High on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and off Hawthorne Blvd. lies the Rancho Palos Verdes Country Club neighborhood.  Numbers are in for the first half of 2008 for Single Family home sales in the Country Club neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes: Active Listings:  15 homes are currently for sale priced from $1,429,000 to $3,875,000. In Escrow:  1 home is currently under contract priced at $1,697,000. 2008 Sales:  10 homes sold priced from $1,259,000 to $2,280,000. In 2007 29 Country Club homes sold priced from $1,072,500 to $2,525,000. Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800 South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach,... 07/18/2008

Spectacular ocean views abound in the Palos Verdes Dr. West neighborhood ofRancho Palos Verdes.  Multi-million dollar ocean front homes grace the coastline, and the hillsides above the ocean are dotted with view properties. The numbers are in for the first half of 2008 for Single Family Homes in the Palos Verdes Dr. West area: Active Listings:  13 homes priced from $1,195,000 to $6,780,000 are currently for sale. In Escrow: 3 homes are currently under contract priced from $1,425,000 to $6,200,000. 2008 Sales:  5 homes sold priced from $1,120,000 to $7,500,000. In 2007 18 homes sold priced from $1,000,000 to $6,999,000.                 If you would love to come home to a spectacular Palos Verdes view call Norma Toering & Team for a tour of available homes.  310.493.8333. Norma Toering & ... 07/18/2008

The south side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is fast becoming the resort side of "The Hill."  With two new real estate developments, Donald Trump's golf course and luxury homes, plus Lowe's Terranea Resort, the pace is picking up along scenic Palos Verdes Drive South.   The real estate statistics are in for single family home sales for the first half of 2008 for the Palos Verdes Dr. South area: Active Listings:  11 homes are currently for sale priced from $939,000 to $6,900,000. In Escrow:  3 homes are currently under contract priced from $1,349,000 to $2,499,000. 2008 Sales: 12 homes sold priced from $1,000,000 to $4,450,000. In 2007 14 homes sold in the PVDS neighborhood. If the Palos Verdes lifestyle appeals to you, call Norma Toering and Team to see an array of homes on the Palos Ve... 07/14/2008

Ocean views abound in the Mira Catalina neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes.  The community is anchored by Mira Catalina Elementary School and Marymount College.  Nestled in the hills on the southeast side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula it remains one of the most affordable areas in Palos Verdes.            Marymount College    The numbers are in for the first half of 2008 for Single Family Homes in the Mira Catalina neighborhood: Active Listings:  12 homes are currently for sale priced from $999,000 to $3,399,000. In Escrow:  3 homes are currently under contract priced from $1,049,000 to $1,400,000. 2008 Sales:  4 homes sold priced from $1,040,000 to $1,555,000. In 2007 14 homes sold priced from $950,000 to $2,200,000.   If you would like to view homes in the Mira Catalina neighborhood ... 07/14/2008

Staging your home to sell is one of the most important things that you can do to effectively market your home for sale. Staging is simply the process of putting the "best foot forward" in presenting your property for sale. Most of the steps in staging your home can be done relatively inexpensively, but it takes someone, such as me, with a keen eye for design and years of experience to unlock the full potential of your home. If you visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com/convertedpages/stagingyourhome.html you can discover the steps to effectively stage your home 07/13/2008

When Marineland closed in December1986,Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, which owned Sea World in San Diego, purchased Marineland, ostensibly to continue to operate it. Their intent, however, was to purchase Marineland solely to acquire Corky and Orky, a successful breeding pair of killer whales. Harcourt was in the process of rapidly expanding the Sea World enterprise throughout the nation, and was in desperate need of proven, successful breeding pairs of killer whales in order to supply their new Sea World locations with their headline act, "Shamu, the killer whale".   Orky, the larger male, at Marineland showHarcourt had been denied a permit to capture additional killer whales in the wild and was therefor limited to acquiring killer whales already in captivity. They therefor purchased the p... 07/13/2008

