Belmont Shore Stays at 2 Stories

Belmont Shore, the coveted beach community next to Naples Island has had quite a bit of discussion regarding zoning this past week. The City Council, along with the Planning Department, put in a temporary ordinance that will maintain a building height limit of 2 stories or 25 feet.

With many people desiring to upgrade homes in this beach community this ordinance has some far reaching effects. The traditional homes in this area were built in the 1940's and 1950's so many are single story spanish style or traditional homes. As these homes may not always meet the goals of today's beach buyer it certainly is important that the building codes support modern upgrades and still take into account important features like adequate parking.

Unlike areas like Manhattan Beach, Long Beach still has allowed roof top decks which gives a nice way to enjoy the weather and feel like you almost have a 3rd story. If you are interested in renovating your home in Belmont Shore make sure you check with the Planning Department so you can be sure to comply with the latest building codes.

Belmont Shore & Naples Real Estate in Long Beach

Have you ever heard the phrase that "Real Estate is local"? I have heard it so many times it isn't even funny yet it doesn't make sense until you start to look at what is actually happening. As part of my Saturday morning running club someone mentioned that property values were down by 35% and that they were falling at a rate of 1%! They asked if this was true from my brother and I. I mentioned to him that it really depended on the area of Long Beach that you were in. So let's take a look at two areas of the city that have not seen massive damage to their values. We are going to look at the areas of Belmont Shore and Naples. The data below is for single family homes in Belmont Shore and Naples in Long Beach.

Belmont Shore & Naples Real Estate Report in Long Beach

• Active Homes for Sale: 129
• Properties in Escrow: 26 (15 in Pending, 11 in escrow)
• Average list price of homes currently for sale: 1,354,000
• Average Configuration: 3 bedrooms, 2.75 bathrooms and just over 2,200 sqft

So this means what exactly? Well it means that we have a 4.96 month supply of homes in Naples and Belmont Shore. Anthing under 6 months is considered a sellers market. In this area of Long Beach you don't really have many homes to choose from. Buyers can be selective but they will not be negotiating large discounts on properties unless their is some overriding factors wrong with the property.

The Reality of Foreclosures in Long Beach

As many people search the web for "Foreclosures" or Short Sales to find that beach home for $200,000 or respond to the ad for "Buy a home for $1,000" it is important to realize the reality of the market.

1. If the Naples Island Home or Belmont Shore Home is available for $200,000 instead of $2,000,000, the general public (including realtors) won't get access to the deal. Investors who have relationships with banks often buy notes from the bank, but rarely could they even get a home for 10 cents on the dollar.
2. You can buy a Foreclosure property using a real estate broker! Yes, they are listed on the MLS and it takes a little digging to find them, but ask your real estate broker for what is available. The banks like prepared offers so make sure to include your FICO scores, pre-approval, and proof of funds.
3. Closing Costs - With a well prepared offer, you can get the bank to help you with your closing costs if it is a Foreclosure that is on the MLS. They may not give you all of your costs, but they certainly may help, especially as they are selling the property "as-is" they might help to get you in the door!
4. Buying at the Court house - Yes you can purchase a foreclosure at the court house steps when it goes to auction, but remember these are cash purchases! You don't get an inspection period so be prepared and remember to contact your Title Officer ahead of time so you can find out if there are any other liens on the property.

Looking for the deal can be a challenge, but having a professional real estate broker, title officer, and lender can sure make it a much more enjoyable experience. Make sure you learn as much as you can so you can make your purchase one that is filled with success!

Walk for Life Helps Everyone

If you didn't know the Avon Breast Cancer Foundation is having their annual walk that starts in Long Beach this weekend now you know! This is a great cause and everyone was already walking early this morning. It is a great group of people who are raising money for breast cancer.

So if you are down near the queen mary or you are near downtown long beach this weekend you might want to take a moment to cheer them on. They are covering 39 miles so they will be they will walk through Belmont Heights and Belmont Shore so please cheer this great walkers on!

If you want more information on this great event please check out Avon Walk.

Are there really many Long Beach Homes and Condos available?

It's a question we get asked daily and if you listen to the media there seem to be many choices on every block, but it may not necessarily be the case.

As buyers are looking through the Long Beach MLS, there may be 100's of properties available in any given area, but very few that are garnering their attention.

In fact if you look for specific requirements, then you may not find many properties to look at so you may really have to "jump" on that home or condo you have been wanting. Here are a few examples of the limited inventory.

• Alamitos Beach - If you are looking for a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo, that HAS parking and under $300,000. - Condos Available: 1
• California Heights - If you are looking for at least a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom Craftsman or Bungalow, and under $650,000 - Homes Available: 1
• Belmont Shore and Naples - If you are looking for 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo up to $550,000 - Condos Available: 3 (Finally some options!)

If you want to find a Long Beach home or condo that you will enjoy for the long haul, you will want to take the time to be specific. Ensure that you take some time speaking with a Long Beach realtor that understands your goals and can help you to learn about what is possible. Monitoring the inventory you will be able to see if you have many choices, or just a few!

Fun in Belmont Shore at Annual Car Show

The 18th annual Belmont Shore Car show will be held on Sunday, September 9th. The already popular 2nd St, gets even more popular this day as many classic cars line the streets for everyone to view. It is estimated that it will display about 650 classic automobiles. You will be able to see some wonderful classic cars as all cars must have a model date prior to 1975.

These kind of activities bring people from all over Long Beach and other cities so they can experience some of what Belmont Shore has to offer. Belmont Shore offers some large homes just blocks from the beach as well as a few Long Beach condo complexes where you can enjoy the cool Ocean Breeze. The island of Naples is right next door to Belmont Shore providing many wonderful homes that can have canal access or powerful Ocean Views.

If you are interested in getting your car into the show, it is pretty affordable at $25 for pre-registration or $30 at teh show. Visit the car club's website at http://www.baycityrodders.com/