Torrance CA real estate

Real estate and homes for sale in Torrance CA

What’s happening in the Torrance Real Estate Market?

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Take a look at the charts below to get a better understanding of what’s happening in the Torrance real estate market.   We hope that getting an awareness of what the real estate market has been doing for the past 18 months can help make you a knowledgeable home buyer or seller in this great city.  See the current homes for sale in the various neighborhoods of Torrance.

For Sale, Sold and Pending Sales in Torrance CA

Average Days on Market in Torrance and % that Homes Sell Versus the Original Listing Price

Keith Kyle is a top producing realtor and Torrance real estate specialist with Vista Sotheby’s International Realty

How Buyers and Sellers Handle Home Inspection Challenges

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One of the more treacherous parts of an escrow is the home inspection and request for repairs.  Often times the buyer thinks that the home inspection is a “checklist” of what needs to be fixed while the seller either thinks their home is perfect or “it was just fine for us so why does the buyer need things that work fine upgraded or repaired”.  Finding middle ground isn’t always easy.

As the graphic below shows, 80% of home inspection reports show at least something needing to be fixed.  We always recommend to both our buyers and sellers to be reasonable.  On the buyer side stick to actual problems or repairs.  If it’s an issue that the buyer will have to immediately pay for to have repaired…it’s a reasonable request.  The biggest challenge items are either those called out as not up to current code, or items towards the end of their service life.  Buyers need to understand that the statement “not up to current building code” does not mean it’s necessarily problematic.  Codes change all of the time and unless it’s a clear safety issue, it’s usually best to stick with actual repairs.  Items at the end of their service life really depend on the item, the cost and how extensive the rest of the repair list.  We’ve found that asking for everything usually ends with the seller dismissing any repairs….even the reasonable ones.

Keith Kyle is a top producing realtor and Torrance real estate specialist with Vista Sotheby’s International Realty in the South Bay.  Contact Keith for more information on how the home inspection and escrow process works in Torrance real estate.

Info On Down Payments for Torrance Home Buyers

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One of the big misconceptions with home buyers, especially first time home buyers, is that you need at least 20% down.  That’s often not the case with lenders offering FHA loans with as little as 3.5% down and traditional lenders funding loans with as little at 5%.  The lower amount is much easier if it’s a single family home but there are options:

Torrance Real Estate Recap – 2018 Year in Review

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By Keith Kyle

2018 was a banner year for real estate in Torrance CA. Demand was extremely high and prices continued to rise throughout the year with a slight drop towards the winter months which is not unusual.  The number of homes for sale really ramped up after spring from a low of 76 homes on the market in January to a high of 167 homes for sale in July.  There were 1,195 residential “on market” home sales in Torrance for the year.  These statistics do not include the homes in the Hollywood Riviera with Redondo mailing address but actually in Torrance.

Homes Selling At or Above Asking Price

One extremely impressive indicator of just how strong the market remained through the year was the % difference between list price and sold price (how close the sellers were to full asking price).  In seven of the months the average home sold at, or above the average list price and in the remaining 5 months they were within a percent or 2 of full list price.  That’s a sign of an extremely seller friendly market.

See the current homes for sale in Torrance

Days on Market Very Low

Another solid indicator was the average days on market with only topped 30 days once….in January of 2018.  Median prices for the year generally overed between $700,000 and $800,000.

Date January February March April May June July August September October November December
For Sale 76 78 88 111 144 149 167 165 149 164 165 119
New Listing 94 104 121 147 147 163 162 146 110 136 103 59
Sold 59 52 97 95 110 115 131 135 112 112 97 74
Pended 72 86 104 107 113 135 124 136 95 101 85 85
Avg. Active Price  $757.000  $749.000  $815.000  $820.000  $814.000  $780.000  $819.000  $809.000  $ 803.000  $771.000  $727.000  $724.000
Avg. Sold Price  $714.000  $739.000  $709.000  $739.000  $806.000  $747.000  $715.000  $721.000  $765.000  $744.000  $735.000  $766.000
Avg. Sq. Ft. Price (Sold) 488 484 484 483 503 504 482 495 497 469 495 494
Sold/List Diff. % 100 101 102 102 102 101 101 100 100 99 99 100
Sold/Orig LP Diff. % 99 100 101 101 102 101 100 99 100 98 98 98
Avg Days on Market 34 26 22 22 19 20 23 21 25 30 27 29
Median Sold Price 700,000 705,000 690,000 740,000 800,000 732,000 695,000 735,000 743,000 716,000 710,000 758,000

