There is a great little improve group called the Flea Bitten Varmints here in Long Beach.  They have a show at the Queen Mary Every Friday night @ 11:30pm and tickets are only $8.00, it is VERY entertaining and funny!  I would highly recommend checking it out.These guys do a great show and the venues that they are at are great not only are they at the Queen Mary here in Long Beach, they are working at the Long Beach Armada Home Games as well.   On a side note I would HIGHLY recommend going to a Long Beach Armada game it is at a great venue with great ticket prices... the way baseball once was. http://www.myspace.com/fleabittenvarmints  07/13/2007

I've always loved the beach. I fondly remember spending weekends on the sand & in the waves. (I also remember that fear of seaweed I had, but I digress. hee hee) So to actually live two blocks from the beach is a true joy. Yesterday on my walking tour of Long Beach I once again had an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and privilege of living near the beach. A friend and I walked the two blocks from my house across Ocean Blvd down to the sand. Obviously we weren't the only ones with the idea because the summer evening foot traffic was in full force. Once we got to the bike / walking path we meandered west to the marina then across the bridge at Shore Line Village over to the Hyatt on Pine. Then we went back to Ocean and then home. Usually I take trips like these on inline skates but s... 07/11/2007

Every summer Downtown Long Beach holds free music concerts for the public. This year the concerts will be held Tuesday through Saturday at 11 different locations. Here is a partial listing. For a full listing visit the Downtown Long Beach website.Another reason to love summer in Long Beach. Concert Schedule Week of July 10 - 14 Tuesday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm World Trade Center (Saphire, Top 40) 100 Oceangate (Red Muffs, acoustic rock) CityPlace (Kings of Marigold, acoustic rock) Wednesday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm 444 E. Ocean (Saphire, Top 40) Shoreline Village (Kings of Marigold, acoustic rock) Thursday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm ARCO Center (Saphire, Top 40) East Village Arts District, Best Western (Red Muffs, acoustic rock) Friday, 5 pm to 9 pm Rock Bottom (Saphire, Top 40) Smooth's (Erik Ekstra... 07/10/2007

LONG BEACH CA REAL ESTATE 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii       Entries officially closed Thursday, Jun 7th for the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race from Long Beach to Hawaii.   There will be 76 Yacht's of all shapes and sizes setting sail from our beautiful Palos Verde Peninsula. They will travel 2,225 nautical miles to the island of Waikiki arriving at the Diamond Head Lighthouse where they will be greeted by spectators lining Diamond Head Road to view their stunning arrival.   3 of the ships are from Japan1 is from Australia2 from other countries6 will be returning to their home state of Hawaii64 represent 9 other states   Participants and crew began to arrive in Downtown Long Beach on July 6th. Festivities, Cocktail Parties, Dinners and Ceremonies have commenced and go on throug... 07/08/2007

When homeowner's fall behind in their mortgage payments or foresee a future problem looming, the decision has to be made whether to sell the home or try a ‘work-out'. Failing that means the possibility for a costly, messy, and humiliating foreclosure becomes more likely.There are a couple of things to consider when facing this or similar situations. First if, as the homeowner, you absolutely want to keep the house you'll have to be able to prove that you can afford the payments. That means doing a budget, a cash flow statement, and providing supporting documents like Tax returns and pay stubs. Also, getting in touch with your mortgage servicer should be a top priority. Getting your servicer on board early helps to ensure their cooperation with whatever options you choose to take. They w... 07/08/2007

Free No Obligation Home Value AnalysisLocation: Lakewood, CaSimple. Automated. Dependable.Complete the required information on your home and you will receive a FREE Computer Analysis, indicating your home's Approximate present value on the market today. You will receive this information quickly, by e-mail, and WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEAK TO AN AGENT!Contact InformationJanus Real Estate. Inc.Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersLocation5001 Lakewood BlvdLakewood, Ca 90712View MapLinksFree Home ValueProfileService Area: Long Beach, Orange CountyYears of Service: 3Service Type: Real EstateMarket Focus: StandardPowered by vFlyer.comVFLYER ID: 1165625 07/05/2007

