How to Host a Party without Going Broke

Posted on by November 18, 2017

It’s the holiday season and time to gather together to celebrate the gift of family and friendship. 

Whether you host a party every year or it’s your first one, here are some tips to help you plan a party that’s fun, festive and friendly.

How to Host Party without Going broke tips

How to host a Party without Going Broke Infographic by Patty Sullivan

Set a Budget

  • List Potential Expenses: Invites, Decorations, Entertainment, Food & Drinks.
  • Prioritize where you’d like to spend the most money.
  • Choose a Venue – Reserve your choice as soon as you choose a date or host the party at your own home to cut costs.

Create Your Guest List & Send Invites

Although your budget may dictate the size of your party, the type of party can help control the budget, for example: sit-down dinners are more expensive then buffet-style dinners and email invitations are less expensive than mailed ones.

Plan Your Entertainment

  • Have fun with Music! Use a digital service like Spotify or Pandora to create a playlist. 
  • Rent or borrow a Karaoke Machine.
  • Encourage guests to wear festive attire; offer a prize for best outfit.
  • Create Goody bags for kids in attendance.
  • Hold a Secret Santa Exchange or White Elephant Gift Swap.

Plan Your Menu

  • Catered: Hire as soon as possible for holiday season.
  • Cooking Yourself: Host a Brunch Buffet.
  • Plan a Potluck: Supply the main dish and ask for sides and desserts from guests.
  • Save Money on Drinks: Create a Signature Drink and stock up on soda, water, and apple cider

Decorate

  • Reuse old decorations or borrow from family & friends.
  • Use natural items like pine cones & branches. Make popcorn strings and paper snowflakes.
  • When the season is over, purchase holiday décor on sale for next year!

At the End of the Party

  • Buy food storage containers ahead of time to send people home with leftovers and treats.
  • If you have centerpieces of flowers, send them home with a few of your guests or use them as prizes.
  • If you have a Polaroid or instant camera, take photos throughout the party or set up a photo booth. Allow guests to keep the photos or send them with a handwritten note after the party.

October 2017 Real Estate Sales for Los Angeles South Bay

Posted on by November 18, 2017

Real Estate Sales Report for Los Angeles’s South Bay

October 2017 Real Estate Sales Statistics for the South Bay cities of Los Angeles which I hope you will find helpful. Rancho Palos Verdes, North Redondo, and Manhattan Beach have had the highest number of sales for the year to date, while Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and San Pedro have not had significant turn-over. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach are the most expensive homes averaging $1217.25 and $949.90 per square ft. respectively.

Sotheby’s Names Patty Sullivan Top 2016 Realtor Producer

Posted on by February 16, 2017

2016 Top ProducerPatty Sullivan, a Palos Verdes-based Realtor, was named by Vista Sotheby’s International Realty, with offices in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes one of its top producers for 2016.

I am very proud and pleased to be included in the announcement of all the top producers as the #8 Realtor for 2016.  

Thank you to all or my clients for putting their trust in me and making 2016 another successful year. I am never too busy for referrals. Please contact me for any questions about buying or selling a home in the South Bay.

SOLD! Represented the Buyer for an exclusive historic property in Palos Verdes Estates

Posted on by February 16, 2017
2101 Rosita Place - Casa Felicia

Patty Sullivan represented the buyer for this 1925 Spanish Villa on the bluffs of Palos Verdes Estates.

SOLD!

I am pleased to report my latest property sold for my client is the renowned Casa Felicia, built in 1925 in Palos Verdes Estates.
Here is a video about the property

Casa Felicia – 2101 Rosita Place, Palos Verdes Estates from Walkthrough Productions on Vimeo.

2016 Summer Concert Series for Palos Verdes and the Beach Cities

Posted on by July 5, 2016
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South Bay Summer Concert Series

Summer Concert Series for 2016

Enjoy this easy to print out concert schedule for the 2016 Summer Concert Series going on throughout the South Bay of Los Angeles!

I am happy to send along all of these wonderful dates to you so you don’t miss out on a great way to spend a warm evening with friends listening to FREE music!

Here are our tips for attending one of these free concerts:

  1. Pack a picnic! Many local restaurants offer picnic baskets that are ready to go!
  2. Arrive early for the best seats. Some venues allow you to place your blankets hours ahead of the concert start time.
  3. If you bring a chair, keep in mind not to block people’s views behind you. Sometimes there are restrictions as to where you can set up chairs.
  4. Take note of the closest restrooms. Some venues have very limited availability.
  5. Dress warmly for the cooler nights in August. Bring blankets to sit on and wrap up into when the weather cools down after sunset.
  6. Bring along a flashlight for later in the summer so you don’t forget any of your picnic items after the concert.

