A few days ago CurbedLA invited Tracy to be a guest on the Friday Open Thread- a weekly forum in which readers gather to discuss topics of interest and ask questions of the invited experts. Tracy got to answer some great questions about the neighborhoods we serve – here is a fragment of the chat with Tracy and Jenna Chandler of CurbedLA, discussing the merits of buying homes in some of ours favorite North East LA areas. To get more of Tracy’s insight and to read the whole conversation, head over here.

Jenna Chandler:

Tracy, thank you so much for joining us! We’ve heard Cypress Park and Glassell Park are going to be this year’s “it” neighborhoods. Are you seeing interest peak in those neighborhoods right now? And what do you think the appeal is?

Tracy Do:

Absolutely interest is peaking in Glassell Park and Cypress Park, for the reason that they are well-located neighborhoods that are adjacent to already-established enclaves. Both are directly adjacent or at least very near to Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Mt. Washington. Downtown is close, as are Echo Park and Silver Lake. It’s a nice option for buyers, especially as prices everywhere are climbing. These two neighborhoods represent a nice opportunity for buyers looking to get into the housing market.

Great news about the Neutra VDL House being named a National Historic Landmark. As announced by U.S. Department of the Interior’s: “The Neutra Studio and Residences (VDL Research House) in Los Angeles, California, is associated with Richard Neutra, a nationally and internationally seminal figure of the twentieth century Modern movement in architecture. During the 1940s, as Neutra’s work evolved, he also became the well-recognized founder of mid-century “California Modern” architecture. The VDL Research House is the only property where one can see the progression of his style over a period of years and is among the key properties to understanding the national significance of Richard Neutra.”

Here’s the old master himself, at 74, sitting on the VDL House II deck, deep in thought before the landscape.

Photo by Julius Shulman, courtesy of the Getty Research Institute.