Maureen Megowan's Blog

The following is an excerpt from the PVP watch newletter dated November 23, 2008:

"November 21st, RPV Councilman Tom Long distributed his Newsletter making reference to an item now pending before the RPV Council; the appeal of Saint John Fisher Church's desire to modernize the church facility. In this instance, Councilman Long seems right on target when he states "Our actions border on abuse of power" and that the Council's actions are "design by hearing."

Apparently Councilman Larry Clark has a new expression "de novo," let's start over. Why start over? The planning commission approved the project. There is history of testimony & submissions. Should the Council's actions be to start over thus becoming the Planning Commission, or should the Council's responsibility be to judge the merits as to whether or not the Planning commission erred in its majority decision? Send comments to info@pvpwatch.com.

Councilman Long also commented concerning the Monks case. For those unaware of the Monks case, this is a law suit concerning 16 plots of land in Portuguese Bend, Zone 2. The Appellate Courts decision is posted at www.pvpwatch.com. One of Long's comments was "the strange Court of Appeal decision ordering the city to grant permits to build on land that is moving or unstable." As some have noted, Tom Long often has a mythical perspective of facts. On other occasions he has also used the term "land that is moving or unstable." Long's statement is opposite to proven facts in the Courts record by Geological and Geotechnical experts. One must wonder what Long finds "strange" about the Appellate Court reversing what apparently was a poor decision by the Trial Court.

Councilman Long further states that RPV has no further liability should the appeal be lost. Unfortunately, all we can do is to wait and see what happens. What we do not know and are not likely to find out is how much of the taxpayers $$$ has the Council spent and will spend pursuing their frivolous lawsuit?"

    

2006 - 2007 COUNCIL ROSTER

Douglas W. Stern Mayor Contact Information Larry Clark Mayor Pro Tem Contact Information Thomas D. Long Councilmember Contact Information Peter C. Gardiner Councilmember Contact Information Steve Wolowicz Councilmember Contact Information

I totally agree with the comments above from the PVP Watch Newsletter. St. John Fisher Catholic Church has been at its current location since 1961, and its current sanctuary is a converted gymnasium. Almost every resident near St. John Fisher has probably purchased their home knowing that the church was in their immediate neighborhood. St. John Fisher has been intending on building a true church sanctuary for many years and has the right to build a beautiful church at least as prominent as the other churches on the Peninsula.

As regards the RPV City Council continuing to expend limited city resources on pursuing a legal appeal of the Monks case, I also think that this is a gross waste of taxpayer money. No active land movement creating a danger to human life or damage has been proven in this area, and to deprive the homeowners in this neighborhood a right to develop their property is just not right.

 For more information about Rancho Palos Verdes Real Estate , visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

It is amazing to me how many people let their emotions control their lives, when with a little effort, you can choose how you react to situations. Do you let little frustrations during the day bring you down, or do you choose to forget them and move on?  If someone makes you angry, are you quick to forgive, or do you carry on a grudge? 

 

What "head you wear" is up to you!!!!!

I recently took a fantastic cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines to several ports o' call on the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas including Venice, Italy. If you visit Venice, the following are some suggestions:

1)  It is about a 15 or 20 minute walk from the Ship to the Water Bus stop in Piazza Roma. You should buy a 24 hour pass for 16 euro for unlimited use of the Water bus. Their are 2 water bus lines, one of which makes fewer stops between the Piazza Roma and St. Marks square. The stops each line makes are clearly outlined on a board at each water bus station. It is about a 30 minute water bus ride to St. Marks Square. You should be aware of the difference between the water bus and private water taxis. Water taxis are free to charge whatever they want, and can be very expensive.

2)  You should preorder your tickets to visit St. Marks Cathedral,  This will save you a lot of time waiting in line. You can easily purchase tickets to the Doges Palace as well as the Museum on St. Marks Square in the second floor museum entrance at the far corner of St. Marks Square from the entrance to the Doges Palace. At the time of our visit, there were thousands of tourists, but no line at all at this location to buy tickets to Doges Palace.

