Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, where we explore what you can rent or buy for a certain dollar amount in various LA ’hoods. We’ve found five homes and condos within about $10,000 of today’s price: $449,000.
Long Beach
Budgets get more in Long Beach, where you’ll find this sweet detached home located on a suburban, tree-lined street north of Pacific Coast Highway, about 2 miles from downtown. The little Spanish-style measures 821 square feet and holds two bedrooms and one bath. Built in 1930, it retains coved ceilings, arched entryways, and a large picture window. On the 3,444-square-foot lot, there’s a yard, covered patio, and detached two-car garage. The asking price is $449,000.
Downtown LA
A studio is available in the Higgins Building, which was built in 1910, off Main and Second streets. The location puts most of DTLA at your fingertips, from Little Tokyo to Grand Park to Grand Central Market. The loft clocks in at 730 square feet with a three-quarter bathroom. Features include tall ceilings, granite countertops, and, per the listing, eight enormous windows. The unit comes with access to the building’s rooftop deck, which has skyline views. The price tag? $438,000, with monthly HOA dues of $506.
South LA
If you’re looking for a roomier detached home on a more sizable lot—and don’t mind putting in some elbow grease—there’s a three-bedroom, one-bath house for sale in Chesterfield Square. As the listing acknowledges, the “property needs some TLC.” But a discerning buyer could see its potential. Built in 1922, it has a front porch, built-ins, moldings, wood floors, and a fireplace. The dwelling clocks in at 1,452 square feet and sits on a 6,385-square-foot lot. It’s listed at $450,000.
Silver Lake
This stylishly remodeled dwelling is part of a tenancy in common in a “cottage complex” that’s walking distance to the Silver Lake Reservoir. The detached one-bedroom, one-bathroom comes with a front balcony and covered deck. Updates include hickory wood floors and new windows and appliances, including a washer and dryer. The 593-square-foot unit is asking $449,000, with monthly HOA dues of $250.
Downtown LA
Back in Downtown, on the border of Skid Row and Little Tokyo, there’s a studio for sale in the former Westinghouse Electric Building. The city landmark was built in 1922 and was converted to lofts in 2006. The 780-square-foot condo gets a lot of natural light and features wood floors, tall ceilings, and large exposed columns. The building has 24/7 security, a pool and hot tub, a community barbecue area, and a dog run. The asking price is $455,000, with monthly HOA fees of $496.
Comments
Long Beach, because I’m just not sold on TIC, besides Long Beach is the only real SFH in the group with a laundry and garage in an area I’d want to live in
By mrjim1 on 12.02.19 11:45am
I suppose Long Beach if you’re not too far from where you work. but none of these are a dream
By LAoneWay on 12.02.19 1:22pm
I agree, slim pickings at $449K
I’m not thrilled with Long Beach, but it seems to be the best of a kind of sad bunch
By mrjim1 on 12.02.19 2:34pm
882 square feet in Long Beach…
Frigidaire box near the beach in Santa Monica…
Tough decision.
By BingoWest on 12.02.19 4:32pm
This game isn’t fun anymore.
By subaruwrx on 12.02.19 4:40pm
True, but at least you don’t have to actually live in any of them. I know there are half way decent condos for that money in better locations
By mrjim1 on 12.02.19 6:35pm
can we please get a HERE’S WHAT 2.5 MILLION BUYS ???!!!
By MonrovianSurfNutz911FAQ2Serious! on 12.02.19 5:33pm
I voted for the one in Silver Lake. However, The one in Long Beach is also okay. I also love the second one in Downtown. It’s spacious. But I wouldn’t want to live in Downtown though.
By Topaz113 on 12.02.19 5:50pm
Man, that’s depressing. I didn’t vote. I’d honestly move somewhere else first.
By iONu on 12.02.19 9:14pm
I like downtown 1. I couldn’t and wouldn’t live in Long Beach. I like downtown because I can walk to everything.
By aero1 on 12.03.19 12:27am
For the MILLIONTH TIME, Curb Editors/Writers, Long Beach is NOT a "neighborhood" in or around Los Angeles (aside from the ultra skinny, gerrymander-style strip of land connecting San Pedro to "actual" Los Angeles 25+ miles away so that the City can maintain/control an official port on the bay).
Long Beach is its own freakin’ city of half a million people quite some distance away from Los Angeles, aside from the aforementioned asterisk. People who are looking to buy in L.A. are not considering Long Beach, nor vice versa. This is not a judgment call on the merits of either location, just a reality check. And yet week after week Curbed LA continues to clog up these polls with such harebrained inclusions. It is misleading to anyone unfamiliar with Los Angeles who should happen to participate in the poll, and remains irritating and nonsensical to anyone who is familiar.
As regards that second loft Downtown—how nice that one has to spend nearly half a million dollars (plus $500 in inflated monthly HOA fees) for a small unit on "the border of Skid Row." Does that mean condos literally ON Skid Row might only cost $350k at this point? Oy vey.
By christopher brisson on 12.03.19 12:37pm
If you take it to mean "Los Angeles County," you might be able to go off your blood pressure medication.
By KatherineSpiers on 12.03.19 1:34pm
Long Beach is L.A. and L.A. is Long Beach, municipal boundaries notwithstanding. Include Santa Monica and Anaheim, too. And plenty of other cities and towns and unincorporated areas.
By libraryman on 12.03.19 2:05pm
Santa Monica is also a city, and Culver City, and West Hollywood. We look at houses there all the time. Why are you hung up on Long Beach? Because it’s far? There are tons of people who commute back and forth.
By CaliSon on 12.03.19 3:00pm
Maybe in the future Curbed could title these as follows…
Problem solved
By mrjim1 on 12.03.19 3:58pm
…or the sticklers could just loosen up; this is drag and drop advertorial content after all.
By LosFeliz$ean on 12.03.19 4:14pm
Median sale price in LA County is now above 600k. Here are 5 reasonable options for 75% of that. They aren’t huge palaces in great school districts, with historic bones and a view of the ocean; but they are all serviceable. When you pay less than average you get what you pay for.
By RXBXUXNX on 12.08.19 8:52pm