Category: Home Prices
Schools are Very Important to the Torrance Real Estate Market
It’s no real secret that good schools help drive real estate values in certain neighborhoods and communities.
Buyers with kids want to be in areas with good schools and that higher demand helps keep values up. Even those without kids greatly benefit from a strong school system. The stronger the schools the more insulated a market is from any downturns. That was very evident in Redondo Beach that saw home prices drop during the recession and housing crisis, but only a very small amount compared with other local areas that do not have as strong a school system.
A recent CAR study showed that 47% of home buyers said good schools were very importan, 23% said that they were somewhat important, 11% said not very important and 19% said that it was not important at all.
The 19% may not realize just how much of an influence schools play on values and demand. Good elementary schools are often part of a good community and without question most buyers would like to live in a good community.
The Torrance Unified School District is highly ranked and that creates a very high demand, especially for families thinking of living in this coastal community.
The study also conclued that 43% of consumers age 34 or under believe highly rated schools are very important. 58% of consumers earning more than $100,000 a year think that highly rated schools are very important.
Historical Interest Rates since 1972
Many Torrance CA buyers are concerned with interest rates rising with the Fed making it clear that rates will slowly increats. That’s certainly a valid concern for potential Torrance homebuyers as a higher interest rate means a higher monthly payment which most often means a lower priced home. Taken in historical standpoint the current rates are dramatically lower than at just about any other time. The chart below shows the interest rate on conventional and conforming 30 year fixed rate mortgages. As we’ll see we’ve basically seen rates drop consistently since the high water mark of 16.3% in 1981. It certainly makes todays current rate in the mid 4% range seem pretty enticing.


New Website for Old Torrance Real Estate
If you’re looking for a home in the Old Torrance area of Torrance CA, we’ve created a website to give you real estate information specific to this charming and historic part of town. OldTorranceHomes.com has everything real estate.
See information on current homes for sale in Old Torrance, sellers can find the value of their homes, search the MLS and see blog posts for this unique area.

The Incredible California and Torrance Real Estate Market
California real estate is absolutely incredible and the markets in the South Bay and Torrance is even more frenzied. According to the CAR 2017 annual housing survey 60.4% of all homes listed received multiple offers and 32.9% sold over the list price! Click here to see the latest Torrance real estate statistics including prices, days on market % of list price homes are selling for and more.

November 2017 Median Home Prices in Torrance, CA
November 2017 was a solid month for home sales in Torrance, CA.
There were 117 homes, townhomes, condos and multi unit properties sold in the month at a median home price of $700,000 which was a 6.6% increase from the same month a year earlier. The number of sales was down slighty from October which saw 127 homes sell.
The lowest price of the month was $265,000 for a one bedroom condo with the highest priced sale of the month being $1,550,000 for a 4 bedroom single family home in South Torrance.
To see the sold homes in Torrance CA visit our recent home sales page.
| City | # of sold homes | November 2017 Median | November 2016 Median | Year over Year % Change% |
| Carson | 49 | $476,000 | $450,000 | 5.9% |
| El Segundo | 12 | $1,243,000 | $816,000 | 52.3% |
| Gardena | 52 | $533,000 | $504,000 | 5.7% |
| Harbor City | 10 | $555,000 | $523,000 | 6.1% |
| Hawthorne | 30 | $577,000 | $575,000 | .3% |
| Hermosa Beach | 20 | $1,550,000 | $1,380,000 | 12.3% |
| Lawndale | 18 | $515,000 | $393,000 | 31.2% |
| Lomita | 11 | $599,000 | $473,000 | 26.8% |
| Long Beach | 318 | $510,000 | $490,000 | 4% |
| Manhattan Beach | 35 | $2,300,000 | $1,863,000 | 23.5% |
| Marina Del Rey | 33 | $925,000 | $955,000 | -3.1% |
| Palos Verdes Estates | 27 | $1,510,000 | $1,550,000 | -2.6% |
| Playa Del Rey | 21 | $710,000 | $658,000 | 7.9% |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | 31 | $1,108,000 | $1,088,000 | 1.8% |
| Redondo Beach | 79 | $955,000 | $900,000 | 6.1% |
| San Pedro | 55 | $550,000 | $515,000 | 6.8% |
| Torrance | 117 | $700,000 | $656,000 | 6.6% |
| Westchester | 35 | $1,015,000 | $943,000 | 7.6% |