Come by on Thursday October 15th from 12-2 to have a look.

Keith Kyle | South Bay Brokers | 310-546-7611| www.KeithKyleHomes.com 1809 Phelan, Redondo Beach, CA Charming 3 Bedroom Redondo Single Family Home for Condo Price 3BR/1BA Single Family House   offered at $525,000 Year Built 1957 Sq Footage 912 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1 Floors 1 Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 3,000 sqft HOA/Maint   DESCRIPTION This is your opportunity to own a wonderful single family home in North Redondo Beach for less than most condos. The home has been meticulously maintained and lovingly taken care of. The home features a bright and open kitchen and dining area, hardwood floors, a private patio and back yard and is located walking distance to parks, shopping and dining.....and just a short drive to the beach.   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Hardwood floor - Living room - Dining room - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Microwave - Washer - Dryer - Laundry area - garage - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Yard ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Welcome home Bright bedrooms Living room Private patio and yard Bright and open kitchen 2nd Bedroom Contact info:   Keith Kyle South Bay Brokers 310-546-7611 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Oct 13, 2009, 8:02pm PDT

There are endless reasons that the South Bay and Redondo Beach are great places to live, and without question the proximity to the ocean is one of them.  Redondo Beach offers a wider variety of options than neighboring Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach as it's zoned to allow higher density housing in some areas.....meaning larger condo complexes.  Some of the most ideal complexes are located in South Redondo Beach just off of Catalina and are known as The Village or Seascapes I, II and III.  All of the Seascape Buildings are also known as the Village (they're actually all on Catalina but the addresses are on The Village) All of the complexes have Homeowners Associations with relatively high HOA dues to cover the various landscaping, pools and some insurance, but if you're looking for an affordable way to have a beach home, they may be ideal for you.  All three buildings offer some fantastic ocean, Catalina, and harbor views and are centrally located just a short walk or bike ride to the beach, marina, restaurants and shops and parks.  Keep in mind that some of my comments are just opinions on what is both good and bad about the buildings based on my observations and feedback from my clients.

Seascape I

Seascape One is actually located between Seascapes II and III and consists of 210-250 The Village.  It was built in 1978 and is just east of King Harbor and the Redondo Beach pier.  Many of the units have fairly unique windows that allow for plenty of light and breezes.  The smallest units are 1 bedroom 1 bath with around 577 square feet with the largest units being 2 bedroom 2 bath with just over 1600 feet.  Values depend primarily on the location and view as well as the upgrades that the owners have done over time. 

Pros:  Location, location, location.  Seascape I is central to everything and you truly don't have to get in the car on the weekends.  It's directly adjacent to the marina and the Redondo Beach pier and has a large grassy park just outside your door.  Some of the units are very nicely remodeled and some have tremendous ocean views (although those unblocked view units rarely come on the market.  This is an affordable way to live by the beach or use a rental unit.  See additional pictures of an ocean view unit at 240 The Village.

Cons:  The complex is a little maze like and finding your way around isn't always simple.  The complex also has shared laundry with a laundry room near the elevator on every floor.  Another negative is that there seems to continually be an assessment in addition to the HOA dues and currently all of the planters and ponds have been undergoing continual work.  Unlike Seacapes Two and Three the complex is not gated (although the parking is)

Seascape II

Seascape 2 was built in 1980 and looks a bit more modern than Seascape I.  The units are much larger with the smallest one bedrooms just a bit over 900 square feet and the largest condos having 2 bedrooms plus a very good sized loft (with an additional balcony) and just at 1900 square feet.  Seascape 2 consists of the buildings with 100-160 The Village addresses and is the furthest north of the oceanfront/oceanview buildings.  The complex has a very nice pool area and is walkable to just about everything imaginable.  Seascape 2 also has some townhome units with larger square footage and attached garages.  Many/most of the units have been extensively remodeled and many have stunning ocean and harbor views.

Pros:Again the location is excellent with shops, restaurants, gyms and the beach just a stroll away.  The complex has a very nice vacation like feel to it and is ideal for those looking for a beach home, second home or just wanting a primary residence at the beach....without the price tag of many other oceanview properties.

Cons:There are often assessments and the monthly HOA is fairly high and currently around the mid $400s as of this article.  It's a fairly large complex and often a bit confusing to find your way around.  Although the views can be stunning some of the units are a bit further back with a service road and a few buildings in front of the views of some of the lower units.

Seascape III

Built in 1980 Seascape III feels very similar to Seascape II with a slightly more "vacation" type feel.  The condos are fairly large with the smallest 1458 square feet and the largest being the penthouse 2 bedroom with an ocean view loft and separate patio with slightly over 2000 square feet.  This is the furthest south of the Seascape buildings but still walkable to everything. 

Pros: Again the location is just ideal and the complex has a great second home or vacation feel.  Higher floor units have some tremendous views and many have been very nicely upgraded.  As with all of the Esplanade and Village buildings, prices have come down considerably as they have had a very high second home ownership in the past and have suffered quite a bit with some foreclosures and short sales forcing prices down which makes for an ideal environment for buyers

Cons: As with all of the Seascape buildings the HOA is quite high and the age of the buildings, coupled with their environment of sun and salt air, often make for additional assessments.  HOA is also fairly restrictive as to what can be done to the units, but this can also be considered a positive for many.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

I was just on the MLS setting up appointments for showing tomorrow with my client.  He's interested in finding a newer townhome in Carson and generally in the $375,000-$425,000 price range.  In searching the homes that he's interested in seeing it never ceases to amaze me the sheer volume of short sales.  Of the ten homes he's hoping to see....9 of them are short sales.  As Carson is one of the lower priced areas of the South Bay, it shouldn't be surprising that it was one of the hardest hit communities, but it makes it a challenge for both buyers and sellers.  Click here to view the current Carson real estate listings.

About the Author

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

There continues to be an increase of homes on the market in North Redondo Beach at some stage of the foreclosure process.  There are currently 15 "distressed" homes on the market in North Redondo (areas 151-154) with 7 of them single family homes and the remaining 8 being a mix of condos and townhomes.  Of the 15 homes on the market 12 are short sales with 3 being bank owned homes or REO properties.  Click here for a current list of North Redondo bank owned and short sale homes.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

Activity seems to be picking up in the condo market of South Redondo Beachwith several homes having recently gone into escrow.  At the same time, however, inventory remains high in Seascape I, II, and III and The Village with 14 condos currently for sale.

As of May 1, 2009 there are currently 6 condos currently in escrow with 3 closed sales.  Price information is below.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.comoffer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

Activity continues to increase in Fusion South Bay with both a variety of sizes and floorplans, but a combination of traditional sales, short sales, and one for sale by owner.  There are currently 6 homes in Fusion on the market with 4 active listings and 2 that have gone into escrow.  In addition there may be two new listings coming onto the market that we know of in the coming weeks.  See below for some basic information on the homes currently active and in escrow.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

You just can't help being influenced by the media reports that the market is slow, homes are sitting unsold, that it's a buyers market, and anything can be bought for a minimum 20% below the listing price.  While it's certainly true that overpriced homes, or even some homes priced just at the top of market value, can sit on the market...the reality is that things are starting to move and that there is so much pent up demand that when a well priced home in a desirable neighborhood comes along....be ready for multiple counters.  I submitted 4 offers toward the end of last week of which 3 were over the asking price and here I am blogging about it instead of opening escrows.  I thought that an email from one of the listing agents (on my offer that was over list price) pretty well summed up the shift in the market. This shift may be temporary but it certainly dispells the media myth to go in low and get a deal....regardless of the asking price.

"We ended up with 12 offers, the last one arriving as I was walking out the door to meet with the wife seller ....3 offers were in the 700K+ range and one offer was All Cash. Of all the offers, one was significantly better in both price and terms than all others, and the sellers are inclined to go with that one. We are planning to Counter some of the offers to see if anyone wants to be in the BackUp position."

So much for a slow market.....

 Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.comoffer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

As I've mentioned in the past, I just can't seem to avoid bank owned homes and short sales.  They seem to be everywhere in the South Bay and we even see a continuing rise in places like Manhattan Beach.  As many buyers, and especially first time home buyers, are looking for the great deal, that often inevitably leads to short sales.  A short sale is basically a sale in which the homeowner owes more money than they can sell their home for and therefore need bank approval to allow the sale to go through.  That's where the problems start. Today I'll focus on the good aspects of the short sale and tomorrow the bad as they're certainly intertwined.

The Good

Without a doubt a short sale can make for an incredible deal for a buyer willing to wait out the process and remain patient.  As the seller isn't walking away with any proceeds, the realtor doesn't need to do the usual dance of trying to get the seller to be reasonable on the value of their home while trying not to offend them with the reality of the market.  So in essence, it's usually the realtor who sets the price, and it's their goal to get as much interest as possible...often listing the home for far less than the actual value.  This often leads to multiple offers and some discouraged buyers who have heard media reports that everything can be purchased for well below asking price...regardless of what that price is.  As I tell many of my clients who may not have the highest offer, is that this is a marathon...and not a sprint.  While there are other offers, there is also a very good chance that many, or all, of the interested buyers will eventually drop out, lose interest, or find something else.  Often short sales can be even better deals than bank owned, or REO properties as they're usually jumped on immediately with offers often well over asking price.

So if you're not in a hurry....short sales may be the opportunity for you.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.comoffer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com

While waiting for a buyer and their agent to show up to my Plaza Del Amo listing in Torrance recently I had a bit of time to kill.  This is an end unit townhome so the windows and views are a big part of what makes it different and what I'm marketing.  While standing in the kitchen I noticed that the windows were very dirty from the recent rain (who says it doesn't rain in Southern California).  What to do.....so I searched under the sink, found some Windex, popped the window out and made them nice an clean.

Look at the "streak free" views!

I've always touted myself as a full service kind of realtor, but now I can honestly say....and yes, I even do windows.

Keith Kyle is a licensed Realtor and e-Pro with South Bay Brokers in Manhattan Beach.  He serves his clients throughout the South Bay and his websites KeithKyleHomes.com and FindYourSouthBayHome.com offer the most comprehensive real estate websites in the South Bay with free MLS access, current home listings, open houses, recent home sales information and more.  Keith can be reached at 310-251-2344 or by email at info@KeithKyleHomes.com