My husband, Bruce loves to play golf and has given me the following critiques of the golf courses on the Palos Verdes Peninsula: TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB Critique: This golf course gives meaning to the golf saying "A good walk spoiled".  For the average golfer, this course is extremely frustrating, so bring a lot of balls. Most golfers will lose 6 to 10 balls a round. The problem is that because the fairways terrace down towards the ocean, each of the fairways on most of the holes to the south of the clubhouse are bordered by a slope, vegetated by natural shrubbery, where it is illegal to try and retrieve your ball or play out of the shrubs because the slopes are environmentally protected. Therefore, if you are off the fairway, you have probably lost a ball. The course is spectacular to... 10/17/2008

For women's shopping in Palos Verdes I can tell you some of the best shops. I have lived in P.V. my whole life and I love shopping so let me give you some inside tips if you are new to the area. If you are looking for designer suits, shoes or outfits be sure to check out the TJ/MAXX in the peninsula center. See map below:     TJ/MAX is also great for perfume, bubble bath, lotions and designer sunglasses. I bought a pair of Gucci sunglasses a few years back for I think it was $60 when the same pair was selling at Nordstrom's for $300! Occasionally you can also find some FABULOUS furniture pieces for your home. I recently bought a antique chair with a damask velvet print for $100! I have seen the same one in magazines for $1,600. I used the chair to stage one of my vacant listings and I r... 10/16/2008

Beaches and Surfing on the Palos Verdes PeninsulaRat Beach (Name is an acronym for "Right After Torrance" beach)    Parking located in Malaga Cove at 301 Paseo Del   Mar. A paved access path   next to the Palos Verdes Beach and Athletic Club provides easy access. Haggarty's - Located just south of the Palos Verdes Beach and Athletic Club near   301 Paseo del Mar in Palos Verdes Estates. Park in the lot between the Swim   club and Malaga Cove school, and walk down the road on the north end of the   parking lot to the ocean, and then go left to the point past the swim club.Exiles- Around the point from Haggarty's.  A wide dirt path starts at the top of the   bluff providing access to the bottom of the cliff. Good surf spot. Lunada Bay - Located at the 2300 block of Paseo del Mar in the L... 10/14/2008

BUYERS AND SELLERS TAKE HEART! There is financing available for well qualified buyers due to the Federal Reserve's aggressive action in taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Many buyers may have been severely affected by the drop in the stock market which may impact the amount of money they may have available for a down payment. For some, 3% down payment loans are available, but with tight restrictions. The recent passage of the Financing "Bail-out" bill will help provide additional capital in the market for new mortgage loans, but this will take time to implement. BUYERS with good credit, an adequate down payment and 2 years or more employment history will qualify for Full Documentation loans. There are new guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. More programs will bec... 10/14/2008

It's funny I recently joined face book and I am connecting with old classmates. Each time someone asks me what I am doing I tell them selling real estate and they usually have the same response...a sarcastic hows that going? I have to laugh because I think to myself really well actually. I wrote three offers last week and each offer was in a multiple offer situation. Not fabulous for my buyers but a sure sign that despite the negative media the South Bay still remains in HUGE demand and the properties priced to sell do! In fact they sell within a week with multiple offers and most of the time are selling over the asking price. I wish I could stress this to my clients without pressuring them. I really feel that if you are in a position to buy (meaning you are qualified and have 20% or mo... 10/13/2008

Since selling your home in Palos Verdes is a different market then it used to be it is crucial to hire a professional Realtor for the job. There are many experienced listing agents in Palos Verdes. The beauty of our job is we can tailor our marketing to suit us and our market. When the time for you to sell comes there are many things you should know to ask when interviewing agents. I will continue to post tips periodically so stay tuned. Here is the first tip. Tip of the week: When interviewing agents to sell your home ask them to show you their portfolio or a sample of their marketing pieces. 10/13/2008

