Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog

2011 Palos Verdes homes sales for West Palos Verdes neighborhood increased to 22 single family homes sold compared to 12 in 2010 – an 83% increase.  Price per square foot for West Palos Verdes homes that sold in 2011 was $543 compared to $572 in 2010.  Average sales price for West Palos Verdes homes sold in 2011 was $2,391,000 compared to $2,436,667.

Currently there are 6 single family Palos Verdes homes for sale in this area.  They range from $1,899,000  for a 5 bedroom/4 bath, 3,498 square foot home to $5,999,000  for a 4 bedroom/7 bath, 7,800 square foot home.

For background and history on West Palos Verdes Multiple Listing Area 170, please click here to read my prior article on this neighborhood.

To view current Palos Verdes real estate statistics for the entire Peninsula, please click here or on the Statistics tab.

Photo of Oceanfront Estates Bluff Trail

Palos Verdes homes owners are able to enjoy and learn more about their beautiful Peninsula by taking nature hikes on the next two Saturdays this month.

The first of these is this Saturday, May 5, 2012, at  the George F. Canyon Preserve & Nature Center.  These walks will take place at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and are considered a gentle walk with a great opportunity to see our local beautiful canyons.  Your expert guide will introduce you to a new world in the canyon.  Your guide will not only teach you about the habitat, geology, drainage, wildlife and folklore, but will be able to answer your questions about what makes these canyons so popular and important to our local wildlife. At this time there is poison oak near the stream bed, so make sure you stay along the trails. It is suggested that you wear suitable footwear, perhaps a sun hat, and make sure you carry water.

These hikes will be starting at the George F. Nature Center at 7306 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates.  A donation of $3 per person helps support the Nature Center. For more information about these activities, or to make reservations, please call (310) 547-0862.

On Saturday, May 12, 2012,  join the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy for a public hike at Forrestal Nature Center from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.   The docents will lead you on this moderate hike and  teach you about the local geology.  You will be enjoying the Preserve’s hiking trails which offer beautiful views, majestic canyons, and magnificent foliage.    This sometimes overlooked Preserve is on the south side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula located just off Palos Verdes Drive South.  Parking is at Ladera Linda which is the former elementary school site.  The Ladera Linda Discovery Room is located there also, with its extensive collection of samples of the area’s geology and wildlife.  It has been staffed since 1982 and is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 -5:00 p.m.

Forrestal Nature Reserve is located at 32201 Forrestal Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information go to www.pvplc.org.

Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy

2011 Palos Verdes homes sales for the Palos Verdes Drive South neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes increased to 32 single family homes sold in 2011 from 21 sold in 2010.  Price per square foot for Palos Verdes Drive South houses that sold in 2011 increased to $482 compared to $462 in 2010. Average sales price for Palos Verdes Drive South homes sold in 2011 was $1,401,766 compared to $1,329,190  – a 5% increase.

Currently as of 5/06/2012, Palos Verdes Drive South has 35 active Palos Verdes homes for sale.  They range from 17 condo/town homes priced from $489,000 for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,433 square foot unit, to $2,696,000 for a 3 bedroom, four bath, 2,808 square foot unit.  There are 19 single family homes ranging from $$825,000 for a  3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,500 square foot home, to $10,000,000 for a six bedroom, 8 bath, 7,669 square foot home.

For background and history on Palos Verdes Drive South Multiple Listing Service #169, please click here to read my prior article on this neighborhood.

To view current Palos Verdes real estate statistics for the entire Peninsula click here or on the Statistics tab above.

Photo courtesy of Terranea Resort

Is your child interested in playing soccer in the summer or fall?  If the answer is yes, now is the time to think about registration.  The Palos Verdes Region 10 of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) offers year round recreational and competitive youth soccer programs.  This is a sport that can be enjoyed by four year olds (U5 division) all the way up to 19 year olds (U19).

The registration for fall and summer soccer will be on Saturday, May 5, 2012,  from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Hesse Park Community Center.  The cost for registration at this time is $150 for your first child, and $135 for each additional child. If you wait until the last sign up on Saturday, June 2, 2012, the fees will be $160 for the first child, and $145 for each additional sibling. You must pre-register and pay by credit card by going to www.eAYSO.org. You still need to formally register in person.  Checks and cash will not be accepted at registration.

If you are interested in volunteering, you will find the paperwork required for you also.  Since AYSO is a 100% volunteer organization, they are always looking to fill coach and referee positions.  (There is a special express line at registration for volunteers.)   If your child has not played the previous year, you will be required to bring proof of your child’s age either by birth certificate or passport.

Hesse Park is located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, 90275.

