Manhattan Beach Living

06/03/2026

Introducing “Manhattan Beach Reimagined.”

14 impressionistic digital paintings — each one created from my original photography of the streets, homes, and coastline I’ve walked for nearly 40 years. These aren’t filters. They’re multi-step painterly transformations built in Photoshop, layer by layer.

Spanish Colonials at golden hour. Talavera tile staircases. Sanderlings at dusk. Bougainvillea spilling over brick. The South Bay, reimagined as art.

Now liv by e as prints, canvas, and more on Fine Art America. Link in bio.

Swipe through, and when you visit the gallery — zoom in. The brushwork and canvas texture tell the real story.

05/20/2026

There's a reason the California Gold Rush is one of the great American stories. It wasn't just about gold. It was about positioning — being in the right spot on the right river at the right moment.

The South Bay housing market has quietly split into two currents. One is accelerating. The other has gone still. They share the same coastline, the same school districts, the same ocean breeze. But the outcomes for homeowners in each channel look nothing alike.

I wrote about what's happening — and why it matters — in this week's piece. No charts. No jargon. Just the story the data is telling.

https://garysenser.substack.com/p/same-street-different-universe?r=gt0cb

05/13/2026

Teddy's morning market tour.

He doesn't care about price per square foot. He's here for the ocean breeze and the wonderful neighbors in the North End of Manhattan Beach.

Thirty-seven years walking these streets. The houses change. The light doesn't.

05/01/2026

Stan and I have purchased or leased 16 BMWs over the years. All from the same person — Neda Shahrokhi, the #1 BMW salesperson in the United States for 18 consecutive years.

She recently joined BMW of Santa Monica, and some friends produced this video that captures exactly why we've stayed with her for so long. It's not about the cars. It's about how she treats people.

Neda says something in this video that I think about in my own work every day: "If you don't take care of your customer, someone else will."

That's the standard. In car sales, in real estate, in any relationship-driven business. The people who last aren't the ones chasing transactions — they're the ones who make you feel like you matter long after the deal closes.

Congratulations on the move, Neda. 16 cars in, and we're not going anywhere.

04/29/2026

For the full SFR-vs-condo breakdown across all four South Bay cities: https://garysenser.substack.com/p/the-south-bay-has-two-housing-markets

04/29/2026

April's numbers are in for the South Bay, and the data is telling two very different stories depending on what you own.

Every single-family home market in our four beach cities sold above asking price this month. Manhattan Beach SFR at 101.5% of asking. North Redondo at 101.6%. Hermosa and South Redondo both at 101.2%.

The condo side? Manhattan Beach condos closed at 97.5% — below asking. South Redondo at 98.8%. And South Redondo has 45 active condo listings versus just 11 houses.

Same neighborhoods. Same school districts. Completely different markets.

If you're thinking about making a move — buying or selling — the strategy depends entirely on which market you're in. Happy to walk through what the numbers mean for your specific situation.

📊 Full market data in my latest analysis — link in comments.

04/21/2026

The South Bay has two housing markets right now — and most people only see one.

I just published my weekly analysis, and this week's data tells a striking story.

Single-family homes in our four beach cities are selling at or above asking price, with Manhattan Beach SFRs closing in a median of 7 days. South Redondo houses are the only market in the South Bay selling above asking — at 102.5%.

Condos? Different story. South Redondo's condo market dropped 11 points on the Altos Research Market Action Index in a single week. There are 113 active condo listings across the four cities versus 90 houses — but houses are outselling condos 60/40.

If you're making a real estate decision right now, the most important question isn't "how's the market?" It's "which market?"

Full breakdown with all the data:

Where real estate meets strategy, storytelling, and straight talk. I’m Your Real Estate Insider, giving you clear, compelling insights into the housing market — and the life moves behind it.”. Click to read Your Real Estate Insider, by Gary Senser, a Substack publication with thousands of subs...

04/18/2026

Saturday morning on the sand.

Before the joggers, before the volleyball nets go up, before the first surfers paddle out — the sandpipers own the beach. They move in formation, chasing the tide line, finding what the ocean left behind.

There's something about early mornings in Manhattan Beach that reminds you why people pay what they pay to live here. It's not just the homes. It's the light. The quiet. The space between the waves.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Follow for weekly South Bay market data and insight.

Gary Senser | Your Real Estate Insider Botello & Senser, ESTATE PROPERTIES 310-383-2779

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04/18/2026

The squirrel hunt continues... indoors.

After a week of walking the Sand Section, analyzing market data, and chasing real squirrels on The Strand, Teddy has found a more cooperative target. This stuffed squirrel doesn't run. It doesn't climb trees. It doesn't taunt him from power lines. It just sits there and takes it.

If you've been following along, you know Teddy has a complicated relationship with the squirrels of Manhattan Beach. They're faster than him. They're smarter than him. And they have an unfair advantage in vertical mobility. But this one? This one he can handle.

We'll be back on the streets Monday morning. Until then, Teddy's taking the weekend off. I suggest you do the same.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Follow for weekly South Bay market data and insight.

Gary Senser | Your Real Estate Insider Botello & Senser, ESTATE PROPERTIES 310-383-2779

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04/16/2026

The first two weeks of April in the South Bay: 40 homes sold, 95 pending, 214 active listings.

Manhattan Beach is still selling in 6 days at $4.8M median. But inventory is building across all four cities — months of inventory has expanded from the 1.6-3.4 range in March to 4.1-6.6 in early April.

The market is rebalancing, not breaking. Sellers still have speed. Buyers are gaining options.

I publish bi-weekly market updates with city-by-city data for the South Bay. For the full breakdown and more analysis like this, subscribe to my newsletter: garysenser.substack.com

Gary Senser | Your Real Estate Insider 310-383-2779

Where real estate meets strategy, storytelling, and straight talk. I’m Your Real Estate Insider, giving you clear, compelling insights into the housing market — and the life moves behind it.”. Click to read Your Real Estate Insider, by Gary Senser, a Substack publication with thousands of subs...