The residential crowd is made up of... a mixture of high net worth individuals and longtime beach city residents. Everyone that visits the South Bay is attracted by the gorgeous surroundings with wide beaches, a sophisticated community with a small town feel, and a school system that is among the very best in the state/country. High-profile athletes, entertainers, business people all call the South Bay Home. The South Bay is comprised of three beach towns: Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach.
The community vibe is... fun and oriented for all ages; casual yet sophisticated. There are restaurants, wonderful boutique shopping, and a beautiful beach fronted by an oceanfront path called “The Strand,” which is used for biking, jogging, rollerblading, and walking.
The lifestyle offered is...
Manhattan Beach to Redondo Beach offers an incredible combination of casual beach living for all ages. Manhattan Beach was even voted the second sexiest neighborhood in America and has one of the largest Little League organizations and AYSO systems in the U.S.
The most popular building types you’ll find are... coastal plantation and modern farmhouse, as well as hip, elegant soft modern homes.
The average home price is...
Manhattan Beach homes start in the low $1 million range for a two-bedroom townhome; increase to the $2 million range for a resale three-to-four-bedroom, single-family home; and move up to over $15 million for some of the premier homes.
Redondo Beach homes start in the $800K range for resale townhomes and move up to the $1,500,000+ range for resale three-to-four-bedroom, single-family homes. This price point will move up to over $3 million for some of the premier ocean view homes. There are also a few oceanfront homes in this area that will exceed this price point. Pricing will vary upward and downward based on specific market segments, home type, lot size, age of home, location to the water, etc.
The area’s greatest highlight is… the lifestyle and of course, the beach! Wide-open beaches offer 5K and 10K runs, volleyball, converts, surfing and volleyball tournaments, and fun in the sun. The weather is some of the best you will find anywhere in the world. The “bubble” beach lifestyle offers great beach town communities with an understated but sophisticated demeanor. That’s hard to find! Most everything one could want from the big city life that Los Angeles has to offer is available on any day and is easy to reach. Most people work in L.A. but look forward to coming back to the best place on earth at the end of the day. Weekends are all about parking the car and walking to everything one could want or need.
The area’s best driving-distance getaways are…
The Los Angeles area is one of the major work forces in the world and is very easy to reach from The South Bay area. Nearby, there is Disneyland; Universal Studios; downtown L.A. with the Staples Center, with concerts and professional sporting events; the Dodger Stadium as well as the new Rams stadium that is currently under construction; Disney Hall; The Ahmanson Theater; Hollywood Bowl; Greek Theater; Dorothy Chandlier Pavillion; from Palos Verdes with the famous Trump and Terranea five-star resorts to Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Malibu and on to Santa Barbara, which is only 90 miles away. Day drives south of Los Angeles can offer many additional options, from the Newport Coast area and down into San Diego.
The best spot to dine fancy is... Arthur J, which is located in downtown Manhattan Beach. There are so many other great places to dine, too! Let me know what you are in the mood for and I will lead you in the right direction.
The best spot to find entertainment is… Saint Rocke for live music or the Comedy and Magic Club, where you might see Jay Leno.
The best spot to go shopping is…
The three beach cities have amazing choices! There are so many great small, one-of-a-kind boutique stores. In addition, there is also major shopping in the surrounding area that will offer just about everything one could need or want to buy!
The best place to tee off is… the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. There are several other private golf and tennis clubs as well.
Cindy Shearin is the exclusive agent representing the Manhattan Beach/Redondo Beach, California, real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of her listings here.
Images courtesy of Cindy Shearin
