You already know Manhattan Beach. You’ve probably driven through it, maybe played volleyball on the beach, maybe grabbed food on The Strand after work. You know the commute from Hawthorne: 12–15 minutes off-peak, 25–35 in traffic. You don’t need someone to introduce you to the South Bay.
What you need — if you’re serious about buying at the $5M–$20M level — is an agent who operates at the level of the transaction you’re making. This page is about why that agent might be me.
The SpaceX Context
SpaceX employs approximately 18,000 people globally as of early 2026, with its headquarters and primary manufacturing and mission control operations at 1 Rocket Road in Hawthorne. The company has grown rapidly through its Starlink, Falcon, and Starship programs — and a significant number of senior engineers, mission directors, program managers, and executives have accumulated equity that puts them in the $5M–$20M+ buyer pool.
This is not a hypothetical buyer persona. SpaceX employees — particularly those who have been through secondary sales, company-sponsored liquidity events, or who have exercised options ahead of a potential IPO — are active in the Manhattan Beach market right now. We work with them. The commute from the Sand Section to 1 Rocket Road is 12–15 minutes off-peak. That’s shorter than most people’s commutes from the Westside.
What’s Different About Buying at This Level
The Strand and Walk Street markets don’t work the way the general real estate market works. The homes you want to see may not be on Zillow. Some of the best properties at this level are sold off-market — directly between agents who know each other, before anything goes public. The ones that do hit the market often have multiple interested buyers within days of listing.
The Manhattan Beach citywide median hit a record $3.325 million in 2025. At the $5M–$20M tier, you’re buying into one of the most supply-constrained coastal markets in the country — 3.9 square miles, no new land, roughly 200 homes on The Strand and a limited number of true Walk Street properties that turn over slowly. Properties at this level appreciate in a category of their own.
At $5M–$20M, the complexity of the transaction is also different. You’re likely dealing with a combination of equity proceeds, pre-approval strategy around liquidity timing, attorneys, financial advisors, and significant structural and legal due diligence on the property itself. The agent you choose needs to be able to coordinate at that level — not just show up for tours and write an offer.
Why I’m the Right Agent for SpaceX Buyers Specifically
I’m Part of the #1 Team in Manhattan Beach
I’m a partner at Stroyke Properties Group — the dominant brokerage in Manhattan Beach luxury real estate. Robb Stroyke has been the top agent in Manhattan Beach by sales volume for years running. That network matters at the $5M+ level: it means we have relationships with the other agents who handle these properties, which gives us early visibility into off-market opportunities and pending listings before they go public. If a Strand owner is quietly considering a sale, I hear about it.
I Communicate the Way You Expect Professionals to Communicate
SpaceX engineers are not impressed by realtor speak. They’re impressed by people who know what they’re talking about, say it directly, and back it up with data. That’s exactly how I work. I’ll tell you what a property is actually worth, what’s wrong with it, and what I think you should pay — not what you want to hear so you’ll make an offer. If a property isn’t right, I’ll say so. My clients make better decisions because of it.
I’m an Active Pro Beach Volleyball Player
I compete on the AVP tour — at the highest level of my sport. The same focus, preparation, and pressure-management I bring to a match, I bring to a transaction. The same beach where SpaceX employees host their company volleyball tournaments, where the Manhattan Beach Open is held every summer — I’ve played on that sand at a professional level. I’m not a real estate agent who happens to live near the beach. I’m someone who is genuinely part of this community.
I mention the athletic background because it matters in more ways than one: engineers respect it, the high-performance mindset it requires carries into how I work, and it’s a real shared frame of reference if you spend any time at the beach in the South Bay. But mostly I mention it because it’s part of who I am, and the clients I work best with tend to respect someone who has competed at a high level and earned what they have.
I Know This Market in Depth — Including the Parts That Matter to You
If you’re looking at the Walk Streets, we can tell you which ones are quieter, which have the best beach access, and which have construction context you should know about before offering. If you’re looking at the Strand, we know the specific nuances — which positions have better views, what the pier proximity trade-offs look like, what the construction hour rules mean practically. This is not information available on any listing site. It comes from being in this market every day.
I’m Bilingual (Spanish)
SpaceX has a significant population of international engineers from Latin America and elsewhere where Spanish is the native language. If that’s relevant to you — whether you’re navigating a transaction with international assets, coordinating with family abroad, or simply more comfortable conducting parts of the conversation in Spanish — I can do that.
The $5M–$20M Manhattan Beach Market at a Glance
| Property Type | Price Range | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Walk Street homes (Sand Section) | $5M–$12M+ | Pedestrian-only streets, 1–3 blocks from the Pacific; best coastal lifestyle in LA; very limited inventory |
| Hill Section views | $4M–$10M+ | Panoramic ocean and city views from the bluff above downtown MB; which lot and which direction matters enormously |
| The Strand (oceanfront) | $12M–$20M+ | ~200 homes total on the sand in MB; direct beach access, unobstructed views; rarely for sale, always in demand |
| New construction, Tree/Sand Section | $5M–$9M | Modern large homes near downtown MB and beach; strong family market, MBUSD schools |
How Liquidity Events and Real Estate Work Together
SpaceX doesn’t have publicly traded stock, which means employee equity is handled differently than at a public company. Secondary sales on platforms that facilitate SpaceX share transactions, direct tender offers to employees, and eventually an IPO or other liquidity event are how most employees convert equity to cash. If you’ve recently been through one of those — or you’re anticipating one — the timing of a real estate purchase relative to your liquidity is something worth thinking through before you start touring properties.
There are a few practical considerations that come up regularly:
- Pre-approval timing: Mortgage lenders treat equity in a private company differently than cash or publicly traded stock. If your down payment is coming from a recent secondary sale or tender offer, having documentation ready early matters.
- Capital gains timing: Depending on how your equity is structured, there may be holding period and tax implications to the timing of a purchase. This is a conversation for your CPA, not your agent — but knowing the timeline helps me help you.
- Bridge financing: Some buyers want to secure a property before completing a liquidity event. Bridge loans and portfolio lending products can be structured for this — but they require lead time. The best time to start this conversation is weeks before you want to make an offer, not after.
We work regularly alongside buyers who are coordinating real estate purchases with financial events of this kind. I’m not a financial advisor and I won’t pretend to be — but we know how to work with yours, and we know how to time a transaction around a closing window or a specific financing structure.
Commute: SpaceX Hawthorne → Manhattan Beach
SpaceX HQ: 1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, CA 90250
Distance: approximately 3–5 miles by road
Drive time (off-peak): 12–15 minutes
Drive time (rush hour): 25–35 minutes
Notes: Many SpaceX employees work non-standard hours — launch windows, overnight shifts, weekend ops — which means actual commute experience varies significantly from the standard rush-hour picture. For a significant portion of the SpaceX workforce, the 12–15 minute off-peak commute is the routine reality.
What the First Conversation Looks Like
No pitch, no pressure. We talk about what you’re looking for, what your timeline is, what your financial picture looks like in general terms, and what matters most to you in a home. I tell you what’s available — including things that aren’t on any public site — and give you my honest take on whether what you want at the price you’re thinking is realistic right now.
If we’re a fit, we work together. If you’re better served by a different approach, I’ll tell you that too.
Cecilia Agraz
Real Estate Broker | Bayside Real Estate Partners / Stroyke Properties Group
DRE: 01974999
310-803-9338
cecilia@manhattanhermosahomes.com
920 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 4, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Also reading: Cost of Living in Manhattan Beach | Moving to Manhattan Beach Guide
Cecilia Agraz
South Bay neighbor and Realtor® focused on clear guidance and low‑stress moves in Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach.