America's 500 Most Expensive ZIP Codes In 2014

Manhattan Beach is only #84: Full List: America's 500 Most Expensive ZIP Codes In 2014 - ForbesLife

So in addition to being a great place to live, we're a price performer!

Sales of California’s million dollar homes at 7-year high

7-year high in high-end home sales is led by Manhattan Beach.
http://www.dailynews.com/business/20140731/sales-of-californias-million-dollar-homes-at-7-year-high#.U9uihcLFrYA.email

Dozing on the Beach

Could be the most excitement in our little town in quite awhile!

Bulldozer Takes a Spill on Manhattan Beach

Just kidding. -David

The Coolest Beach Town in California : Condé Nast Traveler

According to Condé Nast Traveler, Here's Why Manhattan Beach Might Be the Coolest Beach Town in California.  I would have to agree!  But I would add Manhattan's proximity to Hermosa and Redondo as two more reasons for the coolness. -David

Great Starter Home Sold!

I had the pleasure of selling a great starter home in Manhattan Beach last week.  The sellers are delightful clients, the kind who ask smart questions and make smart decisions.  Clients like this make real estate a joy, and welcoming a new resident to Manhattan Beach, especially one represented by a great agent, is always a pleasure as well.

If you have any question about it at all, this is a strong seller's market.  I'd be happy to give you an update on your home's value!

- David

Manhattan Beach Fireworks 2013

Great fun and an excellent fireworks display last night at the Manhattan Beach Pier, sponsored in part by South Bay Brokers.  The whole town turned out!

FIREWORKS IN MANHATTAN BEACH!

Don't miss the annual fireworks show from the Manhattan Beach Pier!  It's on Sunday, December 8th and South Bay Brokers is a major sponsor.  

This is really our premier community event of the year! -David

What's the Tree Section?

by David White

Satellite Map of the Manhattan Beach Tree Section

The "Tree Section" is a beautiful, family-oriented residential area of Manhattan Beach known for its lovely tree-lined (and in many cases, tree-named) streets, roads, and avenues. Also known as "The Trees," this area is bounded by Rosecrans Avenue to the north, Sepulveda Blvd. to the east, Manhattan Beach Blvd. to the south, and the Manhattan Beach "Sand Section" to the west.

Tree Section homes viewed from the top of the sand dune
(photo Copyright (c) 2010 by David J. White)

The Tree Section is home to beach bungalows and considerable new development as well, contributing to a diverse and ever-changing appearance from block to block. Benefiting as it does from the town's outstanding schools, it has become a haven for young families preferring to invest in real estate than in private school tuition. At the same time, numerous residents have lived in the Tree Section for as many as 40 years, some maintaining their original homes and others beautifying the neighborhood with attractive remodels or complete rebuilds. Neighbors young and old come together for locally hosted block parties during the summertime, and lemonade stands are a frequent sight.

The Tree Section includes a number of curb-less streets, plus several blocks (most notably along 24th St. and 31st St.) whose then residents voted to have gaslights installed for attractive lighting some years ago. Utility undergrounding initiatives, though costly, hold the promise of further beautifying The Trees if the city once again elects to offer them.

The Tree Section is bisected from northeast to west by the meandering Greenbelt, which runs between Valley Dr. and Ardmore Ave. Once the route of Red Car trains used by many to access the area, the Greenbelt is now a well-maintained walking and running path, lined of course with lush stands of trees.

The Tree Section's Live Oak Park
(photo Copyright (c) 2011 by David J. White)

Live Oak Park, at 1901 Valley Dr., borders on the Tree Section, and is home to the city's annual Old Hometown Fair as well as two of the city's nicest Little League fields, Live Oak Field and Dorsey Field, plus six tennis courts, a dog park, the Joslyn Community Center, a play area, and the Tot Lot.

The Tree Section's Sand Dune Park
(photo Copyright (c) 2011 by David J. White)

Sand Dune Park, at the west end of 33rd Street, features an unique 100-foot high sand dune, plus a play area for kids.

In sum, the Tree Section is a lovely, family-friendly neighborhood.  From a real estate standpoint, it holds its value well.

Mira Costa's Model U.N. program ranked nation's best

This is pretty impressive.  This article from The Daily Breeze leaves "No Debate" that Manhattan Beach' Mira Costa High School continues to achieve great things for students with the will to aim high. - David

MB Council Overturns Arbitrary Denial by Planning Commission

The Manhattan Beach City Council ruled to overturn a puzzling Planning Commission denial of Journey of Faith Church's application to replace it's 1950's-era changeable letter sign with an attractive new sign of the same size in the same location, using current technology.  A good result, and your blogger is grateful to have had the opportunity to help.

Our leaders need to be open to using good judgment in cases like this, avoiding lockstep imposition of one-size-fits-all municipal codes.  As wisely decided by the Council, we should be going out of our way to embrace and not to impose arbitrary and unnecessary restrictions upon the forces for good in our community, including our churches, temples, and schools. - David

Manhattan Beach News

City Council Roundup by Carley Dryden (Updated: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 6:05 PM PST)

[Unrelated text deleted] Journey of Faith sign Although the city’s Planning Commission denied Journey of Faith Church’s request to install a new LED sign along Artesia Boulevard, City Council considered the church’s appeal and approved the installation. The double-sided 60 square-foot full color changeable copy electronic display messaging board will replace the existing illuminated changeable copy cabinet pole sign. The planning commission felt the sign would increase visual blight, cause a vehicle safety hazard along one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, be obtrusive to nearby residents and was not consistent with the city’s sign code. The church argued that the sign, which would dim during nighttime hours, would be an appropriate method to communicate to the community and would be less obtrusive than the pole sign. “The better Journey of Faith looks, the better Manhattan Beach looks,” said resident David White. “A surprising amount of information is conveyed with a sign. This sign is important.” Mayor Nick Tell felt the LED board would not be obtrusive on a street with other electronic signs, like the one at Mira Costa High School, and the towering McDonald’s golden arches just yards away. Councilman David Lesser was the lone dissenter, arguing that the sign would impact the character of Artesia Boulevard and was not consistent with the city’s sign code.

