"Palos Verdes Resident since 1947"

Newsletters Category

May 2022 Newsletter

Out here in the trenches it’s fairly clear to me that the real estate market is slowly cooling off – rising prices and rising interest rates are having the predictable effect.  Whereas a couple of weeks ago there were only 40 properties for sale of all types and prices, today there are 72.  May not seem like many but, as I’ve observed before, these things always sneak up on you while the media reports, dealing with sales made 60-90 days...Continue Reading!

March 2022 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: For reasons those of us out here in the trenches have a tough time understanding, the real estate market is still strong.  I know this sounds like a broken record (is that still a useful metaphor?).  You can say it’s because of a shortage of houses for sale, but that wouldn’t be the case if they weren’t selling the minute they hit the market, or before.  Clearly there are still, despite record high prices, more buyers out there than...Continue Reading!

January 2022 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: Whew!  We made it thru 2021.  The media continues to report brisk real estate sales but, as I’ve mentioned before, the media doesn’t know what they’re talking about.  The data they use is 2-8 months old and reflects what was going on then, not now.  I just heard 2 days ago that October business was up.  It kind of depends upon how you define “October business”.  They are talking about escrows that closed in October, which therefore generally went...Continue Reading!

November 2021 Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: Out here on the front lines, real estate trends often become apparent before the pundits and the press pick up on them.  As I’ve pointed out before, what you read in the press is generally written by reporters not directly involved in real estate.  Not being “in the business”, they tend to use data on closed sales which, by definition, reflects what the market was 60-120 days ago – escrows average about 60 days in length, and the price...Continue Reading!