Who owns "Annie's Stand", the produce stand near Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, and who is Annie? On March 10, 2005,Doug Hatano, who farms in the area, leased the stand from the City of Rancho Palos Verdes for a 5 year period. He retained the name "Annie's Stand" which was named in honor Annie Ishibashi, whose family farmed in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes for many years.Farmers Market in Rancho Palos Verdes: There is a farmers market held on Sundays in the parking lot of the Peninsula Shopping Center in front of the Petco. The vendors often discount their prices from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm just before the market closes 09/29/2008

Hello,   Today is Septmeber 24th. There are 258 homes for sale on the Peninsula. The average price per square foot varies on the location. The average days on market is currently 105 days. The lowest priced home is located on the east side of the hill on Kingsridge. It is a three bedroom two bath home for $859,000. For more information on the Palos Verdes Real Estate market please contact Rachelmtyndall@gmail.com Facts and TrendsTM   Published Sep. 2008 Location : ZIP 90274 , ZIP 90275 Number of Homes For Sale vs. Sold Price Range: $0 - No Limit SQFT Range: 0 - No Limit Single Family Homes All reports presented are based on data supplied by the South Bay Association of Realtor or its MLS. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or is in anyway responsible for its accuracy. Data m... 09/24/2008

Statistics for the month of August for Palos Verdes Real Estate are now available.  There were 29 closed escrows, 26 pending sales in August and 51 closed escrows and 26 pending sales in July.  The number of closed escrows are down compared to the last 5 months.  To read more, click here... 09/23/2008

The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project had several different names planned for Palos Verdes Drive. Palos Verdes Drive North was originally planned to be named Granvia Valmonte from Malaga Cove Plaza through to Anaheim Street. Palos Verdes Drive West was to have been named Granvia La Costa. Palos Verdes Drive West The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project called for a second golf course in Palos Verdes Estates The original plans for the Palos Verdes Project in the late 1920's called for the construction of a golf course in the area currently occupied by George Allen baseball field off of Via Zumaya in upper Lunada Bay/Montemalaga. Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com for more Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 09/19/2008

Palos Verdes was once considered for the location of Disneyland: In the early 1950's, Walt Disney's company WED Enterprises hired the Stanford Research Institute to conduct a search for the perfect site. The cities of Long Beach, Palos Verdes and Canoga Park were all considered but each had at least one strong disadvantage against it. Finally, Anahjeim was selected as the location for Disneyland. Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com for more Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 09/19/2008

Road construction on the Palos Verfdes Peninsula moved forward rapidly in the late 1950's and through the mid 1960's. Hawthorne Blvd. through the Peninsula was completed in several segments. Hawthorne Blvd. was completed from Silver Spur to Crest in 1959. The segment from Palos Verdes Drive North to Silver Spur was completed in 1961. After several years of planning, the final segment extending Hawthorne Blvd. from Newton in Torrance to Palos Verdes Drive North was completed in 1965.The original masterplan for the Southern California freeway system included what was known as the Ocean Freeway or the Pacific Coast Freeway, which was to have run along the coast, swinging inland through Redondo Beach and Torrance and connecting to the Harbor Freeway, and extending through Long Beach. Anothe... 09/19/2008

An interesting fact is that Palos Verdes Estates once tried to annex Marineland - In early 1965, the City of Palos Verdes Estates attempted to annex a portion of present day Rancho Palos Verdes totaling 2.92 square miles bordered by High Ridge Road to the east and the Pacific Ocean, including the Marineland Park, in an attempt to broaden its tax base. See LA Times Article. This effort failed, however. Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com for more Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts 09/19/2008

You do not have to be a member of the Palos Verdes Beach and Athletic Club to use it:Resident, non-members may use the club for a day pass rate of $30 per person per day. Non-residents may also use the club for a day pass of $45 per person per day. These day passes may not be used on Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day, and no guests are allowed on those days. Guests of members are $10 per person, seven days a week from 6/15 through Labor Day. Guest fees other times of the year are $7 per person.   Palos Verdes Beach & Athletic Club For more information on PV Sports, RecreationAnd  Parks  please visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com 09/19/2008

I am frequently asked Why don't they widen Palos Verdes Drive North in Rolling Hills Estates since the traffic is so bad? City and community leaders in Rolling Hills Estates do not want the rural nature of their city destroyed, and believe that widening Palos Verdes Drive North in this area will only encourage more motorists to utilize this street to access the Harbor freeway, instead of using Pacific Coast Highway. Widening of the street would also destroy the beautiful trees and horse trails which line the street. 09/19/2008

People often ask me :What is the small park off of Hidden Valley Road in Rolling Hills Estates, just north of Hawthorne Boulevard? Is this a public park? This park is a private soccer facility owned by  Fram CQ, which is a recently consolidated soccer club (formed by the merger of Coastal Quest and Fram Sportskluben). The park had originally been donated by Elin Vanderlip, who is of Norwegian descent and owned by the goverment of Norway for the benefit of Norwegian merchant seamen using the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Rod Stewart frequently plays here on a men's team for recreation. Fram field with clubhouse in background Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com For more Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts . 09/09/2008

Why are there such large median strips on Palos Verdes Drive in Lunada Bay and Via Valmonte?  The original planners of the Palos Verdes Project planned Palos Verdes Drive in these areas to accomodate the Pacific Electric Trolley cars, which were an integral part of the public transportation network in Los Angeles County in the late 1920's. Median strip on Palos Verdes Drive in Valmonte Lunada Bay Median Strip with Large Austrailian Fig Tree Pacific Electric Red Car Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com For more Palos Verdes Secrets & Little Known Facts . 09/09/2008

The statue of King Neptune at the Neptune Fountain in Malaga Cove Plaza in Palos Verdes Estates is a replica of a replica. The original statue was installed in Malaga Cove Plaza in 1930 and was a replica of the original statue of King Neptune at the Neptune Fountain in Bologna, Italy, and was approx. two-thirds the size of the original. The original statue had no fig leaf, which caused somewhat of a scandal when first unveiled. The current statue is a replica of the first, and was installed in 1969 when the original had been vandalized , and had a discretely placed fig leaf added.King Neptune Statue in Malaga Cove Plaza Dedication of the Neptune Fountain  (Picture Courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District)     Visit my website http://www.maureenmegowan.com For more Palos Verde... 09/09/2008

There are four stories about this. One says the name comes from an acronym for the beach "Right After Torrance". Another says that it stands for "Redondo and Torrance" beach. The two most recent ones that I have heard are that the name was coined by local surfers. The first story says that "Rat Sh _t Beach" was coined by local surfers in the early 60's because, at that time there was little sand at that end of the beach. They didn't dredge and add sand until 1968-69. There was also a seasonal creek which attracted a lot of rats, which of course left a lot of rat poop , thus the name. .The second story told by members of the Haggertys Surfing Club was that it was named in honor of professional surfer Rick Irons after his pet rat. Horseback Riding on RAT beach below Malaga Cove looking to... 09/09/2008

In my opinion, two of the best views from the top of the Peninsula are located in Rancho Palos Verdes in Del Cerro Park, which can be reached at the end of Crenshaw Boulevard just past St. John Fisher, and from Via Del Monte in Palos Verdes Estates, near the top of the hillside overlooking Malaga Cove. The view from Del Cerro park is spectacular, including the entire Palos Verdes Drive South area from the Point Vicente lighthouse (including the new Terranea Resort, Abalone Cove, the Wayfarers' Chapel, and the Portuguese Bend landslide) all the way to the Trump National Golf Course. The View from Via Del Monte can be reached by taking Via Del Monte, which is the street just behind Malaga Cove Plaza, just past the La Venta Inn. This gives you a great view of the "Queen's Necklace" view of... 09/09/2008

