Queen Mary, July 4, 2014
A sunset, November 2013
Belmont Pier, May 2014
El Dorado Park, September 21, 2014
Duffy in Alamitos Bay, 2014
Sunset over Alamitos Bay from Tantalum, 2013
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Lovely Long Beach
Long Beach offers, well, a beach, of course, but also views, bays, parks and lots of trees. No wonder Long Beach real estate is constantly in demand.
Queen Mary, July 4, 2014
Belmont Pier, May 2014
Duffy in Alamitos Bay, 2014
Queen Mary, July 4, 2014 Belmont Pier, May 2014 Duffy in Alamitos Bay, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
THUMS Islands: A Different Kind of Long Beach Real Estate
One of the purposes of this blog, aside from bragging about this awesome city and telling you about Long Beach real estate, is to let you in on the stories behind various Long Beach landmarks and history.
If you look off the coast, in San Pedro Bay, you will see 4 artificial islands that look like wonderful vacation destinations. The have colorful towers, waterfalls, and palm trees. They look FUN! They're much closer than Catalina. Makes me quote Tina Fey and say, "I want to go to there."
We cannot go to there, though, as these are actually oil islands, working oil islands that are tapped into the Wilmington Oil Field, one of the 10 largest oil fields in the country. They are in production 24/7. We would be arrested if we tried to enter the islands. Not very friendly of them. On occasion, though, there are sponsored tours of the islands, but contact your City Council member for more information on that. I took these photos while on a boat in the bay on July 4th.
As a group they are called THUMS Islands, with the name standing for the consortium of oil companies who built them in 1965: Texaco, Humble Oil (now Exxon), Union Oil, Mobil Oil and Shell Oil. And speaking of Catalina, the boulders that rim each of the islands are from Santa Catalina Island. The THUMS Islands were designed by theme park architect Joseph Linesch, who also worked on the design of Disneyland. Occidental Petroleum bought the islands in 2000.
Each island has been named after an astronaut who died in the line of duty: Island Grissom, Island, White, Island Chaffee and Island Freeman. Island Grissom is the closest and has waterfalls and the most sculptured screens. Island Freeman is the largest at 12 acres, the others are about 10 acres each.
Not only are the oil operations camouflaged by the screens and colorful structures, but they are sound-proofed with wellheads and pipelines below the surface to enhance the appearance of the skyline and harbor. Ah, come on, I do want to go to there!
While the islands may not be friendly to us, they have each been certified for commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs. Approximately 25,000 barrels of oil are produced daily from 735 active wells on the islands. Part of the net profits generated from the sale of the oil is funneled to the City's Tidelands Fund.
Houses on the peninsula and along Ocean have a view of THUMS. If you're interested in living in view of these, let me know. We can work something out and maybe I'll figure out how to get you a tour of one. Maybe.
If you look off the coast, in San Pedro Bay, you will see 4 artificial islands that look like wonderful vacation destinations. The have colorful towers, waterfalls, and palm trees. They look FUN! They're much closer than Catalina. Makes me quote Tina Fey and say, "I want to go to there."
 |
| one of the THUMS Islands |
As a group they are called THUMS Islands, with the name standing for the consortium of oil companies who built them in 1965: Texaco, Humble Oil (now Exxon), Union Oil, Mobil Oil and Shell Oil. And speaking of Catalina, the boulders that rim each of the islands are from Santa Catalina Island. The THUMS Islands were designed by theme park architect Joseph Linesch, who also worked on the design of Disneyland. Occidental Petroleum bought the islands in 2000.
Each island has been named after an astronaut who died in the line of duty: Island Grissom, Island, White, Island Chaffee and Island Freeman. Island Grissom is the closest and has waterfalls and the most sculptured screens. Island Freeman is the largest at 12 acres, the others are about 10 acres each.
Not only are the oil operations camouflaged by the screens and colorful structures, but they are sound-proofed with wellheads and pipelines below the surface to enhance the appearance of the skyline and harbor. Ah, come on, I do want to go to there!
While the islands may not be friendly to us, they have each been certified for commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs. Approximately 25,000 barrels of oil are produced daily from 735 active wells on the islands. Part of the net profits generated from the sale of the oil is funneled to the City's Tidelands Fund.
 |
| Island Grissom |
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Queen City - Queen Mary on 4th of July 2014
 |
| Fireworks over the Queen Mary, July 4, 2014 |
 |
| Sunset over the Queen Mary July 4, 2014 |
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
28% Customer Satisfaction? Not here.
I wrote the following post for LinkedIn and, although it's not Long Beach centric as this blog typically is, it does apply to real estate and other interactions in life. Let me know what you think.
As the fodder of comedian's jokes, airlines have struggled with their customer service perception - or lack of - since airline deregulation in the late 1970's. Once airline travel moved from the elite to the masses, the issues began and only heightened in the age of such online agencies as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, pushed into warp speed by websites such as Yelp, Kayak, CheapFlights, CheapTickets, GetMeThereFree, etc. Okay, the last one doesn't exist, but I think you follow me.
The current environment, where weather delays, misplaced bags, a surly gate agent or a sideways glance from a flight attendant sends passengers raging on Yelp, Facebook, Twitter or a letter to the Department of Transportation, makes consistent customer service a challenge. It's so difficult that a major carrier has set 28% as its goal for customer satisfaction. They are either discounting the other 72% as not particularly valid complaints or they only think they can only make 28% of their travelers happy. And that's the goal, not necessarily what is actually happening. Either way, it's not a good story.
Most businesses - dare I say any - struggle with customer service issues when the number of employees in contact with customers increases. Look at the recent press on the Comcast phone call. I know someone who supervises customer service agents at Comcast and that's not the type of service you would get on her watch - if she knows about it. However, she can't control what happens with every individual, on every call. Airlines have tens of thousands of employees. A great plan for phenomenal customer service in Dallas might not translate to that overworked gate agent in Scranton when one flight is delayed for weather, there is a creeping mechanical delay on another, a flight crew went illegal on their hours to cancel yet another and all she has is a mass of screaming, unhappy passengers in front of her.
All she can do is communicate facts, stay calm, keep them updated and be empathetic. Will that please 50% of them? 28% of them?
When we can get to the one on one interaction, where most of what is happening is under our control, we can get pretty close to 100% satisfaction with our customers if we do the basics: communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic. In the real estate business there is much that is out of our control when it comes to the loan funding, the behaviors of the party on the other side of the transaction, the unexpected news at a home inspection. We can still keep our customers satisfied and feeling valued when we communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch and are empathetic.
We don't have dozens of angry passengers screaming at us, when making 28% of them happy would seem impossible, but we do have one or two clients in front of us who might be making a lifetime investment and are scared to death when they hear their loan approval is delayed. My goal is 100% customer satisfaction by not only going beyond expectations, by delighting my clients, but by doing the basics: communicating facts, staying calm, staying in touch and being empathetic.
Come to think of it, that could work in our personal relationships as well as our professional ones. Think about applying that to your partner, spouse, sibling, parent, child, friend, insert-relationship-here.
Communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic.
Guaranteed to keep more than 28% satisfied and engaged.
As the fodder of comedian's jokes, airlines have struggled with their customer service perception - or lack of - since airline deregulation in the late 1970's. Once airline travel moved from the elite to the masses, the issues began and only heightened in the age of such online agencies as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, pushed into warp speed by websites such as Yelp, Kayak, CheapFlights, CheapTickets, GetMeThereFree, etc. Okay, the last one doesn't exist, but I think you follow me.
The current environment, where weather delays, misplaced bags, a surly gate agent or a sideways glance from a flight attendant sends passengers raging on Yelp, Facebook, Twitter or a letter to the Department of Transportation, makes consistent customer service a challenge. It's so difficult that a major carrier has set 28% as its goal for customer satisfaction. They are either discounting the other 72% as not particularly valid complaints or they only think they can only make 28% of their travelers happy. And that's the goal, not necessarily what is actually happening. Either way, it's not a good story.
Most businesses - dare I say any - struggle with customer service issues when the number of employees in contact with customers increases. Look at the recent press on the Comcast phone call. I know someone who supervises customer service agents at Comcast and that's not the type of service you would get on her watch - if she knows about it. However, she can't control what happens with every individual, on every call. Airlines have tens of thousands of employees. A great plan for phenomenal customer service in Dallas might not translate to that overworked gate agent in Scranton when one flight is delayed for weather, there is a creeping mechanical delay on another, a flight crew went illegal on their hours to cancel yet another and all she has is a mass of screaming, unhappy passengers in front of her.
