Need help ASAP!! Buying a place in Long Beach; which area is better/safer?? (Los Angeles: real estate)

[Bruin49er]

Please help me out ASAP! I'm having difficulty deciding between these two areas.

I'm a Grad student at CSULB who's submitting offers to purchase a place in Long Beach to be closer to school and get rid of my commute (currently in West Los Angeles). For now its just my wife and I and our two dogs. No kids yet but planning to start a family soon, as in this year. We'll be staying minimum two years and then possibly upgrading to a house and renting the condo out. I'm limited with my budget and have narrowed it down between these two properties:

1) Elm Ave. and E. 36th St. up by the Bixby Knolls area

2) E. 3rd St. and Orange Ave. out by Alamitos Beach/Downtown

For all you LB locals, which of the two areas would you prefer?
I looked into the police reports and saw less crime for area 1) and although area 2) had more reported crimes, overall stats were not too bad. I know Orange Ave. between 7th and 4th isn't the greatest but down on 3rd and south of it seems nice. Is it deceiving and too close for comfort?

What are the pros and cons to each area other than area 2) being close to the ocean.
Safety, crime, community atmosphere, sketchy residents, traffic, parking, potential resale value or future rent value, etc???

Don't hold back, please give me honest feedback. Thanks to all in advance!

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by Bruin49er

potential resale value

LOL.

Real Estate in the LBC

[Vascodagama]

Originally Posted by Bruin49er

Please help me out ASAP! I'm having difficulty deciding between these two areas.

I'm a Grad student at CSULB who's submitting offers to purchase a place in Long Beach to be closer to school and get rid of my commute (currently in West Los Angeles). For now its just my wife and I and our two dogs. No kids yet but planning to start a family soon, as in this year. We'll be staying minimum two years and then possibly upgrading to a house and renting the condo out. I'm limited with my budget and have narrowed it down between these two properties:

1) Elm Ave. and E. 36th St. up by the Bixby Knolls area

2) E. 3rd St. and Orange Ave. out by Alamitos Beach/Downtown

For all you LB locals, which of the two areas would you prefer?
I looked into the police reports and saw less crime for area 1) and although area 2) had more reported crimes, overall stats were not too bad. I know Orange Ave. between 7th and 4th isn't the greatest but down on 3rd and south of it seems nice. Is it deceiving and too close for comfort?

What are the pros and cons to each area other than area 2) being close to the ocean.
Safety, crime, community atmosphere, sketchy residents, traffic, parking, potential resale value or future rent value, etc???

Don't hold back, please give me honest feedback. Thanks to all in advance!

Can you provide another choice?
Being close to the beach is generally good but near downtown is a little dicey. Bixby Knolls was the big money part of town but it's now just an island of expensive houses surrounded by pirate infested seas. Go south young man! Head to Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Huntington. Once you hit Alamitos Bay the waters starts to get better.

[Bruin49er]

Don - Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I'm down to these two locations and understand the further southeast I go the better but also much more expensive. If you had to choose between the two, which would it be?

John - I need some serious advice, not redirection to some subjective blog website! Help me out instead of laughing if you're the expert.

Thanks guys.

[BRinSM]

i would go with the 3rd st location. being close to the coast will always be a good thing and you'll have easier access to the university. you'll also be within walking/biking distance of a number of neat neighborhoods.

[Vascodagama]

Originally Posted by Don9

Can you provide another choice?
Being close to the beach is generally good but near downtown is a little dicey. Bixby Knolls was the big money part of town but it's now just an island of expensive houses surrounded by pirate infested seas. Go south young man! Head to Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Huntington. Once you hit Alamitos Bay the waters starts to get better.

My honest opinion is I would not buy either for the following reasons:
- Neither location is a good and safe neighborhood IMO
- Both locations will probably get worse over the next 10 years
- The housing market is in a decline, prices will fall substantially more
- What might seem like a good investment now may not pan out

I’m also looking to buy my next house. I sold my last one in 2007 and walked away with nearly double the original purchase price and I still had 10 years on my mortgage. Low interest rates are good but when home prices can still drop another ~30-40% then there is more to think about. Do some research on the shadow inventory. The majority of foreclosed homes (REO’s) are still off the market (were talking tons of homes). Most areas are full of distressed mortgages, people are still going into default. We are just seeing the beginning of a very ugly situation with real estate and the economy. With California in the worst shape I might not even stick around for the fireworks.

Good luck!

[detractor]

I've lived in Alamitos Beach for a couple years now and have only seen the neighborhood get nicer in that period. Alamitos Beach is the last neighborhood in LB right on the water that currently does not require a six figure income to own. Once the breakwater is reconfigured, which by the way is officially going to happen, that will only help property values for all LB beach neighborhoods including this one.

I haven't spent much time in Bixby Knolls but living in Alamitos Beach you'll never be bored. For example, the now famous and recently expanded, At Last Cafe is right down the street on Orange and Broadway. Location #2 is also within walking distance to the action in Retro Row, the East Village, Shoreline Village, the beautiful historic homes of Bluff Park, and Belmont Shore is just a bike ride away. Of course the beach is also within walking distance which is great. No I'm not a realtor just a person that really enjoys living here.

However, if you'll looking for an ultra safe albeit boring suburban where nothing out of the ordinary happens to raise a family Alamitos Beach may not be the place.

[NaplesRes]

I would say as a young couple go with Alamitos Beach. Bixby Knolls is a well established, upscale family neighborhood. That said, there have been some really cool developments on the main drag in Bixby Knolls over the last few years. An arts scene has developed and there is a recurring event called First Fridays that gets pretty good reveiws.