    Click to download a schedule to print out and put up on your fridge! – Summer Concerts

Real Estate Market Report – March through May 2016

Posted on by July 5, 2016
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2000px-Flag_of_California.svgMay real estate sales reports show that it’s still very much a seller’s market. May homes for sale in Los Angeles and the South Bay totaled 1470, up 6.2% compared to the previous month, up 0.8% compared to this time last year. Closed sales for May totaled 830. Down 0.8% compared to the previous month and down 4.2% compared to the same time last year. 1029 homes were placed under contract for May. Up 14.8% compared to April 2016 and up 13.2% compared to this time last year.*

*Source: TrendGraphix 6/10/16 

Housing Market Update for South Bay Cities March 2015 through May 2016

 

Palos Verdes Local Pro Surfer Alex Gray on Cover of SouthBay Magazine for the May/June 2016 Issue

Posted on by May 25, 2016

alexgray-coverstory-southbaymagazine2016This month’s issue of our local Southbay magazine is entitled the Men’s Issue and features a cover story on local professional big wave surfer, Alex Gray.

Also in this month’s magazine:

  • Tips on staying healthy while traveling
  • Take a Hawai‘ian vacation that restores your mojo without sacrificing your sacred fitness routine.
  • Harnessing new technology that measures the body in motion, The Center for Mechanical Medicine aims to boost athletic performance and decrease pain and injury.
  • Let’s face it: We live in a youth-obsessed culture.
  • Carmen Sellers, 82, is an archetype for health, happiness and the life-extending benefits of Blue Zones Project’s Power 9® principles.
  • Why a local mom and blogger transitioned her family to a (mostly) plant-based diet at home and never looked back
  • Manhattan Beach resident and The Biggest Loser producer J.D. Roth has a taste for both TV and transformation.
  • It’s not easy to become a Junior Lifeguard. Just ask Kirra Troeger—the first teen in Los Angeles with Down syndrome to make the cut.
Waxing ShadowsWAXING SHADOWS
You probably already know Alex Gray as one of the finest surfers to come out of the South Bay in his generation. Earnest, gregarious and full of life, he embodies the “go big or go home” dogma. Yet behind the enthusiasm and incandescent smile, this journey to the top is much more than conquering epic waves, one after another. Like so many meaningful narratives, Alex’s comes layered with emotion, struggle and redemption. Here’s what makes him South Bay Strong.

6-Month New Construction vs Resales Cost Per Square Foot – PALOS VERDES and Beach Cities

Posted on by May 25, 2016
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Our office took an average of cost per square foot for new construction and resales of single family homes sold between October 2015 and May 2016 here in the Beach Cities. You will find this eye opening to say the least.

Price Per Square Foot – Properties Sold

October 2015 – Present

Manhattan Beach 

  • New Construction: 15    $949 avg. per sq. ft.
  • All Resales: 128           $1009 avg. per sq. ft.

Hermosa Beach

  • New Construction: 11        $1013 avg. per sq. ft.
  • All Resales: 63           $1078 avg. per sq. ft.

Redondo Beach

  • New Construction: 10   $605 avg. per sq. ft.
  • All Resales: 173           $1089 avg. per sq. ft.

Palos Verdes Estates 

  • New Construction: 2    $1121 avg. per sq. ft.
  • All Resales: 94            $690 avg. per sq. ft.

Active Single Family Residences 

New Construction Price Per Square Foot

October 2015 – Present

  •  Manhattan Beach: 21    $1195 avg. per sq. ft.
  •  Hermosa Beach: 2       $775 avg. per sq. ft.
  •  Redondo Beach: 2        $700 avg. per sq. ft.
  •  PVE : 3                       $820 avg. per sq. ft.

 Source: MLS

California Home Sales in March 2016

Posted on by May 25, 2016

California-Outline-and-Flag-SolidThe California Association of Realtors (CAR) released their March report covering California existing home sales and median prices. The statewide median price rose over the year by 4.0% to $483,020 and was the strongest gain in six months. Compared with February, the median price moved higher by 8.9%, reversing a two month decline.

Sales of single-family homes rose by 5.7% over the year in March to 415,220 units sold (annualized rate, adjusted for seasonality). The spring home buying season is underway but sales growth during the coming months will be tied to the regions in California where affordability is less of a problem (inland areas) and where inventory is more abundant. In the San Francisco bay area, for example, where year-over-year sales were down by 8.1% in March, the inventory of homes for sale was just 2.6%. In contrast, with a 4.0 month supply, sales growth in the Los Angeles metro area increased by 1.7%, and in the Inland Empire, where there was a 4.5 month supply, sales increased by 5.3% over the year in March. The lack of inventory and competition for what is available in many of California’s coastal employment centers continues to exert strong upward pressure on prices.

Mortgage interest rates were basically flat in March, with the 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaging 3.69%, compared with 3.66% in February and 3.77% in March 2015. *

*Source: LAEDC / Kimberly Ritter 4/21/16