Beautiful Historic Craftsman in Old Torrance – Sold

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1323 Cota, Torrance CA 90501

**Update as this beautiful home has sold**

    • $899,000
    • 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath
    • Huge 10,500+ foot lot
    • 1,944 Sq Feet

This California Craftsman Executive Home is a magnificent, rare find. Built in 1914 on huge R2 lot near Nativity Church & Triangle Park, one of the most desirable parts of Historic Old Torrance. This 2 story home has fabulous bones & incredibly retains all its Historic charm and was recently featured in the Daily Breeze. The large front porch that tracks the entire width of the house is perfect for sitting on pleasant evenings. Original front door enters into a large living room with large fireplace. The office features the original built-in desk, a coat closet and is accessed through the original pocket doors. The formal dining room has a grand built-in hutch/buffet & wainscoting. A sunny breakfast room is connected to both the dining room & kitchen. The circular downstairs floor plan is great for entertaining with a separate area for the original staircase that wraps through the center of the house. Upstairs are two large bedrooms & another smaller 3rd bedroom. There are 2 separate two car garages in the rear off the alley. Two additional storage rooms are connected to the first garage. Huge 75′ x 140′ lot (10,500 sqft) has endless possibilities including another one story house (Check with City of Torrance Building Dept). Title & Records Search indicate that this house was once owned by Jarred Sidney Torrance. Truly one of Old Torrance’s best properties & a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to own a piece of local History. To appreciate this house and its craftsmanship you must see it yourself.  Contact listing agent Keith Kyle with Vista Sotheby’s International for more information or for a private showing.  310.251.2344

 

California 2018 Tax Reforms – Specific Changes That Affect Real Estate

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Here’s a helpful chart to see how the changes in the tax policy impacts Torrance and all California property owners.

PREVIOUS LAW 2018 LAW
MORTGAGE INTEREST DEDUCTION Capped at $1M Capped at $750,000
STATE AND LOCAL TAX DEDUCTION Unlimited Deduction capped at $10,000 (income, sales and property combined)
CAPITAL GAINS EXEMPTION ON SALE OF PRIMARY RESIDENCE Exclusion of up to $250,000 ($500,000 if married) of gain realized on sale or exchange of principal residence if lived in
for 2 of the last 5 years		 No change
1031 LIKE-KIND EXCHANGES Applied to all classes of property (e.g. personal and real) Limits non-recognition of gain to real
property
PERSONAL DEDUCTION Allowed Eliminated
STANDARD DEDUCTION $6,350 individual and $12,7000 if married $12,000 individual and $24,000 if married
MID FOR SECOND HOMES Capped at $750,000
HOME EQUITY LOAN DEDUCTION Capped at $100,000 Not deductible unless the proceeds are used to substantially improve the property
MOVING EXPENSE EXCLUSION AND DEDUCTION Incurred in connection with change in work place Eliminated except for members of armed forces on active duty that move pursuant to military orders
CHILD TAX CREDIT $1,000 for each child $2,000 for each child
DEDUCTION FOR QUALIFIED BUSINESS INCOME OF PASS-THROUGH ENTITIES INCLUDING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS None 20% deduction of taxable income phased out above $157,000 ($315,000 if married) for brokerage services
DEPRECIATION RECOVER PERIOD FOR REAL PROPERTY (RESIDENTIAL RENTAL) Recover period is 27.5 years No change
DEPRECIATION RECOVER PERIOD FOR REAL PROPERTY (NONRESIDENTIAL) Recover period is 39 years No change
DEPRECIATION RECOVER PERIOD FOR REAL PROPERTY (LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS) Recover period is 15 years No change

Torrance Real Estate