It never rains, it pours...

Whew! I submitted a purchase offer for an Echo Park buyer today.  Showed a condo in Van Nuys.  Set up showings for tomorrow in Valley Village. I took two listings in Burbank, got one offer in on a listing that we then countered, and am about to write yet another offer in Sherman Oaks.  I don't remember being this busy since 2006.  Believe me, I'm not complaining and I'm not bragging.  But if you're wondering about how the market is doing, I think it's doing really well.  I'll be back on this blog when things calm down a bit.

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.

Cutest house of the week, in Echo Park! But my clients didn't get it. Bah.

This is 1801 Bellevue in Echo Park and it's the cutest house I saw this week.  It's a rehab/flip, and it's adorable.  It has 3 beds, 2 baths, a den, a separate studio, and an oversize garage plus a front and back yard.  It also has been really well-staged, and I'm crazy about good staging.  I know that some people don't care for Echo Park, but this street feels really safe -- it's a cul-de-sac at both ends.  Recently, the community has attracted many buyers who like both the traditional family housing stock and the urban feel.  Plus, the city is re-doing Echo Park Lake.

Enough about how great this is.  Here's how our transaction went.  Or didn't go.  The house was listed at $499k. It received 10 offers right away.  One was from my very well-qualified buyers.  Unfortunately, the bidding went up to (and maybe passed) $550k and the sellers took another offer.  Damn. Damn. Damn.  My buyers are disappointed but will live to fight another day.  I'm disappointed, too -- this is something I would have bought if I were (much) younger and wanted the neighborhood!

Seen in Echo Park: this tree! What is it?

I showed property in Echo Park yesterday and spotted this tree.  What is it? A poinsettia tree? Whatever it is, it's beautiful.  Yes, Echo Park is still a bit edgy but it's coming around.  I wanted to buy the rehabbed property I saw with my buyers -- it was that cool, and staged perfectly -- I'll publish the pic and address once I know whether or not my clients want to make an offer on it.