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!

Top 5 Things to Consider when Renting in Long Beach

There are some wonderful areas to rent within Long Beach. With so many great neighborhoods in Long Beach to choose from, you will be able to pick from park like settings to the Ocean! If you are renting though you need to know that each city has it's own rules. Here are some items to be aware of:

1. Rent Control - Long Beach has no rent control, like portions of Los Angeles so your rent can get raised more than you might expect. Rent can be increased up to 10% every 60 days.
2. Housing Authority - Long Beach does have a local office to support Section 8 renting here in teh city. There are income limits and currently a waiting list, but they have some great resources on their website.
3. Notice to Vacate - Long Beach updated it's rental policy this year in support of renters. Tenants must now be given 60 days notice to vacate their properties.
4. Rental Resources - Although your local Long Beach realtor, can provide you with rental resources, we have found that if you want to do some leg work, you can find some places that might not me listed in the Long Beach MLS. Try CraigsList , Grunion Gazette, and Press Telegram to find those rentals listed by owners.
5. Rental Deposits - Rental deposits can be a maximum of 2 months of the rent if the unit is unfurnished. 3 months maximum of the unit is furnished.

Consider these items when renting in Long Beach. There are so many great areas to choose from pick the right neighborhood for you. Whether it is Bixby Knolls or in Alamitos Beach there are some wonderful locations to rent throughout the city.

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.