Impacted Parking Areas

The re-development of Downtown Long Beach and the multitude of new high rise buildings are certain to complicate an already difficult parking shortage.  Many of the historic condos in Downtown do not have any parking available at all.  Residents rent monthly spots in available asphalt lots at fairly reasonable monthly rates, but with land at a premium how long will these lots remain available?  Where will the owners of these condos, local business owners, guests and customers park? 

Recently a friend and I were discussing the parking problems in Downtown Long Beach now and projecting into the future.  As we discussed potential solutions it occurred to me that the solutions themselves were very problematic.  

Vertical Parking and other parking solutions involve a lot of equipment.  Equipment is expensive to both purchase and run, breaks down, requires parts that are not always immediately available and requires trained engineers and mechanics.  What happens when your car is parked on level 5 and the equipment breaks down? What if the part is not immediately available and needs to be imported from Japan?  Would there be a manual over-ride system to bring your car down to ground level? How could all of this be kept affordable?

Many of the systems exhibited in these videos showed fully automated parking structures.  Who do you call when the systems fail?  What happens if it is very late at night?  There I go assuming the lots would be open 24 hours, I am still such a New Yorker sometimes!  But seriously, how could they not be open 7 and 24? 

Tonight I watched many videos from around the world displaying parking systems for both small and large spaces.  While watching I realized that every one of them showed 1 car being easily and quickly parked or retrieved.  It was so simplistic it made me laugh.  I remember an evening in Manhattan when a group of us went to see a show.  The last parking lot with any space available was in a very thin and very tall building with an elevated vertical parking system.  They charged a whopping $60 to park the car and that was 8 or 9 years ago.  We waited well over an hour to retrieve the car.  All of the shows let out at about the same time and the lots were inundated. 

The other thing that really struck me while I was watching these videos was the desolation of the parking lots.  I couldn't imagine retrieving my car at 3:00 AM without experiencing a great deal of fear. 

I can only imagine the stress levels of people waiting for their cars to be delivered to them when they are late for an appointment.  Imagine having to wait for 10 or 15 cars before yours is delivered!  Downtown has a large workforce most of which finish their work day between 5 and 6 PM.  How long would it take for them to get their cars out of these lots? 

We didn't come up with any solutions, but it was an interesting conversation and has my wheels turning (pun intended). 

What do you think?

Laurie Manny Long Beach Realtor (562) 212-5420
Prudential Calfornia Realty Bixby Knolls/California Heights Historic District 3728 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, CA 90807
Long Beach Real Estate Blog Long Beach Real Estate Website

Long Beach California Real Estate

1611 East 3rd Street

Alamitos Beach

Long Beach California

I recently viewed this beautiful Victorian Style Alamitos Beach Home and was impressed by the ambiance of the home and by the gleaming wood floors throughout.  This home is walking distance to the beach and local shops, is warm and inviting, and has a nice floorplan.  The outdoor areas are quite private and are conducive to entertaining.

It was the Master Bedroom Suite that was the hook in this lovely home; soaring ceilings and a sizable private sitting room, which could double nicely as a nursery, and master bath, that just stole the show. 

Maybe it was the romantic arbors or the brick walkways in the large rear patio area, or perhaps it was the spa and gazebo or the BBQ, but I could see the future owner of this home wanting to spend a lot of time outdoors at this home. 

If you are shopping for a spacious home near the beach this home is a must see. 

• 4 bedrooms (3 upstairs, 1 downstairs)
  
• 3 full baths
• Wood flooring throughout
• Fireplace
• Cathedral ceilings
• Ocean breezes
• Walk to the ocean
• Bay Windows
• Formal Dining Room
• Breakfast Nook
• 2 pantries
• Laundry with washer/dryer - in house
• Lighted attic
• Automatic gates
• 2 car oversized garage and additional gated parking.
• Cable and Satellite ready
• Security system
• Water Softener
• Forced air heat
• A/C ready

Offered at:  $675,000

If you would like an appointment to view this home, call Laurie at (562) 212-5420.

Laurie Manny Long Beach Realtor (562) 212-5420
Prudential Calfornia Realty Bixby Knolls/California Heights Historic District 3728 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, CA 90807
Long Beach Real Estate Blog Long Beach Real Estate Website

Kite Flying on the Beach at Bayshore Ave and Ocean Blvd

Belmont Shore, Long Beach California

Enjoy the Day!

Long Beach Mortgage rates for August 1, 2008.  Loan amounts up to $417,000:

3/1 ARM              5.500%

5/1 ARM              5.625%

7/1 ARM              6.125%

10/1 ARM            6.250%

30 Yr Fixed          6.250%

All rates offered to the borrower with 1 point cost.  Rate quotes assume a purchase transaction with a 20% down payment, 720 credit score, and full income qualification.  Rates are subject to fluctuation.  Custom rate quotes and rate lock advice are available by calling (858)-777-9751.

MORTGAGE RATE TREND:

Next 7 days:       Slightly Lower

Next 30 days:     Slightly Lower

Next 3 months:   Neutral

Long Beach mortgage rates report is offered courtesy of Brian Brady.  Contact Brian for more information about a home loan or apply online.

Really?  Are you certain?  OK, let's re-think that for a moment. 

Has your Long Beach home been sitting on the market for a while?  Not getting a good response to your advertising?  Maybe it needs a little punch. Ann Brenoff of the Los Angeles Times put together an article a while back which may come in handy. 

If you use the words "Motivated Seller" your home will take 15% longer to sell and will net 4% less: "Good Value" will net 5% less. 

Homes described as "Beautiful" sell 15% faster and net 5% more in price than the norm.  "Handyman Special" sold in half the average time. 

However, if you use words that indicate "Curb Appeal" or indicate that the home is attractive the days on market are decreased; speaking of "Value" or "Price" will increase the days on market. 

These discoveries were made by Canadian professor, Paul Anglin who teaches real-estate and housing trends at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, during a study of sales patterns while utilizing the wording of over 20,000 Canadian home listings. 

Professor Anglin further discovered that buyers place style over substance. 

When the "Landscaping" of a listing was presented homes sold 20% faster.  "Move In Condition" resulted in 12% shorter stay on the market, but had no effect on the sale price.

Use of terms "Foreclosure", "As-is", and "Handyman Special" netted much lower sale prices.  While use of "Granite", "Maple" and "Gourmet" all netted higher sales prices. 

Professor Rutherford, finance and real-estate professor of the University of Texas found, in a 2000 study that "What you say needs to be extavagant, or the signal that is received by buyers is that it's not worth talking about."  He further said that sellers would be best served by just stating the facts. 

Laurie Manny Long Beach Realtor (562) 212-5420
Prudential Calfornia Realty Bixby Knolls/California Heights Historic District 3728 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, CA 90807
Long Beach Real Estate Blog Long Beach Real Estate Website