Photos courtesy of AYSO Soccer                        

There were 25 homes on the May 1, 2012, Palos Verdes real estate Broker’s Tour.  Again this week, we have mostly new listings.  I was only able to see 11 homes and it felt a bit like a road rally as I had to stay on task to see them in the allotted 2 hour time frame.  It is interesting to note that the number of new listings coming on the market is almost the same as the number of homes selling so we still have not seen an uptick in active listings this Spring.  We currently have 181 single family Palos Verdes homes for sale ranging in price from $280,000 in Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 (This is a 663 square foot commercial building on a 1312 square foot residential lot) to $12,950,000 in Rolling Hills 90274 (the low in Eastview is $529,000).  There are 45 Palos Verdes townhomes for sale priced between $240,000 and $2,695,000.  My favorite Palos Verdes homes today are:

Gayle Probst’s (Coldwell Banker P.V./South Bay) 7 N Quail Ridge Road, Rolling Hills 90274 (above left) is a 5 bedroom, 7 bath, 6,000 square foot home for $6,500,000.  This spectacular remodeled Rolling Hills home features both Queen’s Necklace and unobstructed city views, office, library, art studio, infinity pool/spa on a 6 acre equestrian lot.  Kitty and Rick Edler’s (Peninsula Sotheby’s Int’l Rlty) 2240 Via La Brea, Palos Verdes Estates 90274 (above right) is a 5 bedroom, 5 bath, 4,350 square foot home for $3,299,000.  This Monte Malaga masterpiece features panoramic Queen’s necklace views, a gourmet kitchen, office, game room and pool/spa.

Raju Chhabria’s (Shorewood Realtors Inc) 705 Via Del Monte, Palos Verdes Estates 90274 (above left) is a 4 bedroom, 5 bath, 4,070 square foot home for $2,595,000.  This beautiful Californian Mediterranean style Malaga Cove home features breathtaking Queen’s Necklace views, a chef’s kitchen completely remodeled late 2010, wine cellar, gym and pool/spa.  Swan Wedekind’s (Keller Williams Palos Verdes) 28750 Cove Crest Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 (above right) is a 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 2,468 square foot home for $980,000.  This well-priced Crest home features a newly remodeled kitchen and baths, a separate family room and a large master suite.

Photos courtesy of CRMLS

Palos Verdes homes owners have an opportunity to learn more about interesting topics at the May 2012 lectures sponsored by the Peninsula Seniors.  It’s also a good time to meet and socialize with other local residents.  These lectures take place at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Fireside Room on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

May 2nd speaker will be Mr. Harrison “Scotty” Scott who will be describing the famous GRAPEVINE PASS and going into its history, from recalling water bags along the roadside, to the current Ridge Route as it is called today.

May 9th lecture will be featuring a former B-17 Bombardier who is now a published Author, Charles “Norm” Stevens.  Mr. Stevens has a new book out regarding his WWII experiences, and will be discussing his appearance this month at the Zamparini Field in Torrance.

May 16th lecture will be an interesting topic – as Bob Visser, VP of the Peninsula Seniors’ Board of Directors, will discuss an offshore pipeline replacement project that will use new technology to run these pipelines and connect to two offshore platforms.

May 23rd speaker will be Rolling Hills Estates resident Akrevoe Emmanouilides who will speak on “Being Present at the Birth of the Information Age”.  She will discuss her time working on the ENIAC, the first computer built at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.  This machine was called the “The Machine That Changed The World” and Mrs. Emmanouilides will have books on it as well as a subsequent von Neumann computer.

May 30 lecture will be an exceptional presentation by Aida Director of Elder Education, Carol Hahn, who is a registered nurse and will be talking about High Blood Pressure. It is often called the ”Silent Killer” many  do not understand what to look for until it is too late.  Come find out what you can do to make lifestyle choices that may help you decrease these numbers.

Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Seniors

2011 Palos Verdes home sales for the Mira Catalina neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes decreased to 18 single family homes sold in 2011 from 21 homes sold in 2010.  Price per square foot for Mira Catalina houses that sold in 2011 increased to $448 compared to $401 in 2010.  Average sales price for Mira Catalina homes sold in 2011 was $1,232,333 compared to $1,079,767 – a 14% increase.

Currently, as of 4/27/2012, Mira Catalina has only 4 active Palos Verdes homes for sale.  They range from $1,049,122 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,162 square foot home to $4,090,000 for a 4 bedroom, 6 bath, 6,551 square foot home.

For background and history on Mira Catalina Multiple Listing Service Area #168, please click here to read my prior article on this neighborhood.

To view current Palos Verdes real estate statistics for the entire Peninsula, please click here on on the Statistics tab above.

Photo courtesy of Marymount College

Palos Verdes Estates annual Special Refuse Collection (bulky trash) is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th, 2012.  This is the one time a year that you are allowed to place your items on curbside for pick up.  The City’s waste hauler will pick up furniture, appliances, water heaters, refrigerators (compressors removed) stoves, sinks, lawn furniture and more.  They will not however, pick up construction waste or electronic waste. Items to be picked up should be placed at curbside by no later than 6:00 a.m., otherwise they may not be picked up.   This is in the City of Palos Verdes Estates only.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Annual Household Hazardous Waste Disposal will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall located at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard.  This is a great time to get rid of those old printers, telephones, televisions, microwaves, paint and many other e-waste products.  Also the City of Palos Verdes Estates accepts electronic waste on Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the City Yard adjacent to the Police Department.  This is only for electronic waste.

