Valley vs. NELA (Glendale, Pasadena, Vista: low income, real estate, apartments)

[geocab310]

Hi everyone. I'm about to purchase a home (single family, no condo) and am considering areas that are within my reach financially -- North Encino/Sherman Oaks and Lake Balboa as well as Highland Park/Eagle Rock. I work on the westside (entertainment), but want to be in an area that's accessible to other entertainment companies/studios. I'm also being mindful of home appreciation values since I plan on being in this "starter home" for 6-8 years and would love some sort of return so I can have a good down payment for my next home. Any thoughts/preferences? Thanks!

[saybanana]

If you decide on Highland Park, be sure to get it north of York. or within a few blocks south of York. These areas are mainly single family small houses. The homes near Figueroa south of York are generally mixed single family with large lots next to multi unit apartments. I think the zoning for some streets are for multi unit occupancy and many are building additional housing in the back. The nicest areas in Highland Park is next to the Occidental College, Garvanza, the hill above the library and the hills north of York. Gentrification is really slow in the area and people have been talking about it forever. It is no Silverlake. Eagle Rock had a faster gentrification, but their schools were better than Highland Park and the homes north of Colorado along the hills and near the college were nicer and bigger. The schools in Highland Park I am not sure about. While they are getting better each year, they are typical of working class/low income/high immigrant communities which translate to average to not so good. The local high School Franklin does have some really smart kids who finished third in the all of California state in the Academic Decathlon, behind Granada Hills and El Camino H.S who just won the 1 and 2 in US National Finals. All 3 are LAUSD. I do get defensive when people knock down LAUSD as if everyone who goes to will be failures. People want top dollar to live in good school areas, but Highland Park still has a long way to go. In terms of homes, I usually see fixed up flipped homes around 400-50O+. They are quite attractive. If you can buy a not fixed up house and do it yourself, you can make a good return, I think. LAtely I see non fixed up homes getting close to fixed up prices, but I guess you can bargain your way down. It is just my opinion, but I think Highland Park will be one of the better areas in all of LA to buy for several reasons. It is surrounded by higher wealth communities such as San Rafael Pasadena, South Pasadena, Eagle Rock and Mt Washington, but homes are significantly less. Downtown LA, Hollywood, Koreatown are growing taller, but eventually many will want a single family home near Downtown and Highland Park is around 5 miles away, 2 miles from Old Town Pasadena, and 3 miles from the Glendale Galleria. Many parts of Highland Park like Garvanza are in a HPOZ zone, which means many old buldings will be saved from stuccofication or torn down I think. It also has the Gold Line Station which many rail users think is one of the safest and cleanest and scenic in all of LA. Except for Echo Park I dont see any other area in LA at the levels of gentrification of Highland Park. Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights perhaps but not for years to come. I do make HLP sound rosy, but the big downside is the gang problem. I read a lot of the Highland Park patch and generally many shootings happen nearer to Figueroa and Monte Vista near the Gold Line and towards south. Many communities in NELA like Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Glassel Park, Cypress oPark, Echo Park have generational gangs. Lots of tagging can be seen if you take the Gold Line. It is kind of scary, and I dont like to walk around the area when it is late and dark. I dont really see things going away anytime soon, just less frequently. You usually feel safer in the Highland Park areas I mentioned above. Hope it helps.

[geocab310]

Thank you for this! Very helpful in understanding the area (and where it's going).

[BRinSM]

I live in the area of the valley you mentioned. That area would certainly be better for your commute. Having said that, it's not the most interesting area and most businesses seem to cater to families. This works for me since I have a baby. This also means that home values should stay stable. If you have any specific questions, send me a pm and I'll try my best to help out.

[Pacifico]

I'd suggest choosing West LA over NELA since you will be working I'm the westside. The commute into Wes Los from NE Los is not good.

[Ingenere]

I looked in NELA and that place is absolutely awful. Ghetto everywhere. Avoid it. Go with Encino/sherman oaks/studio city.

[CALGUY]

Nestled between Highland Park, and Monterey Hills is the little known village of Hermon.
We are east of the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and just south of South Pasadena.
Mostly single family homes ranging in price from $350,000 to $450,000
We are close to everything that highland Park has, except the gangs.
We are a quiet little community, and if I were looking for a nice area, close to everything, yet peaceful and quiet, I would look into Hermon.
We have nice parks, some with tennis, hiking trails, and a horse stable just minutes from the center of Hermon.
I never read any statistics concerning Hermon, but I would guess it is about one square mile in area.
Highland Park to the west, South Pasadena to the north, Monticeto heights to the south, and Monterey Hills to the east.
At one time, Dianne Keaton, and Gene Roddenberry lived here in Hermon.
I have lived here 22 years, and wouldn't want to live any where else.
Bob.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Ingenere

I looked in NELA and that place is absolutely awful. Ghetto everywhere. Avoid it. Go with Encino/sherman oaks/studio city.

Yeah, Montecito Hts, Eagle Rock, and Mt. Washington are more ghetto than Van Nuys, Pacoima, and Canoga Park.

[sjl304]

I think that one thing to keep in mind here is the commute you'll be making from the valley or Highland park/eagle rock to the west side is pretty brutal. That being said tons of people live in the valley and commute to the west side. And if you end up switching jobs and working in the valley...living in the valley will be convenient. With that...here's my opinion. Despite the word on the street, numerous articles, and of course the real estate numbers themselves....to me highland park/eagle rock is still pretty ghetto. It's changing yes, and the night life is there. But there are still some very shady areas there vs Encino/Sherman Oaks. I feel like you're making a "safer" bet in terms of the value of properties and safety of the areas in Encino and Sherman Oaks. Although the northern part of Sherman Oaks can get a bit rough around the edges but not too bad. Of course preferably if you could be closer to ventura blvd or south of the blvd in the valley you'd be doing great. Another area to consider is Woodland Hills. You get a little more bang for your buck then Encino and Sherman Oaks. You might get something south of the blvd there. Yes, it's a little further west but your commute won't be all that different and actually it's easier to get to the beach from woodland hills. And I feel Woodland Hills is just as nice as Encino and Sherman Oaks. All 3 of those valley areas of course have nice parts and parts that aren't quite as nice but it's pretty nice in most of those areas. If you're a hipster, "open minded" invidual, Highland Park/echo park might be cool. But it's still a long ways off from what I consider a "good", "safe" area that will be worth a lot of money in the future.

[geocab310]

Thank you everyone for your insight. It seems like SO, Encino, Lake Balboa, Woodland Hills might be overall a safer investment. SJL304, I have read a lot about the boom in NELA but think it'll cool off at some point. Does anyone else feel differently?