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Old 07-04-2020, 04:47 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,718 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi there, my wife and I have been looking for a home for some time. I work in Westwood and my wife works all over West LA. Our preference is for a large, remodeled/new build SFH but the options are pretty limited in West LA. Recently we found a home we like in Encino in 91316, south of Ventura. We wanted to ask if anyone has any insights/thoughts on the following questions:

-- What your thoughts are on the neighborhood? What are the demographics like? Is it a good place for families?

-- Is the area safe? (We've been following the area on the Citizen app -- we routinely see alerts for things like "man brandishing gun", "person assaulted in street", etc., but it seems like a lot of these are BS?)

-- Are the schools in the area good? We'd be looking at Nestle for elementary, Portola for middle. No kids yet, but planning to over the next few years.

-- What sort of trend do you see in the area, in terms of the neighborhood and home prices? One of the things that worries me is whether house prices will stagnate or tank because of COVID-19. I hope we would love the area and can stay there long enough to weather any downturns, but in case we don't love it, it would be good to not lose too much money if we needed to sell.

I greatly appreciate any advice on these questions, or thoughts on other aspects we may have overlooked. Thank you!
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Old 07-06-2020, 10:19 AM
 
908 posts, read 1,291,237 times
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I know a couple folks who live in this zip code, so this is from a visitor's perspective and based on some anecdotes I've heard.

Overall in the Valley, Encino is one of the best places to be. Generally, I'd consider this area to be family friendly. Based on my observations, the demographics are primarily Caucasian and Middle Eastern (fair amount of Persians).

In terms of schools, based on what I've heard, Nestle and Portola are not bad, but not great. Better than the average LAUSD school, but that's not saying much. Lanai Road Elementary is the better elementary school in the area if you can get your kid in there down the line. Personally, I'd opt for private school in this area. Given how expensive homes are in the area, you don't get that value back in terms of high quality public education. Not a lot in return for your tax dollars in my book.

It is a safe area, but if you are close to Ventura Blvd., you could have a little riff raff with some homeless lingering around. Also, a bit more congestion closer to Ventura Blvd. and simply noisier.

It's definitely better if you go further up the hill as it's quieter and more walkable with more space. Once kids come into the picture, you want to have family-friendly streets where you can go out for walks with more peace and quiet. Also, there is some pleasant weather where you can get a nice afternoon / evening breeze.

Overall, I'd say that the area will at the very least retain its value or very slightly dip if there's a downturn. It's still a prime, sought after area of the Valley.

If you're willing to extend your commute another 20-30 minutes, you could consider going further west outside of LA proper to Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, etc., as those areas are quieter and more family-friendly with great public schools.
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Old 07-07-2020, 12:37 AM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,097,607 times
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My family used to live in 91316, but closer to the freeway. The entire area is mostly good for the valley with plenty of parks and shopping options nearby. We moved away before the kids started school, but did have to look into it as our oldest was getting close to kinder. Our local school wasn’t great, but with some flexibility there are plenty of magnets and charters nearby to apply to. Safety was never an issue minus a crazy neighbor, but that’s a different story.

A couple of callouts if you haven’t spent time in the valley. First, it is very hot in the summer. Not just uncomfortably warm, but hot enough that you won’t see people outside of places with ac. If you’re coming from the west side the heat may catch you off guard. Also, traffic is a nightmare. Being near the 405/101 is not pleasant when trying to leave Encino. Even on the weekends, the 101 and 405 are packed. You will have to learn to schedule your life around traffic patterns. This is not unusual for LA, but I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was In the valley. As for demographics, lots of different folks in the area, including many immigrant area. Definitely a lot of Persians, but plenty Russians and Israelis as well. I gathered that a very large percentage of the population was Jewish, but that had no real impact on me, so I didn’t care (I’m not Jewish to be clear).

Bottom line, for LA it’s a decent area and we’d probably still be there if work didn’t take us elsewhere. Having said that, moving somewhere with less heat and less traffic did add to my quality of life in noticeable ways. I do miss LA sometimes though, there’s really nowhere else with as much to do so close by (traffic permitting
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Old 07-12-2020, 09:16 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,718 times
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Hi socal88 and BRinSM, thank you so much for sharing your experiences! This is very helpful.

A somewhat different question: between Encino and the South Bay areas (like Hermosa Beach), which would you lean towards? Do you think the South Bay neighborhoods would be better from an investment/appreciation standpoint than Encino?

To give some context, we went to see a house in Hermosa Beach recently that we liked. It was smaller than the one that we saw in Encino (less square footage and no green space), but it was about 15 minutes from the beach. We haven't explored Hermosa Beach but have heard good things about the neighborhood in terms of, e.g., schools being very good, low crime and no homelessness. (We were expecting something similar to Venice or Santa Monica in terms of homelessness, so it was a pleasant surprise.) It also seems like property taxes are lower? The only downside I can see is that distance wise my commute would be about twice as big (from 10 miles for Encino to about 20 miles for Hermosa Beach).
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Old 07-13-2020, 10:04 AM
 
908 posts, read 1,291,237 times
Reputation: 1196
Encino and South Bay cities (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach) are quite different in various regards, so it depends on your preferences.

Unlike Encino, the South Bay cities are independent cities not part of LA proper, and thus not LAUSD. The public schools here all the way through high school are very good, especially Manhattan Beach. You actually get to see your property tax dollars at work through solid schools, clean streets, etc.

From an investment/appreciation standpoint, both Encino and South Bay cities offer solid investment/appreciation as Encino is one of the prime areas of LA proper while for those who want to be close to LA, but not in the city proper, the South Bay areas are among the top choices. And yes, based on my research, the property tax rate is lower in South Bay cities. In fact, it appears they have some of the lowest property tax rates in LA county.

As you noted based on the home you saw, Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo homes tend to be on the smaller side with smaller lots that are packed in compared to Encino. But if you highly value living close to the ocean and don't mind having less yard and green space and a bit more of a chill vibe, then the South Bay cities are a good option.

Both areas have pretty different vibes, so it depends on what you're looking for. But if you think the South Bay cities fit with your lifestyle and preferences while having very good public schools, then I'd take the extra commute. Personally, if possible, I'd rather have a little longer commute to go home to a place I enjoy than a short commute to a place where I'd rather not be.
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