We have a new listing in North Long Beach at 6086 Myrtle Ave Long Beach, CA 90805.Features:2 Bedroom2 Bath (one is attached to garage unpermitted)Large Living RoomA "Cooks" kitchenJacuzzi2 Car GarageFor a Virtual Tour Please Visit www.6086Myrtle.comAnd much, much more!This is a must see property VERY well priced it was originally listed at $460k and now is only $419k.  For more info and photos click the link above and check it out.  Thanks, Kasey 07/05/2007

Because Professional Home Staging Sells Long Beach Homes and Condos!   Long Beach has a tremendous amount of homes and condos on the market and only a limited number of buyers in a position to purchase.  It is just common sense that these buyers are most interested in the homes that show the best.    Professionally staged Long Beach properties just look better than their competition.  Buyers are no longer interested in purchasing homes or condos that need much in the way of upgrading.  Most are barely willing to paint.  They no longer have to do any of this to get a good buy in today's market.    If your home or condo needs paint and new carpet, your kitchen and bathroom are out of date, you must reflect this in your offering price.  If you want a higher price, an investment in a profes... 07/04/2007

I Am Proud To Be An AmericanBy Lee Greenwood   Come out and enjoy the Long Beach Fireworks spectacular from the Queen Mary, in Downtown Long Beach, scheduled for 9:00 PM, this is not a display that you want to miss. You will want to reserve a space for viewing early in the day because the shoreline areas become a huge parking lot as traffic comes to a grinding halt until the show is over. The Queen Mary will be hosting an all day event 10 AM to 10 PM, with live bands and many children's activities. For more information, call 435-3511 or visit www.queenmary.com.   Rainbow Lagoon Park Kicks off the 2007 Seafest Concert Series and Fireworks show at 3 PM with a spectacular ocean view.   Veterans Memorial Stadium hosts the Long Beach Fire Department's 50th Annual fireworks show at 9 PM, gate... 07/03/2007

We define "Mortgage Independence Day" differently than your parents or grandparents did.  Rather than having your loan paid in full, we prefer to identify "Mortgage Independence Day" as the day when you have enough money , IN A SEPARATE ACCOUNT, to pay off the home loan...IF THAT IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO.  We think that lots of cash in the bank (or investments) is the ultimate form of independence.   It appears that our mantra of equity splitting and investing for your future is catching on.  The New York Times ran an article about Baby Boomers who are rejecting the traditional Boomer Economics model for our Asset Optimization Strategy.CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY AND NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE  07/03/2007

  Almost every day this summer, these two boys can be found walking to the nearby neighborhood driving range.   Their inspiration?  Tiger Woods. Golfers that hang out here say that Tiger used to practice here as a child.        Welcome to Heartwell Park Golf Course and to Long BeachJunior Golf Academy!    This IS where Tiger used to practice.  In this article Robert Duran talks about his job as Tiger's first swing coach.  Heartwell Golf Course is still an 18 hole 3 par course.  The clubhouse, the fairway and the greens have been going through constant improvement the last few years.  (The clubhouse serves great fries!)  As you can imagine with the Golf Academy, its Junior Golf Program, and its Summer Golf Program, many parents look for homes in the area so their future pro golfer can wa... 06/29/2007

State of California · Department of Transportation NEWS RELEASE                                Date:                Friday, June 22, 2007   District 7:  Los Angeles & Ventura Counties         Contact:    Maria Raptis Phone:      (213) 897-9372                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Long Beach Freeway (I-710) Lane Closures LONG BEACH - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will close portions of the northbound and southbound Long Beach Freeway (I-710) for pavement replacement and to replace the metal beam center median with concrete barriers from Ocean Boulevard to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)/State Route 1 (SR-1).  The following schedule will be in effect:  Overnight, Friday, June 22: ·        7 p.m. to 9 a.m. - up to three lanes of northbound I-710 from W. Shoreline D... 06/26/2007

I have to rant for just a minute folks.  We as the real estate community must start taking action and being honest with ourselves and our clients (specifically sellers).  I have had two new listings in my farm (North Long Beach) come up from outside agents and they are listed at least $100k higher than the average sales price for the area!  This to me is amazing although these homes are nice and have a few unique features, these features do not command the price for which they are listed.  At what point do we decide it is in the seller's best interest to take the listing at a clearly over priced listing, this does them NO FAVORS unless they like just having a sign in the yard and no offers.  We are in the service industry guys we need to show the sellers the best suggested sales price p... 06/20/2007