Rancho del Mar, a small continuation high school, is located just off of Crest road, just to the east of Crenshaw Blvd. This high school, located in Rolling Hills, offers an individualized teaching plan educational program for students whose personalities, needs, and interests get lost in the traditional high school. There actually had been plans to build another high school in Rancho Palos Verdes, "Peninsula High School" was the name that was supposed to have been given to the 4th high school that would have been built on the land across Highridge Rd. from Ridgecrest Intermediate School. However, that school was never built, and the land was sold by the School District  for $6,000,000 to a developer (which caused quite a furor since many thought it was below market value). Visit my web... 09/09/2008

One interesting fact about Frank Vanderlip's original purchase of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913 was that he agreed to purchase the property after only a 10 minute meeting with a real estate broker from Los Angeles.   Frank Vanderlip at his original home "The Cottage" Early in 1913, George Bixby decided to sell approx. 16,000 acres of the Rancho de los Palos Verdes (retaining about 1,000 acres which later became Harbor City), which his father, Jotham Bixby, had acquired in1882 by a legal partition of the original land grant area of Rancho de los Palos Verdes ( See The History of the South Bay for a discussion of the early Indian inhabitants of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the early Spanish land grant Ranchos). He sold the land to Walter Fundenburg, who agreed to pay $1.5 million, ... 09/09/2008

  Sunday's announcement of the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has led to a dramatic decrease in interest rates. Conforming 30 year fixed rates have dropped almost a half point, and even jumbo 30 year fixed rate mortgages have dropped about three tenths of a point. Following are interest rate quotes as published by bankrate.com on 9/9/08: Type of Mortgatge        TODAY +/- LAST WEEK 30 yr fixed mtg 5.88% 6.26% 15 yr fixed mtg 5.49% 5.77% 5/1 ARM 5.84% 5.92% 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg 7.08% 7.39% 5/1 jumbo ARM 6.32% 6.45% This drop in interest rates should have a dramatic impact on hastening the stabilization of the housing market.  Now is an excellent time to be looking for property to buy as we enter the fall season. During this time of the year, inventories tend to decrease, and buy... 09/09/2008

Hello,   Today is Sunday August 31st. There are currently 247 homes for sale in Palos Verdes. If you are looking to move to Palos Verdes or move from your current Palos Verdes home to another, my partner and I would love to help. We specialize in selling Palos Verdes properties and have an extensive knowledge of the market and he area. Please contact us to let us know what you are looking for and we can show you the best buys. Rachelmtyndall@gmail.com www.rtyndall.com www.thepvrealtor.com   08/31/2008

Are you blogging on purpose?  Does your blog have a central focus?  Are you presenting your highest self through your writing?  Or do you write about whatever is on your mind at the moment?   Recently I decided to categorize my blogs.  I was surprised to notice I was addressing more posts to agents (members only) than I realized.  Buyers also received a lot of attention and white space.  Surprisingly, I was neglecting writing articles targeting sellers.  Yes, it's true when we think "Internet Marketing" we think of buyers, but I've noticed more and more sellers refer to "prelisting research" they have done on the Internet.    Sellers, I will write more articles with you in mind.  After all, I prefer to keep my clientele evenly balanced between sellers and buyers, so it makes sense to di... 08/30/2008

pic courtesy of google images pv living.com FAVORITE WALKING/ JOGGING TRAILS Here is  a great list of kid friendly and not so kid friendly hiking trails along the Beaches and Peninsula rated hihgly by the PV Mom's club.  For more of their great Guides for Parks, Beaches, Restuarants, Doctors and more just click on theier website. I have reviewed their reccommendations and I must agree, they are right on for their reviews...not to mention that they recommend my favorite peditirican, Dr. James Flores..So for all you newcomers to the peninsula, I know that you will find this site helpful. I know I am going to recommend the site to all my new relocation clients.  It is indepth and fantastic. www.pvmoms.com The Strand Whether Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach, the Strand is a f... 08/27/2008