What $1M Buys Outside MB

I recently helped a client make a "sideways" move, dollarwise, selling a Manhattan Beach house and moving over to the Hollywood Riviera.

We sold a 2br house, a little under 1000 sq. ft. on a 3700 sq. ft. lot here in the Tree Section for $1.050M. (It's 3017 Elm.)

Then we moved over to 230 Via Anita (pictured) in the area of Torrance known as the Riviera. (Many people refer to this as Redondo Beach, including the real estate listing.)

For $1.065M, my clients got an extra bedroom, more house (1400 sq. ft.) and a much bigger lot, over 9000 sq. ft. But more to the point, they got jaw-dropping ocean views that span the whole of the Santa Monica Bay.

I would estimate that the same kind of lot in Manhattan Beach, if it even existed, would net $4M or more.

Granted, my clients had to make some tradeoffs. Leaving the MB school system, going into a neighborhood where building restrictions weigh heavily. But those were not big considerations for this family.

Now they've got those monster views and they're just up the hill from one of their favorite surfing beaches.

I'm not taking anything away from Manhattan Beach. But this was quite a stark lesson in what you can get for the same money nearby.