It’s Monday — a day for new beginnings and a great time to make plans for the future. Has the abundance of pumpkins got you thinking about the holiday season? If you are suddenly realizing that 2018 is just around the corner and you are ready to set some home-ownership and investment goals for the new year, here are a couple of think pieces that will prove useful whether you are contemplating selling your house or buying a new home.

Los Angeles ranks No. 5 nationally in return on investment for long-term homeowners

This informative LA Times article bears great news if you are considering selling your current home: the story cites a study by Zillow which found that a typical Los Angeles home seller made $200,000 on the sale of a home in 2016. The author also quotes Zillow experts who confirm that buying is preferable to renting when you consider the financial benefits: “it’s financially advantageous to buy a home rather than rent if you plan on living in it for at least two years and one month, but staying much longer than that has really paid off”. Prices in Los Angeles County have steadily risen in recent years, resulting in a great return on investment for home sellers, and all of our clients have experienced this first-hand as they put up their homes for sale in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and just about everywhere else in Los Angeles.

Here are 5 L.A. Neighborhoods Where You Can Still Find Houses Below $760K

If you are ready to invest in a home but feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to look, you’ll find some helpful suggestions in this thoughtful real estate piece over at LA Mag:

The story details five neighborhoods where you can still find a character home set in a picturesque setting at an affordable price, starting with Alhambra – a great choice if you are drawn to East LA.  Just earlier this year, we listed a charming two bedroom home in Alhambra at $549,000, so we can testify that you can certainly find some excellent opportunities in this neighborhood. The Valley also has some great options – we are currently working with Warmington Residential on bringing a new community of small-lot homes to Valley Glen. Spacious and elegant, the GlenLA homes are an amazing find; prices start in high $600,000’s for a brand new three bedroom residence with a private roof deck. We also agree that Ingelwood presents great potential with its forthcoming Crenshaw Line and new Hollywood Park stadium, and the artistic vibe felt throughout the former industrial spaces turned art studios in this city just east of LAX.

If you are thinking of buying or selling your residence, do get in touch and we will be happy to provide advice and support – we are just an email or a phone call away. Send us your questions and thoughts here.

The weekend is here and with it comes the bevy of all the things you can do in Los Angeles. What to choose? We combed through the multitude of offerings in our favorite Eastside (and beyond) neighborhoods and curated a list of the most enticing options – take a look below:

SATURDAY

Grilled beet, hazelnut, labneh | Photo by Anne Fishbein

Nosh: get a leisurely brunch at Mh Zh, a Silver Lake gem that is small in stature but large in flavor. The Israeli/Mediterranean restaurant sits on a quiet corner in Sunset Junction and serves up a delicious fare –  we loved the grilled beets covered in roasted hazelnuts. Come for the food and stay for the atmosphere – almost entirely outside,  Mh Zh has a true sidewalk cafe vibe.

Art: catch some Pacific Standard Time programming at the Armory in Pasadena. Opening this Saturday is “Below the Underground: Renegade Art and Action in 1990s Mexico”, an exhibition that examines diverse independent artist initiatives – including street performances and interventions, clubs, collaboratively produced ‘zines, archives and collections, radio programs, and more. Come to the opening reception on Saturday, October 14 (7-9 pm) and enjoy a special DJ performance by Sonido Apokalitzin.

Dance: combine a visit to a time-honored Echo Park institution and see some cutting edge contemporary dance; see Milka Djordjevich at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. The UCLA-educated dancer, who went on to get her MFA at Sarah Lawrence, performs Anthem, a work that questions modern dance’s conventions by embracing theatricality. The performance is a part of LAX Festival, produced by Los Angeles Performance Practice. Starts at 9 p.m. Get tickets here.

SUNDAY

Music: take a sound bath in the midst of DTLA – listen to a hundred cars’ soundsystems form the world’s largest synth orchestra at the premiere of Japanese minimalist composer Ryoji Ikeda’s “A [for 100 cars].” The free Red Bull Music Academy Festival takes place at 131 South Olive Street in Downtown L.A. at 5:30pm.

Halloween! Get into the holiday spirit aboard the Halloween Ghost Train, a family-friendly ride through a slightly spooky stretch of track in Griffith Park. Everyone’s favorite Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum tradition makes a glorious return from the dead following a year off. A short hop from Los Feliz, Silver Lake or Echo Park – stop by after visiting our Open House in Silver Lake, 1225 Manzanita St.

Nosh: contribute to relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by taking part in Winsome’s “No Island Left Behind”, a fund-raiser that features Puerto Rican fare, oysters and cocktails, all for $25 per person and to benefit the One America Appeal, an organization dedicated to helping hurricane victims. Echo Park, 3pm-7pm. Reserve your tickets here.

We are so excited to be working with a home designed by LA architect Dick Edward Lowry – this is our 4th and it feels like meeting an old friend. Born in Canada in 1922 and raised in Los Angeles, Dick was the youngest of 4 brothers. It seems that an affinity for architecture ran in the family – Dick’s father, Joseph Lowry, was a building contractor and finish carpenter. Dick was just 19 years old when WWII struck, enlisting and serving in the US Army through the end of the war. Upon return, Lowry enrolled at the USC School of Architecture, the epicenter of architectural thought at the time, ideally situated at the intersection of European modernism and local vernacular influences – the perfect environment to develop new regional architectural forms, the ones that we now know and love as Mid-Century Modern. Mr. Lowry went on to have a successful architecture practice and lived much of his life in Silver Lake and Los Feliz, where his work remains in lasting legacy.

Dick E. Lowry’s homes espoused the essential mid-century design tenets – the graceful post+beam constructions he built were nestled into the site and harmonious with surrounding nature. Inside, his spaces expressed the humanistic approach of MCM, seeking to meet the needs of basic human desires for livability – to shelter and rest, to be social and active.

As such, Lowry’s layouts alternate opacity of private spaces with transparent spaciousness of living quarters, where floor-to-ceiling glass walls create a feeling of expanse by bringing the landscape and natural light indoors – all qualities that are present in our current listing, the stunning 1404 Oak Grove Dr he built in Eagle Rock in 1961.

 

 Come visit our Open House this Sat. and Sun from 2-4P and experience the transcendent magic of MCM design in person. Meanwhile, dip into the 20th century and enjoy these archival photographs that tell the story of this warm architectural home: