All you hear on the news is housing market in trouble , foreclosures everywhere. California the worst hit. Housing market getting bad press and apparently, Palos Verdes Home Owners decided to listen.The number of Palos Verdes Homes Sold are at an all time low. Palos Verdes have held off on placing their homes for sale due to the current media information. What this has done to the Palos Verdes Market is increased the value of the homes for 2007 compared to 2006. Your local Realtors maybe working around the clock to compensate for the slow down, The shortness of inventory in Palos Verdes has caused prices to rise to an all time high on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and more equity for the Palos Verdes Homeowners.What this means to you as a homeowner is that this is an excellent time to sell... 03/01/2008

Spring is in the air.  Real estate sold signs are popping up faster than the spring flowers.  Here are the statistics for the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula for February 2008. 20 Single Family Homes Closed Escrow in February     1 Home sold above list price.     2 Homes sold at list price.     17 Homes sold below original list price. 206 Single Family Homes are Currently For Sale69 Single Family Homes are Currently In Escrow Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800 South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - Linked... 03/01/2008

  Next week I'll be showing a Palos Verdes buyer who wants a one level home with no stairs-no step down living room, or steps up or down to the garage.  I previewed several one levels in search of a "step free" house. After eight or nine houses they all began to look alike.  I found myself making notes such as "granite kitchen and stainless appliances" on many, and "original condition" on several others.  I returned to the office uninspired and more than likely my client will have a similar response to the look alike one levels. Sellers, what makes your house stands out from the crowd?  Is it:  Staged? Priced aggressively? Squeaky-clean? Easy to show? Move in condition? Buyers look at many houses; they buy only one.  Present your property in its most favorable light.  Peeling and faded ... 02/23/2008

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is a sought-after area in Los Angeles County.  Palos Verdes Drive snakes around the entire peninsula and offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island, and the Los Angeles Harbor.  The many hills offer breathtaking city and ocean views.  The Mediterranean climate invites outdoor living and activities during most of the year.There is a wide variety of home choices, styles and prices.  Here's a breakdown by price of homes currently for sale on the Palos Verdes Peninsula:Number of homes under $1,000,000:  25                                 Number of homes priced from $1M to $2M:  107                        Number of homes priced from $2M to $3M:  29                         Number of homes priced from $3M to $5M:  22                         Number... 02/20/2008

   Picture courtesy of google image & www.palosverdesshores.comAS you can see by the chart below, the sky is not yet falling in Palos Verdes Housing Market!and it probably will not change much for 2008.  Calif. Association of Realtors predicting a 6-8% drop in 2008 and in all Los Angeles County Coastal Properties 12 % is projected.This should not be your concern if you are a Palos Verdes Homebuyer for 2008. Finding a home and grabbing the low interest rates before they go up should be your motivation.  A 1% increase on a loan for $600,000.00 can cost the borrower another $250,000.00 over the life of the loan for 30 years. Right now with the FHA Conventional moving up to $749,000.00 that is the loan to go for and go for it quickly.  This is were the real savings are to be found.Look at i... 02/18/2008

The chill of winter is almost behind us and the sun is shining in Southern California after a cold and wet (we needed the rain) winter.  Can thoughts of moving be far behind?   If you're considering moving to one of the four cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula here's what's happening on "The Hill." 211 Single Family Homes are currently for sale 45 Single Family Homes are currently in escrow 16 Single Family Homes have sold in 2008   Sellers, note the number of homes in escrow--the market is beginning to move.   Remember, all real estate is local.  The Palos Verdes market is not the same as the national market or even the Los Angeles market.   If you would like more information on your local neighborhood in Palos Verdes email me and I'll be happy to provide it within 24 hours. Norma Toe... 02/10/2008

During the last year, I had the plesure of selling these 2 Ocean View properties in a neighborhood that increased $150,000 during my clients searches. We wanted ocean view and affordable. This little pocket of Rancho Palos Verdes that borders on the Terranea Developement and Palos Verdes Estates is the best speculative investment I believe a buyer can make in the Palos Verdes Pennisula.If you do not mind buying a fixer with a panoramic Ocean view, you can still get a great ocean view home for $1,250,000-$1,300,000.00.  This is location at it's best. Close to Terranea Resort is just the 1st moneymaker. Once the Resort and Hotel is completed in 2009, Professional GOlfers  from around the world will be flying into take lessons from the Pros.  Most of who have never seen our Coastline, once... 01/29/2008

