“How’s the market?…” The most oft asked question in real estate; the answer depends on whom you ask. What I can tell you from my vantage point is that the general sentiment among Realtors in the South Bay is that the market is starting to heat up. Local realtors are feeling more upbeat about market conditions lately despite a lack of inventory across the beach cities.

There is no shortage of phenomenal homes in the South Bay. Now is your chance to step inside a few via a couple of local home tours. The 39th annual Sophisticated Snoop Home Tours starts Friday May 18th. Also not to be missed is the Hollywood Riviera Historic House Tour starting on Friday June 1st. This issue’s FRONT COVER HOME is a breathtaking estate designed by architect Cliff May on two acres behind the gates in Rolling Hills. Offered by The Inman Team, Keller Williams Realty.

While preparing for our LOOKING BACK historical piece for this issue on the old Hotel Redondo we had the privilege to meet a 4th generation homeowner in Redondo Beach whose home was one of the original cottages built for the Hotel in 1900. (Yes, that was 1900!) The McWain Home on the Esplanade in Redondo Beach is a local treasure — a special place that preserves how Redondo Beach felt over 100 years ago.

The year was 1990, the summer I graduated college and packed up my car and moved to Hermosa Beach. The sun, surf and beach vibe was a dream come true for a twenty two year old looking to start his post college life. It was a different Hermosa then – my friends and I would hang out and watch bands at the Lighthouse Café, grab schooners at the HBYC, drop into the Poop Deck after a day at the beach, listen to DJ Roy at BBC (upstairs at Besties) and always be cruising the Strand…those were the days!

Spring listing season is here — look for inventory to heat up in the next sixty days. As of press time, there are 328 active Single Family homes on the market in the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates. Additionally, a total of 266 Single Family homes have sold in the first quarter of 2012 for the same cities.

Looking at the available inventory of homes for sale in the South Bay reveals some interesting trends and begs the question — where’s the inventory? For instance, the total number of available Single Family Homes for sale as of March 19th in the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills & Rolling Hills Estates is only 331, compared to 939 this time last year. In other words, there are 608 less homes available for sale this March vs. last March 2011!

This issue’s front cover home is a stunning French Riviera Style custom home in the heart of the Hill Section in Manhattan Beach. Offered by Ed Kaminsky, ITZ Sold, Shorewood Realtors. In this issue’s feature SWEET DIGS — “Mission Project: Restoring a Spanish Colonial Revival,” we check out a one-of-a-kind Spanish Colonial in Palos Verdes Estates.