By Jodi Summers The stimulus package must be working. Southern California home sales are up for the 20th month in a row as buyers continued to snap up bargain properties. Locally in Santa Monica, comparing March 2008 to March 2010, the median price of for sale properties is down 10% and the median price of sold properties is down 31%. The sales distribution is still slanted toward lower-cost distressed homes, although not as steeply as most of last year. “It’s possible the stars won’t line up this way again for many years. With prices and mortgage interest rates this low, the cost of ownership is about as low as we’ve seen it in decades,” observed John Walsh, MDA DataQuick president. Savvy buyers have been taking advantage of the current conditions. Locally the number ofis up 143% from ... 04/04/2010

It's no wonder that NAR says that, "90% of all buyers used the internet to search." We have seen this first hand, and especially over the last few months. When people relocate to other states, it's a long distance move. These people usually start by researching the city on the Internet. More times than not, they find one of our 1,100+ relocation websites. If they're serious, they'll request help in a possible home purchase. Due to a very large demand, we need a Buyer's Agent in Santa Monica that is able to assist these prospective home buyers. These families and individuals are wanting assistance from a Realtor, and if you would like to get in contact with them, we need to talk soon. Time is of the essence, and we only need 1 Realtor to be able to contact these people. We NEVER send peo... 04/02/2010

Ocean Park in Santa Monica,  basically lies between Pico Blvd. to the North, Marine St. to the South, Lincoln to the East and the ocean to the West. The area has a mix of homes, from the electic to the modern, interspersed with the smaller income properties, condos and apartments.  Ocean Park borders the funky Venice area and has its own attractions with Main St.'s trendy shopping and dining. Santa Monica's Ocean Park homes,  are among the more expensive in the City, the walk streets of Hollister, Wadsworth, Hart and Fraser being among the most sought after.                      There are many landmark properties in Ocean Park, including 128 Hollister Ave.2621 2nd St.Ocean Park Public Library Ocean Park single family home sales, statistics for February '09 to February '10 are shown belo... 03/29/2010

The Santa Monica housing market, has remained fairly steady over the last year.  It is a city of distinct and diverse areas:                   Santa Monica Canyon:  with a Santa Monica zip code this is in fact part of the City of Los Angeles. It is a hilly and rustic park-like area with some lovely ocean views. Canyon Charter Elementary School is one of the most prestigious schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District Ocean Park:   this is a destination area for locals with its trendy restaurants and boutiques on Main St. Situated along the beach to Lincoln Avenue, it is a mix of older homes, condos and apartments.  There are a few walk streets that still have many of the original craftsman houses. SMASH is an alternative school and John Muir High School serve this area. Olympic H... 03/27/2010

Getting Buyers to be interested in a 700 square foot bungalow is hard enough.  Getting buyers to be able to envision how  ANYthing can possibly fit into just 700 square feet and still be livable is also hard. Getting Buyers to see that it can all be done, and with STYLE is where a Professional Home Stager will put your listing over the top and will actually entice Buyers to WANT to come see your bungalow listing! ALL 700 square feet of it! Looking at on line Internet photos or print ad marketing, it can be very hard for Buyers to be able to tell the scale, size and orientation of a room.  By Staging your listings, especially the small(er) ones; rooms will actually look and feel LARGER!  If you were a Buyer, could you imagine that 700 Square foot could be so comfortable and welcoming?! ... 03/17/2010

The statistics below cover single family home sales for February 2010 in Santa Monica, California.  They are taken direclty from the MLS and do not include condos, income property and private sales. There were 11 homes sold in February, down from 14 in January and up from 5 in February '09. The highest priced home was $2,298,000 and the lowest $665,000. The average selling price was $1,139,681, down from $1,713,221 in January, and $2,107,00 in February '09. The percentage sales price vs. list price was 94.3%, up from 93.4% in January and down from 96.4% in February '09. Average days on the market was 74, the same as in January (75) and up from 48 in January. The Sanat Monica market has slipped somewhat in February.  We look forward to March figures to determine the trend.   03/12/2010