St. Marks Square and Bell Tower

St. Marks Square and Doges Palace

3)  You may want to preorder tickets to the special tour of normally off limits areas of the Doges Palace online, but you have to do it months in advance.  

 

For more pictures of my Venice trip, visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

Last weekend, I attended the christening of my gorgeous god daughter and had a wonderful time with my family in Northern California. She is just a doll, with a wonderful gleeful, emerging personality. I am a godmother to my niece who recently graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, so it is wonderful to have another christening for my little brother.

Congratulations to my brother and his lovely wife Marie!!! 

The California Residential Purchase Agreement (California Association of Realtors form RPA-CA) is a standard form purchase contract (Click Here to view a pdf file of a sample RPA-CA purchase contract) and receipt of deposit utilized by Realtors throughout the state of California.

 Due Diligence Contingency Period: There is a standard 17 day contingency period for the buyer to read and approve the disclosures given above by the seller. and complete any investigations or inspections of the property which the buyer wants. During this contingency period, the buyer may request that the seller make certain repairs disclosed in the inspection reports, however the seller is under no obligation to do so. The buyer may cancel the purchase any time during this contingency period. If the buyer has not removed all contingencies by the end of the 17 day contingency period, the contingency period is effectively continued until the seller sends to the buyer a Notice to Perform, which requires the buyer to remove all contingencies within the agreed upon period of time in the contract (usually from 24 to 72 hours), or the contract will be canceled.

Once the buyer removes all contingencies, failure by either the buyer or seller to close escrow on time may be a breach of the contract. If the buyer breaches the contract, the seller may require forfeiture of the buyer's deposit, as liquidated damages. The RPA-CA is designed to let the buyer, seller and agents know where they stand contractually at any given time because significant decisions must be in writing. Since most contingencies expire at the same time (17 days), a buyer who is satisfied with the property or who has agreed with the seller on repairs can remove the contingencies with only one document. The requirement of written contingency removal avoids surprises associated with inadvertent contingency removal and implied waiver of time periods.

For more information about the California Residential Purchase Contract  visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

Image courtesy of conveyancing-help.com

Mortgage Interest: Mortgage payments are set up to be due on the 1st of each month, and pay both a principal payment, as well as interest owed for the prior month. If a buyer's loan closes on 4/15, the lender will charge prepaid interest for the last 15 days of the month that the loan closes, which will appear on the buyer's closing statement. The first mortgage payment for the buyer won't be due for approx. 45 days until 6/1, since the interest for April has been prepaid at closing, and the interest for May isn't owed until the first of June, in arrears.

The seller will also receive a charge for the interest owed on the seller's current loan from the date of their last loan payment until the closing date of sale, which will appear on the seller's closing statement. The amount of interest and principal owed by the seller is received by escrow through sending a demand notice to the lender requesting loan payoff information and a per-day interest calculation so that escrow may accurately prepare the closing statement based on the exact day of closing.

For more information about Closing Costs , visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

Image courtesy of mtgfoundation.com

Silver Spur: (Area 176 in map below) This area is bordered by Silver Spur Road, Hawthorne Boulevard, and the City of Palos Verdes Estates.The homes in this area tend to be smaller and older than many of the other homes in Rancho Palos Verdes, and therefore tend to be more affordable. Neighborhoods include Grandview Estates. Peninsula High School is located in this area.

    Silver Spur Homes   

    Silver Spur Hillside Home

Palos Verdes Peninsula Map (Rancho Palos Verdes City limits in Orange)

As of October 31, 2008, there were 13 homes listed for sale in this area, with listing prices averaging approx. $1, 048,000. 8 homes sold in this area during the 3rd Quarter of 2008.

