Find your Long Beach Condo by HOA Name!

As you are driving around the city of Long Beach you will find that there are many different condos that are possible. The hard part when you find a few buildings that look nice, is going back to the Long Beach MLS to find those properties. Sometimes you have the address, sometimes you just have the name of the building. We wanted to make it a bit easier for everyone to locate the buildings that you are driving by.

We have put together some of the Long Beach Condos by both address and HOA Name. Some of the Long Beach condos that you will find are:

• International Towers - 700 E. Ocean - learn more about the famous "round building" in Downtown Long Beach.


• Stoney Brook Villas - This is a popular complex next to CSULB where many parents and students purchase for their time at the university. There are 1 and 2 bedroom plans available.
  
• Clark Terrace - This complex is known for having large pine trees and boulders providing a quiet environment. Located near the traffic circle it allows easy access to the freeways and great areas like Los Altos.
  
• Villa Riviera - 800 E. Ocean - This downtown condo with the green roof is a historic complex that complies with the Mills Act so you can save a bit on your taxes.


• Many more! - We are constantly adding to this page so you can have a great resource of information for condos available throughout Long Beach. Every area from Bixby Knolls to Downtown, to Belmont Heights is listed.

Finding the Long Beach condo complex that you have always wanted certainly can be easy. Using our Long Beach Condo by HOA page and the Long Beach MLS you can quickly locate complexes (and individual units) that meet your goals. Take time to read about each complex so you can find the right fit. If you want a short cut to get the help you need you can always call us directly at 562-989-7111 and one of our expert professionals can guide you to the condos that are the best for your needs and budget.

New Long Beach Condos under $200,000!

First time buyers can still get some great options out here in Long Beach. A new studio development was created in downtown and is set to release. The Loudon Arms is a neat project of 29 units located at 345 Chestnut. I was able to preview them today at a Broker open to check out what they were able to do. Here are some of the highlights of these units:

• Lovely wood flooring throughout



• 32" Flat Screen mounted over the fireplace



• Granite kitchen counter tops



• New stoves, refrigerators, and microwaves included!



• Storage area in the basement

Although these units do not have parking deeded with the units, there are lots nearby where you can lease a spot on a monthly basiss (usually for less than $50 /mo).

The most exciting part of these studios are they range in price form $179,000 to $229,000! I would encourage a look by these Long Beach Condos by speaking with your local Long Beach realtor as there are some different floor plans that are possible!

Downtown Long Beach Real Estate Activity For September 2007

As we look at statistics it is important to know that even numbers for an entire city may not give a clear picture of what is happening. Long Beach is a city of just about 500,000 people. Now within this fine city there are different neighborhoods, different homes, different communities. So we of course have different results in each are of the city. Today we are going to cover Downtown Long Beach.

Downtown Sales Activity for September 2007

• Total Active Properties as of October 1st - 517
• Total In Escrow Properties - 38 ( 15 Backup, 23 Pending)
• New Listings - 102

So what does all of this mean?

• Downtown is 22.8% of all active properties that are available in the city of Long Beach
• Downtown Long Beach is only 20.4% of all properties that are being sold - this may now sound like a big different but it can become one extremely fast.
• Downtown Long Beach has a 13.6 months supply of homes - this is well into a buyers market for time frame.
• So if you are a buyer make sure you look at what you really want if you are in downtown. Look at properties online with your real estate professional and pick the ones you want to see. There are quite a few properties out there to choose from but only a few that probably meet the majority of your requirements.
• If you are a seller in downtown make sure your property is priced appropriately and make sure that it is clean and presentable at all times.

Long Beach Triathlon is a Success!

For all of those athletes and those who came to watch the Long Beach Triathlon was a great success. There were athletes of all agents and all levels of competition. Over 800 athletes finished this great event that had people arriving at 5:30 am on Sunday to get their gear ready.

We will have some pictures up shortly of Alamitos Beach at this time in the morning and beautiful shoreline drive which passes west of all of those beautiful condo towers on ocean blvd.

If you missed the results you can find them at http://www.onlinereaceresults.com/ or for the exact link go to http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=2181.

