Palos Verdes Real Estate

Everything I’ve Written Category

All articles I’ve written on real estate for the last 10 or so years. Earlier than that, I’ll have to mail them to you

January, 2012

In 2011 Palos Verdes sales continued at about the same pace as last year, aided by a continuance of historically low interest rates in the 4%’s.  However, the average sale price in Valmonte , for example, dropped from $1,482,438 to $1,209,634, and the average sale price in dollars-per-square-foot (if you’re into that sort of thing – I’m not – see below) dropped from $632 to $506.  A cursory look might lead one to conclude that prices in Valmonte had dropped...Continue Reading!

All articles I’ve written on real estate for the last 10 or so years. Earlier than that, I’ll have to mail them to you

It’s Not Rocket Science

I'm talking about real estate.  The basic process of buying and selling a home is not rocket science, brain surgery, or astrophysics.  It doesn't even involve knowledge of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.  So why does the realtor you choose matter?  Heck, why not do it yourself?  See how tense Kepler looks in this picture?  He was probably in the middle of an escrow, had figured he was smart enough to handle it, and had just listed with someone who left...Continue Reading!

All articles I’ve written on real estate for the last 10 or so years. Earlier than that, I’ll have to mail them to you

Everyone Walks on Water

If you've ever interviewed realtors, you know that all of them leap tall buildings, walk on water, and heal the sick. The vast majority of realtors are competent which, for what you pay in commission, you have a right to expect.  I would suggest, however, that you ought to get more than "competent".  When I got into this business 28 years ago, not having been happy with my realtor, I began with a clean slate:  if I were the client (which...Continue Reading!

All articles I’ve written on real estate for the last 10 or so years. Earlier than that, I’ll have to mail them to you

November, 2011

I’ve been doing this a long time, and one of the things I am noticing in the current market is that quite a few unsold listings are coming up cancelled, withdrawn, or expired, only to be re-listed shortly thereafter by another Realtor.  While I’m sure there are occasionally other reasons, I suspect the majority are due to the notion that another Realtor might be able to sell the house where the first one didn’t. There is a fundamental misconception behind this...Continue Reading!