About Redondo Beach's Golden Hills

As many of my clients are from out of the area or out of state, they seem to have a notion that the South Bay is simply one big city and there aren't all that many differences between Manhatgtan Beach, Hermosa Beachand Redondo Beach. The reality is that even within these cities the individual neighborhoods vary quite a bit. Due to the sheer size of the city, Redondo Beach is one of the more varied communities in the South Bay in terms of types of housing, size and age, and price.

The area just east of Hermosa and just South of Manhattan (see Golden Hills Map)is a hilly section of Redondo Beach known as the Golden Hills. Knowing the areas pros and cons is an important step in determining whether the Golden Hills is the right area for you. The homes in the area have a not entirely flattering nickname and are called "tall and skinnies". Drive down any street in the area and you'll see why. When the homes were originally built the area was subdivided into 25x100 foot lots. With no alleys in the rear, this means that the frontage of the home required a 2 car garage and as you'll notice, the homes look somewhat similar. So here's the pros and cons of the area.

Pros:

1. You get a bigger house for a lower price. Many of the homes in the area are in the 1700+ square foot range with spacious living rooms, open kitchens and good sized bedrooms.
2. Prices for these 1700+ square foot houses generally start in the high $600k range and newer, larger homes can sell for over $1,000,000.
3. Location is excellent. Being just east of Hermosa Beach, means that the Golden Hills is very close to the beach. Saying it's a walk or bike ride is a bit of a reach, but it's not far off. Being this close to the beach means cooler summers and warmer winters......and who doesn't like that.
4. Upgrades. Many of the homes in the area have been very nicely upgraded and well taken care of. Those that haven't can be purchased for an even greater discount.
5. Price. Look just west in Hermosa and the price jumps considerably. Try to find a home this size in other parts of Redondo and expect to pay $100k more.

Cons:

1. The biggest complaint that I get to the area is the bedroom configuration. With a 25 foot wide lot there's only so many options the original builders had. The general layout is living room (often with vaulted ceilings), kitchen and master bedroom upstairs, and garage and 2 bedrooms downstairs. The master on one level with the other bedrooms downstairs is often an obstacle with families with small kids or expectant parents.
2. Proximity to your neighbors. Again with lots 25 feet wide, and front doors usually needing to be on the side of the house due to the garage, don't generally mean much room between you and your neighbor.
3. Lack of street parking. With 2 car wide driveways in front of every 25 foot wide lot, it doesn't leave much room for curbs. On the other hand a two car garage plus 2 driveway spaces may make that a non factor.
4. Small yards. Generally these homes have a small yard in the rear without a front yard to speak of. Again this can be a positive or a negative, depending on your situation.

Overall the Golden Hills offers a great opportunity to own a good sized home, at a good price and just a short drive to the beach. See Recent Golden Hills home sales.

For more information on the area of Golden Hills or other neighborhoods in the South Bay, feel free to contact me.

Keith Kyle - Realtor, e-Pro - South Bay Brokers- 2501 N Sepulveda Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 310-251-2344 - Keith.Kyle@SouthBayBrokers.com

For real estate information, open houses, and FREE MLS access visit www.KeithKyleHomes.com

Redondo Beach Golden Hills Home Sales in 2009

The Golden Hills area of Redondo Beach has fared particularly well with respect to home sales over the course of this past decade. Single family homes were priced just under $400 K on average back in 2000. Prices closed out the decade at $700 K, which represents one of the highest returns for single family homes by sub-area in the South Bay. The peak year for median sales prices was back in 2006 and prices have dropped steadily here since as they have in most of Redondo Beach. This past year, though prices were still off the peak by 12 percent, the Golden Hills area proved to be one of strongest performing areas over the past few years relative to previous highs. Nonetheless, current prices remain commensurate with 2004 pricing. The number of sales are just below half of the peak year of 2002, as is the case in the vast majority of sub-areas in the beach cities.

Both the number of single family homes sold and the median sales price dropped this past year from 2008. There were a total of 68 closed escrows, down from a 2002 peak of 166 sales. The good news is that there are signs of encouragement in the current sales activity. As of this writing there have already been four escrows closed with another 12 currently in escrow in the Golden Hills. This is an impressive start for the year and may be a sign of what to expect in the months ahead. The average listing prices of these recent sales is very close to the median sales price number of 2009.