All she can do is communicate facts, stay calm, keep them updated and be empathetic. Will that please 50% of them? 28% of them?
When we can get to the one on one interaction, where most of what is happening is under our control, we can get pretty close to 100% satisfaction with our customers if we do the basics: communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic. In the real estate business there is much that is out of our control when it comes to the loan funding, the behaviors of the party on the other side of the transaction, the unexpected news at a home inspection. We can still keep our customers satisfied and feeling valued when we communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch and are empathetic.
We don't have dozens of angry passengers screaming at us, when making 28% of them happy would seem impossible, but we do have one or two clients in front of us who might be making a lifetime investment and are scared to death when they hear their loan approval is delayed. My goal is 100% customer satisfaction by not only going beyond expectations, by delighting my clients, but by doing the basics: communicating facts, staying calm, staying in touch and being empathetic.
Come to think of it, that could work in our personal relationships as well as our professional ones. Think about applying that to your partner, spouse, sibling, parent, child, friend, insert-relationship-here.
Communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic.
Guaranteed to keep more than 28% satisfied and engaged.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Nothing says summer like a pool
Probably of no surprise that California, Florida, Arizona and Texas have 60% of the more than 8.5 million pools in the United States. A Google search on just how many pools are in California, Los Angeles County or Long Beach got me... nowhere reliable. Closest I could get was an article on laist.com that said there were 43,123 pools in the LA Basin, with Beverly Hills having 2,481 and Long Beach with 2,859. I counted close to 60 in our little neighborhood alone, using Google maps one day.
The exact number doesn't matter - there are a lot! You likely either have one or live within a soccer ball's kick of one. Interesting factoid in the article is that the typical LA area pool has an oval shape and measures around 16 feet by 33 feet. Public pools tend to have square edges.
Having a pool means making a commitment. Making a commitment to the maintenance and safety of it. Some of that can be handled by employing a pool service for weekly checks, cleanings and regular maintenance. That cost varies with the neighborhood and services. You can expect to spend an average of $80 a month.
You can also be your own pool boy, cabana service optional, by educating yourself on pool maintenance and doing your own chemicals and cleaning. There are some excellent local pool suppliers, like East Long Beach Pool & Spa Supplies on Woodruff or ABC Pools & Supplies in Los Alamitos. These guys know what they're doing, can analyze your water and can get you on track.
Safety issues span from having a required fence around the pool, to a lock on the gate, a drain that won't trap hair or loose suits, to making sure that children in the pool are watched at all times. Also recommended is a pool safety kit: a first aid kit, a flotation device, a pair of scissors to cut caught hair, clothing or a pool cover, a charged phone by the pool to call 911. If you have a pool, everyone in the home should know how to swim. The Internet is full of great tips and resources to help you and your family enjoy your pool. One of the best sites I found was www.poolsafely.gov.
Aside from going IN the pool, there is also a lot to be said for being AROUND the pool. Dining al fresco with a refreshing drink in your hand, looking at the cool water is a treat. Turning on the pool light at night lights up the backyard with a tropical glow.
Owning a home with a pool is a commitment in itself. You have to do the maintenance (or hire that pool boy), keep it safe, and maybe have your backyard become the neighborhood kids' favorite place to play. It's not for everyone, but it's for at least 2,859 people in Long Beach.
Would you like to own a home with a pool? Let me help and maybe you'll be swimming in your own pool for that Labor Day barbecue.
The exact number doesn't matter - there are a lot! You likely either have one or live within a soccer ball's kick of one. Interesting factoid in the article is that the typical LA area pool has an oval shape and measures around 16 feet by 33 feet. Public pools tend to have square edges.
Having a pool means making a commitment. Making a commitment to the maintenance and safety of it. Some of that can be handled by employing a pool service for weekly checks, cleanings and regular maintenance. That cost varies with the neighborhood and services. You can expect to spend an average of $80 a month.
You can also be your own pool boy, cabana service optional, by educating yourself on pool maintenance and doing your own chemicals and cleaning. There are some excellent local pool suppliers, like East Long Beach Pool & Spa Supplies on Woodruff or ABC Pools & Supplies in Los Alamitos. These guys know what they're doing, can analyze your water and can get you on track.
