Sold in Redondo Beach: 1502 Harkness Ln
$2,499,000
I sold 1502 Harkness Ln in Redondo Beach well before you, or anyone else, saw it listed on any website, viewed it at an open house, or the property was even completed. In fact, this sale is a great “case study” of what I do and why not all agents are the same. But before I get into all that, let’s talk about this particular home and what makes it so special.
1502 Harkness is a detached two on a lot townhome. But if you didn’t know that it is considered a townhome, just driving down the block you would think it is a Single Family Residence (SFR).
Two on a lots are some of the most common property types found in Redondo Beach. They generally come in 2 different flavors - either attached or detached. Those categorizations refer to whether the building is stand alone or attached to the other unit on the same lot (hence the name).
Most 2 on a lot properties share a long common area driveway with the front unit labeled Unit A and the rear Unit B. (Please note - there are also 3 on a lots which are almost always attached units.)
I’ve long considered detached two on a lots some of the best values in the Beach Cities. That’s because in most instances you get many of the benefits of SFRs but more space for the same or lower price.
The unicorns of two on a lots are the ones found on the corner lots. There are far fewer of those than ones built on the interior lots simply because there are far fewer corner lots. The benefit of the corner properties is that they a) don’t share a long common driveway, b) are usually larger, and c) don’t have unit numbers or letters. They typically have their own street address. Because these units are built on corner lots, the addresses are also usually on different blocks. For example, the other “2” on this lot has an address on Huntington Lane. 1801 Huntington Lane to be precise.
ABOUT 1502 HARKNESS LANE
Remember my comment about the corner lot units being larger. Well, 1502 Harkness Lane is slightly over 3,000 Sq Ft. It also has 5 bedrooms with 5 full bathrooms plus a powder. And one bedroom downstairs for the extended family, nanny, guests or home office. The downstairs living area is a great room concept with massive folding doors opening to the yard. There were also lots of bells and whistles like A/C, solar, new sidewalks and upgrades throughout. In other words, what I expect from one of the premier builders in the area - Casner.
Take a look at the pictures which really don’t do this one justice.
Flat Rate Listing $25,000 -
Click to learn more -
Flat Rate Listing $25,000 - Click to learn more -
CASE STUDY
My buyer clients were specifically looking for not only a corner lot unicorn but a specific floor plan. Prior to them being introduced to me they had missed out previously when they were represented by another agent. But getting buyers and sellers EXACTLY what they want in Redondo Beach is what I do.
There were, however, two small speed bumps standing in the way. First, they had a home to sell in Westchester and second, there wasn’t anything on the market in Redondo Beach that fit the description of what they wanted. Time to get to work.
After doing my comprehensive marketing for the departing property, we secured a full price offer. But it was a contingent offer meaning the buyer had to sell their departing property in order to by my client’s home. Curiously, those buyers were selling in Redondo Beach to move to Westchester. Basically the opposite of what my clients were doing. I guess that’s what keeps people like me in business.
Because I knew the agent submitting the offer would be able to pull this move off, I advised my clients to accept the offer. I’ll spare you the details other than to say the sale closed and I was able to get a lease back for my clients so they didn’t have to move quite yet. Which was a good thing because I hadn’t yet identified the up-leg property.
But finding just the right property is where I distinguish myself from other agents. Sometimes I do it by simply being in the neighborhood as in driving around, walking around etc and some times I do it by networking. This time I did it by both.
On one of my daily walks I found a corner lot two that had just been framed - meaning months out from being completed. Better still, I had previously done business with the listing agent and we had a good business relationship. (After all, there is something to be gained by being one of the most active agents in Redondo Beach.) But not every builder wants to sell before the property is completed. In this instance, the builder was amenable to an off market sale at the right price.
I arranged a walk through of the construction site with my clients and based on the render, the floor plan, what the builder shared about the finish work and the location they made an offer and we were in escrow. Mission accomplished. Almost. The property still had to be completed so they could move in. Minor detail, right?
“Whether you are thinking of Buying to Selling a home in the South Bay, I will save you time, money or both so let’s talk.”
