Fish Map
Statistics and Commentaries
Introduction to the San Marino Fish Map!
Ever wonder why our team calls it the Fish Map?
In this video Janice Lee highlights exactly why we've given the map of San Marino this nickname.
April 2024
April did not measure up to last month, we only had 7 recorded sales, 4 fewer sold than March.
The trophy sale was $8.08mm or $1,346/sq.ft. on Oak Knoll Ave. This was a high-end flip estate that was bought 2 years ago for $5.33mm, not a bad investment at all!
It has been 5 months since November 2023 that we do not have any sales below $2mm! The lowest sale for April was $2.06mm on Woodlawn Ave. This was a nicely updated entry-level home that last sold for $1.525mm 11 years ago in 2013.
And the lowest $/sq.ft. was $830 on Ardmore Rd. in the Mission District, that’s more than $500 less than the highest $/sq.ft. on Oak Knoll Ave.
We are hopeful for a more robust May!
March 2024
We bounced back quite nicely as far as the number of sales goes in the San Marino real estate market in March; there were 11 sold, 8 more than last month!
There were activities in all 8 neighborhoods except for the Estate Area. The ceiling was an estate on Virginia Rd. for $6.185M. The floor was $1.88M on S. Euclid Ave., which ironically was also the highest $/sq.ft. at $1,280.
The lowest $/sq.ft. was on Sierra Madre Blvd. for $767, that's $413 less than the highest one, or 60% of the highest $/sq.ft. That is quite a range!
February 2024
We did not have a more robust February; in fact, had a surprisingly slow February... there were only 3 recorded sales in San Marino, one-half of the number of January. However, this is the FIRST time in San Marino history that ALL sales in the month were above $1k /sq.ft.!
The trophy sale was a newer mansion built in 2021 on a 1.15-acre lot on Virginia Rd, across from Lacy Park in the estate area for $11.8M or $1,442/sq.ft.
On the opposite side of the spectrum was a Spanish starter home on Los Robles Ave in the Mission District for $1.466M or $1,099/sq.ft.
What a huge contrast in a city that is only 3.5 miles long!
January 2024
What a way to start 2024! January saw 7 recorded sales, more than double the amount of the last month of 2023! Interestingly, 3 out of the 7 were private sales, and the lowest sale was one of the private ones, setting a record at $1 million or $554/sq.ft. in nearly two decades! One can only imagine that the out-of-state owner had no idea about the property's true value on Robin Rd. and made a huge mistake by not hiring a real estate professional. What a lucky buyer!
The ceiling was the estate property sold for $7.188 million on Allen Ave., and the highest $/sq.ft. was $1,054 on Alpine Dr. I look forward to an even more robust February in the San Marino real estate market.
2023
2023 was a challenging year for most real estate markets in the US; San Marino was no exception. The onset of 2023 witnessed the average 30-year fixed rate at 6.48% in January, surging to an astonishing 7.79% during the fall, before settling back to the mid-6% range by year's end. Inventories stayed low; the highest number of active listings was 31 in June, and the lowest was at the beginning of the year between 18-23, and at the end of the year, between 21- 23. The total recorded sales for 2023 was 109; 26 fewer than 2022, and 72 fewer than 2021...it's almost the same as the 110 sold in 2020, the beginning of the long 3 pandemic years!
The trophy sale was the property on Orlando Road, sold for $ 16.2mm ($1,498/sq.ft.). this was a Wallace Neff masterpiece built in 1929, with 10,811 living sqft on 1.8 acres in the most prestigious estate section of San Marino.
The lowest sold was an entry-level, charming Spanish revival home on S Los Robles Ave at $1.35mm in the popular Mission District. The 3 beds 1 bath home has 1,440 living sq.ft., sits on a busy street with a modest 6,581 sq.ft. lot.
What a huge difference between the highest and the lowest! And the 109 properties sold were everything in between in our architecturally rich, beautiful town!
December 2023
The activity for Dec 2023 was a true reflection of the seasonal adjustment! There were only 3 sales; 1/4 of what November had! The highest $/sq.ft. was 1,117 on Rose Ave., ironically, this happens to be the lowest sold at $1.55M . At the other end, the highest sold was $2.875M on Roxbury Rd. which was also the lowest $/sq.ft. at $875. These numbers prove the basic rule of thumb that the smaller the sq.ft., the higher the $/sqft; and vice versa. Rose Ave was an entry-level property, offering 1,387 living sq.ft., while Roxbury Rd has 3,282 sq.ft., almost 2000 sq.ft. larger.