From 1955 to 1974, a Nike Missile battery was located at the site of the current Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall. The City Hall for Rancho Palos Verdes was relocated to the administration buildings of the former Nike missile site in 1975, shortly after the City of Rancho Palos Verdes was incorporated in 1973. Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall circa 1975 For more informatio about the history of Rancho Palos Verdes, go to my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1824011&NF=1 07/13/2008

Palos Verdes Dr. East neighborhood in Rancho Palos Verdes offers a variety of homes from Old Spanish charmers to minimalist modern masterpieces.  With fabulous city lights and Los Angeles Harbor views plus excellent freeway access it is a choice location for commuters. Statistics are in for the first half of 2008 for the Palos Verdes Dr. East neighborhood: Active Listings:  28 Single Family Homes are currently for sale priced from $799,000 to $3,400,000. In Escrow:  6 homes are under contract priced from $877,000 to $1,499,000. 2008 Sales:  18 homes sold priced from $675,000 to $2,865,000. In 2007 36 Single Family Homes sold priced from $949,000 to $2,775,000.   Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800 South Bay Los Angeles cities I se... 07/11/2008

The following is an excerpt from my website regarding secrets and little know facts about the Palos Verdes Peninsula (see http://maureenmegowan.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1824011&NF=1 ): "A section of 1,000 acres was originally set aside by the planners of the Palos Verdes Project for a University campus, which ultimately was proposed, in 1925, for the new southern branch of the University of California, which later became UCLA. This land was in the center of the Palos Verdes Peninsula where Peninsula High School, the Peninsula Shopping Center, and the Avenue of the Peninsula Shopping Center is located. The proposal, in addition to the donated 1,000 acres, included other inducements. These inducements included $1,000,000, the construction of a model grammar school and a model h... 07/08/2008

Date 3/07 4/07 5/07 6/07 7/07 8/07 9/07 10/07 11/07 12/07 1/08 2/08 3/08 4/08 5/08 For Sale 7 11 13 7 8 11 15 12 9 10 9 9 8 8 11 Sold 8 6 3 5 9 4 1 4 4 0 0 3 3 3 2 Pended 5 2 2 5 2 2 2 3 0 1 1 3 4 1 1 Months of Inventory based on Closed Sales 0.9 1.8 4.3 1.4 0.9 2.8 15.0 3.0 2.3 n/a n/a 3.0 2.7 2.7 5.5 Months of Inventory based on Pended Sales 1.4 5.5 6.5 1.4 4.0 5.5 7.5 4.0 n/a 10.0 9.0 3.0 2.0 8.0 11.0 Avg. Active Price 998 1031 1066 1023 1058 1165 1126 1127 997 999 961 1012 1075 1089 1102 Avg. Sld Price 975 1120 1226 957 1057 998 870 1051 987 0 0 1168 1128 1011 842 Avg. Sq. Ft. Price 604 539 759 592 543 595 607 566 509 0 0 512 430 530 597 Sold/List Diff. % 99 97 98 100 99 99 99 97 98 0 0 96 89 97 97 Days on Market 32 35 21 32 52 56 53 13 72 0 0 73 70 111 131 Median Price 940 900 113... 06/30/2008

    SNEEZE They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing .. and the traditional caps, they looked almost . as grown up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears. This class would NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student... 06/08/2008

Rancho Palos Verdes was the last city on the Peninsula to incorporate in 1973.  The city has 7.5 miles of coastline and 12.3 square miles of land.  Rancho Palos Verdes is the largest city on the Peninsula.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated population in the year 2003 was 42,265. Click here to continue 05/29/2008

Dirt is moving and the sounds of construction can be both heard and seen at the former of site of Marineland in Rancho Palos Verdes.  The site of which was once the largest oceanarium in the world, will now house Terranea Resort.  As I was out viewing Palos Verdes properties today, I drove by the Terranea Resort and Spa and was impressed with the progress made thus far.    For those of you not familiar with the development, the Resort will include a resort hotel with 360 rooms, 50 for sale Casita units with 150 rentable keys, 32 for sale Villas with 32 rentable keys, and 20 for sale Bungalows with 40 rentable keys.  The Resort will also feature a spa and fitness center, common area, meeting space, food and beverage outlets, retail space, a nine hole golf course and swimming pools. At th... 05/14/2008

