Although a lot of our residents get out of town during the summer months, San Marino is a great place to be in the summer. Located in the San Gabriel Valley, we do get warm temperatures on most summer days, but the evenings and early mornings are amazing. For such a small town, we have some wonderful and historic sites, which are worth coming to see. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be talking about some of these highlights.
One of my favorite locations in San Marino, Lacy Park is an incredible destination on a summer day. Lacy Park, located at 1485 Virginia Road in the center of San Marino, is a truly gorgeous 30 acre park with open green areas and many varieties of trees and shrubs. Originally Wilson Lake in 1875, the land was purchased by the City in 1925 and dedicated as a park. A fabulous place to bring kids, Lacy Park has a wonderful play area, numerous amazing climbing trees, lots of room for a good game of hide and go seek, and a large paved circle for riding bikes. I have many a fond memory of times spent at Lacy Park with my own kids. As the park is fenced all around and the area very safe, I could allow them a lot of freedom to explore and enjoy the varying features of the park. My son was almost always found up a tree with his buddies. Sometimes the getting down process was a bit hairy, but this activity is probably one of his childhood favorites. There is ample picnic area, with clean tables scattered around the park.
Upon moving to San Marino, one of my first activities was walking a loop from my house, through Lacy Park and then back home again. At all times of day, but particularly in the early morning, there are many people enjoying the two walking loops: an inner loop of approximately 3/4 mile in length, and an outer loop of approximately 1 mile in length. It is such a peaceful and scenic place to walk!
The park also boasts six beautiful tennis courts, which are run by the San Marino Tennis Association and can be used by non-members for a fee. In addition, there is a beautiful rose arbor at the St. Albans entrance to the park. There are numerous city events that happen at the park during the year, including our amazing 4th of July events. Keep in mind that the park does charge a fee for non-residents on the weekends. Visit the park website for more detailed information.
Come and enjoy!
To learn more about San Marino Real Estate, visit the Benuska Group website.
This fabulous 5 bedroom, 4 bath Colonial home sits on a dream block of Sherwood Road. Some of my favorite people live in this block, and I have seen it on Halloween, swarming with little ones. It is definitely an amazing location for a family. The 3,500 square foot home is in incredible condition, with some of the shiniest, freshest woodwork I have ever seen. 3 of the 4 bathrooms have been completely renovated and the kitchen is beautiful, with an attached family room. There are 4 bedrooms upstairs, although 2 of them are on the small size and have small closets. The 11,591 sq ft lot is pleasant and features a very nice brick patio. I loved this house and feel that it is worth the $2,398,000 price tag!
I simply adore Pasqualito Drive, with its quiet atmosphere and bountiful trees. I always feel as if I am far from the city when I visit a house on this street. Featuring a sweet picket fence, this Colonial home is darling from the street. Unfortunately, my excitement was soon dampened when I had the opportunity to tour the interior. It has 3,540 sq ft, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths. It is in need of freshening up, which in of itself is not a problem. My concern is the very awkward add-on, which does not flow well. I had trouble as I walked through the home trying to understand the floorplan. On a positive note, the 13,933 sq ft lot is incredible and very lush. At $2,088,000, I would definitely pass on this one.
My client really wants to live in the Carver school district, so I added this home to our tour. Listed at $2,788,000 (a whopping $823 per sq ft), I was quite skeptical. This is a brand new Cape Cod home, which they were continuing to work on during our visit. It features 4 bedrooms and 5 baths. Everything is new, fresh and done in good taste. I was disappointed that they didn’t continue the hardwood floors upstairs but like that each of the bedrooms upstairs has their own bath. The 10,007 sq ft lot is nice, but the backyard is dominated by a very large concrete driveway area. If someone is looking for new construction, I like this house but believe that the price must be significantly decreased.
Blogging has definitely been taking a back seat to all other areas in my life. Business is good, kids are busy, home is being renovated. Yikes! But, I am really enjoying the whole blogging thing and want to make sure that I make it a part of my business, keeping people informed on San Marino Real Estate. I went onto the Multiple Listing Service in hopes that I could come up with some exciting trend to tell you about. Of course, people are still always asking the question, “How is San Marino Real Estate doing?” My answer would have to be a bit hedgy. The number of houses sold so far this year is about the same as last year and yet definitely down from previous years. People are being careful about putting their homes on the market, wisely analyzing whether they have to sell. The average home price is up from last year by over $100,000 but the price per square foot is down by about $10 per square foot. I guess that we are just selling more larger homes this year rather than overall prices increasing. I still see the importance of establishing a realistic and appropriate price on your home if you are looking to sell. In this financial environment everyone is looking for a bargain and it is unwise to overprice your home and then watch it sit on the market unsold. My faith in San Marino Real Estate remains strong and my belief that it is an incredible investment in your future. Its award winning schools, great community pride and spirit, close proximity to downtown LA and amazing architecture and homes make San Marino a great place to live.
