Brookside Village has long been the most affordable place to call home in South Redondo Beach. Located just a short drive, bike ride, or even walk from the beach, Riviera Village, parks shopping and more, it is ideally located and far more affordable than just about anything else. Currently there are 4 homes for sale in this small coastal community.
By Keith Kyle
**Update**both of these condos have been sold.**
It’s not often that a 2 bedroom condo comes along in The Village in Redondo Beach. Located just behind the Redondo Beach pier, the Village condos are located in the 600 – 660 The Village buildings (they are actually on Catalina but we’ll save that explanation for another day.) The units with big views offer true vacation living with dazzling sunsets, views of the boats coming in and out of King Harbor and the sounds of waves hitting the shore.
The reason that it’s so rare to see two bedroom condos is that they are only located on the fronts of each building. In addition to the fact that there are just so few of them, they are even more rare on the market as many buyers keep them as rental units once they outgrow the condo or just decided condo living isn’t for them.
Since 2010 there have only been 3 of these rare units available which is what makes it pretty astounding to see two units currently for sale at the same time. This is even more unbelievable given the lack of home inventory throughout both Redondo Beach and the South Bay. The first condo is located at 630 The Village #116 and is priced at $579,000. The second unit with larger views and more updates is located at 610 The Village #116 and priced at $699,000. Both units were built in 1974 and have 938 square feet, 2 pools, fitness center and direct access to walk to the pier and beach. Ahh….vacation living is good.
Redondo Beach has it all…..great weather, proximity to the beach, charming downtown, and plenty of housing options. One of the most affordable places to live in South Redondo Beach is Brookside Village located in the area where Prospect and Camino Real intersect. Brookside Village is a planned community comprised of 385 condominium units in 32 buildings in a park like setting and located just a short distance to the beach. The complex offers 2 pools, 3 Jacuzzis, 2 saunas, 2 tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a gym. Housing prices range from the low $300,000 range for smaller 1 bedroom units to the low to mid $500,000s for 3 bedroom 2 bath condos. As the complex was primarily built in the early 1970s some of the units are still original with many being totally upgraded and modernized.
By Keith Kyle
When people think of life at the beach…they think ocean front. Unfortunately that idea is out of the price range of most people. Fortunately Redondo Beach has an option and it may be more affordable than you think. There are many options ranging from multi million dollar oceanfront estates, to the bluff top homes of Paseo De La Playa, to affordable condos that make life feel like a vacation!
One of the property types fairly unique to Redondo Beach is the “3 on a lot” townhome. When most buyers, especially those coming from out of the area, think of a townhome they picture endless rows of identical looking houses. Many buyers reach out to me looking for a single family home in the area, but unfortunately, can’t always afford single family homes in Redondo Beach. I often recommend that they consider a townhome as they’ll generally get nicer, newer, larger and better location for a lower price. Most of the time this idea is quickly rejected but once I show them the concept of a “two on a lot” or “three on a lot” they become far more interested. A great number of the lots in North Redondo are fairly large for the area at 50×150. These lots originally had some type of bungalow or duplex built in the 50s and many were long ago sold and knocked down. Due to zoning rules in Redondo Beach, what replaced them were most often townhomes.
A “3 on a lot” townhome is a building in which 3 units share the lot. These 3 on a lot townhomes are always connected, unlike some 2 on a lot situation, with shared walls between the front unit and middle, and back unit and middle.
The most common details of the units are:
One aspect that many buyers find difficult to accept is the fact that there is an HOA. Unlike large complexes with management companies, HOA board meetings etc., the HOA on a 3 on a lot can be very low key and sometimes not even active. As the 3 owners collectively own a portion of the land, the HOA cannot be dissolved but in many cases it is inactive. In general they are informal affairs with the minimal HOA fees (often around $175 a month) covering landscaping and shared insurance and each owner covering maintenance, and other items separately. As with any property not wholly owned there are possible challenges and frustrations as owners (just like neighbors) don’t always see eye to eye on fixes, repairs like termite work, roof fixes, etc. Overall the benefit of the townhouse concept is that the same price that may purchase a 1100 foot 2 or 3 bed 1 bath house in need of work, can purchase a 1800 foot 3 bedroom 3 bath townhome that’s far newer. Real estate purchases almost always involve compromises and priorities and depending on just what’s important to a buyer in Redondo Beach, a 3 on a lot townhome might be an ideal fit.
If you are looking to purchase a home in the South Bay and want to visit open houses in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, El Segundo and surrounding areas, you’ve come to the right place. Our South Bay open house list has weekly schedules for all South public open houses. Take advantage of our HomeFinder and have new listings emailed to you daily. Open House schedule subject to change without any notice.