So you want to relocate to Los Angeles, Well According to US News in 2007 Our own Palos Verdes Peninsual High ranked 89th out of the top 100 Schools in the US. Palos Verdes High School trails closely behind..Not bad for being #1 in California and top 89th in the US. I heard that our own Silver Spur ELementary placed in the top 10 of all elementary schools Nationwide. Congratulations, Palos Verdes...Governor's education cuts won't bring us down but we should pray for the less fortunate cities in California. Education The city is served by Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. PVPUSD schools have constantly ranked among the best in California and the nation. The Washington Post once ranked the district's largest high school, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (PVPHS) in neighbo... 05/13/2008

Just thought I would share some fun and educational facts about Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. My next blog will be on more info, schools, police dept., demographics so stay tune.   Picture courtesy of google images www.palosverdes.com From Wikipedia: "Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) is a city in Los Angeles County, California that was incorporated on September 7, 1973. The population was 41,145 at the 2000 census. Rancho Palos Verdes is a quiet, affluent suburb of Los Angeles. Sitting atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, it is well known for its spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean . The History of Rancho Palos Verdes dates back to the Spanish explorers and the establishment of the first Spanish rancho land grant in California. Its most notable geographic features are the hills and ... 05/13/2008

The information in this study covers data as of the end of April 2008. New active listings dropped off a bit in April. Sold properties in April bumped up from the first few months of the year but are still well below the April 2007 numbers: Median sales prices had a strong April, but with the low number of sales, may be an aberration (we'll know more next month): The median days on market for sold properties also pulled back slightly in April, a good sign:With the days on market and median sales prices showing some strength, I was surprised to see that the median price per square foot numbers were down a bit in April. It looks like with all the new construction, additions, etc, buyers have been getting more for their money in the past few quarters!    For more details or specific area d... 05/10/2008

As a Rancho Palos Verdes resident have you ever wanted to contact the city to ask a question or report a problem and realized that it was after business hours?  The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is internet savvy and has now provided a form on their site that allows residents to report concerns or ask their questions.  The link is http://www.palosverdes.com/rpv/comments/index.cfm.  It is called their Non Emergency Service Requests, Inquiries or Comments Form. Residents can report fallen street signs or new potholes, request a document, or inquire about park site rentals.  It good to know that the City is making communication easier for us.  I just wanted to pass this info onto you. 05/06/2008

                                                                               Picture & story courtesy of my church.orgThe only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approac... 05/03/2008

 Governor Swartznegger has cut 14 billion dollars from our education,seriously threaten one of the great assets of our community - the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. If all our parents donated $200 per enrolled student in the family, we'd reach our goal. More community donations and family donations would be appreciated. This campaign is strictly for teacher's salaries and will be separate from the PEF annual campaign. Save Our Teachers Now! is to save the teachers from layoffs for next year 2008-2009. ,60 Teachers have benn given lay off notices if we do not raise enough money by May 21,20083-4 Teachers will be laid off from each school in Palos Verdes. What that means to you is that you are keeping your child's class sizes the same. Also, Many programs will be dropped... 04/30/2008

  Don't keep it  a secret...Pass it on to all your relatives,friends and neighbors..  I am so thrilled to find this great protection source for the Elderly right here in Torrance,  This Coalition is to protect the Elders and stop Abuse and Financial Exploitation.  Next week I will have more information after I attend the Keepsafe seminar given for our Remax Realtors. So stay tuned for the continued blog next Thursday. I have included the link to keepsafe below. I hope this helps protect our Elders here and elsewhere. Pass it on to all your relatives and loved ones. http://www.keep-safe.org/main.htm Here are some excerpts taken from the Keep Safe Coalition Website:  More than 60,000 persons age 65 or older live in our South Bay area. Elders in the South Bay (and elsewhere) are the target... 04/16/2008