This is the perfect time for Palos Verdes homes owners to clean out our garages and get rid of all the excess “stuff” we seem to collect throughout the year.

Every Spring, I look forward to the Peninsula City Managers at our Palos Verdes real estate Board Breakfast Meeting with presentations from the City Managers from all 4 cities on the Peninsula – Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates.  Yesterday’s meeting did not disappoint and of great interest to me was that in the City of Palos Verdes Estates beginning July 1, we will no longer separate recyclables from household trash.  Athens Waste Collection Services will be doing that themselves at their plant.   Here is a summary of the City Managers’ updates:

Carolyn Lehr, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager, reported that the number one public work project was the San Ramon Canyon area to control mudflows that sweep down over 25th Street.  It is a $20,000,000 project and they will receive $9,500,000 from the State and are looking for other funding sources.  The City will also be going some improvements on Palos Verdes Drive East to improve safety making room for equestrian, pedestrian and bicycle traffic.  The pilot program for the Dog Park at the beach below Trump National has been rescinded.  The City is working with the City of Los Angeles on improvements on Western Avenue.  In the planning stage on Crestridge (next to Mirandela) is a 60 unit condo for 55+; these will be 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage and 1685-2090 square feet.  There is a new city website.  They are expecting a 1/2% increase in the TOT tax from Terranea Resort and the restaurants are doing well; the weak area is sale of units due to restrictions in owner occupancy.

Douglas Prichard, the Rolling Hills Estates City Manager, reported that they have a backlog of neighborhood road maintenance.  The Palos Verdes Drive North bicycle project widening the road to include bike lines will be extended from east of Crenshaw (existing) west to the city limits at  Palos Verdes Estates. Construction will begin summer of 2013.  Many pepper trees along Palos Verdes Drive North are at the end of their life span (rotted and hallowing from inside of trees) and will be replaced.  Many of the mixed use (commercial/residential) projects are on hold.   the old car was site is rumored to have been sold; the approvals to date are still valid.  In Planning Commission is a new Chase Bank at the old Arco Site. Chandler development was approved last summer but has been held up by a lawsuit that is working its way through the settlement process – probably 5 more years before that development is ready to go.  Butcher property at Palos Verdes Drive North and Palos Verdes Drive East has been approved for 12 homes and utilities are going in now.

Judy Smith, the Palos Verdes Estates City Manager, reported on their Neighborhood Watch, PVE Cares and Disaster Preparedness projects.  The City completed 2 sewer projects w/new pumping stations at Paseo del Mar and Rocky Point.  Southern California Edison is to give a presentation to the City regarding capital improvements to the electrical systems.  Beginning July 1, trash pickup will go to a 2 barrel system – one for greens and one for household trash.  Residents will no longer separate their recyclables as Athens Waste Collection Services can do that more efficiently at their plant and it will reduce the number of trash trucks on the streets.

Tony Dahlerbrach, the Rolling Hills City Manager, reported that the 2 lots redone as part of the Poppy Trail landslide mediation will be completed in June and put on the market.  There is a new overlay zone for front setbacks which are currently 50 feet and some areas will now only have a 30 foot front setback (he mentioned Chuckwagon and Williamsburg as examples but indicated there were more streets involved).   The sewer line on Johns Canyon may be continued to Crest Road.

There were 21 homes on the April 24, 2012, Palos Verdes real estate Broker’s Tour and I was able to see 10 homes today.  Most of these were new listings.  We currently have 182 single family Palos Verdes homes for sale ranging in price from $280,000 in Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 (This is a 663 square foot commercial building on a 1312 square foot residential lot) to $12,950,000 in Rolling Hills 90274 (the low in Eastview is $529,000).  There are 50 Palos Verdes townhomes for sale priced between $259,000 and $2,695,000.  My favorite Palos Verdes homes today are:

Wendy Sun’s (RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty) 6968 Alta Vista Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 (above left) is a 6 bedroom 6 bath, 4,040 square foot home for $2,599,000.  This gated Country Club home features a spacious master suite, a resort-like backyard and a two bedroom guest house w/semi kitchen.  Allen Scafati’s (Coldwll Banker P.V./South Bay) 1608 Via Barcelona, Palos Verdes Estates 90274 (above right) is a 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 4,360 square foot home for $2,995,000.  This upper Lunada Bay home features ocean views, a fabulous kitchen and a pool/spa.

Darin and Edward DeRenzis’ (Peninsula Sotheby’s Int’l Realty) 1749 Addison Road, Palos Verdes Estates 90274 (above left) is  4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,296 square foot home for $1,399,000.  This lower Lunada Bay home features an updated kitchen and baths, ocean views and a pool.  Steve Simonetti’s (RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty) 2 Pony Lane, Rolling Hills Estates 90274 (above right) is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 1,901 square foot home for $995,000.  This equestrian Palos Verdes Drive North home features a remodeled kitchen and baths, panoramic pastoral views and a stable.

Photos courtesy of CRMLS