I'm looking for advice from real estate investors and professionals regarding the current market and future predictions. I’m considering two options for investing family money in LA. One option is to buy a 2-3 million multi-family property, rent it out, and live somewhere separate (rent somewhere nicer/ separate). The other option is to buy a single-family home within the same price range, rent it out, and deal with less hassle. Which one would be the better investment in terms of profit and long-term management? I’m new to real estate and would appreciate any advice, especially considering the current market trends.

Hi all! Looking for general advice and if there is more we can do. My wife and I collectively make about 250k per year and have no debt. Our credit scores are 780 (both of us) Our only fixed expense is daycare which will be gone in a few years. We are also set to inherit about 750-800k (conservatively based on the home that will be sold as a part of a trust) in the next decade or so which will go towards paying down our mortgage. We have 420-430k for a down payment (we sold our condo) so we are looking to buy in the range of 1mil to 1.2 mil. We would really prefer not to go over 1.15 just to keep our monthly expenses down, but we have been outbid twice now at 1.15. We are shopping in glassell park, cypress park, mount washington, glendale, la crescenta and those surrounding areas. We have seen about 30 places in north hollywood, east van nuys, and burbank, and the valley has not been particularly great. We need 3 beds because we may have an incoming family member (not a child) in the near future. We are willing to do some renovation in the future but need it to be mostly move in ready. Any advice is welcome! Thank you!

Getting ready to start house shopping. Wanted to know what's considered "the norm" in this market since the rules change. Not a luxury price point, btw.

Hello Forum,

This is my first post , looking for some advice . I won a 4 unit in LA that I bought a few years ago for under a mill. We did extensive renovations , inherited two tenants and brought in two new tenants , it cash flows well with one unit vacancy that we airbnb . Around the same time my now wife got a two unit on her own that we also renovated . It’s in SouthLA and has become a nice property but we are not in love with the area and have to consider school options for our kids . Both homes have low interest mortgages. However we want to buy something together and are thinking about 1031 exchanging into a single family with an ADU in a more expensive area . Does any one have advice on how to do that utilizing a 1031 exchange , would an ADU qualify for the property as an investment / residence . Have never done an 1031 and would just appreciate advice we are not sure what to do with both properties , they cash flow but we ready to move something nicer.

How would you rank these Westside communities? What area will get more attention from buyers next year?

New L.A. County SFR, condo/townhome and listings under $1 million.

Happy Holidays!

I’m here to help with any of your real estate needs—whether you're interested in buying, selling, or leasing. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or for assistance with your next steps in real estate!

All new listings within the last week.

Two tabs on the spreadsheet, one for Single Family Homes, one for Condos/Townhomes.

Find more details on any listing by simply googling the info or you can copy the listing ID # (AKA: MLS#) and enter it into the search bar in a site like this one.

Meanwhile, need some work done around the house? Check out our list of recommended service providers for home appliance repair and purchase, landscaping, insurance and more.

Good luck and happy hunting, L.A.

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a significant renovation on a multifamily property in L.A. County (not within the City of Los Angeles) and wanted to see if anyone here has experience navigating the process of substantial renovation evictions. I’m aware that the City of L.A. has banned this as a just-cause eviction, but I’m asking about other cities in the county where it’s still permitted.

I’m specifically curious about the timeline – from the moment you have permits and all the necessary documentation to officially file for the eviction, how long does it typically take to complete the process? In your experience, what does the timeline look like in a best-case vs. worst-case scenario?

The building I’m working on really needs heavy repairs, and I’m aiming to improve it to create safer, higher-quality housing that benefits the community in the long run. Any insights, lessons learned, or tips you could share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Hello I live in LA area and have always dreamt of working in real estate (27yo) . The idea was to save money and invest it until I can figure out how to purchase a property, improve it, live in or rent it. And begin my refinance monopoly.

As the years have passed I have not been able to make it happen. I have a friend who wholesales real estate and he is constantly sending me deals to forward to local investors I know or friends with money. This has not paid off once.

