Here’s what $1.35M buys around LA

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: $1.35 million.

Atwater Village

This sweet 1920s bungalow comes with a detached guest house and a saltwater pool and fire pit. Charming period details—arched entryways, coved ceilings, and the original hardwood floors—abound in the light-filled main residence, which holds three bedrooms and one bathroom (with vintage tile), plus an eat-in kitchen and a formal dining room that opens via French doors to the backyard. The 534-square-foot guest house is a studio with exposed beams, a plethora of built-ins, and a separate bathroom. Walking distance to the LA River, Griffith Park, and Glendale Boulevard, the 6,757-square-foot property is listed at $1.35 million.

Photos by Anthony Barcelo, courtesy of Heather T. Roy and Learka Bosnak/Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Hollywood Hills

This dapper midcentury modern sits on .29 acres near the Universal City Overlook. The flat-roofed home was built in 1957 and has walls of windows, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, open living areas, and sliding doors in every room that open to a yard and a lush wraparound deck. Clocking in at 1,599 square feet, the home contains three bedrooms and two bathrooms, both of which, along with he kitchen, have been treated to sleek updates. The price tag? $1.349 million.

Via Doug Meese/Coldwell Banker
Altadena

This post and beam on pedigreed Sunny Oaks Circle is back on the market after selling in 2018. The 1,755-square-foot residence was designed in 1951 by the firm of Fetridge, Wilde and Lundy and was carefully restored within the last decade. Features include polished concrete floors, beamed ceilings, walls of glass with automatic shades, custom wood cabinetry and soapstone counters in the kitchen, a brick fireplace, and Bouquet Canyon stone walls. Outside, there’s a stone patio, fireplace, and citrus trees. With three bedrooms and one and three-quarter bathrooms, the home is listed at $1.35 million.

Via Jilina Scott/Compass
West Hollywood

Here’s brand-new construction on the border of Hollywood and West Hollywood, with easy access to Melrose Avenue, Fairfax Avenue, and Santa Monica Boulevard. Part of a new nine-unit complex named Orlando 9, this dwelling holds two bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms in 1,210 square feet. It’s outfitted with a plethora of windows, polished concrete and engineered wood floors, Bosch kitchen appliances, and a patio. Walking distance to Urth Caffe, the Melrose Flea, and Jon and Vinny’s, the unit comes with two underground parking spaces and is listed at $1.35 million with monthly HOA dues of $525.

Via Dominique Madden and Courtney Poulos/ACME Real Estate
Mid-City

Thoroughly remodeled, this swanky 1920s residence is now filled with stylish finishes, including wide-plank oak floors, Emtek doorknobs, gold fixtures, and quartz countertops. Other updates include recessed lighting, large skylights, and new wood doors and a gas fireplace. Some original features remain in the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, including barreled ceilings and a large picture window. A newly permitted studio ADU also sits on the 5,603-square-foot lot, which is located just south of Venice Boulevard. The asking price is $1.349 million.

Comments

All of them are nice, but none of them blow me away especially at this price, but I picked Altadena just because it looks kind of nice, but any of them are fine… sort of

$1.35 for a bungalow in Atwater GTFO.

That was my reaction at first too, but if you look on Zillow/Redfin, it’s not out of step considering the pool and extra 500 sq ft. detached unit. Also, Los Angeles Times’ headline this morning: "Southern California home prices rise nearly 7% in January as market heats up." I’m constantly amazed to see prices keep rising and am skeptical they can keep going up much longer. But, for now, that’s reality.

I still can’t believe how expensive Atwater has gotten. Certain neighborhoods I understand, but Atwater? Atwater is . . . fine. But it is a hot, right next to the 5, on the WRONG side of the 5, and has pretty shit air quality. It is hip and there are good bars and restaurants there, but $1.35?! No way.

In 2014, I went house shopping in several neighborhoods North and South of Los Feliz Blvd. Prices for something that was the same size as what’s presented here (minus the pool) were going for about $500k to $700k. $1.35 Million in Atwater is a hard pill to swallow. I think home owners in this area are listing their properties with Hollywood Hills prices and are actually getting offers. Who would have thunk!?

Subaru-How are you comparing Los Feliz prices in 2014 to Atwater Village today. Please do enlighten us about the 500-700K homes in Los Feliz 2020? There are none pal!
Go start looking in Reseda for your 500-700K home.

Los Feliz Blvd. runs across the 5 into Atwater, I don’t think he’s talking about Los Feliz. Los Feliz has always been ritzy; Atwater, not so much.

Yes. This is correct. Thanks Greyvagabond for explaining that.

Subaru. It’s 2020! Have you found your 500-700k home anywhere north south east or west of Los Feliz Blvd?

And the only thing keeping the property at that price point is the location. If it were 4-5 blocks further away from the river it’d be 15% more expensive.

Given the high prices in Atwater, I would think prices in nearby Adams Hill would be higher than they are. That seems to be a pocket of relative affordability, especially compared to Atwater and Glassell Park. Not sure why it hasn’t blown up yet.

Is Picfair adjacent a thing now? they all have their attributes and pitfalls. I say throw them all in a hat and pick one.

We have toured the Altadena house. It’s not with the asking price, and I suspect my opinion is born out by the rather quick exit by the sellers.

worth (not with) the asking price…

It’s hard to justify any of the asking prices today. That West Hollywood condo is a new build with 1 and a half baths. I didn’t know they still built 2-bedroom condos with only 1 and a half baths

Mr. Jim-Every comment aside from you shaming houses is that everything is priced to high. Do you think the agents on these weekly "what you get for" posts have no clue about the markets and comps in those particular areas?

Your stalking me is getting creepy, why don’t you get your head out of my ass, leave your mother’s basement and do something constructive that the world will appreciate, like jumping in front of a moving bus

This article is a bit misleading because these are the starting point prices for at least two of the homes. Having been in the Atwater house I expect it to sell for over $1.7M. The Oakley house in the Hollywood Hills will sell over $1.4M… possibly $1.5M.

Thanks STARCHY. I don’t think anybody has been mislead.

OMG. I need glasses now. The one in West Hollywood made my eyes fuzzy. All that white. That is too much. I do love them all, except the one in Hollywood. But my fave is the one in Altadena.

The stock market correction is finally upon us. It was going to take a world event to trigger one, and it has. The DOW is now down 10% from its high.

The question now is…how much farther will the financial markets drop, and will it finally affect real estate prices in Southern California?

The next month will provide some answers.

Buyers should keep their powder dry.

If the market does have a correction, I don’t think it will affect SoCal house prices. People will want to put their investments into something more tangible and safe, and homes in Los Angeles fit that bill perfectly.

After all, they sure as hell aren’t making any more of them. There might be a retreat from marginal neighborhoods, though, so maybe someplaces in the valley could see a correction.

It’s not a question of if the stock market has a correction. The definition of a stock market correction is a 10% decline from market highs – therefore, the stock market is in a correction.

We will see what happens with the real estate market. Remember, there are some buyers who felt confident and bought because their 401k plans and stock portfolios had risen significantly. We will see how strong some of their stomachs are now that their portfolios are losing value. Will they sell, thus adding inventory? Will some buyers step out of the market, thus reducing demand?

Yes, where does the money come from to buy million dollar starter homes? A lot of it comes from a healthy stock portfolio. If your stocks are down it isn’t always a good time to cash out to buy a house, but we’ll see

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