If you are lucky enough to live in Long Beach, CA, you know that the weather is beautiful, the beaches are plentiful and there is always something to do. Whether you're a music lover, art officianado, sports participant or viewer, or a food guru, you'll have a wide array of Long Beach events to attend and enjoy throughout the year. You don't have to live in Long Beach to enjoy all the festivities. Let me give you a few reasons to come for a visit and quite possibly, you'll be tempted to make Long Beach your home. Summer is possibly Long Beach's best time to shine and this summer Long Beach is rockin' & rollin' with tons of festivals and fun for everyone of all ages. Kicking off the 3-month long International Sea Festival, this weekend is the Bayou Festival complete with 3 days (June 22-... 06/19/2007

"To each his own," I say. Your perfect house is not mine, and vice versa. Now that the real estate market has shifted slightly to the buyer's advantage in Southern California, I'm finding more buyers are dead-set on finding the "perfect house." As inventory rises in many states and communities across the country, buyers are now reciprocating what they went through in the past, when it was a seller's market. They're passing up the "less-than-perfect" homes and continuing to look for the ever-elusive "home of their dreams."When the slight number of homes on the open market was at a dirth in the 2003 - 2006 market, buyers were often left hanging out in left field as sellers were combing through multiple offers on their freshly listed homes. "You don't have substantial dollars to shell out ... 06/13/2007

Long Beach Real Estate is awash in a sea of purple.  We have neighborhoods and streets filled with these trees.  They line both sides of the street in several neighborhoods creating an illusion of purple.  Inspite of all that beauty, the homeowners complain that the blooms that fall off the trees turn everything purple!  The city decided to use these trees because they are fast growingand they provide nice shade.   Click for more photos by Gary Minniss 06/11/2007

Now that my still slightly shy, but adorable canine has become much more socialized, she is a magnet for every dog-loving fanatic that walks by my house. Erika loves to hang out and bask in the sun out front. Half a block from Starbucks and tons of other shops and restaurants on 2nd St., there is a lot of foot traffic past her yard.With all the love and affection that abounds in the Belmont Shore neighborhood for "man's best friend," comes some pretty hilarious behavior, not so much from the canines, but from their human companions. I am witness to it on almost a daily basis.  More.... 06/11/2007

Downtown Long Beach Lofts Lofts in Long Beach, were once only for the luxury market, but now with additional Loft projects in the market place, there has been some pricing pressure and customers are the winners! The Walker Building has now had Lofts in the 700's.  This luxury loft project on 4th St is in prime location along Pine St.  With it's wonderful use of cement throughout, you can experience some amazing floor plans that allow the light to fill your loft.The Kress Lofts were an adaptive re-use project within the same time frame as the Walker Building.  This project is only 1 block from the Walker Building and is located on 4th.  This building has a warm feeling as it utilizes the brick work from 1925.  You can find a wonderful loft here, now under $600,00!Learn more about the ext... 06/03/2007

There is a difference between condominiums and co-operatives. Both are a type of multifamily properties that house multiple units. Condominium owners actually own real property, while co-op owners have shares that give the right to occupy and use the unit.A co-op can be thought of (because it is) a corporation formed to own multifamily residential property. Residents own shares in the corporation which owns an entire group of residences - usually one or more apartment buildings. Co-op members do not own their units. Instead they make an investment in the co-op and have a voice in controlling the its activities.In general, condo owners are subject to fewer rules than co-op apartment owners and, spend less time in internal governance. A condominium, carries with it joint ownership of comm... 05/31/2007

Well we have seen a shift on the market there are a considerable more listings on the market than in previous years and less buyers that are able to qualify.  And the rumors that are out and about say that no one can sell and no one can buy... NEWS FLASH!!!  This is not true at all!  For some reason the public has subscribed to this thought process and it is plainly not true.  One thing can be said the dynamics has changed, sellers who are serious about selling have to be competitive the days of asking for whatever you want and getting it may be over (for now).  However, if you need to move and you have equity in your home and a Realtor who is willing to work with you in achieving your goal THEY CAN BE REACHED!!!  Many agents have special programs to allow sellers to have flexible commi... 05/23/2007