By Jodi Summers Optimistic news on the housing market from two very respected sources – the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. Yeah us! According to Forbes, three of the top ten markets where home prices are rising are in California. Enjoy this fact for residential real estate in Santa Monica – comparing February 2008 to February 2010, the number of under contract properties is up 120%, according to Clarus Market Metrics. Asking prices on single-family homes have increased as much as 36% from the previous year in some local cities, Forbes notes, an indicator that is "a bounce off the bottom of the bubble bursting." In Santa Monica, contrasting Feb. 2008, to Feb. 2010, the median price of for sale properties is down 15% and the median price of sold properties is down 10%. Three of the top t... 03/07/2010

Roosevelt Elementary School Ratings What's this? > Santa Monica's Roosevelt Elementary School serves grades K-5 in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. It is among the few public elementary schools in California to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 10 out of 10. This school has an average Parent Rating of 5 out of 5 stars, based on reviews from 45 parents. View all >                          is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades serving the entire Westside of Los Angeles.  We proudly represent the finest properties throughout the Westside. We work as a team and combine our extensive real estate experience, powerful resources and connections to benefit you whether you are looking you buy or sell a home in today's exciting an... 02/23/2010

Santa Monica Condos Open Houses - Sunday 2/21/2010 (1:00pm - 4:00pm) If you're not represented by a Realtor/Broker and would like additional information on any of the Open Houses scheduled, please do not hesitate to call or email me: Stewart Penn - Penn Properties -  (310) 866-1818 - stewart@pennpropertiesla.com 535 Ocean Ave #5D - $1,895,000 515 Ocean Ave #407 - $1,350,000 851 19th Street #2 - $1,295,000 1038 11th Street #A - $1,030,000 1534 17th Street #102 - $999,000 837 18th Street #3 - $949,000 1254 24th Street #4 - $899,000 1804 10th Street #6 - $815,000 1328 Berkeley St #101 - $769,000 1231 18th Street #5 - $705,000 1331 Berkeley Street #4 - $669,000 1453 Stanford Street #E - $599,000 2215 Oak Street #202 - $595,000 229 Bicknell Ave #202 - $525,000 Information from the CLAW MLS ... 02/20/2010

The statistics below cover home sales in Santa Monica, California and are taken directly from the MLS, are for single family homes, and don't take into consideration condos, income property and private sales. There were 14 sales in the month of January, down from 18 in December '09.  The highest price sold was $2,875,000 and the lowest $650,000. The median price was $1,543,500, up from $1,190,752 in December. Sales price received versus the listing price was 93.4%, basically the same as in December.Average days on the market was 75, also basically the same as December.Below is a breakdown of last month's activity in Santa Monica Real Estate. 02/18/2010

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM By Jodi Summers CONDOS This month we start with condos because the news is good! Oh, what a difference two years make. After languishing for much of 2008 + 2009, the Santa Monica condo market is showing signs of recovery. Since prices dropped so low, people pulled their properties from the market, waiting for signs of strength. Clarus Market Metrics reports that contrasting January 2008 vs. Jan 2010 volume of for sale properties is down 29%. Meantime, thanks to government incentives, condos are selling in Santa Monica. The number of sold properties is up 12%. As far as price dips go, you’ll notice that the condo market comparison is not quite as severe as the single family market. Weigh Jan-08 vs. Jan-10 - the median price of for sale properties is down 13%, BUT the... 02/05/2010

Santa Monica, Calfornia has not suffered as much as the rest of the California market.  It is one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. The statistics below are taken directly from the MLS and are for single family homes.  They also don't take into consideration condos, income property and private sales. There were 18 sales in the month of December with a median price of $1,190,752.  The highest priced home sold for $3,950 in "The Canyon" and the least expensive for $560,000 just east of "Ocean Park". Sales price received versus the listing price was 93%. Average days on the market has increased over the past few months to 76. Below is a breakdown of last month's activity in Santa Monica Real Estate. 01/12/2010