The following are the Equestrian Facilites available on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The area is a horseman's paradise with miles and miles of trails throughout the area. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Horsemen's Association publishes the only horse trail map, which can be purchased at local feed and tack stores, such as Rolling Hills General Store 26947 Rolling Hills Rd Rolling Hills Estates, CA (310) 541-3668 Equestrian FacilitiesChandler Park (call RHE City Hall) --- 310-377-1577Dapplegray Park(call RHE City Hall) --- 310-377-1577   Located at the northwest corner of Palos Verdes Drive North and    Palos Verdes Drive East.Empty Saddle Club --- 310-377-9059   Located at 39 Empty Saddle Road, in Rolling Hills Estates.Ernie Howlett Park --- 377-1577.   Located at 26001 Hawthorne Boulevard, i... 10/10/2008

Palos Verdes Peninsula - 113 single family residences were sold during the third quarter of 2008, compared to 158 during 2007 (a 29% decrease). The inventory of homes as of 9/30/08 has increased 22% from this time last year on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to 276 homes. This equates to a little more than a 9 month supply. Click Here for : Palos Verdes Peninsula 2008 3rd Quarter Market Information :Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach 2008 3rd Quarter Market Information :Redondo Beach 2008 3rd Quarter Market Information :Torrance 2008 3rd Quarter Market Information,:San Pedro 2008 3rd Quarter Market Information : For more information about buying or selling a home on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com 10/10/2008

Plain and simple if you live in Palos Verdes and need to sell quickly b/c either you found your new dream home, have a grwoing family, divorce, job relocation, no job, downsizing, etc.....here are a few things you might want to know if you are looking to move quickly in today's market: Price is EVERYTHING if you don't price your home on point you can expect to wait and wait and wait......the longer the D.O.M (days on market) the less desirable your home becomes If it isn't a short sale(which means priced extremely aggressively) the home better be IMMACULATE or  unique Have a INSPECTION done prior to putting your home on the market get the repairs taken care of now. Buyers in today's market want it all they are less willing to accept doing repairs on their own. Have them done now so you ... 10/08/2008

Mortgage rates have come down a bit from last week, as this chart from bankrate.com demonstrates: Mortgage Type           TODAY +/- LAST WEEK 30 yr fixed mtg 5.80% 5.91% 15 yr fixed mtg 5.52% 5.62% 5/1 ARM 5.82% 5.94% 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg 7.15% 7.13% 5/1 jumbo ARM 6.15% 6.38% There remains a large gap between conventional mortgages (the rates above on the first line labeled "30 yr fixed mtg" are for less than $417,000) which are still available due to continued funding from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and jumbo mortgages (those over $729,750). Prior to the credit melt-down this summer, the difference between conventional mortgage rates and jumbo loans was abou two-tenths of one percent, but is now about 1.4 percent. This large gap will remain until new sources of funding for jumbo loan... 10/07/2008

Hello,   Today is 10/6/2008. There are currently 21 lots for sale in Palos Verdes. The lowest priced lot is listed for $399,000 and is 32,430 sq.ft located on the east side of the hill. The lots range in price up to $5,000,000 for a lot with 1,325,095 sq.ft. Six lots have sold since the first of the year. Currently the average days on market for the 21 lots for sale is 378 days. The average price per sq.ft is $48.80. If you would like a updated list of market trends for the lots please contact me. I would love to help. Rachelmtyndall@gmail.com www.rtyndall.com www.thepvrealtor.com 10/06/2008

The good news is that the Eastview area is zoned for the Palos Verdes school district. So, you can buy a three bedroom home for as low as $619,000 and your children can attend the Palos verdes schools. Or another option is a two bedroom condo in the Estates, complex located off Crenshaw going for $372,000!! What a deal. Currently there are two town homes for sale in the Eastview area. The first one is a two bedroom listed for $465,000 and the second is a immaculate three bedroom for $559,000. If you are looking to make a move so your children can attend Palos Verdes schools you have many options. Please contact me if you have questions. Having been born and raised in Palos Verdes I can tell you all about the different schools and neighborhoods. Thanks for taking the time to read this. 10/06/2008

It's Friday afternoon and I'm playing with the numbers!    I've always enjoyed tracking home sales on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  It is a great way to spot trends, determine value and basically keep my finger on the pulse of property sales on this gorgeous peninsula.   The Dow is down, the economy is moving at a snail's pace, but property is still changing hands in Palos Verdes. Granted, it is not moving at the crazy 2004-05 rate, but didn't we all know those nosebleed annual increases could not be sustained?    Welcome back to reality, and yes you will give back some of the gain, but look around you, breath in, breath out.  There will always be people who want to live in this beautiful area so close to Los Angeles, yet so far away in spirit.  There will always be parents seeking the b... 10/03/2008

