My website teamatthebeach.com has an invitation to read the blog of a family and to pray about New Orleans. Last time Hurricaine Katrina did more damage after the passing of the storm with the levees. For those of you that want the first hand blog of a wonderful writer...visit... phttp://storyconnection.net/blog/   Award winning writer and story teller Dianne de Las Casas, Hurricane Gustav invites you to follow her story. Her invitation is outlined below. I have the link connected above. "My website will have live updates via Twitter. http://www.storyconnection.net. I will be blogging on the road (I can do that from my phone as long as my cell phone works). If you would like to follow, my blog is ... 09/01/2008

As a specialist in Hermosa Beach, I have many clients contact me in their search for a condo in Hermosa Beach.  With prices well below neighboring Manhattan Beach, a condo in Hermosa is the perfect situation for many buyers looking to own instead of renting, while still being able to be near the beach.  Unfortunately part of what makes Hermosa such a great place to live, the small town atmosphere, makes finding a condo in the area a bit difficult.  Unlike Redondo Beachwith endless condominium complexes, Hermosa Beach really only offers a few possibilities, and most in the same general location.  The two most prominent condo complexes are the Apple Tree and the Commodore.  Located in the heart of downtown Hermosa Beach, they are ideally located for those looking to be near the beach, sho... 08/29/2008

Do high gas prices have you and your family stranded at home over Labor Day weekend with nothing to do?  The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau has the solution for you:  Fiesta Hermosa! This Labor Day Weekend - August 30, 31, and September 1 - you will find the "largest arts and crafts fair in Southern California" at Fiesta Hermosa.  This highly popular and highly anticipated event features numerous crafters, musicians, food venddors, the Kiddie Carnival, and the Charity Beer & Wine Garden, all against the backdrop of beautiful Hermosa Beach. Parking in Hermosa Beach is tough at the best of times, and nearly impossible during Fiesta Hermosa.  Thankfully, the Chamber of Commerce has provided FREE PARKING and FREE SHUTTLE BUSES from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm.  Parking is at the... 08/28/2008

Buy property from the Bank and pocket the profits in Hermosa Beach! Listen up Hermosa Beach CA! The daily newscasters and "talking heads" feature regular stories of the tragedy of foreclosures in California.   Indeed, the rate of foreclosures is continuing to increase, partially driven by the financially illogical variable rate mortgages. With that said, if you are a financially savvy Hermosa Beach Real Estate Investor with solid financials, this is a great time to capitalize upon these intriguing opportunities, especially in the form of REO properties. California Banks are in the business of lending money, not owning, managing, or selling real estate. However, oftentimes a bank is forced to foreclose on an investment, and a property reverts from an investment to Real Estate Owned, or R... 08/26/2008

  Hermosa is home to many in the Olympics:  Soccer, Volleyball and the list keeps on growing. Hermosa Historical Society has been putting on an event almost every 3 ms. I hope Hermosans join for these. The film Festival. and in June they did the fantastic skateboarding event...see.. http://www.hermosabeachhistoricalsociety.org/july08newsletter.htmlmore is coming your way. Becker Surf had its sale last weekend....I have to plug those rainbow flip flops...they are the best! The music on the beach was a huge summer hit. The surf camp Jr Guards and get ready for the chamber of Hermosa's Fiesta! check out the details http://www.hbchamber.net/  "For 31 years, The Chamber has hosed a special event which has literally put the town on the map.  Our bi-annual Arts and Crafts Fair, Fiesta Hermosa,... 08/22/2008

Hermosa Beach has its film festival is this weekend. http://www.hermosashorts.com/ The 8th-9th and 10th check out our latest activity.    Snippets of information... This historical Society has made huge progress since Richard Koenig has taken on the challenge. His mother, is Maggie Koenig the oldest Hermosa resident.   97 listings in Hermosa today. 2 of them have been a long long time....235 days and 271 days. Top prices properties are 2634 the strand is 8,950,000 and 1632 the strand is 8,500,000 Hermosa Beach has a really nice building department. This community has the library the fire station and the city departments in a lovely location at Pier Ave. This is the curving street that takes you out to our pier. I have to go now it is Friday and I am off to rolling Hills plaza since Herm... 08/08/2008

Photo by Lynne Pope Localism is a hit with me. It may be like active rain...just taking a little while to get the world to catch on. Beaches...in Los Angeles have long been a interesting arena... Localism is a place that you can tune into and find out details about a community. Its a place to learn... check out www.teamatthebeach.com for my new What is it worth area and you can see areas to see where the swimming pools are. Its a great place to learn When to buy? Someone I know said they found an old 1930's newspaper  cartoon joke of a person on a toilet reading a paper and it said they were waiting for beach property to come down. Invest in your family tree! My husband grew up in Hermosa Beach. Some of the neighbors on our street live in houses that their parents bought many years ago.... 08/06/2008