November 2023
We had a slight seasonal adjustment in November; there were only 12 solds, 2 behind October. However, all the sales were above $3mm, which qualified as BHHS 'Luxury Properties,' with 2 exceptions. The lowest sale was on Rose Ave for $2.19mm and the highest sale was $6.68mm on Lombardy Road, for $1,504/sq.ft., a like new property that underwent a complete 4-year renovation in 2023! The lowest $/sq.ft. was $764 for the property on Sherwood Rd that required all-cash sales only, because of the amount of TLC needed!
October 2023
The sales activity continued to inch up since August; there were 3 more solds this month than September, and 5 more than August. There were 2 'private' sales out of the 14 sales. There was no 'trophy sale' in Oct; the highest recorded sale was the property on Waverly Rd in the Library District for $4.3MM, and the highest $/sq.ft. was $1,291 for an unique 1,548 sq.ft. home on Mission Street in the Mission District. The lowest $/sq.ft. was $736 from one of the 'private sales' on Pasqualito Dr for a 5,000 sq.ft. home, also in the Mission District. The lowest sale was a corner house on Canterbury Rd and San Gabriel Blvd. This property was sold before processing by the listing agent.
September 2023
There were 11 sales in September, 2 more than last month. And 3 of the solds were in the Estate area with the trophy being the $16.2mm property on Orlando Rd. for $1,498/ sq.ft.! The lowest sold property was on S. Los Robles Ave. for $1.35mm, that's about 8.35% of the highest sold! The lowest $/sq.ft. was $673 for the property on Gainsborough Dr.; a 5-bedroom home at the corner of San Gabriel Blvd. 7 out of the 11 properties sold more than $1k/sq.ft.; happy to see that San Marino real estate is still holding up despite the climbing interest rate and low inventory.
August 2023
August had one less sold than last month; we had a total of 9 recorded sales in San Marino, and they were more of the "average sales'' ; 6 out of the 9 were sales between $ 2 - 3MM.
the highest sold and $/sq.ft. was $5.588MM on Oak Grove Ave. for $1,415/sq.ft. and the lowest sold was $1.81MM on Lorain Rd. the lowest $/sq.ft. was a 5 bedroom, large property on Plymouth Rd. for $652/sq.ft. in the Mission District. We had activities in all 8 neighborhoods, but one this month!
July 2023
We have a bit of "summer adjustment" for the month of July; there were 10 recorded sales, 3 fewer than June. However, there were many more sales in the luxury market! The trophy went to the property on Oxford Rd. for $8.01MM, which was followed closely by the property on S Oak Knoll Ave. for $8MM, while the highest $/sq.ft. was $1,396 on Euston Rd. The lowest sale for this month was the only property sold a hair below $2MM; and that's on Hilliard Dr. for $1.998MM or $881/sq.ft. Followed by a property on Sierra Madres Blvd. for $882/sq.ft. A $515 difference between the highest and lowest $/sq.ft. sold!
June 2023
We had another month of "good and exciting" real estate activities with 13 total recorded sales. Most had multiple offers, but one being a private sale (most likely between family members). Besides the "estate" area, there were activities in all 7 other neighborhoods.
The ceiling was a $3.85MM sale on Ridgeway Rd. and the floor was $1.53MM ( the private sale) on Rose Ave for $708/sq.ft. There were 5 properties that sold above $ 1k/sq.ft., and the trophy went to the one on Ashbourne Dr. for $1,166/sq.ft.
May 2023
Finally, San Marino real estate is getting back to more of the "norm" again! We actually had 2 digits of sold properties this month; 14 total sales! that's 5 more than April!
The trophy property closed on the last day of may, and it's the property on Virginia Rd sold for $8.15MM at $1,437/sq.ft.
The lowest $/sq.ft. was $752 on Bradbury Rd, and the lowest recorded sale were 2 properties in the Mission District, one on La Mirada Ave & the other on Euclid Ave both sold for $1.55MM, Now, that's less than 1/5 of the highest sold, a very big gap between the floor and the ceiling!