Safety issues span from having a required fence around the pool, to a lock on the gate, a drain that won't trap hair or loose suits, to making sure that children in the pool are watched at all times. Also recommended is a pool safety kit: a first aid kit, a flotation device, a pair of scissors to cut caught hair, clothing or a pool cover, a charged phone by the pool to call 911. If you have a pool, everyone in the home should know how to swim. The Internet is full of great tips and resources to help you and your family enjoy your pool. One of the best sites I found was www.poolsafely.gov.
Aside from going IN the pool, there is also a lot to be said for being AROUND the pool. Dining al fresco with a refreshing drink in your hand, looking at the cool water is a treat. Turning on the pool light at night lights up the backyard with a tropical glow.
Owning a home with a pool is a commitment in itself. You have to do the maintenance (or hire that pool boy), keep it safe, and maybe have your backyard become the neighborhood kids' favorite place to play. It's not for everyone, but it's for at least 2,859 people in Long Beach.
Would you like to own a home with a pool? Let me help and maybe you'll be swimming in your own pool for that Labor Day barbecue.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Long Beach Summer 2014 Part 2!
Summer
Festivals and Events
Some of
these are free, some have a charge for entry or food, all are fun! Just a sample of some of the events planned
this summer:
Pirate Invasion of
the Belmont Pier June
28-29
Fireworks in Long
Beach – Party on the Pier July 4
Catalina Ski Race July
19
Long Beach Dragon
Boat Festival July
26-27
Long Beach Bacon
Festival August
2
Long Beach Crawfish
Festival August
2-3
Great Sand
Sculpture Contest August
16-17
All American Soap
Box Derby August
23-24
Long Beach Lobster
Festival September
5-7
Long Beach Police
Department non-emergency number 562.435.6711
Airport Noise/After
curfew complaints 562.570.2665
Building Permits 562.570.6651
Long Beach Gas 562.570.5700
Southern California
Edison 800.684.8123
Long Beach Unified
School District 562.997.8000
Trash collection and special pick-ups 562.570.2876
Long Beach Water
Department 562.570.5700
Yard Sales Permits 562.570.9273
Parking Tickets (remember to note your street sweeping days) 562.570.6822
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Long Beach Summer 2014
We live in a city on the water with free resources and free
cultural events throughout the neighborhoods.
Take advantage of this wonderful place we call home. Long Beach… it will surprise you.
MUSIC
Long Beach
Municipal Band: A Summer Festival of
Music
This is the
band’s 105th year! Join them
for free concerts this summer. All
concerts start at 6:30 p.m.
Whaley Park 5620 Atherton Street July 1, 8
Los Cerritos
Park 3750 Del Mar July 2, 9,
16, 23, 30
Marine
Stadium Appian
Way July
3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Bluff/Bixby
Park Ocean
and Junipero July
15, 22, 29
El Dorado
Park 2800 Studebaker July 11, 18, 25,
Aug 1
PORT TOURS
The Port of
Long Beach offers both boat and train tours of the port, complimentary to the
public. The train tours are rare and
fill up fast. The Harbor tours, by boat,
are offered May through November 1 on the 1st and 3rd
Saturday of the month, at 10:00 a.m.
They also offer sunset cruises the 2nd and 4th
Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. through August and starting at 6:30 p.m. in September.
Harbor
cruises fill up fast and are reserved by registering online the 1st
Monday of the month, at noon. August
tour registration begins Monday, July 7th at noon. July cruises and waitlists are full.
MOVIES
Free, family
movies are offered throughout the city.
All movies start at dusk. Pack up
the family and bring the popcorn.
“Frozen” Whaley Park June
20 (Sing-a-long), Pan American June 23, Scherer June 25, Bixby June 27,
DeForest August 25, El Dorado August 27 (Sing-a-long)
“The Nut Job” Admiral
Kidd June 30, Orizaba July 2
“Monsters University” Coolidge July 7, Stearns Champions July 9,
Chavez July 7
“The Lego Movie” Somerset July 14, McBride July 16,
Houghton July 18
“Free Birds” Signal Hill July 21,
Veterans July 23, Heartwell July 25
“Despicable Me 2” Davenport July 28, Drake July 30,
Wardlow August 1, Grace August 18
“Smurfs 2” Cherry August 4, King
August 6, College Estates August 8
“Cloudy with a
Chance of Meatballs 2” Seaside August
11, Ramona August 13, Signal Hill August 15
“Planes” MacArthur August
20, Silverado August 22
“The True Story of
an American Legend” PG-13 Blair
Stadium July 19
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