Santa Monica, CA Community Information

Santa Monica’s stunning beaches have a magnetic pull all its own, sprawling 3.5 miles long and maximized by nearly 350 days of sunshine a year. The Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park Amusement offers a one-stop beachfront and boardwalk jam-packed with arcades, street vendors, shops, eateries, a Ferris wheel and a 1920s carousel—all while offering panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean.

True to California form, Santa Monica real estate comes at a high price. Limited housing stock has sent home prices in Santa Monica skyrocketing, with the average home price at about $730,000. This potential for housing shortages has also allowed for state-wide appreciation in the double digits, according to money.cnn.com, which lists Santa Monica’s median home price at $784,000 with 10 percent appreciation in the last year. According to Coldwell Banker’s annual Home Price Comparison Index, a 2,200-square-foot house with four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a family room and a two-car garage could set Santa Monica home-buyers back nearly $1.8 million. But for many happy residents, Santa Monica is the classic beach lover’s utopia.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica
http://www.santamonica.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_Pier
http://www.homegain.com/local_real_estate/CA/santa_monica.html
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL0670000.html
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/hpci_data/index.html