PVP Watch Newsletter - January 26, 2008January 16th - RPV Council MeetingUsually watching RPV Council meetings is like watching grass grow. Occasionally however, issues arise that make it interesting. January 16th was one of those meetings.Councilman Peter Gardiner questioned nearly $30,000 in payments to PV Net. As some are aware, Gardiner has been questioning PV Net costs for some time - to no avail. Many will recall that IT costs / services provided by PV Net was a campaign issue.The January 16th check register had a total payment to PV Net of $27,022.46. Of this $17,297.68 was for "Tech Support" for October 2007. As was reported by City Manager Carolyn Lehr services provided under this category were "Help Desk" and some other maintenance services. It has been previously reported by ... 01/26/2008

When I had my oldest son five years ago, kindergarten seemed like a world away.  As always, life moves fast and now that first day of kindergarten is quickly approaching.  The decisions now begin. Public school or private, what is best?  My answer: the best school is the one you choose.  For those of us that reside in Palos Verdes, we are blessed with many wonderful schools to choose from.  We have an amazing public school system and wonderful private schools as well.  As a realtor, it is always a pleasure to brag about our fine schools.  The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District serves the four Peninsula cities and has a population of approximately 11, 900 students. The school district's reputation for having a high quality education system attracts many families to this subur... 01/24/2008

I hope your 2008 is off to a great start. Currently there are 172 homes for sale in all of Palos Verdes. The average asking price is $2,906,155. The lowest priced home for sale in all of P.V. is located at 26688 Crenshaw Blvd in the Palos Verdes north area. It is a fixer with 2,342 sq.ft, three bedrooms, three baths, and huge lot (25,700) built in 1961. This property is bank owned. It was last purchased in 2000 for $431,000. I heard this morning the bank has accepted an offer. It has yet to be reported in escrow. On the other end of the spectrum the highest priced home is listed for $23million. This home is located in the prestigious gated community of Rolling Hills at 4 pine tree lane. Rolling Hills is home to many successful entrepreneurs and celebrities. This particular home is an ex... 01/23/2008

 TO all my christian realtors, I hope this New Year is esecially blessed for you. We are so blessed to have Jesus on our side and working in Our business.  The Lord always comes through for me even when I am nervous and scared. My New Years Resolution is to have more faith in God and try to spread help and God's love to more people. I want to forget about myself and be more ready and able to volunteer to serve the Lord and do his will. Even if it means taking a risk or doing something I don't want to do. I was so inspired last night when A&E aired a Evangelistic Show with The Ring Of Fire radio show host warning everyone about how 25% of the US was controlled by Evangelists and that everytime the Christians vote we control the Legislation.  I was delighted to find that we are such a thr... 12/31/2007

I hope that all you active rain bloggers will have a prosperous and healthy new year!Some New Years Fantasy resolutions for the Real Estate Market: Countrywide takes back all it's loans and gives the borrowers a current interest rate of 6.5% so they can stop the foreclosures on their adj. 10.5% loans that got us into this mess..All borrowers that had a health issue or lost their jobs will be forgiven and have a 90 day grace period.Allstate Insurance will no longer complain that the California Fires cost them 100 Million when they are making a profit of 1Billion for 2008.All Credit Companies will make a effort to help people who have trouble paying and not hit them with late charges , over limit charges and higher interest rates.  Grace and kindness will be the new credit attitude.Homes ... 12/31/2007

Hello Buyers!  This best buy gem is located in the unincorporated area of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  It enjoys the award winning Palos Verdes Unifed School District as well as other perks to be found in the Palos Verdes area.27133 Sunnyridge is a luxury home built in 2004.  The 6200 sq. ft. home has 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, pool, view and incredible quality throughout.  Current listing price is $2,995,000.  A $355,000 price reduction puts it on my Best Buy list for January 2008. Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty (310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800 South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and ... 12/30/2007