  We started doing vacations in Hawaii years ago and found that a home is best for a family. We had kids who needed cereal and tv to wake up to while we slept in a little longer, Going out for every meal was a drag. The stuff was there to relax and go out or stay in. Boogie boards and straw mats...all the stuff no hotel provided for us before. So as big fans of the system we are preparing the home for the event...a family to come visit we will add interior photos this week.For now know that 4 bedrooms and a block to the beach is avail in a place where all the homes are over a million and more often over 2 M. Its all about the beach. with airline challenges we are easier to get to.   Better yet....come visit and let me find you a home to buy so you can do the same thing! Your home away f... 07/23/2008

  Where do people find Hermosa Beach when they only know Los Angeles? Some publications, Conde Nast, says Hermosa Beach is one of the top beaches in the world. So many of us who live in the area close to the beach are seeing a new opportunity. Vacation rental. here is the link. http://teamatthebeach.com/2008/06/07/hermosa-beach-vacation-rental-new-avail-summer/ So anyone ever heard of "VRBO" vacation rental by owner. Check it out to find properties for rent all over the country. The new alternative to hotels. And that takes me to Craigs list. My son thinks this is the end all of communication along with youtube. That will have to be next. So this is also listed on Craigs list so that people can find VRBO which is starting to make sense. I wonder whe ebay will get in the game? I can just... 06/07/2008

As many of my clients come from home buyers and sellers on the internet, I'm fortunate in that I work throughout the South Bay and have the opportunity to work in various areas and price ranges.  I am partial to Hermosa Beach, however, and have lived here for over 16 years.  Many potential home buyers are relocating from out of the area and certainly don't know the subtleties of the South Bay and what makes Hermosa so special.  Of all the cities in the South Bay, and even the Beach Cities (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach), Hermosa has a sense of community that makes it special.  Many residents and neighbors have lived here for decades and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  Smaller than the surrounding areas, it only has one elementary school, Hermosa View, and one mi... 05/26/2008

Here are the April 2008 year-to-date (YTD) real estate market facts for Hermosa Beach: 2008 Sales for Hermosa Beach January           2 February          7 March              10 April                 7 2008 Average Days on Market for the South Bay January           42 February          30 March              61 April                 68 2008 Pct Sold/List Price January           96 February          97 March              93 April                 93 2008 Months of Inventory January           21 February          6.9 March              4.5 April                 6.3 2008 Summary YTD for Hermosa Beach (May 1, 2008) The number of home sales have made an increase since the beginning of the year, though not a consistent one.  Still, with summer fast approaching, sales are expected to increase. A... 05/24/2008

Summer CelebrationSaturday, May 17, 200811:00am-1:00pm Summer is finally here, school's out and FUN is in! Summer Celebration is your chance to be the first to sign up for all City camps and classes. You will also have a chance to meet our wonderful instructors and sample some of what their classes have to offer. This year's celebration will be held at the Community Center, 710 Pier Avenue at 11:00am - 1:00pm. The event is FREE so bring your family and friends to kick off the summer the Hermosa Way! Hermosa Beach Little League FundraiserSaturday, May 17, 2008This annual fundraising event, hosted by Hennessy's, is highly popular, attracting a large crowd of local participants to Pier Plaza to enjoy dinner and music.Ticket proceeds directly benefit the local resident league. Fiesta Hermos... 05/20/2008

June 2008 User: guest Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 7 p.m.Emergency Preparedness Advisory Commission 3 7 p.m.Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting 4 5 6 AVP - Hermosa Beach Open 7 AVP - Hermosa Beach Open 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Getty Villa with Lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. 8 AVP - Hermosa Beach Open 9 10 7:10 p.m.City of Hermosa Beach City Council Meeting and Budget Adoption 11 12 13 14 Hermosa beach EVP Tour Volleyball Tournament 15 16 17 7 p.m.Planning Commission Meeting 18 7 p.m.Public Works Commission Meeting 19 20 21 Hermosa Beach Art Walk 22 23 24 7:10 p.m.City of Hermosa Beach City Council Meeting 25 26 27 28 Beach Tennis 29 Beach Tennis 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.Memorial Statue/Fountain Fundraiser 30 1 7 p.m.Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting 2 3 4 Independence Day - No Street S... 05/20/2008

