Avenue A,B,C in Redondo Beach - Nice,Bad, Good? (Long Beach: real estate, apartments)

[Mavs83]

I am looking at some places I found on Craigslist in Redondo Beach that I plan on checking out next week while I'm there. Some are in the area of Avenue A and Avenue B, 2-3 blocks from the beach. From Google Earth it looks a bit rundown, but hard to say. Are these decent areas? I am assuming (or may be stupid to do so), that this close to the beach in Redondo (0.5 miles), it couldn't be that bad? Right?

[Beth56]

The area is nice. You get some parking problems during the Summer being so close to the beach, and some who dump their beach trash as they leave. But South Redondo is very nice in general.

[Mavs83]

Thanks. Is thisa good place: 640 The Village... According to google map it looks nice and close to the beach. I found a listing that I want to visit, wanted locals' opinions first. Is $1,450 for a one bed one bath and 620 sq ft acceptable for this area? Too much? Too good to be true? any ideas? thanks

[MtnSurfer]

Well,

'The Avenues' are all nice.

And I know exactly where 'the Village' is (north of the Avenues) and have swam in the pool they have on site. It is a nice 'big' complex right at the Redondo Pier. You are close to everything right on the beach. So in that regard it is great. The nicer part of the beach is a little further south away from the pier and tourists. But that is an easy walk, jog, skate or whatever you are into.

I am not quite sure about recent market rents. I would just compare with other apts. on craigslist to see if it falls in line with other beach front properties.

I recall your other post about moving out with your wife and not wanting something too loud/crazy. The Redondo Pier is pretty tame for the most part with a ton of good restaurants all around it. See King Harbor as well. There are night clubs which I would imagine get loud. But I don't think they are close enough to hear from the Village. Like any larger complex you most likely get a variety of tenants. So that is kind of hard to tell. But most ppl are professionals working longish hours and are not too wild living there.

I would definately look at more than one place when you come out to visit. It is always good to have a few to look at. The more the better actually. And don't worry about living a 'little' inland in Redondo. You can still walk or take a short drive to the coast. So you may consider expanding your net a bit and even include Torrance which is where we lived prior to moving to CO. We could easily catch the sunset after work or go and hang out at the beach together. So just plan on looking at a variety of buildings and rentals in the general area.

And keep in mind that ocean front rentals are the most expensive. In Torrance near Torrance High we rented a two bedroom apt for $1,250 ~ 4 years ago. Now that was a killer deal! But my point is that even a little further inland can make a pretty big difference in terms of $$.

And you can always upgrade after living there for a year or so and have a chance to get to know the area more. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. That is what we are doing here in Monterey. Of course no one likes moving. But from CO we could only do so much. So we picked a place in a nice area with the limited time we had. Now we are taking our time checking out the various neighborhoods and looking for just the right place.

Let me know how it goes.

Derek

[Mavs83]

As always, thank you. I will be there all next week and the week after and will check out all those places. I think the more I read about my 3 original choices (HB, LB, RB), I tend to be attracted the most to Redondo Beach. The beaches look nicer and I like the mountains to the North, where in HB the scenery isn't as pretty (although still prettier than Dallas! anything is really) and Long Beach even in Belmont looks "bland", like a Texas beach town. I am willing to pay a little more to be closer to LA, closer to nicer beaches, and better scenic view. I am also willing to drive 25 miles opposed to 16 to be in RB... I just get the feeling that everything there (except top luxury apts/homes) is very old and "basic" looking from the outside. Am I wrong to assume this?

[MtnSurfer]

Yeah,

Most SoCal beach communities are like this. Beach front property has always been prime real estate. So the homes and apartments have been around longer than the inland locations. Of course some of the older ones get torn down and a new custom homes or new condos built. But those are usually very pricey.

Some of the older homes have been totally remodeled inside and the outer shell was kept in place just to keep taxes lower - prop 13.

Derek

[Beth56]

Originally Posted by Mavs83

Thanks. Is thisa good place: 640 The Village... According to google map it looks nice and close to the beach. I found a listing that I want to visit, wanted locals' opinions first. Is $1,450 for a one bed one bath and 620 sq ft acceptable for this area? Too much? Too good to be true? any ideas? thanks

620 sf is a little small for the money, but its in a good location. There are others with 800 sf for about the same price. Most one bedrooms in the area start around $1,200, but those could also be less desirable. The Village is a nice complex near the pier and beach.

You could probably get a larger apartment for $1,500 or possibly a two bedroom.

The area has a mix of newer and older homes and apartments. You would really have to see them for yourself to determine whether you would want to live there.

[nixsys]

Originally Posted by Mavs83

I am looking at some places I found on Craigslist in Redondo Beach that I plan on checking out next week while I'm there. Some are in the area of Avenue A and Avenue B, 2-3 blocks from the beach. From Google Earth it looks a bit rundown, but hard to say. Are these decent areas? I am assuming (or may be stupid to do so), that this close to the beach in Redondo (0.5 miles), it couldn't be that bad? Right?

Zillow it. Homes that routinely sell for a million plus are rarely considered run down.