Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog

Palos Verdes experienced 2 different fires within one week and owners of Palos Verdes real estate were lucky that there was no loss of life or homes. The most recent fire on Thursday (above) was caused by a single car accident on Crenshaw resulting in a fire which quickly spread uphill toward Chadwick School and homes in Academy Hill. There were 2 large scooper planes that filled themselves with ocean water and came back over the fire and dumped their water. They flew overhead on their way back to the ocean and they were so big that the ground vibrated from their passing. Click here for a link to full story in Peninsula News.

The fire last week (above) that begin in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes and spread into Rolling Hills was a much bigger fire that burned 230 acres through the night on Thursday, August 27th. Again we were very lucky as there was almost no wind. 4 helicopters and 1 helitanker scooped ocean water to extinguish the fire and 500 area firefighters also helped to extinguish the fire. Two homes on Cinchring and Quail Ridge in Rolling Hills were damaged. The Peninsula News had the full story including the reminder “Where homes were saved, they had (completed) proper (city- and county-mandated) brush clearance and they had fire-resistant vegetation…”

Photos courtesy of Tom Underhill, Peninsula News, and Blake Shoemaker

The Point Vicente neighborhood is located in Rancho Palos Verdes near the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive West and Hawthorne Boulevard. This is a small neighborhood of only a six streets and about a half a mile long. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods because nearly every home has ocean views. As you enter the homes, you are greeted by a full ocean view from the living room and dining room. There are also ocean views from the backyard. Point Vicente Elementary School is located in this neighborhood and a new Trader Joe’s is opening just down the street!

Currently, there are no active homes for sale in the Point Vicente neighborhood. The last two sales were $975,000 for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,670 square foot home and $1,200,000 for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,364 square foot home.

The Seaview neighborhood is located in Rancho Palos Verdes off Palos Verdes Drive South and above Portuguese Bend Beach Club and Trump National Golf Course. Most homes have spectacular ocean views as they are stair-stepped up the hill.

This is an intimate neighborhood of about a dozen streets that cover approximately one-half square mile. A steep (100-step) staircase from Dauntless Drive leads to Ladera Linda Park. Seaview’s location near San Pedro and access to the 110 Freeway make it an ideal location for those who work in Long Beach and even downtown Los Angeles.

Currently, there are 2 single family homes for sale in Seaview. 4129 Admirable Drive is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2,111 square foot home for $899,000. 32406 Conqueror Drive is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2,209 square foot home for $924,000.

In addition to being a fabulous resort that you can visit for a walk on the ocean’s edge, enjoy a meal or have an extended stay in one of their beautiful rooms — you can also purchase one of Terrenea Resort’s exclusive villas or casitas.

There are currently 9 properties for sale at Terrenea. The Casitas are 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,040 square feet and range in price from $1,995,000 to $2,750,000. The 3 Villas are between 1,800 and 2800 square feet and range in price from $2,200,000 and $2,950,000. 49 Casitas/Villas have been sold to date.

The Los Angeles Times gave a nod to our new Terrenea Resort with a full page article in Sunday’s Travel section describing it as “the first waterfront resort in L.A. County, blends serenity, space and panache.” Serenity, space and panache – I couldn’t agree more.

Fourth of July on the Palos Verdes Peninsula will be celebrated at two special public events. There will also be several local firework displays in the evening.

This year Palos Verdes Estates will be holding their48th Annual Independence Day Celebrationat Lunada Bay School, 520 Paseo Lunado. The festivities are free to the public and will begin at 9:45 a.m. with entries into the Apple Pie Contest followed by the Children’s Decorated Bike/Scooter Parade at 10:00 a.m. There will be music and family games for all ages. Everyone is welcome to bring picnics to enjoy on the lawn.

Rancho Palos Verdes will be hosting their 34th Annual Independence Day Celebration at Point Vicente Park/Civic Center at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be Rides & Games, Arts & Crafts Booths, Music, Pie Eating Contest & Hula Hoop Contest, Petting Zoo and Helicopter Rides. Admission is free, on-site parking is $4 per vehicle and free shuttle service is provided along Hawthorne Blvd.

Fireworks can be seen in the evening at the Redondo Beach Pier/Seaside Lagoon at 9:30 p.m., at Torrance’s Charles Wilson Park at 9:00 p.m. & the Barge off the Coast of Torrance Beach at 9:00 p.m., and at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro at 9:00 p.m. More information on fireworks displays can be accesses by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of City of Rancho Palos Verdes

Palos Verdes Peninsula has a total of 67,162 residents as of 2008. The city of Rancho Palos Verdes has the largest population at 42,964. The city of Palos Verdes Estates has 14,046 residents. Rolling Hills Estates has 8,185 residents. Rolling Hills has 1,967 residents.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula measures 26.3 square miles. Palos Verdes is the oldest city (incorporated in 1939) and located on 3,038 acres. Rancho Palos Verdes is the youngest city (incorporated in 1973) and the largest city located on 13.6 square miles. Rolling Hills Estates encompasses 4.18 square miles and was incorporated in 1957. Rolling Hills also incorporated in 1957 and covers 3 square miles. Additionally, there are about 500 homes in Academy Hills and Westfield which are two unincorporated areas governed by the County of Los Angeles and are located off Palos Verdes Drive North.