For more information about Rancho Palos Verdes Real Estate  and buying or selling a home on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com
                                                                       

Below are several pictures of the early construction of roads on the Palos Verdes Peninsula:

 

Road Construction of Palos Verdes Drive West and Yarmouth Road - Site of Lunada Bay Plaza and 1920's Lunada Bay,

 Via Colonel & PV Drive West towards ocean(Pictures Courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District)

In 1926, the coast road connecting Redondo Beach to San Pedro, previously called Granvia La Costa, now called Palos Verdes Drive West, was completed, including the monumental "Douglas Cut", which was blasted away above Bluff Cove.


Douglas Cut (Picture Courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District)

Six street entrances were planned for the Palos Verdes peninsula, three from the east and three from the north. The main broad street, Granvia La Costa (Palos Verdes Drive), considered a parkway with a landscaped center strip, was designed for the unrealized Pacific Electric Railway to run down its center.


The road development on the Peninsula in 1927.(Picture Courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District)

Road construction moved forward rapidly in the late 1950's and through the mid 1960's. Hawthorne Blvd. through the Peninsula was completed in several segments. Hawthorne Blvd. was completed from Silver Spur to Crest in 1959. The segment from Palos Verdes Drive North to Silver Spur was completed in 1961. After several years of planning, the final segment extending Hawthorne Blvd. from Newton in Torrance to Palos Verdes Drive North was completed in 1965.

For more about the HISTORY OF PALOS VERDES ESTATES , the HISTORY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
 , and the HISTORY OF ROLLING HILLS AND ROLLING HILLS ESTATES , visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

I have a wonderful new listing of a condominium in San Pedro that has a fantastic Panoramic Ocean view. It is located just south of the Trump National Golf Club next to the border with Rancho Palos Verdes

                                                   Spectacular View Condo 
                                                    2235 W. 25th St. #217
                                                             San Pedro, CA
                                                                    $525,000



FABULOUS PANORAMIC OCEAN, COASTLINE & CATALINA VIEW CONDO! - THIS

LARGE 1350 SQ FT, 2 BEDROOM,2 BATH HOME IN THE SOUTH SHORES AREA OF

SAN PEDRO OVERLOOKS THE SOUTH SHORES GOLF COURSE AND HAS VIEWS

TO TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF COURSE AND THE COASTLINE. THE AMENITIES

INCLUDE A COMMUNITY POOL WITH THE SAME EXPANSIVE VIEWS, AND AN

ADJACENT OUTDOOR BAR-B-QUE EATING AREA PERFECT FOR ENTERTAINING

GUESTS. THE UNIT HAS EASY ACCESS OFF THE ELEVATOR, WITH A SPACIOUS

 FLOORPLAN, CUSTOM BATHS WITH ONE OF A KIND DESIGNER TILE AND

UPDATED KITCHEN, WITH CUSTOM TILE COUNTERS. THE COMPLEX IS WELL

KEPT WITH BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING, IRON RAILINGS AND WALKWAYS. BUYER

TO VERIFY SQ FOOTAGE AND ALL HOA INFORMATION.

 
View of Golf Course from Pool Area                                 Exterior View of Second Floor Entrance with Landscaping


 
Pool Area with Panoramic Ocean and Catalina View                            Adjacent Dining and Bar-b-que Area

For more information about this property or buying or selling property on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com

It may be hard to envision today, with the extensive landscaping and groves of trees which currently exist on the Peninsula, but the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the 1920's primarily consisted of coastal sage brush with very few trees. The Palos Verdes Project in the 1920's and 1930's employed a large number of gardeners who planted trees and plants throughout Malaga Cove and Valmonte, to encourage investors and potential home buyers to purchase property in Palos Verdes. A very large nursery was constructed on the current site of Lunada Bay Plaza to grow plants to be used by the Palos Verdes Project.


Nursery Constructed at 1005 Via Zumaya in Lunada Bay to supply plants for the Palos Verdes Project (Picture Courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District)

For more about the HISTORY OF PALOS VERDES ESTATES visit my website at http://www.maureenmegowan.com