Dana Graham

Newsletters Category

November 2024 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: Real estate prices have flattened out in the past 6 months.  There is never any shortage of explanations for whatever the market does, so I won’t indulge in that here.  There is, however, a shortage of homes for sale, which is supporting the prices.  Interest rates have eased a bit, into the 5’s if you know where to go (I do), but there are a lot of folks who don’t want to give up their current sub-3% mortgage by...Continue Reading!

July 2024 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: I was bombarded with phone calls after my May newsletter, on the subject of Proposition 19 and property re-assessment upon death of a parent.  As the bill was originally passed and implemented, it required that, upon death of the parent, ALL heirs move into the inherited house to avoid a reassessment at market value which, as you can imagine, would trigger a massive increase in property taxes.  Well, it appears that Sacramento was also bombarded with complaints about that...Continue Reading!

May 2024 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: Lest you think all I do is to write you an occasional letter, I was honored to be named the #1 Berkshire Hathaway agent in the South Bay for the first quarter of 2024, and in the Chairman’s Circle (the highest level) for all of 2023.  Thanks to all of you whose family homes I have had the honor to sell over the past 40 years. OK, done bragging.  I’m going to get into the weeds a bit here, but...Continue Reading!

Beautiful Lease in The Estates

3602 Estates Lane #104 is a completely remodeled 2 bedroom 2 bath, one level condo in Rolling Hills Estates.  Includes dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, walk-in closets, lots of storage cabinets, and 2 covered parking spots.  Outstanding community amenities include pool, spa, huge rec room, and babbling brooks throughout the complex.  Walk to grocery shopping, restaurants, and the South Bay's best pizza place -- Lamp Post Pizza!  Great location for off-hill commuting.  Get the kids in the incomparable PV Schools (full disclosure,...Continue Reading!

March 2024 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: I don’t usually cover this sort of thing, but as I’m sure most of you know Wayfarer’s Chapel has been in the news lately, and in my capacity as President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society, I figured I’d include a brief mention.  Next to La Venta Inn, which recently had its share of excitement, Wayfarer’s is probably the most iconic building on the Peninsula.  Higher than normal rainfall has caused the landslide not only to accelerate, but also...Continue Reading!

January 2024 Newsletter

                                                                                                                                                                 ...Continue Reading!

November 2023 Newsletter

In my last letter I briefly discussed the market statistics.  I’m not a big fan of statistics as they can be misleading, but in this case they illustrate a current trend – the market is slowly slowing, which any experienced agent will tell you just by the “feel” of it.  When I wrote my last newsletter 60 days ago there were 112 houses for sale on the Palos Verdes Peninsula with an average time on the market at about 30...Continue Reading!

September 2023 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: We are definitely seeing signs of the market slowing – “average days on market” is creeping up as is the number of houses for sale in PV:  from a ridiculously low 40 during the peak of the recent frenzy, to 73 as of last March, and 112 houses for sale as of this writing.  While this is still low by historic standards, the trend is hard to miss, with the average days on the market now standing at just...Continue Reading!

July Newsletter

And on it goes.  Demand for homes continues to outstrip supply.  Reasonably-priced houses in Palos Verdes are selling within a week, often with multiple offers.  You pretty much can’t buy a house on the Hill for less than $1.3 million, which generally gets you a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1400 square foot original 1956-1963 house in RPV without any kind of a view and probably needing work.  I remember when the original Grandview houses were built by Zuckerman in 1956...Continue Reading!

May 2023 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: Local real estate prices continue to hold up better than most of us predicted, the primary reason being a lack of houses for sale.  Reasonably-priced houses are selling instantly, often with multiple offers. Nationally prices are down 12% from the June 2022 peak, although locally it feels like they are down less.  One reason for the smaller than predicted decline, apart from others I’ve discussed in previous newsletters, is the reticence of current homeowners to give up their low...Continue Reading!