The American Martyrs Parent Association is holding their annual Sophisticated Snoops Tour, where tour guests can snoop into some of the South Bay's most unique and beautiful homes.Tickets for the tour are $25 pre-ordered, and $30 "at the door".  The Snoop will occur on May 16, 17, and 18 from 10 am to 4 pm.  For tickets, call Lauren Harger at 310-379-4414.  Or, you can purchase them at American Martyrs, Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, Banner Stationers in El Segundo, Hillside Pharmacy in Manhattan Beach, Fran's Hallmark in Hermosa Beach, and Le Garage in Redondo Beach.These year's homes on the snoop trail include the following:2216 The Strand, Manhattan Beach - a beachfront, contemporary home with a fascinating art collection2400 Ocean Avenue, Manhattan Beach - a mod... 05/04/2008

As a long time resident of Hermosa Beach, and a parent of two, schools are definitely important to me.  But a recent experience made me realize just how important it is to others.  I had a t-ball practice at Hermosa Valley earlier in the day and had forgotten something so I went to try to find it at 10:30 that night.  I was a bit surprised (and just a bit frightened) to see a group of people in beach chairs, sleeping bags, and thermoses of coffee (I think).  I jokingly asked them if they were waiting to audition for American Idol and then realized that they were sleeping there overnight so that their kids would be assured A.M. Kindergarten next year!  If that's not dedication I don't know what is.   On a more serious note, you can certainly determine quality of schools by test scores, r... 03/22/2008

As a longtime resident of Hermosa Beach, it always pains me to see the old charming beach cottages get torn down and to watch the mansion that's soon to follow.  I realize that as a realtor I should embrace this change and the increase in the values that go along with it, but I'm always sad to watch all of the reasons that Hermosa is so great slowly disappear.  As a former resident of North Hermosa on 26th Street, I don't understand why the city is allowing the new construction to no only dominate the look of the street, but to have a variance on the front of the property to the point in which there is only about 3 feet from sidewalk to the front of the house.  These new "mansions" simply don't fit on the lot, but that's an opinion for another day.  With the setback rules not seeming to... 03/02/2008

This shot from the balcony in Hermosa Beach Sand section is a clue as to why Hermosa beach vacation rentals has some great places to stay. Alas, not this one. But I wanted you to know about the rental world growing in our beach area. Its really cool. Some people come and rent every year for a month over Christmas. Its also great in the summer and doesn't get too hot. www.vacationrentals.com 18 rentals right now..and you will really be surprised at the going rate.So it doesn't look like Christmas but it really is. And its Christmas all year if you buy something out here and rent it out. You could call a California agent  like me and we could help you find something.  The best is to get a property with some of your family and create your own timeshare.I learned something as I posted this.... 01/21/2008

Today is December 20, 2007. There are 98 homes for sale in Hermosa Beach. The lowest priced home is a one bedroom with around 606 sq.ft. and a wrap around balcony in the Commodore complex off of Ardmore. It is listed at $459,500 and needs updating. It has been on the market for seven days. On the other end of the spectrum is a strand property listed for $11,900,000, currently the highest priced listing in H.B. This home boasts over $5,747 square feet with unobstructed panoramic views. This home was completed  this year and designed by Louie Tomaro of Tomaro Architects. There are 51 homes to choose from currently in Hermosa. There are 38 town-homes and only 9 condos for sale. The average asking price is $1,782,726. Due to the current time of year and market conditions the average days on... 12/20/2007

Thursday, December 8, 2007 6-8pm at the Pier PlazaHoliday tree lighting  Saturday, December 8, 20079am-12pm North of Pier at ShorelineBring your family and friends to make Sand snowmen!Check in is at 8:45More info call (310)318-0280 Saturday, December 15, 20079-11am Clark BuildingBreakfast with SantaOpen to the first 150 residents$15 a child $10 a parent Monday, December 31, 20078pm-12:15am Pier PlazaNew Year's Eve CelebrationRing in the New Year with the outdoor band 11/14/2007

Trust me...it has been a different ball game (it's World Series time...sorry) since everything changed months ago in the lending industry. A lot of the big name lenders are scared to lend and many others just aren't there anymore. With all the doom and gloom is there a silver lining?? Lately for me, it is in the conforming loan market. What is a conforming loan? A mortgage that is equal to or less than the dollar amount established by the conforming loanlimits set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's Federal regulator, The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) and meets the funding criteria of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Wow...that's a hell of a definition! Simply put, the loan specifics have to conform to the funding criteria. The loan limit is $417,000 for a Single Family ... 10/23/2007