In 1923, after 15 years of trading in real estate on the West Coast, Thomas F. Merrick, Sr., incorporated his own company in Long Beach. He moved his family from Seattle to Southern California where he felt the market potential was most exciting!

 Upon arriving in Long Beach , Merrick Sr. was widely acclaimed as a real estate professional. His desire to make sense of the market was coupled with a passion to serve in the larger interest of the Long Beach Realty Board to survey the entire City and assemble information on quantity, location, and percentages of vacancy of each type of real estate for presentation to the City Planning Commission. He continued to volunteer appraisal services to the City to direct future planning.

 

Fun Tidbit!

Sample of February 1929 advertisements in the Long Beach Sun:

 LOTS FOR SALE

50 x 125, Redondo, bonds pd. E. front $6000

50 x 125, Newport, flat zone. E. front $7,500

50 x 127 1/2, Ximeno, bonds pd. E front $6000

50 x 127 1/2, Gundry, Calif. Hts. E. front $2000

South West corner Pine & Plymouth. 50 x 150, $1800.  Take $700 cash, balance 2nd Trust Deed and you can borrow $3500 to build with.

A corner lot 125 x 80 on E. Anaheim in East Long Beach Business & Industrial District Price only $1800, reasonable terms

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The family tradition was passed down from Thomas Merrick Sr., to Jack P. Merrick in 1949. Jack Merrick continued to work in the areas of brokerage, appraisals and property management, focusing on the greater Long Beach area. Under his tutelage, Thomas F. Merrick Jr., (Tom) began assimilating into the business of commercial real estate as a teen until he took the helm as President of the company in 1971.