West Ocean LB - Resales Already on the Market!

The long awaited delivery of West Ocean LB is now quickly approaching. This prime location on Ocean Blvd will make it stand out as another prime high rise.

The sales by the developer went well, and now we are starting to see resales before delivery is taken. Currently 10 units are listed for resale prior to individuals even taking possession. This could be a sign that this is the last bit of speculation from the previous hot market. Will this influx of resales prior to all units being delivered put pricing pressure on the Downtown Long Beach Real Estate market?

Luxury Condos Hit

Luxury condos have taken a bit of a hit from their previous highs of a year ago. Adding more inventory now in the luxury market may put additional pressure on pricing. The entry level units (under $600,000) will probably see less pressure, but with a high HOA the more expensive units may see some price reductions. Watch the inventory using the Long Beach MLS so you can see which model is right for you!

16 Lofts Left, Now More Affordable Than Ever!

If you have been waiting for a deal on a Loft in Long Beach, your wait is over! Although not listed on the Long Beach MLS, City Place Lofts, has some of the best pricing for Lofts for the entire city!

As of August 22nd they had a release of just 16 units remaining. Here is a sampling of some of the prices that are and floor plans that are available:

• 1414 sq ft, Plan 7 - $419,990!


• 1,788 sq, Plan 1 - 1 bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms - $495,990!


• 2085 sq ft, Plan 4R - 2 Story Loft with 1 bedroom and 2 bathroos for $659,990

Can't Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

We have been asked if the buyers incentives still exist. With the price options that are now available, that reflect sometimes a 10% decrease in previous listed price, the builder is not offering major incentives anymore, although with strong offers, something may be possible!

Prime Location

The CityPlace Lofts project still reflects a prime location that is just a few blocks from Ocean Blvd. There are still other new developments occuring nearby so this is a great opportunity to get the Loft you wanted for less!

Queen Mary Sailing Again?

No, the Queen Mary is not actually sailing on open waters, but it has new life in it with a lease that has now been agreed upon. The investment group, named Save the Queen, has won the lease for the Queen Mary and the surrounding land. Although the sale is not final, the escrow is now open on this historic property at the price tag of $43 million. The Press Telegram provides a great run down of some of the details that are part of this offer and how the City of Long Beach will receive some of the payout should the sale close.

The Queen Mary is a truly remarkable entertainment area and landmark for the city so it would be great to see a greater use of the land to maximize the attraction. The Queen Mary recently took out a large billboard on the 405 which advertises the Queen Mary Experience which hosts some special events. In fact, just last night they had a UFC viewing party so they are constantly working on bringing new events to the area.

With all of the Downtown Long Beach high rise developments that face the Queen Mary and the restaurants at the Pike, we hope that they can continue some of the great tradition of this property. It's definitely a popular tourist destination and one can only hope that it gets even better!

New Construction in Long Beach - 5 Builders to Watch

New construction is popular to look for throughout the rest of the country, but sometimes hard to find in cities that are well developed, like the city of Long Beach. Have no fear as nation wide builders still like to develop in southern California. Here are some of the builders that are currently developing projects here.

• Lennar - One of the nations largest builders. They chose downtown Long Beach as the spot to build their project, Pacifica. This project of 62 units provides retail on the first floor and condos and townhomes on floors 2-5.
• West Millenium - They have been a large builder in California for 25 years. Their City Place Loft project provides a location nearby the City Place mall and just blocks from the Ocean. You will find large 1 bedroom models over 1,000 sq ft and townhome models over 1,600 sq ft.
• Standard Pacific Homes - This builder is putting together a project right next door to City Place. Little is known about this development, but as soon as more information is released we will be happy to update you on the project.
• The Olson Company - The Olson Company created the development of 133 Promenade. They are in the final stages of closing out their development as they have just about 20% of their inventory left. With a prime location on the Promenade the development provides easy access to great restaurants on pine like Kings Fish House and of course you are a quick jump to the freeway. With a total of 97 units (some live-work spaces) these lofts, condos and townhomes have been in high demand.
• October Five Development - This group is developing the much anticipated Press Telegram Lofts. Named after the newspaper that used to occupy the great location on Pine St, this upcoming development of over 500 untis promises to be a great building in Downtown Long Beach.