April 2023
We had a much more "productive" April in comparison to all the months in the 1st quarter of 2023; There were 9 total sales, 4 more than the past 2 months, and there were activities in all 8 sections of the "fish map" but one!
We had one "private sale" out of the 9, and that's the property at 1360 Lorain Rd. This property happens to be the highest $/sq.ft. sold. I guess some one REALLY loved the house, and was willing to pay $1,137/sq.ft. for it since the house was not publicly on the market.
The lowest $/sq.ft. was $755 on Cumberland rd. The floor was $1.75MM on la Mirada Ave in the mission district, and the ceiling was $5.218MM on Monterey rd. Which was almost 3 times of the floor.
March 2023
The San Marino market for march has been very quiet, just like last month. Again, we have only 5 total sales. The lowest recorded sale was $1.8 million on Woodlawn Ave. The highest sold was located in the Library District, just like last month, on Euston Rd. for $3.2 million, and it happens to be the lowest $/sq.ft., sold at $802/sq.ft. given that it was a large home near 4000 sq.ft.! The other 4 solds were all above $900/sq.ft., and the highest one was the property on Sherwood Rd. for $980/sq.ft.
February 2023
The San Marino real estate market continues to move at a very slow pace, due to the lack of inventory. There were 5 total sales this month, one more than last month. The interesting factor is that 3 out of the 5 sold were private sales; and 2 of the highest sold were both private sales in the "Library District". The ceiling was $3.1 million on Cambridge Rd., and the highest sold $/sq.ft. was on Hampton Rd. for $1,136. The floor was $1.5 million on Winthrop Rd. and the lowest $/sq.ft. was the 3rd private sale on Lorain Rd. for $697.
January 2023
January was definitely a slow start for the San Marino real estate market... There were only 4 total recorded sales (and one was a "private sale"), just like the numbers of sold last month! However, the avg. $ /sq.ft. sold and the total sold volume for this month were MUCH higher than December 2022: 3 out of the 4 solds were above $1k/sq.ft., the highest being $1,262 on Rosalind Rd. This property was also the highest sold price recorded at $9.6mm. The lowest sold price was $1.7mm on El Molino Place, and the lowest $ /sq.ft. was $813 on Huntington Dr.
2022
The word to describe the year 2022 in the real estate world is UNSETTLED... The average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed was 6.49%*, more than double its 3.22%* level at the start of 2022. It was 6.57%** as of Dec. 28, 2022. Needless to say, this affected many home buyers in the market. The median price in Los Angeles County peaked in September 2021 and has been on an up-and-down roller coaster since. It fell in July 2022, which was disappointing because it typically climbs from June to July. The supplies in San Marino, also dropped significantly in 2022; the active listings reached as high as 43 in Feb, April and July of 2021, and in 2022, the number of active listings made it in the 30s only in Aug., Sept., and Oct., while the rest stayed in the 20s. The well-priced, well-presented properties are still high in demand, and sold with multiple offers given the low inventory. The over-priced, poorly-represented properties stayed on the market, and offered reduced prices. Regardless of the economy and market conditions, there will always be serious sellers and ready and able buyers in San Marino!
The total number of sold properties dropped from 2021’s 181 to 135 in 2022. However, it was still 23% higher than 2020’s 110! The trophy property was the Buff and Hensman estate on Euston; it sold for $11,780,000 at $1,636/sq.ft. The property stayed on the market for 1,214 days (3 years and 4 months) before the perfect buyer came along. I had the honor of representing this amazing property back in 2007, and sold the property for $6.5m after 282 days. The floor for 2022 was the property on Kerns Ave. for $1.36m at $733/sq.ft. And just to refresh our memories, the lowest recorded sold was $1,215m on South San Gabriel Blvd in 2021.
December 2022
We moved from 7 sales to 4 this month.... It was a very quiet December in San Marino! There were 2 sales in the "Mission" District and 2 sales in the "Golden Triangle" area.
The highest sale was $6.95m on Lombardy Rd, it is also the highest sold $ /sq.ft. at $1,199. The lowest $ /sq.ft. was $688 on Los Robles Ave, and the lowest sold was $1,935 on Ashbourne Dr. both properties are in the Mission District.
