Pasadena CA Real Estate - Irina Netchaev

Everything you ever wanted to know about Monterey Hills California

Monterey Hills is a well hidden secret. Set right next to Pasadena, and bordered by South Pasadena, Highland Park and El Sereno, most people living in Pasadena know nothing about this area unless theyre fortunate to drive through it by accident or have a friend that lives there.

If you take Pasadena Freeway, 110 and exit Via Marisol, take a right turn, past the stop light, you will head up a rolling hill which will take you through Monterey Hills. Most complexes are on Via Marisol itself, with some on Via Arbolada and Via Colina.

The location is superb - conveniently located only 7 miles from downtown LA (freeway or streets), about 10 minutes from Old Town Pasadena and minutes away from 110, 101, 10, 134, 5 and 210 freeways.

Monterey Hills community consists of mainly condo and townhome complexes, although a couple of PUDs (Planned Unit Developments) have been built in the last several years. Most of the units were built by J.D. Carley and Associates in the early to mid 1980s.

Monterey Hills is known to be home for professionals working in downtown LA, USC students, USC and Kaiser hospital staff. It is pet friendly and even has a park for dogs.

Its truly a great place to live and wonderful for investment since rentals are always in demand in Monterey Hills.

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST ALL CONDOS AND TOWNHOMES FOR SALE

READ ALSO: Monterey Hills Neighborhood Overview

If you are ready to start your Monterey Hills home search, please call Irina at 626-204-3340 or email at Irina@Irina4RealEstate.com.

Posted By: Irina Netchaev - Pasadena California Real Estate Agent - Irina Netchaev & Associates. Irina and her Team of Real Estate experts work in the beautiful Keller Williams Realty in Pasadena California specializing in Pasadena Real Estate, San Marino Real Estate, South Pasadena Real Estate, San Gabriel Real Estate, Altadena Real Estate, Alhambra Real Estate, Monterey Hills Real Estate, Arcadia Real Estate, Sierra Madre Real Estate and surrounding communities.

(626) 204-3340

My last post identified the price point for luxury homes and estates for sale in San Marino, California.

It is clear that the top 10% of the San Marino Real Estate market is for homes costing $3,000,000 and above. I wanted to take a look at the 13 luxury homes in San Marino that were sold in 2007 and see what affluent San Marino home buyers expected to get for their money.

Below is a list of amenities and features of almost all the San Marino luxury homes reviewed:

• LOCATION: All of these San Marino estates were North of Huntington Drive in close proximity to the Huntington Library or Lacy Park.
• LARGE LOTS: Affluent San Marino luxury home buyers can expect at least 1/2 an acre of land. A lot of these homes had an acre of land or more.
• FIVE is an IMPORTANT NUMBER: Almost all these San Marino estates had five or more bedrooms and offered more than 5,000 square feet in living space.
• FORMAL DINING ROOM and FAMILY ROOM: All these San Marino homes had a formal dining room and a family Room
• TWO STORIES: 12 out of 13 San Marino homes sold over $3,000,000 last year were two stories. Some had lifts.
• POOL & SPA: Most of these homes had a pool and a spa
• FIREPLACES: All San Marino estates had fireplaces.
• CLOSET SPACE: All homes listed walk-in closets.

Surprisingly, the following list of features that you would expect be necessary for most of San Marino home buyers were NOT a given in the luxury San Marino market place.

• GUEST HOUSE: Less than half of these San Marino Estates had guest houses.
• LARGE GARAGES: Most of these San Marino homes had a two to three car garage
• TENNIS COURTS: Only 3 out of 13 estates had tennis courts.
• RENOVATION: Quite a few of these San Marino luxury estates required significant renovations and upgrades.

Some additional amenities listed included gourmet kitchen with Viking appliances, a butler pantry, bomb shelters, finished basements and area zoned Air Conditioning units.

My question to you is, if you were to spend over $3,000,000 for a luxury estate, what would you expect to get? Are the amenities and features above in line with your expectations? Please comment below.

If you are ready to find your dream home in San Marino or need a FREE market analysis of your San Marino home, please do not hesitate to call me at 626-627-7107 or email me at Irina@Irina4RealEstate.com.

Related Posts

Lacy Park in San Marino CA - A Hidden Treasure
Luxury Homes in San Marino California
San Marino Farmer's Market
San Marino CA Real Estate Market Report
San Marino CA: Crowell Public Library - Before and After


http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/00374F

Come on out and support our San Marino Firefighters this Saturday at Lacy Park in San Marino.

This annual breakfast has become one of my familys favorite traditions.

Herere some reasons to be there:

1. The San Marino firemen are majorly cute!
2. Its for a good cause.
3. Its only $5 for a great breakfast made by the cutest firefighters in San Marino. Oops, did I say they were cute again? :-)
4. There are activities for the kids. In the previous years, we had hot air balloon rides, firetruck rides, raffles, etc.
5. Pancakes are always yummy and somehow they taste so much better at Lacy Park. All that fresh air!
6. You have a chance to see and encourage (words of wisdom are always welcome at that age!)cub and boy scouts who usually camp at the park the night before.
7. Proceeds benefit Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, Quest Burn Foundation and varous other charities.

Breakfast will be served beginning 7 am. Tickets can be bought at Lacy Park.

Read More: Lacy Park - a hidden treasure!

Please call 626-300-0735 with additional questions or click here for the official flyer.

Why a website about Pasadena real estate?

Because I love what I do - helping buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals!

Real estate has always been a vehicle for building wealth. There is a lot of fear involved in buying or selling a home, condo or income property. A fear of the unknown. A fear of being represented by an unqualified or uneducated agent.