Leaky pipes in your home must be addressed immediately. You may even be unaware of the severe damage a leak can cause to a home. But the technicians at Schuelke Plumbing actually perform a free inspection when they come to your home for any other plumbing-related repair. What types of leaks do they look for? There are slab leaks, underground leaks in your yard, water leaks, and gas leaks. Schuelke plumbing has incredible cutting-edge technology that helps plumbers detect and pinpoint exactly where the leaky pipe is. What are the signs that indicate that your home may have a leak? If you experience any of the following, you need to call Schuelke plumbers right away: Water bills that seem unusually high. Water meter readings changing when not using water. Sewer backup problems that become... 01/08/2010

SANTA MONICA PROPERTY SNAPSHOT – JANUARY 2010 By Jodi Summers Those in the know seem to feel that what the government is doing is working. Aided by the recent extension of the home buyer tax credit, the outlook for housing industry for 2010 appears headed for a sustainable recovery, proclaims Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist of the National Association of Realtors. "Given the success of the first-time buyer tax credit to date and the need for qualified buyers to continue to absorb inventory that will include additional foreclosures over the coming year, we are hopeful about the impact of the expanded tax credit because it will stabilize home prices," he said. "In fact, the credit is working better than first projected - it now looks like we'll have 2.3 to 2.4 million first-time buyers ... 01/04/2010

Our Smoke-free Laws   Where?   In Santa Monica, smoking is prohibited in the following areas:   · Within 20 feet of entryways and windows of any buildings open to the public · In any outdoor dining areas · At any local beach, park or Farmers' Markets · On the Santa Monica Pier (except in designated areas) · At the Third Street Promenade and public libraries, including grounds · At any bus stops, ATM lines or other service areas     Residential common areas, too.   On February 26, 2009, a new law went into effect adding the common areas of multi-family residential buildings.  For more information on this new law and samples of required signage and notices, visit www.smconsumer.org    Plus...     Help is on the way for restaraunts with outdoor dining areas and any organizations that need ... 01/03/2010

OverviewOnly minutes from the Pacific Ocean is Downtown Santa Monica, Santa Monica Place mall and the Third Street Promenade, named a "Shop 'til You Drop Shopping Area" by Los Angeles Family magazine. The popular Southern California destination borders Los Angeles' fashionable Westside and is just south of Malibu. With hundreds of restaurants, shops and theaters, the Third Street Promenade is a busy hub of Downtown comprising three walk blocks between Wilshire Boulevard at the north end and Broadway and Santa Monica Place mall at the south.There are more than 60 stores, along with 25 restaurants, coffeehouses and casual dining establishments - many with al fresco dining - on the Promenade. The surrounding area of Downtown - which extends to Ocean Avenue on the west and 7th Street on th... 12/19/2009

Make this holiday season a special one for the whole family. Come to Downtown Santa Monica and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Downtown offers an array of shopping and dining, movie theatres and unique entertainment venues, including the world famous Third Street Promenade. And returning this year is the amazing ice skating rink - just a snowball's throw from the Promenade! Presented by:           Westside Properties is a full-service real estate boutique brokerage based in Pacific Palisades serving the entire Westside of Los Angeles.  We proudly represent the finest properties throughout the Westside.We work as a team and combine our extensive real estate experience, powerful resources and connections to benefit you whether you are looking you buy or ... 12/15/2009

If you enjoy wine tasting this could be your spot.  It is a great way to spend some time with a large group, socialize, and hopefully find a great new wine.    The thing I love most about the concept is that you get to chose the wine you wish to taste, tsay with a region, or grape type, pick your favorite and then buy a glass or a bottle.    It is located on Santa Monica very near Ocean Avenue and close to my personal favorite Oyster bar, Ocean avenue Seafood.  Enjoy    Here is their web site link for more info. 11/24/2009

Great house available for long-term lease at the beach in Ocean Park, Santa Monica. This, 4000 sq. ft. 4 bed, 4 bath house is steps from the beach in the heart of Ocean Park. There is a two-car garage and spaces for more, a definite plus where parking is at a premium.  The views are glorious.  Offered at $9,000.  Also available a full guest-house.                                                                                                         11/21/2009

11/12/2009