November 2022
As expected w/the seasonal adjustment PLUS the lack of inventories, the real estate market in San Marino was quite slow this month... 7 sales total. The ceiling went up to $5,388m for a property on Chelsea Rd that was newly built in 2016 with lots of bells and whistles, and the floor was at $1,725m on Del Mar. The lowest $/sq.ft. was $688 and the highest was $1,058/sq.ft. for a property on Monterey Rd.
October 2022
October had a very similar record as September. 10 recorded sales with one private sale, which happens to be the highest sold of $5.05m on San Marino Ave while the lowest recorded sold was $1.65m on La Mirada. However, La Mirada is also the highest $/sq.ft. of $ 1,241 while the lowest $/sq.ft. was $768 on Ashbourne. Ironically, these two properties are both in the Mission District!
September 2022
San Marino had better activity in the month of September than August; San Marino had 11 sold (one private sale) compared to 6, almost double the number! San Marino also had at least one sale in all of the 8 areas, but one. The highest $ /sq.ft. hit.
The highest $ /sq.ft. was the private sale on Old Mill Road for $1,535; this property has been on/off the market for almost 4 years, and it's a fixer on a beautiful lot that's almost 30k sqft. Ironically the lowest $ /sq.ft. was $849 on Winston ave, also on a beautiful, almost 40k sq.ft. lot! While the highest recorded sale was $4.987m on Mesa road in the "estate" neighborhood, the lowest sold was $1.668m on La Mirada Ave in the Mission District!
August 2022
It was a really quiet month for san marino! San Marino had only 6 recorded sales ( one of them is a "private sale"); that is 3 less than last month, and only 1/2 of June's sales! San Marino also had VERY low inventories; Staying around 30 "actives" ranging from $ 1.49mm to $ 21.5mm.
The floor was the private sale on Doresta Rd in the Mission District sold at $ 1.95m while the ceiling was a property on California Blvd. sold for $ 3.5mm. Doresta was the lowest sold price, but it was also the highest sold $/sq.ft. at $1,127 given the small sq.ft. the lowest $/sq.ft. was a property on Winston at $838. We look forward to have lots more activities in the coming months as the weather cools down, children are all back to school and the end of summer travels!
July 2022
San Marino had another 25% drop in the total sales in July; 9 total compared to the 12 in June, and 16 in May.
The highest dols was $4.9mm in the estate area on Chandler Place at $1,228/sq.ft. and the lowest sold was $1.615mm on La Mirada in the Mission District. the lowest $ /sq.ft. was $869 on Waverly Rd in a cul-de-sac of Huntington Dr.
It was a slow summer month.
June 2022
San Marino had 12 total recorded sales, a 25% drop in sales for June; there were 4 less sold properties than the month of May. Again, like last month, San Marino did have some activities in each of the 8 sections, with the exception of the "estate area"! Interestingly enough there WAS actually an intra-family recording in the estate area on Circle Dr. (not a "real" sales), and the "family member" paid $1.05m ($233/ sq.ft.) for the deed!
Now, back to the ordinary world, the highest price per sq. ft. paid for a grant deed was $1,360 on Roanoke Rd. and the lowest one was $757 on Courtland Ave. Ironically, Courtland was also the ceiling of this month with a $4.45m sales ticket, and the floor was the property on Sheffield Rd for $1.8mm.
May 2022
It has been a rollercoaster ride this past few months.... San Marino had 7 sold in Feb, 16 sold for March, then hit the record-breaking month in April w/ 26 sold and now back to 16 for May!
This month, San Marino had sold properties in every section of our fish map except in the "library" district; the highest sold was $5.3m on Circle Dr and followed by $4.85m on Kewen Dr, both in the "estate" district.
The lowest sold was $1,473 on Huntington Dr while the lowest price per sq. ft. was $750 on Winston, both in the same NE section of map.
San Marino had 7 ( 44%) sold that exceeded $ 1k/ sqft, and the highest price per sq. ft. was $1,224, our highest recorded sold on Circle Dr!
April 2022
WOW! This is definitely a record-breaking month for San Marino real estate! San Marino had 26 recorded sales, 10 more than last month, and 19 more than February!!