The House passed the Financial Relief Bill today on a vote of 263-171. Now what??? Supporters of the bill pointed to provisions aimed at protecting the taxpayers. Companies that sell mortgages and mortgage-back securities to the government will be required to provide warrants to the government so taxpayers will benefit if the companies' earnings improve. The bill also includes limits on golden parachutes and executive compensation for companies that participate in the program. The bill also creates a government insurance program to guarantee troubled assets, an alternative sought by House Republicans. The Senate added additional provisions, including a temporary increase from $100,000 to $250,000 in Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. coverage of bank deposits. Most experts don't expect the... 10/03/2008

There is no denying the explosive growth in the use of Zillow.com by both buyers and sellers of real estate to estimate the market value of homes in their community The problem is that Zillow.com completely ignores the fact that you simply can not estimate a property´s market value given the limited public information available, such as the age of the home, location, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, or square footage. Many factors such as whether it has been remodeled, the desirability of the floor plan, proximity to schools, street appeal, etc. have a huge impact on market value. Only an experienced real estate agent or appraiser, taking all factors into consideration, can provide a property owner with an accurate estimate of a property´s value. I have seen many instances where Zillow.... 10/02/2008

Feng Shui is the oriental ancient art of placement - a guiding philosophy to bring harmony by looking at our environments and how the balance of energies can affect every part of life. Feng Shui (Pronounced "Feng Shway" or "Fung Shui"or Fung Shuway," depending if you are Mandarin, Cantonese, or American) means wind and water. The followers of Feng Shui believe that all we are and do is connected to the environment, Mother Earth and Chi, the natural order and energy in the Universe. Both the architecture of a home, as well as placement of furniture and other items in the home, can affect the balance (Yin and Yang)  (the illustrations below were obtained from this website) of energy flows within the house. Yang Yin Active Passive Hot Cold Life Death Summer Winter Male Female Day Night Odd... 10/02/2008

Buyers sitting on the sidelines should remember that trying to call the bottom of any market is extremely difficult, If you are buying a home to live in, not a speculative investment, you should be buying for the long term. Today's market gives buyers the opportunity to negotiate a great deal. Interest rates are still also at an historical low. For instance, even if prices fell an additional 10%, decreasing the mortgage required to buy a property from $500,000 to $450,000, if interest rates increased from 5.6% to 6.6%, the mortgage payment on the $450,000 mortgage would be the same as the previous $500,000 mortgage. Inflationary pressures continue to increase, due to increases in gas and food prices. With increased inflation, comes higher long term interest rates. The credit crisis may ... 10/01/2008

Price per square foot for homes sold on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have held relatively steady over the last 6 months but did take a dip in August. Generally, most real estate agents believe that prices on the hill have decreased anywhere from 8 to 15% over those of last year.   There ha been a definite trend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula for the lower priced homes to be selling, with the higher priced homes taking longer to sell. The chart below shows the gap between the average list price of homes, and the actual averag price of homes that have sold.   For more market info For more information, visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com 09/30/2008

It appears to me that many people who claim that the bail out bill only benefits the rich at the expense of the poor don't seem to understand that the proposed bill calls for the U.S. Government to purchase distressed loans from lending institutions in order to provide them with the capital necessary to make new loans. The purchase price of these distressed loans would reflect a highly discounted price reflcting the troubled nature of these loans. These purchases would not erase the losses that the lenders have from making these loans, but would simply buy them at their current discounted fair value. In fact, if the markets eventually improve, the Government may actually end up making a profit on these loan purchases. The $700 billion price tag for this plan is only the gross cost of pu... 09/29/2008

Palos Verdes Estates residents don't have to put their trash out at the curb: To eliminate the unattractive sight of trash cans in front of homes on trash pick-up day, the City of Palos Verdes Estates has their trash contractor get the trash cans from a trash yard area of each home in the City.Home colors in Rolling Hills: The deed restrictions of the homes in the gated community of Rolling Hills require that all homes be painted white, and thatthey can only be one level. For more information about buying a home on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, visit my award winning website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com 09/29/2008