Marina del Rey · Relocation
Relocating to Marina del Rey
The whole transaction handled while you're still out of state. Zoom showings, virtual signings, and partner introductions for lending and moving.
The thing no listing will tell you
If you're moving to Southern California and Marina del Rey is on your list, there's one fact worth knowing before you get attached to anything.
Much of the property here sits on a ground lease. The land is owned by Los Angeles County. What you'd buy is the improvement plus the remaining term on that lease, not the land underneath it.
Nobody arrives from another state expecting that. It isn't hidden, but it's also not what a listing photo communicates, and out-of-state buyers regularly discover it deep into a transaction. It changes which lenders will finance you, adds ground rent on top of HOA dues, and affects what you can sell for later.
It isn't a reason to avoid the neighborhood. It's a reason to know before rather than after.
It's also not a city
Marina del Rey is unincorporated Los Angeles County. No city council, no city building department, no LAPD. County Sheriff, County Fire, and County Beaches and Harbors.
That surprises people who have lived in Los Angeles for years, let alone people arriving from elsewhere. It changes who you call about a permit and who patrols your street. The boundary isn't where you'd guess either: the Marina Peninsula is City of Los Angeles despite reading as part of the Marina.
Locals also give directions by the finger-strips rather than by street. Bali, Mindanao, Fiji, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Marquesas, Panay, Palawan. Learning them is the fastest way to stop sounding new.
How this works from out of state
Video walkthroughs where I'm standing in the unit telling you what the photos aren't showing, including floor and exposure, which vary more inside one building than people expect. Remote signing. Vendors coordinated here.
For a Marina purchase specifically, I'll get the lease documents in front of you early and connect you with lenders who have actually financed leasehold here, because not all of them have.
The general version is on relocating to Southern California. See also buying in Marina del Rey, and Playa del Rey if you'd rather own the land. Call 310.708.7717 or get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Would I own the land if I buy in Marina del Rey?
Often not. Much of the property sits on a Los Angeles County ground lease, so you'd own the improvement plus a remaining term. It affects financing, your monthly cost, and resale. Confirm it on any specific property before you get attached.
Is Marina del Rey part of the City of Los Angeles?
No. It's unincorporated Los Angeles County, so County Sheriff and County Fire rather than LAPD, and County rather than a city building department. The Marina Peninsula next door is City of LA, which catches almost everyone out.
Can I do this without flying back and forth?
Yes. Video walkthroughs with me in the property, remote signing, and everything coordinated on the ground here. My relocation experience is with buyers and sellers moving between states.
Marina del Rey
What relocation looks like in Marina del Rey
The largest man-made small-craft harbor in North America, with roughly 5,000 slips, and 41% of the community's area is water.
Marina del Rey runs on one structural fact most buyers never hear until escrow: much of the waterfront land is County-owned and ground-leased.
- The homes
- High-rise and mid-rise condos along the Admiralty Way arc and the Marina Pointe Drive cluster, harbor-front condos on the Via Marina corridor, and single-family beach homes on the Marina Peninsula and the gated Silver Strand. Locals describe location by the finger-strips: Bali, Mindanao, Fiji, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Marquesas, Panay, Palawan.
- Why people choose it
- Buyers who want lock-and-leave living, harbor access, or water frontage in place of a yard. The Silver Strand turns over slowly.
- Schools people ask about
- LAUSD serves the area, but note that Marina del Rey proper is unincorporated County while the Marina Peninsula is City of LA. The boundary matters for more than schools.
- Getting around
- Admiralty Way arcs north of the harbor between Washington and Lincoln. Lincoln Blvd is the inland spine. Washington Blvd runs west to the Venice beach end.
- Nearby
- Burton Chace Park at the tip of Mindanao, Mother's Beach for calm no-surf swimming, Fisherman's Village on Fiji Way, and Venice immediately north.
- The trade-off
- Marina del Rey isn't a city. No city council, no city building department, no LAPD. It's LA County Sheriff, County Fire, and County Beaches and Harbors, overseen by the County Board of Supervisors. Ground leases on some buildings affect financing and resale in ways fee-simple buyers don't expect.
The method
How I do it in Marina del Rey
Relocation: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with First Key Pacific?