Getting Schooled on RB’s Schools

While our beloved Redondo Beach is just over six square miles, the Redondo Beach Unified School District school district of consists eight elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school (as well as one continuation school and one adult school). But our residents are focused on quality, not just quantity! Over the past two years, seven of these schools were named”California Gold Ribbon Schools” while several others have been recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. High honors for our idyllic ocean-side community!

Elementary Schools: Alta Vista, Beryl Heights, Birney, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, Tulita, Washington

Middle Schools: Adams, Parras,

High Schools: Redondo Union

Not sure which school you are currently zoned for? Or interested in buying in a specific school district? Check out the district map below or try this interactive version for a simplified way to determine which school territory your home is located in.

Wondering why our schooling systems are so effective?

The Redondo Beach School System is financially supplemented by two contributing organizations: the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Redondo Beach Education Foundation (RBEF). There is frequently confusion regarding the differences between these two organizations, but the RBEF and the PTA play clears roles in their over-arching purpose to fill the gap between the state provided school funds and the actual operating costs of each classroom. One of the largest children’s advocacy organizations in the US, the PTA pays for school and site-specific needs (ex: field trips and classroom enrichment programs). The Redondo Beach PTA has more than 8,000 members and runs an annual membership drive. Incredible to see such a huge cumulative effort to make education one of the pillars of our community!

Alternately (but just as importantly), the RBEF’s focus is on funding the salaries of the individuals that are needed to teach the varying programs that are in place in each school throughout the districts. RBEF works to maintain the high quality of education offered at each of Redondo Beach campuses by providing living wage salaries for music teachers, science teachers and all specialized instructors.

All of the changes and developments in Redondo Beach schools can be followed by “School News”- a monthly newsletter to promote the news of the district and each of the schools. While print copies of each issue are distributed to the elementary school students, to teachers and staff in all schools and to select business locations, you can also access the newsletters online. Check out the February 2017 Edition to learn more about the role of the RBEF, 2017 kindergarten enrollment and much more!

As a Redondo Beach resident, your children are guaranteed a space in kindergarten at your home/ neighborhood school – so be sure to take advantage of living in the award-winning Redondo Beach Unified School District and get enrolled!(side note: next Fall marks the enrollment of the class of 2030!)

Timing Your Home Sale

As many of you have probably learned, the timing of a situation can be everything! When it comes to selling your home, it is wise to take go over the following questions and develop a timeline that works for your family’s unique needs:

• How long is it going to take you to get your home ready to be put on the market?
• How long is your home going to be for sale?
• How long of an escrow should you negotiate?
• How long will it take you to find your new property (whether buyer or selling)?
• How long does it take to actually move?

Questions on how to best time the sale of your home?
Contact us!  info@weberaccetta.com
Lauren: 310-387-4693 and Michelle: 310-293-1883

 

Valentine’s Day in the South Bay

 Not sure what to do with your boo this Valentine’s? We have selected a few romantic AND fun events that are taking place nearby….

Sweetheart’s Stroll in the Botanic Garden:

Sunday, February 12, 2017 – 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Event is FREE for Garden Members!  General Admission rates apply for non-members.

  ($5-$25 – depending on package)

Visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic, blanket or chairs and enjoy music by VOX DJ  on the Upper Meadow.  Beer tastings will be provided by Red Car Brewery and Restaurant and wine from Plough/Wooden Valley Wines.  The Foil Place will be onsite to provide a complimentary, personalized engraving with the purchase of a wine glass. A photo booth will be on site and food can also be purchased from Richeeze Grilled Cheese Truck.

Valentine’s Day | Upstairs & Downstairs at R10 Social House:

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

R/10 Social House provides ideal settings for both singles and couples on Valentine’s Day with an Upstairs & Downstairs event. R/10 turns its upstairs bar and lounge into a singles party with cocktails and a DJ from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (No reservations required)

Meanwhile, the downstairs portion of the venue will feature an intimate 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu with wine-pairing option available from 5:00 p.m. to close. To make a reservation call ahead at (310) 798-2500.

Hoppy Valentines Dinner by Primal Alchemy Catering & Brouweij West:

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 – 6:00 PM – 10:00 PMr

 Primal Alchemy Catering is hosting a farm to table Valentine’s dinner with Brouwerij West Brewery Beers for an unforgettable romantic celebration.

Set in a 1940’s warehouse, you will arrive to aphrodisiac appetizers paired with a complimentary tasting of 5 Brouwerij West beers to start off the evening.  Sway to the French-Gypsy swing music of Hedgehog Swing and capture the memory with a picture in our Lovers Only photo booth, before enjoying a seasonally selected dinner.

Ticketed event with limited seats – offering individual tickets, couples tickets and group tickets.

1FUR1’s Cupid & Canines Valentine’s Benefit | Zoom Room, RB 

Sunday, February 19, 4-6 pm

Join 1FUR1’s Cupid & Canines Valentine’s Benefit at the Zoom Room Redondo Beach for fun activities to enjoy with your 4-legged best friend by your side.

Celebrate the holiday with tasty treats, awesome giveaways, doggy body art, DIY clay paw prints, smooches in the photo booth, food, drinks and lots of of mingling with fellow dog lovers. Enter your dog in the high jump competition to win big prizes and meet the Zoom Room trainers who will answer any training questions and share tips. For more details and tix, visit https://www.1fur1.org/events

A Groundhog’s Real Estate Predictions

With the dawn of February, comes the advent of a momentous tradition that dates back to 1887 – Groundhog Day.

Featuring a rodent meterologist, this day was first celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and has roots in roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of cold winter weather. Tradition also states that an early spring is indicated if the groundhog does not see its shadow.

Here is to hoping that Phil the Punxsutawney groundhog, does NOT see his shadow tomorrow, when he emerges to predict the next few months of weather.

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Like Phil, we have a few predictions about how the real estate market will behave over the next few months.

Unlike Phil, we have done research and are not scared of our own shadows.

Based on our research, here are a few things you can (most likely) expect over 2017:

• While 2016 saw record-low rates, mortgage rates have begun to rise following the election. Experts predict that rates will climb by half a percent over 2017.

• According to predictions by  Joe Kirchner, senior economist at Realtor.com, millennials and baby boomers will dominate demand in the housing market will millennials making up 33% of the buyer pool and baby boomers representing another 30%. This prediction is expected to hold true for the next decade.

• However, as more “first-time buyers” (millennials) seek out their first homes, the available inventory is expected to continue to drop in 2017. Which inventory already down an 11 percent in the top 100 metros in 2016, this means that home buyers will have even fewer choices.

• Kirchner further predicts that the West will outpace the rest of the country in real estate action, with home prices in Western cities increasing 5.8% and sales increasing 4.7%.

• According to Zillow’s chief economist, Dr. Svenja Gudell, new construction projects will also be hit with higher costs. In Zillow’s 2017 Market Predictions, she argues,

“Buyers of new homes will have to spend more as builders cover the cost of rising construction wages, driven even higher in 2017 by continued labor shortages, which could be worsened by tougher immigration policies under President-elect Trump.” 

• There are some positive expectations in place as well. Gudell predicts that as incomes rises and rent appreciation slows, rental affordability will improve. Her argument is supported by Urban Land Institute’s October 2016 Real Estate Consensus Forecast, which noted that apartment rental rate growth is expected to moderate to 3.0 percent in 2017,  but remain above the 20-year average growth rate of 2.8 percent.