energy Star ratings and are expected to be in use longer than five years. Remember that you must keep a certification statement from the manufacturer or installer and fill out form 5695. If audited you will have to show receipts and proof of installation, so you cannot buy a energy efficient water heater, for example, and store it in the garage. If you switch to alternative energy, there are tax credits available; up to 30% of the cost, with no cap, for the big ticket items like solar electric, solar hot water, wind power, and geothermal heating and cooling. If you did not take full advantage of the credit on the 2009 return, you can carry over some of it to the 2010 return. Credits for alternative energy are authorized through 2016, so if you haven't made the switch yet, there's still time, and as a reminder, you cannot use the solar hot water subsidy for your pool or hot tub, only daily hot water needs. Consult with your tax accountant or financial adviser for current and up to date tax code changes. Start putting together all receipts and records now, don’t wait until April. Read More
We asked staging experts to give us some one liner staging tips since we are getting close to summer and hopefully a better pickup in Torrance real estate sales. Here are several for you to choose and get-to-staging: One owner of a staging business says she uses natures bounty to help her stage her clients homes. Twigs, branches and seashells are just some of the items she likes to decorate with. Another Lady who owns a staging company says she uses those little flat furniture movers and saves time and money with no floor scratches and she can do it all herself. Another Professional Staging expert says her IPhone is the key because she can get all the comps and other info she needs, fast. A Professional staging expert in Oregon says the key is to create ambiance, no matter what type of property you are staging. Here are a few other suggestions: *Create a focal point in the house. Pick out the most visible corner in the house and put a large plant there, with a spotlight behind it. Set up a chat room for conversation and have entertainment too. Don't leave any carpet "dents" showing. Use the outdoors by bringing in many plants and flowers. Put stoppers in all the sinks and drains, whether the home is vacant or not. And the list goes on and on. Common Sense and a little scrubbing, and cleaning and re arranging will usually do the trick. Read More
Sometimes when we purchase a home, we do so knowing that the kitchen needs some updating or at least some TLC. The challenge is then is find the money to make some changes. Well there are many small inexpensive way to give jazz up a space without breaking the bank. I suggest as your first step, check ut some magazines for ideas you can duplicate inexpensively. Here are some of my suggestions for you to consider. 1. Change up your walls: Choose neutral like beige or gray. 2. Brighten up the kitchen: Use mirrors. This can be very effective if you put the mirror across from a window. This also gives the illusion of a larger space. carol-mirrors 3. Make seasonal changes: Try removing pieces of furniture and decorations for a lighter feel. 4. Use slipcovers: Try using slipcovers over your dining chairs. carol2-chair covers 5. Cookbook Display: Align them in graduating sizes. Or color is another option. This is a great Idea from Juniper Books This is a great Idea from Juniper Books 6. Warm it up with rugs: Area rugs can add a splash of color and can hide a multitude of flooring problems. 7. Bring the outdoors inside: Plants are always in. They soften a space and make your room warm. carol3-plants 8. Change your look with accessories: A few new accessories can change your kitchen to dramatic! 9. Change the cabinet pulls: There are so many different styles of cabinet pulls these days. You can install. This can make your cabinets look new. carol1-pulls Read More
If your credit report is not good, you will not be able to get a loan or your interest rate and fees will be high. Read More
Most buyers have a home inspected by a home and structural pest control ("termite") inspector. Additional inspections recommended, such as for roof or drainage, should also be done.Ideally, you want to know not only the severity of a defect, but how much it will cost to repair. An item that is often overlooked during buyers' inspections is the permit history on the house. Many times a new homeowner will apply for a permit to do some work on their home and when they apply at the city building department, they find out that previous owners took out permits that were still outstanding with no record of final approvals given. The permit request will be denied by the city. This happens all the time. The homeowners then have to do all of the work that all of the previous permits covered, get the city to inspect the work performed, then get final approval. This can cost the new homeowner thousands of dollars for repairs not even counting the time and disruption it can cause.While you're checking out the permit situation, be sure to research if any back fees are owed against the property for past permits or anything else. Read More
An area of the South Bay that is hardly talked about as have some great home values is the North Redondo Beach area, often referred to as The TRW tract of homes. This area is not new and was originally developed in the 1940s to help solve the home shortages created when the thousands of people migrated to California to work in the aviation industry followed by the thousands of service personnel who came here after the war, many working in the new aerospace industry at the start of the 60s. Today, homes in the area will range from about the mid $500, 000s upward to as high as close to $1M depending on size, age, etc. This is a popular area especially for new and growing families due to the extra large yards the homes have, excellent school choices, parks and the close by beaches. It is much like it was originally with quiet street, large mature trees that line those same streets, modern shopping areas and of course it's close location to the freeways. While the usual type of duplex properties are not often found in the area, many North Redondo homes have permitted guest homes or rooms attached to garages towards the rear of the property, with much of the original large yards still available. You won't find condominium or town home complexes here, nor will you find many apartment buildings. Ideally located just east of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, the areas of North Redondo Beach offer more affordable housing options than it's neighbors to the west while still offering excellent schools, proximity to the beach, charming neighborhoods, entertainment and shopping options, great restaurants and cozy cafes, and closeness to the freeways. A great area for retirees, professional singles and a fantastic place to settle down for new and growing families. Read More
Home to some mighty giant Fortune 500 Companies, this town is known for its "small town" feel, yet has all the amenities of a big city. The city of El Segundo has its own school district where scores generally run from the 80th to 90th percentile. The real estate in El Segundo is located in cozy and quiet neighborhoods that have beautiful all American homes, situated on tree lined streets.The great majority of the single family homes have two and three bedrooms, however there are some older wonderful smaller cottage type homes. About two-dozen homes are positioned along the beach bluffs and command ocean views. The rest of the town is built along gently sloping land away from the beach. The city's location is next to perfect with LAX next door, and L.A. about 20 miles north. In addition to the Chevron oil refinery, El Segundo is also home to the El Segundo power plant and adjacent to the Hyperion sewage treatment plant, and many large aerospace industrial giants like: Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and The Aerospace Corporation. Mattel Toys and Globe Shoes are also in El Segundo. El Segundo has much going for it and its residents are proud of their past and look forward to a great future and more success. Read More
A good of friend of mine sent me the following email the other day. She said, "I am realizing that I am spending less and less time in my car than what I used to. Virtually everything I need is almost within walking distance of my home, which is close to the beach-front. Shopping is a breeze downtown or at The Village Shopping Center up on PCH and Marine Avenue. Upscale stores like Macy's and other national retail outlets are available as are specialty shops and many one of a kind chic shops. We have wonderful fully equipped parks, many with tennis courts, basketball courts and other recreational facilities. Even along the beach are park areas with grass, restrooms, etc. for the pleasure of who ever wants to use them. They are well manicured and very well kept and have lush green lawns and trees for that summertime needed shade. I can ride my bike to work and don't need my car to go shopping; "I think I am going to get rid of the ole gas guzler". I am going green all the way ! " Read More