My goal is to provide a website with on-line tools and information which will give power to the consumers in Pasadena and surrounding areas. Knowledge is Power!

My promise to my readers is to provide you with:

~~~ A FREE Multiple Listing Search for Pasadena and the surrounding cities. This tool will allow you to create personalized home searches and/or track the real estate market at your own pace. You can create your own account, with individualized user name and password and access it at your convenience. The power of researching available properties is yours!

~~~ Weekly updated real estate market statistics for Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Arcadia, Monterey Hills, and Alhambra. Check back each Monday for an updated graph of Median Home prices and Average Days on the Market for each city.

~~~ A Market Snapshot - a tool that you can register for at your own convenience to see what the
real estate market activity is around your home. You will receive regular emails (usually every four weeks, but you can set your own schedule) with all the active and sold properties around your residence. The market snapshot email will include comprehensive maps, sales data, descriptions, charts and graphs which you can peruse from the comfort of your home.

~~~ Neighborhood Profiles and activities as they're happening. This neighborhood website will be updated daily. So... stay tuned! I will also highight interesting listings, homes for sale or activity within each area. I, also, welcome any suggestions and articles from my readers. Feel free to email me with your ideas at Irina@Irina4RealEstate.com.

~~~ Loan and Mortgage Updates as they are taking place. It's been a true roller coaster over the last five to seven years with creative financing programs and tons of different options that were available to the consumers. As you know, the lending industry is changing and quite frankly, it's a good thing for everyone. My goal is to provide you the most up to date information as these changes are taking place.

~~~ My Personal Experience with Pasadena real estate. I will be posting many interesting articles about the buying and selling process. Secrets and strategies that sharp real estate agents are utilizing in the Pasadena area. Warnings, suggestions and educational posts.

Come visit me at www.PasadenaCARealEstateHomes.com . Let me know the subjects that you're interested in reading about. I welcome all your comments and suggestions.

Posted By: Irina Netchaev - Pasadena California Real Estate Agent - Irina Netchaev & Associates. Irina and her Team of Real Estate experts work in the beautiful Keller Williams Realty in Pasadena California specializing in Pasadena Real Estate, San Marino Real Estate, South Pasadena Real Estate, San Gabriel Real Estate, Altadena Real Estate, Alhambra Real Estate, Monterey Hills Real Estate, Arcadia Real Estate, Sierra Madre Real Estate and surrounding communities.

(626) 204-3340

As most of my loyal readers know, I love Monterey Hills. I used to live in Monterey Hills. My parents still live in Monterey Hills. And, what most of you do not know is that I started my real estate career, sort of, in Monterey Hills. I used to show the Monterey Hills condo models when Huntington Terrace and Hudson Terrace was first built back in the early 80s. I was, yes, a hostess. :-)

So when you are ready to buy your first condo in Monterey Hills what should you look for?

1. Amenities: each Monterey Hills condo complex has different amenities and its own history. Almost all have pools and spa, but some Monterey Hills condo complexes have a recreation room, steam room, sauna, gym and paddle tennis courts.
2. Floor plan: In my experience, Monterey Hills has mostly 2 bedroom condos. Of course, there are 1 bedrooms and 2 plus den (which by the way some sellers try to convert and claim as 3 bedrooms - make sure to check the tax records) Mostly 2 bedroom floor plans come in two types: bedrooms on either side of the living room or together, on one side. Whats important to you? Do you have a small baby that youd want in a bedroom next to you? Or would you like more privacy and have the 2nd bedroom a bit away from you?
3. Floor Location of the condo: what is your preference? Do you like to be on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd floor? Pricing wise, 3rd floor condos are a bit more expensive since you do not have anyone living above you. 2nd floor condos are least expensive since you have someone living above and below you. 1st floor condos can be as expensive as 3rd floor is they have large patios. Some of the Monterey Hills complexes have 1st floor condos with huge patios.
4. Location of the condo within the complex: corner units are a bit more in demand. They usually have only one side neighbor, extra windows and better views.
5. Architecture: some of the older Monterey Hills complexes have more traditional floor plans - clean lines and angles, four wall rooms, etc. The newer ones have more angles in the rooms - a bit more challenging to decorate, but very lovely nonetheless.
6. Rules and Regulations: What are the quiet hours? Are pets allowed? Can you barbecue on your patio? Whats important to you? Review the Rules and Regulations carefully before buying your Monterey Hills condo.
7. History of the complex: some of the Monterey Hills condo complexes have been modified and rebuilt over the years. Some have better reputations and are just more in demand.
8. HOA Dues: HOA stands for Home Owners Association Dues. Each complex has their own dues. Most are based on the amenities and services provided like Post Security. For the most part, HOA dues are based on square footage of your unit.
9. Management of the complex: as you walk around each Monterey Hills complex, you will have a pretty good feel about how this condo complex is managed. Does it look like it has some deferred maintenance? Is the landscaping taken care of? Is pool patio furniture clean and in good shape? Is the gym equipment up to date and the gym looks clean over all?
10. Financial Health of the complex: Always ask to see the financial statements of the complex. Do they have a lot of money in reserves? Is the Association anticipating any special assessments? What are the HOA dues being spent on? Is there a trend of specific repairs that might affect your HOA dues in the future.

Make sure to hire a real estate agent that is familiar with the history of Monterey Hills and can guide you through the process of buying in the Monterey Hills.

If I can be of any assistance with your Monterey Hills Real Estate needs, please do not hesitate to email me at Irina@Irina4RealEstate.com or call me at (626)627-7107. Thank you!