In 2008, there were five single family homes sold that were newly built. This number dropped to one last year and could explain some of the drop in the median sales price, though certainly not all of it. Given that the current inventory of homes on the market in Golden Hills stands at only seven, or less than a couple of months, there may be a pick up in the selling prices of single family homes as we move into February.

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I showed Darryl Rosen's fabulous listing on Spreckels the other night to my client. I was blown away buy the property. It was not your normal Golden Hills home. The home is located just a street in from Hermosa Beach. You walk up a flight of stairs to enter this home. It is all one level with a fabulous zen like garden in the back. Unlike most "tall and skinny's" in Golden Hills this home sits atop the garage allowing for the ultimate privacy and brightness. The garage is a decent size with a door leading into a large under the home storage area which the owner informed me they used at one time for a wine cellar. What a gorgeous home this one is!! The owners did a remarkable job decorating which makes this home a delight to show. I have posted pics below. I am sure this home won't last at a competitive price of only $499,000.

As many of my clients are from out of the area or out of state, they seem to have a notion that the South Bay is simply one big city and there aren't all that many differences between Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beachand Redondo Beach. The reality is that even within these cities the individual neighborhoods vary quite a bit. Due to the sheer size of the city, Redondo Beach is one of the more varied communities in the South Bay in terms of types of housing, size and age, and price.

The area just east of Hermosa and just South of Manhattan (see Golden Hills Map)is a hilly section of Redondo Beach known as the Golden Hills. Knowing the areas pros and cons is an important step in determining whether the Golden Hills is the right area for you. The homes in the area have a not entirely flattering nickname and are called "tall and skinnies". Drive down any street in the area and you'll see why. When the homes were originally built the area was subdivided into 25x100 foot lots. With no alleys in the rear, this means that the frontage of the home required a 2 car garage and as you'll notice, the homes look somewhat similar. So here's the pros and cons of the area.

Pros:

1. You get a bigger house for a lower price. Many of the homes in the area are in the 1700+ square foot range with spacious living rooms, open kitchens and good sized bedrooms.
2. Prices for these 1700+ square foot houses generally start in the high $600k range and newer, larger homes can sell for over $1,000,000.
3. Location is excellent. Being just east of Hermosa Beach, means that the Golden Hills is very close to the beach. Saying it's a walk or bike ride is a bit of a reach, but it's not far off. Being this close to the beach means cooler summers and warmer winters......and who doesn't like that.
4. Upgrades. Many of the homes in the area have been very nicely upgraded and well taken care of. Those that haven't can be purchased for an even greater discount.
5. Price. Look just west in Hermosa and the price jumps considerably. Try to find a home this size in other parts of Redondo and expect to pay $100k more.

Cons:

1. The biggest complaint that I get to the area is the bedroom configuration. With a 25 foot wide lot there's only so many options the original builders had. The general layout is living room (often with vaulted ceilings), kitchen and master bedroom upstairs, and garage and 2 bedrooms downstairs. The master on one level with the other bedrooms downstairs is often an obstacle with families with small kids or expectant parents.
2. Proximity to your neighbors. Again with lots 25 feet wide, and front doors usually needing to be on the side of the house due to the garage, don't generally mean much room between you and your neighbor.
3. Lack of street parking. With 2 car wide driveways in front of every 25 foot wide lot, it doesn't leave much room for curbs. On the other hand a two car garage plus 2 driveway spaces may make that a non factor.
4. Small yards. Generally these homes have a small yard in the rear without a front yard to speak of. Again this can be a positive or a negative, depending on your situation.

Overall the Golden Hills offers a great opportunity to own a good sized home, at a good price and just a short drive to the beach. See Recent Golden Hills home sales.

For more information on the area of Golden Hills or other neighborhoods in the South Bay, feel free to contact me.

Keith Kyle - Realtor, e-Pro - South Bay Brokers- 2501 N Sepulveda Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 310-251-2344 - Keith.Kyle@SouthBayBrokers.com

For real estate information, open houses, and FREE MLS access visit www.KeithKyleHomes.com