Moving to LA next year, buy or rent?

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Hmnn, a first post by a real estate agent says it's a good time ... to buy real estate. Whether prices are firm now or not, it's not a great time to buy because most houses are somewhat overvalued. it's a fine area, but housing is not one of its finest points.

[Alexplosive]

Originally Posted by Chilalyan

HI, AS A REAL ESTATE AGENT I WOULD SAY NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO BUY SINCE THE HOUSE INVENTORY I PRETTY HIGH. IN MY OPINION IN 2007 SUMMER PRICES ARE GOING TO BE MORE FIRM, AND THE SELLERS WONT WORK ON THEIR PRICE AS THEY WOULD NOW .

Chilalyan is right. Now is definitely a good time to buy. Homes that dont sell will be pulled off the market and the prices will go right back up real soon.

[Des_Demona]

Lawndale is not a good area. I wouldn't even go there... let alone live there. That's pretty well known... south LA...

I got this off their city webpage about demographics:
"The City experienced a dramatic change in its ethnic composition during the 1980s and 90s. Those who reported themselves as White decreased from 77 percent to 46 percent of the population between 1980 and 1990. The 90s seemed to duplicate another large decrease in the White population, 46 percent dropped to 21.9 percent. The Hispanic population has grown 17.7 percent in just ten years. Increasing from 34.4 percent to 52.1 percent of the total population in Lawndale. The African American population has increased over 60 percent. Even though this increase may seem high, the actual count of the population is still considered to be a minority. The Asian population has decreased from 11.2 percent to 9.4 percent. "

10. INCOME DISTRIBUTION
In 1999, the median household income in Lawndale was $39,012. This amount was based on sample data gathered by the Census. Table II-6 shows the city’s household income distribution. As shown in this table, over 40 percent of the City’s households earned between $35,000 and $74,999, and 15 percent of the City’s households reported incomes of $14,999 or less. The median family income as of 1999 was $37,909.

Lawndale Violent Crimes Actual #:208 Per 100,000: 637 US Avg.: 554.4

As you can see, the violent crime index is higher than the national average and the national average is HIGH!

There are 29 different gang factions in Lawndale... with a population of only 30,000!