San Marino also had a "trophy" sale of $ 11.78mm at $ 1636/sq.ft. on Euston! The property was on the market for 1,214 days ( 3 years 4 mos) before the "ready and able" buyer came along....I also had the honor and pleasure of representing this house 15 years ago, with a sales price of $ 6.5mm for this amazing Buff and Hensman masterpiece! The floor this month was a property on San Gabriel Blvd for $ 1.888m and the lowest $ / sq.ft. was 567 on Avonlea, known as "the Lacy Estate" that was built for the founder and mayor of San Marino, Richard H. Lacy!
March 2022
San Marino had a much busier month in comparison to February; 9 more recorded sales with a total of 16! The highest sale was for $6,725,000 on Old Mill Rd. while the lowest was for $1,360,000 on Kerns Ave. The sale on Old Mill Rd. also took the lead for the highest $/sq.ft. at $1,238, and one of the 2 private sales on Kerns Ave. had the lowest $/sq.ft. of $733. It appeared that the below market sale may have been a sale between family members Li to Li!
February 2022
San Marino had a relatively slow month in the real estate market. There were 4 fewer sales compared to last month and 10 fewer sales compared to December 2021, and one of the 7 sales from this month was a private sale on Huntington Dr. The main reason for this drop in activity was the low inventory; San Marino had an average of 30-45 homes on the market for the entire year of 2021 until December, and an average of 20-30 homes available in the past 3 months. The highest sale was $3,839,000 on St. Albans Rd., which also had the highest $/sq.ft. of $1,112. The lowest recorded sale was on Huntington Dr. for $1,608,000 at $749/sq.ft., which was also the one private sale we had this month.
January 2022
San Marino started 2022 with some decent activities despite having 6 fewer sales compared to December, which is a very busy month for the end of the year! Again, no trophy sales in San Marino. The highest recorded sale was $4,330,000 million on S. Allen Ave, a tennis court estate, and the lowest recorded sale was $1,870,000 million on Lorain Rd., an entry level home for 91108. Ironically, the lowest sold property was also the highest $/sq.ft. at $1,149 for the month of January while the lowest $/sq.ft. was $710 for a property on Rose Ave. Overall, San Marino had a healthy month of sales for the entry level and lower-mid range homes with one exception of the highest sold property on S. Allen Ave.
2021
2021 was a CRAZY YEAR for real estate all over the US, to say the least! The market continued to soar and many cities had their highest appreciation in one year ever. The desire to own a "home" in the thick of the pandemic (it’s not just a place to sleep anymore) coupled with the historically low interest rate, the demand far outweighed the supply. Multiple offers became a norm; buyers had to ask themselves if they were ready to go up 10% above the asking price or 30% in order to get their "dream homes." San Marino was no exception; the demands were high and the market boomed. There were 71 more sales than the year before, a 165% increase. We had THE highest ever recorded sale at $25 million on Oak Grove Ave at $1,942/ sq.ft.! The sale made headlines in multiple media/newspapers in Southern California. It was the "USC house" that sits on 7.19 acres of prime location in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods. Our lowest sale in 2021 was $1,215,000 for an entry level home on San Gabriel Blvd, a street bordering heavy traffic. This lowest priced home was half of 1% of the highest sold properties. Unbelievable! Although the interest rate will inch up a bit, it is still historically low. The lack of inventory is everywhere in the country, and San Marino is no exception. Our average number of available homes went from the high 30's and low 40's to the 20's. 2022 will continue to be a fantastic year for sellers!
December 2021
San Marino ended the year on a strong note in the real estate scene; there were 3 private sales out of the 17 recorded "solds", 4 more than the previous month. There were also activities in 7 out of the 8 sections on our "fish map"; no "trophy" sales, but a very solid month! San Marino had 10 homes sold in the $2 million range and 6 sales in the $3 million range. The highest $ /sq.ft. sold was $1,065 on Doresta Rd and the lowest $ /sq.ft. sold was $775 on Russet Lane. The floor was $1,820,000 on Del Mar Ave while the ceiling was $3,675,000 million on Windsor Rd.
