$600K Home in Diamond Bar/Walnut: Good, Bad, or Ugly? (sales, apartment)

[ndfmnlf]

I've been looking to buy a house in Diamond Bar or Walnut for the last 2 years. What kind of house would $600k get you? Looking at craigslist and other realty websites seems unhelpful, since the prices quoted are simply asking prices, not the actual sales price the house would trade for. Your input is appreciated.

[BennyPhoenix]

That kind of money should get you a mansion out there.
Realtor.com is a decent resource. While they are asking prices, they should give you a ballpark price. Figure 10% less for closer to reality.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by BennyPhoenix

That kind of money should get you a mansion out there.
Realtor.com is a decent resource. While they are asking prices, they should give you a ballpark price. Figure 10% less for closer to reality.

I would agree but I don't think anyone will get a mansion in Diamond Bar for 600,000.00. Realtor. com is the best place to compare prices. Like you mentioned it will not show selling price but it will certainly give an idea as to what to expect. If the same neighborhood has houses all asking around the same for similar sq ft etc, the OP should get an idea as to what to expect..

Nita

[Narfcake]

My folks live in Walnut ... and no, 600k isn't anywhere close to a mansion. For both these cities, prices are down about 20-25% from the peak. The listing prices are about on par with the closing prices.

Just 2 months ago, one house down their street where they live closed for over $600k, and it wasn't even 2000 sq.ft.

[Charles]

Both redfin and zillow have actual sales data.

Very Important: One thing to be aware of when you search is don't use filters, like number of bedrooms, square feet etc. Just use "any". For some reason, the database is screwed up on some neighborhoods and several homes will be listed as 0 bedrooms. So, if you find a home that sold for say, $560K and it has 0 bedrooms and the address is 1313 Mockingbird Lane you can do a search for "1313 Mockingbird Lane" on google and find an old ad for it which will show the actual number of bedrooms.

[laraider]

all of the houses in DB will be masions if you live in compton...

[ndfmnlf]

Thanks for your answers. We're not looking for a "mansion", just a decent well-maintained 3/2 in a safe good school district. My sister who lives in LA (I live in Illinois) recommended the Walnut area for its excellent schools. I'm limiting my budget to a max of $600K since I don't intend on getting a mortgage. 2 years ago, I scouted the area and we found a nice 1800sf bungalow on 0.25 acre in DB being offered for $700K. The house and the neighborhood met my criteria, but the price was way up there, so we passed on it. Today, I wonder how much haircut that particular house had gotten (couldn't find it anymore on any listing sites).

[NickelDime]

Originally Posted by ndfmnlf

Thanks for your answers. We're not looking for a "mansion", just a decent well-maintained 3/2 in a safe good school district. My sister who lives in LA (I live in Illinois) recommended the Walnut area for its excellent schools. I'm limiting my budget to a max of $600K since I don't intend on getting a mortgage. 2 years ago, I scouted the area and we found a nice 1800sf bungalow on 0.25 acre in DB being offered for $700K. The house and the neighborhood met my criteria, but the price was way up there, so we passed on it. Today, I wonder how much haircut that particular house had gotten (couldn't find it anymore on any listing sites).

You should have no problem getting a nice home with your criteria. Make sure you are in the Walnut Valley USD. I would actually start by targeting 2 or 3 elementary schools and looking at neighborhoods based on that. Maple Hill, Castle Rock, and Quail Summit have great reputations and all feed Chaparral and DBHS. The area generally between Pathfinder and Grand above Diamond Bar Blvd contains a nice array of homes with views and is apartment free with very few condo developments.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by ndfmnlf

Thanks for your answers. We're not looking for a "mansion", just a decent well-maintained 3/2 in a safe good school district. My sister who lives in LA (I live in Illinois) recommended the Walnut area for its excellent schools. I'm limiting my budget to a max of $600K since I don't intend on getting a mortgage. 2 years ago, I scouted the area and we found a nice 1800sf bungalow on 0.25 acre in DB being offered for $700K. The house and the neighborhood met my criteria, but the price was way up there, so we passed on it. Today, I wonder how much haircut that particular house had gotten (couldn't find it anymore on any listing sites).

If you found something for 700 a couple of years ago that met your criteria, you should be able to find something similar today for 600.

Keep us posted.

Nita

[motoman]

I just looked on Redfin and they have 3 bedrooms in Diamond Bar listed from mid-$200s to about $700k. Huge range.

If you aren't in a hurry to buy, I think you'll find prices will continue to decline over the next couple of years.