Fireworks at the Pier

Don't miss the annual Manhattan Beach Fireworks at the Pier, coming up this Sunday Dec. 11!  A snow park, the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders, and the John Brown Band highlight the pre-fireworks entertainment.  Then the skies light up at 7pm.  Walk to the beach and be a part of a great annual celebration!

See City of Manhattan Beach Holiday Fireworks Festival for more info. - David

Up through the ranks: Eve Irvine is the fourth female police chief in Los Angeles County history

I'm happy to report that Chief Eve Irvine is not only an experienced professional, but also a delightful individual and a great new member of the Manhattan Beach community! - David

Area STAR test scores show gains - The Daily Breeze

The results of the latest Area STAR testing are in, as reported in this article by the Daily Breeze.  The article features a convenient graphic that lets the reader easily compare scores by area, including California and LA County overall, plus South Bay area cities/school districts individually.

Outstanding proficiency scores in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach lead the pack, but Wiseburn and other locales have strong showings as well.  Don't miss Wiseburn School District (including the Holly Glen area of Hawthorne)!  It's a great price performer for first time homebuyers.

Note: The percentages shown are not average scores!  They are the percentage of students who scored "Proficient" or better.

Zillow Got You Down? Look Beyond the Averages!

Speaking with a good friend and very savvy client this morning, I happened to comment that "Zillow is directionally correct 50% of the time" for overall prices in a given local market.  Of course this is because Zillow uses mathematical algorithms that fail to address property condition, changes in sales mix, shortages in inventory, and similar qualitative and quantitative factors not available without a modicum of local expertise.

As an example, relying on Zillow, one could easily conclude that property values in Manhattan Beach have suffered to the tune of 5-8% in recent months.  This dramatic but misleading conclusion results from what I call the "tyranny of averages." By this I mean that averages of non-homogeneous groups (e.g., newer homes vs. older, desirable homes vs. teardowns, better locations vs. commercially-impacted streets, markets including builders vs. markets without significant building activity) are little more than hash totals until underlying factors are revealed.

In the Manhattan Beach Tree Section and in East Manhattan, few newer, larger, highly-desirable, well-located homes have been available in the inventory of homes for sale in recent months.  I have well-qualified buyers for both RIGHT NOW, and have yet to find suitable properties to match their needs. As a result, Tree Section statistics are skewed toward smaller, less-desirable properties that have been marching through the ranks.  Zillow interprets this as meaning Tree Section sales volumes and values are down, an uninformed conclusion.

The reality:  South Bay Brokers' sales are up 18% year-over-year from 2010.  Of course that's a composite number too, but I can give you the details!  In fact, many such details can be found at the South Bay Market Data section of this very Beach City Digs Blog!

So as frequently mentioned in this blog, watch out for averages.  You'll find them rampantly reported in the general press, which is a great place for real estate ads but seldom for actionable real estate news.

Instead, rely on a qualified real estate professional who knows and understands the micromarket, the underlying factors, the prevailing trends, and how to have peace of mind dealing with them all. -David

Manhattan Beach Schools "#1 for the Housing Buck" in Forbes Poll

Public schools in Manhattan Beach top the list for cities where homes cost above $800K.  That's the result of the second annual survey by Forbes Magazine. Congrats to MBUSD and MBEF! - David

Serial Golf Benefits Scouting

From the Compass magazine (Volume 2, Issue 1) of the Los Angeles Area Council, Boy Scouts of America: Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery and David White are mentioned for their participation as playing partners in a Sunrise to Sunset golf marathon benefit event!

PVE and MB Welcome "The Rich!"

Been wondering about such weighty matters as Where The Rich Are Moving? Click on the link for CNBC's take on it. Palos Verdes Estates and Manhattan Beach are two of 15 cities which make this nationwide list. Most of the rest were in California as well.

Headlines like this remind me of P.J. O'Rourke's Eat the Rich, A good read.

Thanks to our own Manhattan Beach neighbor, health care industry blogger, and (presumably) rich guy  Rod Raynovich for passing this along!  - David

Skechers Steps Up

Skechers, headquartered in Manhattan Beach, steps up to teach students from inner-city middle schools with an inspiring after-school design program at their Sepulveda Blvd. offices. Nice job of giving back. - David

AP Mobile News story - Manhattan Beach mayor delivers State of the City address

Mayor Richard Montgomery gave an informative "State of the City" presentation at Tuesday morning's Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce gathering at the Belamar Hotel.  Our city is fortunate to have this caliber of leadership! - David

Local Hero Col. David McCarthy (Ret.)

Article in The Beach Reporter about friend and Scouting colleague Col. David McCarthy's latest heroics, this time in Manhattan Beach instead of Afghanistan or Iraq. This is the sort of guy we need on OUR city staff! - David