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First Time Buyers - Norm KernerNorm Kerner

First Time Buyers

For FIRST TIME BUDGET BUYERS – Studio or not.

MT WASHINGTON–EAGLE ROCK–HIGHLAND PARK-GLASSEL PARK-ATWATER VILLAGE-ADAMS HILL- What’s the deal with these areas?

These days the location of the home office for a realtor is not really as relevant as it may have been in the past.  I’m based in a Los Feliz office which means that I am somewhat of an expert on areas like Hollywood Hills/Beachwood Canyon, Silver Lake, Echo Park, parts east as described below-but please know that I have sold properties all throughout the Valley, on the Westside to the ocean and up through Malibu, and east beyond Pasadena. Some properties I’ll work with an assistant/associate for coverage as needed. Bottom line-for the right property and the right client I’ll go wherever I need to go. But read on, especially 1st time buyers with “starter” budgets…

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Mt Washington/Highland Park/Eagle Rock/Glassel Park/Atwater Village/Adams Hill are areas just east of the 5 freeway, west of South Pasadena, south of Glendale and just north of downtown LA . These areas are some of the very last in Los Angeles County where you can still get a really nice house on a decent lot in a cool neighborhood for 400-600K-and where going to 600-800K can mean a great house, big lot, view, the whole thing. There are a lot of great 20’s -30’s Spanish and Craftsman homes especially in Eagle Rock , Highland Park and Atwater/Adams Hill while Mt Washington is THE place for wonderful mid-century and architectural properties which are so hot these days. These are really great neighborhoods as well. I’ve put so many writers, filmmakers, designers, musicians and other creative types there who report back that their neighbors are exceptionally cool. Mt Wash. and Eagle Rock boast 2 of the finest school districts in LAUSD as well. I just can’t tell you what a pleasure it’s been working with clients, both buyers and sellers, in these areas.

Can you imagine what these types of properties would run in say, Santa Monica/West LA/etc for instance? You’d have to add about 250K in my estimation to the list price of any home to find it’s counterpart on the Westside-though you’d be hard-pressed to match some of the lot sizes! It always gives me great joy when a Westside buyer comes east to check out some properties over there with me. I had a guy who owned a 1.2M bungalow in Santa Monica buy the very 1st house I showed him on a quiet, tree lined cul-de-sac in Highland Park a while back. The house was a Mid-Century Traditional with a great terraced yard and flat back yard. The square footage was 1/3 again greater than his SM house-and the price was in the high 500’s. True story-He sold his house, pocketed a big chunk of cash and spent a year at home writing his “great novel”. He told me that he went to look over there to humor me but he expected to find nothing but a war-zone. Not to repeat myself but these are truly the only perfectly nice livable areas anywhere in central LA that you can get in for these kinds of prices. Period.
(Well, unless of course you want to check out some of the new loft conversions right in the Downtown Arts District for a more urban environment, some of which are pretty cool too:)

Anyway–These areas are a great option for 1st time buyers who are looking for single family residences. There are a few condos- a few duplexes-but this is primarily a SFR locale. It is minutes from downtown and minutes from every major freeway system (134, 10, 5 110, 101) in Los Angeles .It is also minutes down the always smooth “2” freeway into Silver lake/Los Feliz/Hollywood. It’s not for everyone of course-but when its right-it’s really right-and you owe it to yourself to check it out. Let’s talk.