Reason I want to be in real estate is the ability to be super flexible and eventually to have enough renters that takes care of a modest life style so I can finally have children and raise them right ( my first step in making the world a better place 🤞🏼) as well as better take care of my elders (do not want my parents in homes) and being a first generation American whose parents struggled to keep us in good neigborhoods theres little to no support or financial education in my history.

It feels like every year my goal is becoming less and less feasible. If I move out of california my income disappears and the fact im in a commited relationship and have an amazingly rare large and close friend group makes it a million times harder to leave as well.

Im now starting to think maybe i should make a transition into the industry by working for someone…

So how can I break into real estate and make a decent living doing it so I can become an investor myself?

I was wondering if staging makes a difference in selling a home?

And what are the rates for staging usually? Like per room?

And if anyone can refer me to someone who does staging I would really appreciate it.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I just wanted to reach out to see if anyone is a wholesaler here in SoCal, I can close in 2 weeks or less! If you’re interested please message me. Happy Holidays!

I've been wanting to sell my property but it seems like nobody is buying..I know these are considered slow months but the last year has been particularly slow. is it going to pick up?

Hey guys

We offered on a property that recently went off-market (for the festive season) with no *at asking price* offers.

Our offer was 1.7% below asking price.

Once we offered, the sellers magically received another offer at the same amount as ours and want us to increase our offer to over-asking price. They are not willing to share any details of the other bidder.

Obviously we could slightly increase our offer, but then there's no guarantee they will not just claim the other 'bidder' has increased their offer to keep trying to increase the price.

Is this sort of thing legal/common in LA?

How can we avoid being caught in an artificial bidding war?

EDIT: They had had a couple of offers (4% below asking) - but had rejected them on the basis that they had already reduced the property by 7%

background- I co-own a small apartment with my mom, lived in there until around 2017, and then I moved back to live with my parents, that apartment since then became my mom’s rental property. I do not have any other property under my name.

I am now kind of planning to purchase a home of my own hopefully within the next few years, sooner the better. My question is how do we avoid paying property gains tax within reason? Ideas that I have:

• Move back into the apartment for a few years and then sell, hopefully I don’t have to live in there the whole 5 years to sell as owner-occupied? What’s the minimum # of years I should live in there? Since it’s co-owned, does my mom also need to claim this apartment as her primary residence to avoid tax when selling?

I do have 20% downpayment saved up, but my (maybe broken) math told me it’s better to sell the co-owned apartment, use that money to put a larger down to lower my new home’s mortgage, pay my mom $ monthly as if she is still getting rental income (lower than the monthly rent she was getting, just the actual after tax income $) on the apartment, so I don’t have to carry a large mortgage payment, and she doesn’t have to deal with a rental.

Please correct me if I’m wrong or missing something.

Thanks.

Or is that par for the course when homebuying in LA? On the westside. Asking for a friend ;p

New L.A. County SFR, condo/townhome and listings under $1 million.

Happy Holidays!

I’m here to help with any of your real estate needs—whether you're interested in buying, selling, or leasing. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or for assistance with your next steps in real estate!

All new listings within the last week.

Two tabs on the spreadsheet, one for Single Family Homes, one for Condos/Townhomes.

Find more details on any listing by simply googling the info or you can copy the listing ID # (AKA: MLS#) and enter it into the search bar in a site like this one.

Meanwhile, need some work done around the house? Check out our list of recommended service providers for home appliance repair and purchase, landscaping, insurance and more.

Good luck and happy hunting, L.A.

Is living in Coldwater Canyon, Beverly Hills, worth it in terms of community safety, privacy, and investment? I know traffic is a major factor—how bad is it really? Is it only an issue during rush hour? I was planning on moving to Malibu but feel it’s too isolated. Any opinions?

Hey guys

I'm currently looking at buying something in LA and have come across quite a few properties with 'bonus' spaces that are not counted towards the listed sqft.

I come from the UK market where the rules are quite different - so I'm wondering what the pros and cons are to these spaces when buying, owning and selling a property?

Cheers!

I have a chaotic neighbor that is being evicted. It's been 10 weeks since the notice to vacate was posted. The person being evicted has a caseworker. As well, I've noticed someone from Public Health coming by. Would that cause the lockout to take longer? About how long should I expect to wait until my neighbor is locked out?

Edit: I meant writ of possession, not notice to vacate

Hi everyone,

As a landlord committed to improving housing, I’m navigating LA’s ban on substantial remodel evictions (“renovictions”). Without this option, what value-add strategies are left? Is cash-for-keys now the only way to reposition properties?

I worry this policy will leave many older buildings in poor condition. Would you recommend avoiding LA City altogether and focusing on other cities in LA County? If so, where are the best opportunities for multifamily investments right now?

Looking forward to your insights—thanks!

Hello everyone, I am a real estate agent, working mostly with investors. I created a website with statistical data for various LA neighborhoods. Feel free to browse median prices, ratios, and other metrics for multi family homes or residential properties. I also created a financial calculator to help you calculate necessary revenue for desired ROI, and monthly expenses on a given price. Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Link to website: https://www.la-stats.com/

We recently applied for a permit to do some remodeling after a fire.

Now Public Works says that because we live on a substandard hillside street that is only 25’ wide we must dedicate 3’ across the front of our property to the city (and pay them for the privilege of giving it to them).

This not only probably screws up our remodel plans because of setback issues, but it’s also just insane because all the houses on our side of the street except for ours have garages built <5’ from the street — and our direct neighbors have a giant retaining wall built right on the street. There is literally no way that they could ever widen the street / sidewalk without tearing down at least 8 garages and the front of a few houses.

Anybody have experience with this?

It seems like there is a waiver application process but any tips on best ways to navigate this would be much appreciated.

Hi all,

We've lived in Sherman Oaks for 40+ years. Not much remodeling has been done. I've done small DIY Projects like a bathroom vanity, painting, etc., but have been a big fan of all the home improvement TV shows and can quote many of them lol.

We want to move closer to our kids (Sierra Madre area). So we're in the planning stage, and trying to figure out whether to invest in a bathroom and kitchen remodel - both are 50+ years old - and show it.

The general advice everyone gives is "ask a realtor who is familiar with the market in your area..." But realtors in general aren't designers. I have a realtor friend who has told me she cant find much in the way of comps (5br 2 1/2 bath 3100 sqft on 17,000sqft lot), and we could "clean it out and put it on the market with no changes" and "see what happens"

I just dont want to leave a lot of money on tje table. The house was recently appraised at $2.2M and I have an offer from a flipoer at $1.5M who said he would just gut it. So I figure we should be able to sell it for $1.8M-$2M. I don't have any issue putting $50-$100K into remodeling if it provides a return.

I'd love to find a legitimate company/person a la "Unsellable houses" or "Property Brothers" who can give us some professional advice - and willing to pay for it - but finding a team with legitimate design/construction experience along with an understanding of the market in my area is a challenge. There are great realtors, and great contractors, but finding a team who can help figure out the best approach is a challenge.

Has anyone else faced this dilemma?

Hello, looking for an agent that specializes/significant experience in MidCity area of Los Angeles. Referrals/recommendations are super appreciated

New L.A. County home listings under $1 mil, week of 12-2-24

New L.A. County SFR, condo/townhome and listings under $1 million.

Happy Holidays!

I’m here to help with any of your real estate needs—whether you're interested in buying, selling, or leasing. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or for assistance with your next steps in real estate!

All new listings within the last week.

Two tabs on the spreadsheet, one for Single Family Homes, one for Condos/Townhomes.

Find more details on any listing by simply googling the info or you can copy the listing ID # (AKA: MLS#) and enter it into the search bar in a site like this one.

Meanwhile, need some work done around the house? Check out my list of recommended service providers for home appliance repair and purchase, landscaping, insurance and more.

Good luck and happy hunting, L.A.