Palos Verdes is known for its outstanding public schools and there are over 12,000 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. On the California statewide level, the Palos Verdes Peninsula district is in the top 1 to 5% in achievement. There are also several excellent private schools on the Peninsula – Chadwick, Rolling Hills Country Day, Rolling Hills Preparatory, Peninsula Montessori and Peninsula Heritage.

I had another tour of Terranea Resort and it is really taking shape. Palos Verdes Peninsula’s first hotel/resort (and Los Angeles County’s only resort on the water) is scheduled to open June 1, 2009. Terranea is already booking events and taking hotel reservations at $400 to $5500 per night. $5,500 is for the Presidential Suite with its fabulous ocean views and 1,800 square feet of luxury accommodations.

There are currently 32 casitas and villas for sale (50 have already sold) between $2,225,000 and $4,500,000. Owners, of course, have access to all the amenities of Terranea including resort facilities, housekeeping, etc. You can stay in your unit 60 days (casitas) or 90 days (villas) per calendar year and rent them out the rest of the year. View below is from a casitas balcony.

Terranea is receiving over 150 inquiries a month for weddings alone. There are over 1,000 people working 6 days a week to make sure the resort is finished by June. The pools are in but not yet filled. The waterslide is in. The lobby entry is now paved. When you drive down Palos Verdes Drive South past Terranea, you will see green as the golf course is being planted. It is so exciting to see the progress!

Today, I had High Tea at Trump with friends as our pre-Christmas celebration. This is my third tea at Trump National and I have to say they are doing a better job. Gone are the tea bags on a plate to choose from and instead there was a tray of little cannisters with bulk tea to choose from. After sampling the aromas of their new Naja Teas, I chose “Mix & Mingle” which was an organic black tea, toasted coconut, chocolate, vanilla and roobios; it was smooth and almost creamy – very delicious.

Trump has also improved on their sweetened whipped cream served with their scones. Proper English High Tea requires Devonshire or Clotted Cream which was not served today but an interesting blend of sour cream (or cream cheese) lemon spread was tasty.

High Tea at Trump has been expanded to daily service (with two days notice 310-303-3260) between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. excluding Sundays. It was a mini vacation from real estate and business and a leisurely visit with good friends.

Palos Verdes unique coastline with all its bays and coves makes for some great surfing spots. Both of my children’s friends surf and even they do not know where all the surf breaks are. In the Fall issue of the Palos Verdes Bulletin, an article entitle “Surf Mecca” described the history of surfing in Palos Verdes and went on to name the surf breaks – Avalanche, Boneyard, Charlie’s, Christmas Tree, Cove, Dominator, Exile’s, Indicator, Haggarty’s, Longs, Lower’s, Lunada Bay, Middle’s, Pinnacle, Pipe’s, Rat Beach, Rat Point, Ski Jump, TA’s (Tom Anderson), Turbo’s and Wally’s.

The article identifies Ski Jump and Boneyard as being located at Bluff Cove. “Bluff Cove was the first to be regularly surfed followed by Haggarty’s and Lunada Bay.” A few of the breaks are shown on the map provided by Matt Waters at Rancho Palos Verdes Parks and Recreation Department and can be accessed by clicking here to view my prior post on Bays and Coves.

Surfing is big in Palos Verdes; both our high schools have surf teams and several world class surfers came from this area. I could not find all the breaks mentioned above for my son’s friends (although they know quite a few) so it will be like a treasure hunt for them to identify and surf them all.

On Thursday evening, I drove down Palos Verdes Drive South and noticed lights on at our new Terranea Resort. A call to Ara Mihranian, Project Planner at the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, confirmed that the contractors are working extended hours in the enclosed interiors of the site. It is the developers intent to have the project finished by June 2009. Photo above is of the entry court of the main hotel.

Recently I enjoyed an extensive tour of the furnished casitas, the hotel lobby, ballroom, suites and an overall view of the grounds. What a treat! There are several outdoor wedding venues with fabulous ocean views. The lobby will have original artwork from local artists at the Portuguese Bend Artist Colony. The photo below is of the view from the south-facing hotel rooms and is my favorite view. You can see Abalone Cove, Smuggler’s Cove/Sacred Cove and Portuguese Bend Cove.

There are Casitas and Villas available for sale. Click here to view my prior post with additional information on Terranea.