With some of these developments well under way you will want to check them out so you can pick the best location and floor plan for you in the building. If these are sold out, there are still some great resale Long Beach Condos throughout the city.

5 Tips to Make Sure Your Offer Stands Out!

Even though the scales have tipped to be in favor of the buyers here in Long Beach, the well priced properties are still moving and often even have multiple offers. So, how can you stand out in this market to get a GREAT deal on your purchase? Here are 5 ways to make sure that your offer stands out and to ensure you get the best possible price.

1. Pre-Approval Letter- It sounds obvious, but many buyers want to see a property before they finish understanding what loan they will have. Take the time to meet with a lender so you can understand what type of loan you have and what the costs will be to get that loan.
2. Cover Letter - It may sound corny, but letting the seller understand that you are more than just numbers on a piece of paper will help them to connect with you. This is particularly important if you are asking for a discount or more than 1 offer is on the table. Tell them who you are, why you like the house, what you do, even where you went to college because you never know what will connect with them :)
3. FICO Scores - Show the first page of your FICO scores that show all 3 bureaus (make sure to mark out your SSN if it is displayed). This will show the seller that your pre-approval is not hiding anything and that you are well prepared.
4. Proof of Funds - Whether you are buying with a 100% loan program like CalHFA, or are putting 20% down, show a bank statement that shows you have funds available. This gives the seller and the listing agent confidence that you have funds for reserve requirements or that you really do have the money to put down.
5. Printed Offer - Ensure that youre agent has printed out the offer from a nice printer instead of using carbon forms. Your offer will look cleaner and rise to the top :)

Try preparing your offer with these 5 tips in mind so you can get the Long Beach Home or Long Beach Condo that is right for you. These will help you to get a discount on a property or just make sure that you get that HOT property for less.

Bixby Knolls Realestate - What happened in July 2007?

If you own a bixby knolls home or condo and had it on the market for sale it appeared to be a slower month than normal. Things aren't always what they seem if you look at the number of homes and condos in bixby knolls that went into escrow. It wasn't the best month of the year though. If it makes you feel any better it was a slow month for most of the city of Long Beach. If you haven't had the chance to see homes or condos in bixby knolls you are missing out on a wonderful area of Long Beach. Bixby Knolls has a variety of homes that range in size from below 1,000 square feet to well over 3,000 square feet at the Country Club.
Today we are going to let everyone know the sales figures for the month of July in Bixby Knolls.

As usual all sales figures come from the MLS and represent residential sales only.

Bixby Knolls Real Estate Values for July 2007

• Active (as of the end of July) -111
• In Escrow ( Pending & Backup) - 24 (12 pending & 12 backup)
• Closed - 1
• Expired - 18

When you look at it it was a decent month in comparison to the rest of Long Beach it was a pretty good month. Let us know how things are going with your sale in Bixby Knolls.

Long Beach CA Downtown Sales in July

So in our last entry we noted what the sales were for the entire city of Long Beach CA. We hope everyone found this useful However since no one lives in the entire city it is useful to know what is going on in your area or part of the city. So today we thought we could go over Downtown Long Beach.

The sales stats below are from the MLS and for all residential properties in the Downtown area. If someone has accidentally put a property in the wrong area we of course won't pick that up. So here we go with our downtown long beach sales information! This is a picture of a fantastic building in downtown that has been affected by the increase in choices that are now available to consumers.

July Sales Statistics

• New Listings - 123


• Active Properties - 437


• In Escrow Properties - 36 (Pending - 28, 8 closed)


• Expired 41

So what does this all mean for our properties that everyone owns in Downtown Long Beach? It means we have just over 12 months of inventory. Over 12 months is definitely not preferred. In fact there is more than 12 months because new builder inventory is not included in the figures above because they tend to not put their properties on the MLS. This does mean that sellers are going to have to be even more creative. Be prepared to lower your price and accomodate buyers to help them achieve their goal of buying so it will achieve your goal of selling.