Southern California Real Estate by Phil McCollum

Welcome to My Website...

"Thanks for visiting. My name is Phil McCollum, and you can learn more about me here..."

I'm glad you made it here today and I think you'll be glad too. I designed this website with you in mind. I wanted to pull together an assortment of information and resources and make it easy for you to get this information whenever you want.

I hope you've already had a chance to take a look around and explore all the resources I've provided for you on my website.

Meet Phil McCollum

I am a resident of Long Beach, California and I have been living and/or working in Long Beach since 1977.

I was born and raised in Washington D.C. and attended college at the University of Maryland where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. Upon graduating, I joined the Southern California aerospace industry and took a job as an engineer at McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) in Long Beach, California.

When I first arrived in California, I lived in Long Beach for several years, and then began a southerly migration to Huntington Beach and even as far south as San Juan Capistrano. In 1998, tiring of the long commute, I returned to Long Beach where I currently reside.

I’ve enjoyed a long career with Boeing, with over 30 years of service. Over the years, I moved up the ranks from engineer, to senior engineer, and into management. This gave me a chance to develop my data analysis skills, as well as problem resolution and management related skills.

In 2002, while continuing to work at Boeing, I obtained my license as a real estate agent. I've participated in the business ever since, helping friends and clients buy and sell real estate. I chose to become active as a Realtor for many reasons. I enjoy working with people, solving problems, and applying modern technology in the business of locating, buying and selling real estate.

I am a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the California Association of Realtors (CAR) and the South Bay Association of Realtors. I am licensed to buy and sell homes for my clients everywhere in California, although I specialize in residential properties in the South Bay and Long Beach.

I am currently employed by the BRC Realty Group. I chose this brokerage due to the exceptionally strong leadership and the usage of modern technology to the greatest degree possible. Also, I like the philosophy of putting the customer first, the legal risk management and transaction management services that are available to clients, and the detail and thoroughness that is used to conduct business.

As an engineer, I analyzed data and solved technical problems. Later, as a manager I was involved in planning and organizing activities, negotiating funding levels and overseeing development of technical solutions. These skills, both analytical and managerial, come in handy when dealing with real estate.

In addition, a creative outlet for me has been to learn how to use tools such as Adoble Photoshop and Camtasia Studio video editing software. I’ve learned how to design and build websites, and how to utilize the internet as a powerful marketing tool. I use all these skills as a Realtor to help me prepare marketing materials.

Personal

I remember the first day I arrived in California, a young man ready to create a life for myself. Everything was new and exciting as I landed at LAX and took a bus to Long Beach. Thus began my California adventure.

Over the years, I worked hard, played a lot of sports including tennis , basketball, volleyball, and soccer, and eventually settled down, got married, and had kids.

I have three daughters, Michelle, Monique, and Kathleen, and they're almost all grown up by now. Monique recently graduated from Long Beach State University with a degree in communications and a minor in journalism. Michelle has studied nursing and currently attends Golden West College with plans to work in the field of child development. My youngest daughter, Kathleen, is attending Humboldt State University in Northern California. She's a free spirit and she loves the picturesque scenery and laid-back lifestyle of Arcata, California.

Now I am 54 years old and I feel somewhat the same as I did in 1977. I’m once again single and ready to develop myself in new ways. I want to explore my mind and tap into the hidden capabilities that we all possess in our subconscious.

My mom lives back in McLean, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. and I try to go back and visit her every year. Most of my siblings live in the area as well.

My sister lives in Reston, Virginia, which is about 15 minutes away from where my mom lives. I have one brother living in Maryland, but only about 45 minutes away. Another brother lives in Berkeley. My dad passed away in 1999.

Of course, when I visit my mom I also go downtown to visit the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, and take a look at the monuments.

One of my favorite things to do when I visit my mom is to go out for pizza. I love pizza, and the best I’ve found is from Ledo Restaurant, located in Maryland close to University where I went to school, but rather inconvenient from Northern Virginia (not to mention Southern California). Years ago, when the Ledo Restaurant could not keep up with demand for their outstanding pizza, they licensed the recipe to other restaurants, but it wasn’t quite the same. So it was a surprise, and a delight, to discover on my last visit that a place only 10 minutes from my mom’s house was offering this fantastic pizza and it was just as good as the Ledo original.

By the way, if you love pizza like me, you can get excellent pizza in Southern California as well. Take a short drive down to Nick’s Pizza in Costa Mesa. You can get the details here:

http://www.nickspizzaristorante.com

While I’m talking about vacations, a few years back my mom organized a marvelous trip to Italy and I highly recommend such a trip to you. My mom, sister, two brothers and I all met up over in Rome to start things off. None of my family had ever been there and we total enjoyed a 16 day tour starting from Rome and moving north to Venice, Pisa, the Italian Riviera, and east to the base of the Alps and finally into Venice. It was a perfect family reunion.

When not working or traveling, I enjoy being on my computer, either searching the web, building websites, checking my email, and so on. I find it highly addictive, so I have to set boundaries and make sure I get exercise. And although I’ve slacked off a bit, I actually like to get outside for exercise. I enjoy hikes and bike rides around the area. I especially like riding my bike along the beach from Redondo Beach all the way to Santa Monica, or from Long Beach down the coast in the other direction to Huntington Beach or even as far as Newport Beach.

In past years, I was hanging out with a group of hikers and we would trek through the hills of Palos Verdes. I haven’t been hiking much lately, but the thought brings back good memories.

I also have good memories of hitting the beach and bodysurfing the swells of Manhattan Beach and Huntington Beach.

When I hang out at home in more reflective moments, I enjoy reading classic novels and I recently attended the Bixby Knolls Literary Society meetings to discuss literature classics. Over the past few years I've taken creative writing classes and written short stories.

A few other activities I like include practicing my photography, learning how to create and edit videos, and learning more about website design.

Of course, I also like to sit down and watch sports events and movies.

"It's not often that one can spend more than one million dollars and feel comfortable that it was the right move, but you made it easy. We are so glad you found us this beautiful home! Let me further add that we were able to deal with you with utmost trust and know full well that you had our best interests in mind, as opposed to finalizing just another sale. Thanks."

-Sam & Varuni Samarasinghe

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"Thanks for all your good work. Hiring you to sell my house was the smartest move I made!"

- Dr Boyd

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"I would just like to take this time to thank you for helping us find our new home. We were very pleased with your knowledge of the housing market in Lakewood. I was very impressed with how focused and determined you were to find us our home. Your quick response in the offer process was a major factor, for us buying our home. We will gladly recommend your services to anyone, who is in the market for buying a home. Thank you."

- Carlos & Rita Cervantes

Search for Properties

I want you to be able to quickly and easily search for available properties. My Search page includes two local MLS databases, as well as the most popular real estate sites.

These popular sites will enable you to search for properties but also provide a wealth of information related to real estate.

On my Search page, I've listed the real estate sites in order of popularity.

In closing, my goal is to help you get the information you need to make your real estate decisions, and then help you with your transaction.

My Bonus Offers

Please take a good look around my website, and I'm sure you'll gather plenty of relevant and valuable information to help you with your home buying or home selling decision.

As part of the way I do business, I make a few bonus offers to my website visitors. These offers will put money in your pocket, as a thank you for selecting me to help you with your real estate transaction and recommending me to your friends, neighbors, and family members.