November 2021
San Marino had a slight dip in sales this month compared to October, which was an expected seasonal trend. Out of the 13 sales, one was a private sale on Oxford Rd. The "star of the show" this month was an estate that sold for $6,150,000 million on South Oak Knoll Ave. Commanding a high $1,433/sq.ft., this property was on 63,162 sq.ft. of flat land, with a tennis court and attracted multiple offers! The lowest recorded sale was in the same "section" of the fish map on Avonrea Rd. for $1,800,000 million. The lowest $/sq.ft. was on Adair St. for $769/ sq.ft., which was 54% of the highest $/sq.ft. sold on South Oak Knoll Ave!
October 2021
San Marino had 5 more sales than last month: a total of 16 with one private sale on Mirasol Dr. The "ceiling" hit $5.35 million for an estate on Old Mill Rd and the "floor" was $1.73 million on Wallingford Rd. Two properties were sold above $1,000/sq.ft.; one was a 1,800 sq.ft. home on Lorain Rd. for $1,071 and the other was a 2,077 sq.ft. home on Windsor Rd. for $1,059. Both were considered our "entry level" homes. The lowest $/sq.ft. was $682 for a 4,530 sq.ft., 5 bedroom home on Melville Dr! A good deal!
September 2021
There were 7 fewer sales this month compared to August! With no "trophy" sales to speak of, the highest sold was $3.8 million on Montecito Dr. and the lowest was $1.4 million on Oak St. at $731/sq. ft. (one of the 2 private sales, and possibly between family members!). The highest $/sq.ft. was $1,194/sq.ft. on Bellwood Rd., a modest home that has been in the same family since 1964!
August 2021
San Marino have 18 total sales with one private sale on Gainsborough Dr. this month...and that's exactly one more recorded sale than July! The "trophy" property that sold for $9.1 million on Lombardy Road at $1,139/sq.ft. was a luxurious estate totally rebuilt in 2016 on a premium 0.87 acre of flat lot! The entry level property on Sharon Place sold for $1.475 million and the lowest sold $/sq.ft. was $754 on Hilliard Dr; both properties are located in the SE corner on the "fish map".
July 2021
Although San Marino didn't have quite as many sales this month (8 short from the 25 sales in June), we certainly made up with a few mega sales in town! San Marino scored the highest closing ever with the iconic "USC" property on Oak Grove Ave for $25 million at $1942/sq.ft. The lowest recorded sale went to Rubio Dr for $1.72 million while the lowest $/sq.ft. was $624/sq.ft. for the property on California Blvd. There were a total of 8 properties sold above $3 million, which is close to 50% of the total 17 recorded sales for this month, including one private sale.
June 2021
June was even "hotter" than May for the San Marino real estate market! There were 4 additional sales compared to last month, and for the 1st time in a long time, there were activities in ALL 8 sections of town! The highest sold was $9.78 million on Shenandoah Rd. in the "estate" area for $1181/sq.ft. The lowest sold was $1.5 million on the eastern border of San Gabriel Blvd and the lowest $/sq.ft was $546 on California Blvd (one of the 2 private sales!), both on major traffic streets.
May 2021
May was a "hot" month for the San Marino real estate market! We had 6 more sales compared to last month, scoring 21 total sales. There was good activity in almost all parts of the map (sales in 6 out of the 8 sections!); the highest sold $/sq.ft. was $1083/sq.ft. on Roxbury Rd. and the lowest sold $/sq.ft. was practically half of that at $595/sq.ft. on Euclid Ave in the Mission District. The lowest recorded sale was $1.4 million on Winthrop Rd., also in the Mission District, which was shy from 1/3 of the highest sale of $4.5 million on Circle Dr.
April 2021
San Marino had another active and "healthy” month with the exact same number of solds as March, highlighted by a shift from the west to the east end! There were no solds in the Mission District this month, compared to the 6 in March. The ceiling this month was set by the sale on Oak Grove Ave. for $4.198 million, while the floor was set at $1.85 million by Rubio Dr. The lowest $/ sq.ft. was $746 for the property on Darby Rd. and the highest $/ sq.ft. went to the property on Windsor Rd. for $1152. The most interesting transactions were 2 private sales (the only 2 of a total 15) on Virginia Rd. and Patton Way; the 2 owners simply swapped their properties!
March 2021
San Marino finally had a "healthy," active month in real estate! There were 15 solds in March (3 times as many as in February!) and the highest sold was for $5.08 million at $1,388/sq.ft. on Canon Dr.! There were 2 properties sold for less than 50% of that at $661/sq.ft.; one on Wilson and the other on Waverly. The lowest recorded sale was less than 25% of the highest sold at $5.08 million; it was $1.215 million on San Gabriel Blvd! Another noteworthy phenomenon was the fact that there were 6 solds in the Mission District alone, that's one more than the total sold combined last month!
February 2021
This was another “quieter” month for San Marino; there were only 5 solds this month, 3 less than January. The most “exciting” and the highest sold was a rebuilt estate on St. Albans for $9.56 million at $1,035/sq.ft. The lowest $/sq.ft. was on San Salvatore Pl for $655 with the price tag of $1.71 million, which was only 18% of the highest sold in the same city!
January 2021
January 2021 was a pretty quiet month for San Marino; there were 9 less sales this year than in January 2020! Out of the 8 recorded sales, there was one private sale on Monterey Road in the Mission District, which happened to be the lowest sold at $1.3 million. The lowest $/sq.ft. appeared to be $707 on El Molino Ave. However, it was a bit misleading since there was no commission paid to the buyer's agent who represented his own family, so the actual $/sq.ft. for El Molino was more like $727... therefore, the lowest $/sq.ft. for this month goes to the property on San Gabriel Blvd at $726 while the highest sold was a brand new "spec" home on Roanoke Road at $1,033/sq.ft. Roanoke also had the highest sold price at $4.2 million. This means the lowest sold home cost only 31% of the highest sold home in January 2021.
2020
2020 was no doubt one of the most challenging years in modern history due to COVID-19...however, the pandemic had an interesting and unexpected impact on the real estate world. The lock down for California came in late March, so for about 2 months the market was pretty much " frozen " because no one knew what was going on (including the lenders) and what would happen next. After the "new norm" slowly formed and the new rules were established, the market went skyrocketing for entry level homes in most areas across the country. The demand outweighed the supply. As a whole, San Marino did just fine. We had a total of 110 sales (with 0 recorded sales in May due to the late March lockdown!), only 4 less than 2019. Our highest recorded sold was $10,360,000 at $1628/ sq.ft. compared to $15, 500,000 @ $1563/ sq.ft. in 2019 and $10,150,000 at $1079/sq.ft. in 2018! Interest rates are still at a historic low and from all indications, 2021 will be a great year for real estate! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 2020
2020 ended with ten closed sales in San Marino. There was one private sale out of the ten, which was the lowest recorded sold on Somerset at $1,393,000. Ironically, this was also the highest $ /sq.ft. recorded for December at $1,103/sq.ft. The lowest recorded was $567/sq.ft. on Alpine, a fixer, and the highest sold price was $3,127,500 on Adair, a beautifully updated Spanish Colonial built in 1932.
November 2020
The “seasonal adjustment” definitely was the case in the real estate market in San Marino this month; San Marino had dropped from 15 sold to 8 compared to the month of October. However, the total volume for November may very well surpass last month; San Marino had 2 sold above $6M & 2 sold above $4M, while highest sold in October was “only” $3.3M. Out of the 8 recorded sales, one was a private sale. The noteworthy aspect of this sale on Rose Ave. is the fact that it came on the market back in late 2018 at $3.285M ($1,240/sq.ft.), and expired after 700 days on the market with a reduced price of $2.9M ($1,057/sq.ft.). This was a brand new house, listed and finally sold privately by the owner/agent himself. What's the lesson here? Never overprice a property! The final sold price of $2.65M ($982/sq.ft.) is 81% of the original asking price, and with added 2 years of holding cost of a vacant home!
Our highest sold was a $6.669M property on Shenandoah Rd. and the highest $/sq.ft. was 1,149 on Mesa Rd., both properties are located in the “estate” area. The lowest sold, a basic, entry level home to San Marino was $1.315M at $615/sq.ft. on San Gabriel Blvd., which is about 1/5 of the highest sold property this month!
