My property showings on L.A.’s “Eastside”

Thanks to a couple of my buyers, I've been spending a lot of time in what's being called the Eastside lately. (Check out the Echo Park post below.) This past Sunday, I showed property in Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington, Highland Park and Glassell Park. I had never shown property in the last two communities but I had a great time and really learned a lot about the areas. I was very delighted by what I saw and intend to get to know these localities more in the coming months.


Yes, some of the neighborhoods are “transitional” but they offer good housing stock at affordable (at least for now) prices. The gangs that were so prevalent in years past seem to have moved out. The flippers have gone through these neighborhoods and have worked their magic, too. And neighborhood amenities are increasing, too – cool coffee houses, restaurants, small retail, farmers’ markets, etc. (We could barely move through Atwater Village as the streets and sidewalks were so crowded.) Cons: the schools aren’t all that, and buyers would have a helluva commute if they work on the Westside.

Here are the highlights:

Decorating trends (above) The flippers are hiring stagers. Now, I love staging but I’ve seen a lot of it in recent weeks and it’s beginning to look the same. It’s all modern or semi-modern furniture with pops of color, folk accent pieces, and no window treatments. Not a bad thing, but..

Another trend: forget yards; it’s all rock and bark now.

Most disturbing/interesting trend: crazy chicken pictures as art.  I saw these in at least two houses.  Sigh.  Just another next big thing that I'm not cool enough to know about.

Coolest location: 1316 Highgate Ave., Highland Park, listed at $499k (above). This 3+2 flipped craftsman is in a charming, wooded hillside neighborhood.  You'd never guess that you could almost walk to downtown L.A. from here.


Nicest view: 3600 Maceo Street, Mount Washington, listed at $440,000 (above). This 2+3 is actually in Cypress Park and close to Glassell Park. At the top of its big terraced backyard, it overlooks the entire L.A. river area from downtown to Elysian Park to Glendale. And you have your own bare hillside right next door.

As you can tell, I get really excited about discovering new neighborhoods. IMO, these areas present excellent options for buyers looking for affordable price and revitalized neighborhoods.

Sunday reading from L.A. Times

This article by Matthew DeBord appeared in today's L.A. Times Opinion Section. The title and subtitle just about say it all: "The Gang's All Here - The dream of owning a house turns into reality shock when the neighborhood is home to drug turf wars and bikers." Mr. DeBord and his family purchased a home in Glassel Park last year and were "following a particular gentification script." They had some expectations that this marginal neighborhood was slowly improving -- yes, they did due diligence and checked it out before they bought -- but they found that the Avenues gang is still firmly entrenched there. And it probably will be for years to come.

The article is touching and true. It puts the lie to the idea that if a locality's homes obtain "correct price discovery" then wonderful people will flock to buy homes there and magically turn the area into a dream neighborhood. No, they won't, necessarily -- some neighborhoods will still be degraded, regardless of attractive home prices. Gangs, crime and blight move in and become impossible to get out. And the community stays a less desirable place to live, no matter what the average home price is. Hats off to DeBord and his family for having the heart, guts and sense of humor to stick this out.