Think Home Staging Doesn’t Make Much of a Difference?

By Keith Kyle

It always amazes me the little effort some realtors put into selling their listing and how much money they may be leaving on the table for their clients.   One of the biggest differences in what realtor do (or don’t do) is how they present the home.  From staging to cleaning, to photography, it all matters.

Staging isn’t something done in most listings but it can make a huge difference.  Whether it’s staging a vacant home or adding to or rearranging the sellers own furniture (more often than not its actually decluttering), staging serves many purposes but it always helps present the home in a better light.

Before staging and afterThe photos above show a recent listing of mine before we staged it and after.  This was the same light, both clean and looking good but what a difference staging makes. It was a beautiful condo in Fusion South Bay, and likely would have done just fine without staging but for this home it served several purposes.  The most obvious is that it can take a rather cold and sterile feeling room and make it far more warm and inviting.  For this particular condo, it was on the smaller side with only 1000 square feet, so the additional purpose is eliminating many buyer perceived concerns.  Rooms are often bigger than they appear when empty and buyers often wonder if their furniture will fit, whether the bedroom will even hold a queen bed, where the TV is going to go.  All of this can be eliminated by staging properly and the buyer hesitations are eliminated and buyer then tend only to focus on the positives.  The sale of this home set the new sales record for an “A” floorplan unit in Fusion.

Brookside Village Redondo Beach

Get Out of the Rental Game – New Listings in Brookside Village Redondo Beach

By Keith Kylepool area of Brookside Village

Brookside Village, located at the corner of Camino Real and Prospect, is the most affordable way of living in the beach close community of South Redondo Beach.  At the moment there are a number of homes for sale in the complex and may be one of the best ways of getting out of the world of renting and getting into owning a home.  The complex was built around 1970 and features 385 units ranging from one bedrooms to 3 bedrooms.  There are also a number of differences between the various buildings and addresses with some buildings feeling more like condos while others feeling more like townhomes.  In the two story buildings the 2nd floor units offer vaulted ceilings and even though the square footage may be the same they feel much larger.  Contact us for more information on the condos at Brookside Village.

Home Spotlight – 717 Esplanade in Redondo Beach

Sometimes spectacular homes don’t sell.  That’s usually due to them being overpriced, but that still doesn’t make the homes any less cool.  This weeks spotlight home is located oceanfront in Redondo Beach on at 717 Esplanade.  The home is magnificent in just about every way with a higher elevation than anything comparable on the Strand in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach and an oversized lot of over 11,000 feet allowing the home to be very large at over 7000 feet while still having incredible outdoor areas with a patio and a pool (not to mention the beach and ocean are only 40 feet away?) With 4 bedrooms and 6 1/2 baths the spaces are large with tremendous views of course.

Having said all of that the home was originally listed at $14,250,000 in May of 2013!  That’s a long time on the market in any circumstances but given that the past two years have possibly been the hottest since 2006 with prices skyrocketing and demand at an all time high, it’s pretty clear that even at the current price of $12,999,999 it’s still sitting.  If this home were in Manhattan or Hermosa it likely would have sold prior to it being listed, but the reality is that it’s not in Manhattan or Hermosa.  It’s a spectacular house in and even more spectacular location but given the highest previous number was $8.1M and that was for a 21,000 foot lot it’s still a reach, but who knows….with the asking price for the oceanfront condos at 1500 Esplanade being $4,000,000 and up, values are getting more in line with 717 Esplanade all of the time.

 

King Harbor Boat Parade- Holidays

Redondo Beach Boat Parade Happens this Weekend in King Harbor

By Keith Kyle

Two of the cooler things in Redondo Beach is the very tight community and of course the ocean.  What better way to combine the two than the annual boat parade in King Harbor.  Come and see this unique tradition with boats decked out in lights, paddleboarders, outrigger canoes, Santa and more.  The boat parade is happening on Saturday December 12 with the paddleboard parade at 4:30 and the boat parade beginning at 5:45.  They’ll have bleacher seating in Moonstone Park (see map below) and food trucks will be there starting at 3:30.  How can you go wrong with boats, sunsets, food, and the holidays!

Redondo Beach foreclosures

Only 2 Active Foreclosure Listings in All of Redondo Beach

By Keith KyleRedondo Beach foreclosures

The distressed home and foreclosure market was never a major factor in the Beach Cities as the coastal communities were always buffered a bit from the huge price drops after the real estate bubble burst.  Some of the outlying South Bay communities did see a large increase in bank owned homes and short sales but the closer the community was to the ocean, the less impact we tended to see.

That being said there were still a healthy (or unhealthy depending on what side of the process you were involved with) number of distressed homes for several years, but that’s virtually come to a trickle.  From a high of 130 active foreclosure listings back in 2010, which does not include the number of homes in default, to only 2 active foreclosures in Hermosa, Redondo and Manhattan Beach combined.  Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach were always very limited in the distressed market with the bulk of the foreclosure listings being in Redondo Beach.

Hermosa Christmas tree

Holidays in Redondo – Riviera Village Holiday Stroll 2015

One of the great aspects of life in the South Bay is the sense of communitycharming shopping and dining area of Riviera Village thebeach cities offer.  One of the best times of the year to enjoy that community is the holiday season with each city having numerous events and festivities.  On December 3rd from 5-9pm is the always fun and cheerful Riviera Village holiday stroll.

Riviera Village is already a charming shopping and  dining area that is
pedestrian friendly with a variety of places to choose from.  For the holiday stroll, Catalina Avenue is shut down to car traffic and turned into a pedestrian only festival, making it a safe and fun way to start the holidays.

The Holiday Parade down Catalina Ave. steps off at 6 pm and features local bands, scout troops, dance groups, and some Redondo Beach dignitaries.

Riviera Village offers a wonderful holiday atmosphere with carolers and music, twinkling lights, horse drawn carriage, decorations and in years past has even seen a bit of snow!

Catalina Avenue will be closed to traffic from Avenue I to Elena Avenue from 5 to 9 p.m. to facilitate the happy shoppers.

 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED

IT'S TIME TO DISCOVER

redondo beach

Vista Sotheby's International

Vista Sotheby’s International Realty is one of the top real estate brokerages in the South Bay and Southern California with offices in Redondo Beach and throughout the South Bay

ADDRESS:

1801 S Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Phone:

310.251.2344

E-mail:

keith.kyle@vistasir.com

CONTACT AGENT

DRE#01712785

keith kyle

Top Producing Realtor

ENQUIRE

Sotheby's International

Welcome to Sotheby's International Realty representing buyers and sellers of fine South Bay and Southern California properties

Redondo Beach Real Estate & Homes. All rights reserved. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Keith Kyle – Licensed Realtor – Vista Sothebys International Realty – DRE#01712785

The listing information set forth on this site is based upon information which we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties to our franchisees (who in turn supplied it to us), we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. The offerings are subject to errors, omissions, changes, including price, or withdrawal without notice. All dimensions are approximate and have not been verified by the selling party and cannot be verified by Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. It is recommended that you hire a professional in the business of determining dimensions, such as an appraiser, architect or civil engineer, to determine such information. Sotheby’s International Realty ® and the Sotheby’s International Realty Logo are service marks licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC and used with permission.