October 2020
San Marino had a “healthy” month as far as real estate sales go in October; though the total solds were lower in numbers by 5 from last month's record breaking 20! There were “solds” in all 8 areas on the map and out of the 15 sales, only 1 was a private sale. The highest sold recorded was $3.93 million on Sierra Madre Blvd, an unique property with a tennis court that took 469 days to sell; and the lowest recorded sold was $1.315 million on Huntington Drive, which was ? of the highest sale price. La Mirada Ave had the highest $/sq.ft. of 917, a charming 2 bedroom 1 bathroom home sold in 5 days while a home that has been in the same family since it was built in 1935 on Lorain Rd was the lowest recorded sold.
September 2020
San Marino had an incredible month of real estate transactions in September; San Marino had a record breaking number of 20 SOLD properties! This was the highest number of solds recorded in one month since April 2016 (there were 22 then!), the 2 other months that came close were July 2017 and August 2018, both months recorded 19 solds!
There were 8 solds alone in the Mission District, just one shy from the total sold last month! Our highest recorded $/sq.ft. was 970 on Doresta and the lowest $/sq.ft. was 627 on Los Robles, both in the Mission District!
The highest sold price was a private sale of $2.9 million on Bedford and the lowest sold price was $1.463K on Sunset. Nothing over $3 million.
August 2020
There are 9 solds in the month of August, 3 more than both the month before and the month of June. The floor was $1,468,670 on Berkeley Ave. in the outskirt of the golden triangle section known as the Cal-Tech neighborhood, and the ceiling was $3.39M on Oak Grove Ave. in the estate area. The highest $/sq.ft. was $913 on Sheffield Rd. while the lowest $/sq.ft. was $694 on Sherwood Rd. There was at least one sale in every section of the map with the exception of the library district!
July 2020
July, like the month of June was more of a “normal” month for San Marino. San Marino had a total of 6 recorded solds, just like last month. The ceiling was $951/sq.ft. on Adair with the sold price tag of $3.7M. The floor was an “unfinished” project on Winston for $646/sq.ft., and the lowest recorded sold price of $1.605M on Los Robles, a $2,095,000 difference from the highest sold.
June 2020
June’s sold activities are more in sync with the activities since fall (Sept.) of 2019 with the exception of the record-breaking, abnormal “0” sold in the month of May, due to the 1st lock-down in California in mid-March 2020! Although we are still far from the “sign of a busy spring” in Jan. 2020 with 17 recorded sold before the pandemic, the market is definitely alive and healthy once again in SoCal due to the lack of good inventory, and buyers longing for more space and homeownership due to the stay-home order combined with the all-time low-interest-rate! The ceiling for June was a property sold for $ 3.9M at $1,038/sq.ft., and the floor was $664/sq.ft. on Doresta Rd., while the lowest recorded sale was $1.27M on Hilliard Dr.
May 2020
This is historical as far as I can remember… there were NO transactions recorded for the month of May 2020 in the City of San Marino. This is not a big shock since the Safer-at-Home state law was in effect late March due to the unprecedented pandemic, and real estate was not considered “essential” business until 2 weeks later. So to say that almost everyone was in the most uncertain and “frozen” state in the month of April is not an over-statement. Thus, it resulted in zero sales for the month of May!
April 2020
San Marino had one more recorded sale than March; there were 8 recorded sales in San Marino this month… and actually have 2 more solds than April of 2019! The highest sold was a stately estate on Orlando Rd. for $6.03M at $1,156/sq.ft. The lowest sold was $1.76M on Sharon Place, and the lowest $/sq.ft. was $673 for a property on Lorain Rd., which is only 58% of the highest $/sq.ft. on Orlando Rd., all in the same city!
March 2020
There were a total of 7 recorded solds for San Marino in March; that’s 10 properties less than Jan. before the pandemic but there were 3 more solds than Feb., which was one of the lowest total recorded solds in the recent decade. There were also 7 recorded solds in both Sept. and Oct. of last year, and 6 recorded solds in Nov. and Dec. of last year! So, other than the month of Jan. 2020, the real estate activities for the past 7 months had been pretty soft. The highest sold in March was a newly built property on Wallingford Rd. for $4.145M at $948/sq.ft., while the lowest $/sq.ft. was $685 on Lorain Rd, and the lowest sold price was $ 1.46M on El Molino Pl.