Both Peninsula and Palos Verdes high schools were ranked in U.S. News & World Report magazine's list of the top 100 "gold medal" public high schools published this week.Peninsula High came in at No. 89, while PV High was No. 93.Another great reason to live in P.V.For more details contact Rachel:rachel@rtyndall.com  12/20/2007

If you are looking for that Romantic Christmas wedding floral designer or hosting a exclusive private Holiday dinner party, you must check out Emily Cristiano at Cristiano Design. Emily specializes in events held at La Venta Inn, Trump National, Beverly Hilton, Private Estates and the Hoiday Homes Tour. She is also no stranger to some exclusive Events also done in Manhattan Beach and the South Bay.Cristiano Design has gone from creating romantic moods at the La Venta Inn to a summer wedding at the Portuguese Beach Club decorating a sandy beach in a Hawaii Theme which included staging an empty beach with Palm Trees, Hawaiian Flowers, spectacular mood lighting,Tiki Torches Elegante and a spectacular gazebo laced with exotic Hawaiian blooms and plants, all just steps away from the waves.. ... 11/23/2007

Believe it or not, in places like New York City, there are no pet limit laws and no barking dog laws.Although much of the Palos Verdes Penninsula has semi rural areas zoned for horses, they all have small animal limit laws.  Residents can only have 3 dogs but as many horses as can be "well cared for" and there is "adequate space for."  Cats are supposed to be limited to 3, but all of the cities recognize cats are difficult if not impossible to account for.Rolling Hills property is only allowed post and rail fencing, so although it's a great place for a dog to live, they can not be contained safely in their own yard without the use invisible fencing or chicken wire inside the post and rail.  Driving through Rolling Hills, you'll frequently see dogs running loose.One of the cities on the ... 11/17/2007

Sales have slowed and listings are lingering on the market longer.  What's an agent to do?  It's a great time to give back to the communities our livelihoods depend on.  Get out there and get involved!  The holidays are a wonderful time to share time and talents.   Choose something near and dear to your heart-- donate some time and effort and I promise you will reap the rewards.  You'll be with people, and that's always good in a relationship business.  Your focus will be redirected from the slow market (a temporary condition) to the joy you are capable of delivering to others (an unlimited renewable energy source)!   There are several empty boxes in my office.  The Marine Corps dropped them off as they do every year---Toys for Tots Toy Drive is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this yea... 11/15/2007

New Luxury Golf Resort breaking ground in Palos Verdes , Please call me for a private preview for my clients on Friday Evening if you have anyone that would be interested in purchasing. Pricing will be available for all interested vacation ownerships on Friday November 16,2007.In the summer the old marineland site started breaking ground for a spectacular golf resort by Lowe Enterprises.  We are going to be living near the most spectacular Hotel,Spa and Whole-ownership Villas, Casitas,Hotel and GOlf Academy on the West Coast.  This Terranea Hotel,Spa and Golf Academy will rival the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel for a comparable luxury resort which will now be in our own back yard. Lowes has 5 other developments in the Untied States that have been wonderfully successful. This project has... 11/15/2007

  How will I know when we hit the bottom?  That was my client's question as he mulled over the pros and cons of submitting an offer.  You won't, was my response. It will take months for the numbers to be totaled, tallied and analyzed. Graphs and charts will pinpoint the low by the year, month, and probably the day, it occurred.  Meanwhile the home that was perfect for his family, his commute and within walking distance to the elementary school for his children will house another family. The waiting game is a gamble.  Yes, maybe the prices will drop.  Yes, maybe a better house will come on the market.  Yes, maybe the interest rates will go down.  But life changes drive the real estate market. My top five clients at the moment are stirring up my real estate activity due to these life chan... 11/06/2007

I recently completed some research for several clients of mine interested in a beautiful complex of condominiums overlooking the Ocean in Rancho Palos Verdes.  I thought I would share my findings with all of you!  The real estate market in the South Bay area, including the Palos Verdes Peninsula, has faired better than some neighboring areas, however, we have all seen a slowdown in activity and a slight decrease in perceived home values.  Unfortunately, the press has in some cases exaggerated the state of the market and this has affected how some buyers approach a purchase.  Also unfortunate are the situations where homes are placed on the market at inflated prices only to sit stagnant and consequently slide down below their true market value. Palos Verdes Bay Club sale prices have near... 11/05/2007