You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
This year is starting with a bang as far as home sales go in Manhattan Beach. There were 30 completed sales of homes of all types in this past month compared to only 13 the same month last year and 12 the year before that. In addition, the median sales price for these homes was $1,422,000 compared to $1,324,000 last year. By pretty much any standard, this is an impressive start for Manhattan Beach home sales this year.
The least expensive home sold in Manhattan Beach in January was a townhome near Mira Costa for $630,000. The most expensive sale was a single family home a block from the beach in the sand section that went for $3,300,000. Last year the lowest price paid in January was $525,000 for a townhome near Polliwog Park. The highest priced sale was for a single family home a couple of blocks from the beach. It sold for just over $3,300,000.
A total of 20 Manhattan Beach homes went into escrow last month that have not yet closed. Another 10 homes entered escrow prior to January. Given that there were 23 total closed sales in February 2009, the number of open escrows at the end of last month is an encouraging sign that this month will be a strong one here as well.
As of this writing, current inventory stands at 131 homes or over four month’s worth of inventory using the total sales number from 2009. This is a light amount of inventory, but it is anticipated that it will rise after Super Bowl weekend. The sales of Manhattan Beach homes look strong as we head into February.
Whether you're installing new bathroom or kitchen counters, you're probably looking into granite or marble as your primary choice of building materail. However, there are synthetic (man-made) stone products that are definitely worth your consideration. Although there are many brand names for these synthetic countertop products, the two best known names are www.CaesarStone.com and www.SileStone.com. Nearly identical in composition, both products are manufactured using two ingrediates, Quartz and Resin (sometimes used in making bowling balls). The chemical mix is 90% (or higher) quartz and the balance being resin. In general, we don't like the look of man-made products when they are designed to mimic mother nature. But, we're willing to make an exception here. With these synthetic hard surfaces, the look is 100% about design and color choice.
Unlike granite or natural stone products, which are porous, quartz and resin countertops are resistant to staining, heat and discoloration. But, they are not Superman strong and definitely have several forms of Kryptonite that can damage and degrade their look.
For ALL countertops, it's best to always use cutting boards and trivets to keep your counters looking their best. If you don't head this warning, you new counters will, over time, become damaged. For a designer look, we love the simplicity of silicon trivets and Epicurean cutting boards, you will too.
While digging around the internet I found the following comments regarding synthetic countertop products:
If you bang on them with a hammer, they may chip or show damage
Hard water may discolor the stone around the sink
Using an abrasive cleanser will make your counters look horrible
Why would someone choose a synthetic stone over marble or granite?
It's all about the style or look you're going for. Because synthetic stone is man-made, it can be produced in a huge selection of colors, thicknesses and textures that aren't available in natural products. If Diana and I were building a house or remodeling a kitchen today, there's no question that we'd pick a synthetic stone. 15 years from now, who knows.
What about CaesarStone vs. SileStone?
From what we've researched, SileStone seems to have a wider selection of colors than CaesarStone, so most many will mix and match products to meet their design needs.
What about Corian?
What might be one of the ugliest countertops ever made, Corian is probably the reason most people are afraid of both CaesarStone and SileStone products. With Dupont in the lineage, what good can come? On the market for over 40 years, some of the worst, most outdated kitchens I've ever witnessed were clad in Corian. Maybe Corian is great. Maybe it's even better than all the synthetic stone competition combined, but to me, the brand is damaged by the product's longevity and that I've seen the product at the end of its life cycle.Lastly, unlike SileStone and CaesarStone, Corian is an acrylic based product that can be easily damaged by heat.
And now, CaesarStone, the movie
How to take care of a CaesarStone or SileStone Hard Surface
It has been some time since I sold my home on the Manhattan Beach strand, but the memories from this fantastic experience carry on brilliantly. There are probably 270 or so strand homes here and over the past ten years, at least 45 of them have had a change in ownership. This is a turnover rate that is consistent with the rest of Manhattan Beach, especially over the last few years. The highest price paid over this past decade for a home here was $10,700,000 back in 2007. It is the only home to have sold for over $10,000,000 on the strand in Manhattan Beach that I am aware of. Time and time again we hear how about much more difficult it is to secure financing for real estate and certainly for the super luxury homes. It is with this backdrop in mind that I find it interesting that, given this environment, there are two homes currently on the market here for over $12,500,000.
Back in 2000, the least expensive home on the Manhattan Beach strand sold for $2,400,000. The range in price for the five sales that year was tight, with the most expensive sale coming in at $3,900,000. With the exception of 2001 when a home sold for about $1,800,000, the lowest sales prices until 2005 were always under $2,900,000. In that year it jumped to $3,300,000, but dropped a little before hitting $5,500,000 in 2007. The lowest sales price on the strand here in the last few years was $4,700,000 last year.
On the other end of the price continuum, the highest price paid in any given year fluctuated quite a bit. There was a $9,800,000 sale back in 2001, but nothing close until 2006 when a home sold for $9,500,000. The highest sale price, as previously mentioned, was $10,700,000 in 2007. Last year the highest price paid was $9,000,000.
The number of homes sold in any year has also fluctuated. In 2008, there were no strand sales, while in 2001, 2003, and 2004 there were eight total sales each of those years. As of this writing there are three active listings. Two are priced over $12,500,000 and one is for half ownership in a home for $4,400,000. So will the competitive forces of supply and demand win out or will the tough realities of the finance world weigh in? It will be fun to watch what happens to these opportunities over the next few months.
On a side note, the Hermosa Beach strand had three sales above $8,500,000 this past decade. Two of them were for $10,000,000 or more and to the same buyer. There are currently seven strand homes on the market. Two of these are for over $14,500,000. In this light, the two Manhattan Beach opportunities may be a bargain.
Yesterday I took the opportunity to do a sand run on Manhattan Beach as the storms were subsiding. The beach looked battered from getting pounded for several consecutive days with heavy rains (relatively speaking of course). It doesn't happen all that often here. I had my phone with me and took some pictures of the beach and a few strand homes along the way.
Our beaches are usually groomed so it is shocking to see them like this. I realize there are many areas were weather has had a far more severe impact and that little damage was done here. I am sharing this for folks who have had the opportunity to be on Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach over the years and can appreciate the contrast from the summer months. At the same time, I thought it might be interesting to show some of the real estate for sale here.
All three homes pictured are on the market for over $10 M. The picture to the left and the center are both in Manhattan Beach and priced over $12.5 M. The picture on the left is the so-called 90210 beach home and is listed at $10.5 M.
Today the rains subsided and it was a beautiful beach day. I made it out for a couple of hours to enjoy the first sunlight we've had in a week...
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
