Real Estate – Page 3 – SoCal Home Blog

December 29, 2015

Venice Homes For Sale

VENICE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Venice is a boho beach town and has been longtime haven for artists, new agers, road-weary tramps, freaks and free spirits. This is where Jim Morrison and the Doors lit their fire, where Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself to stardom, and the place the late Dennis Hopper once called home.

In the early twentieth century, crowds thronged to this ‘Coney Island on the Pacific’ to be poled around by imported gondoliers, walk among Renaissance-style arcaded buildings and listen to Benny Goodman tooting his horn in clubs.

These days, tech and entertainment dollars have fueled a hard charging gentrification that is changing this once low-key enclave with a strong sense of community. Still there are more indie boutiques and cafes than chains, and there’s plenty of innovative architecture and public art.

The Boardwalk, the bike path and the beach are the traditional attractions here, but the whole area’s worth a wander.

Residences and streets

Many of Venice’s houses have their principal entries from pedestrian-only streets and have house numbers on these footpaths. (Automobile access is by alleys in the rear.) The inland walk streets are made up primarily of around 620 single-family homes.

It lies 2 miles away from the nearest freeway, and its unusually dense network of narrow streets was not planned for modern traffic. Mindful of the tourist nature of much of the district’s vehicle traffic, its residents have successfully fought numerous attempts to extend the Marina Freeway (SR 90) into southern Venice.

The Venice Canal Historic District is noteworthy for its man-made canals built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America plan. Kinney sought to recreate the appearance and feel of Venice, Italy, in Southern California.

The canals are roughly bounded by Eastern Court on the east, Court A on the south, Strongs Drive on the west, and Court E on the north. There are four east-west canals (Carroll Canal, Linnie Canal, Howland Canal, and Sherman Canal) and two north-south canals (Eastern Canal and Grand Canal). The beautifully lit canals with gondoliers and arched bridges drew widespread publicity and helped sell lots in the development.

The canals were renovated in 1992, with the canals being drained and new sidewalks and walls being built. The canals re-opened in 1993 and have become a desirable and expensive residential section of the city.

The residential district surrounding the remaining canals was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. However, in recent years, there has been extensive renovation work on many of the old houses, and many large, modern houses have been built.

VENICE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 29, 2015

Los Feliz Homes For Sale

LOS FELIZ HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Feliz means “happy” in Spanish and it’s an accurate name for such a pleasant and livable area of L.A. It’s hard to be down when you’re in walking distance of coffee shops, theaters, boutiques, and sidewalk cafes on Vermont Avenue, between Franklin and Hollywood, or the Hillhurst corridor between Los Feliz Boulevard and Prospect Avenue.

Twenty years ago, when Swingers (film) mania tore through LA like a proto-hipster storm, Los Feliz, emerged as LA’s next great neighborhood. For it was here, north and a touch east of Hollywood, on the clean-swept, tree-lined streets in the shadow of Griffith Park, that packs of aspiring actors and writers lived in one-room apartments housed in old Hollywood relics, and gathered in bars and coffeehouses cracking wise, and dreaming and flirting big. What gave it depth was the fact that Los Feliz has history.

This whole area was once one enormous ranch, called Rancho Los Feliz. In fact, the adobe ranch house, built in the 1830s, still stands. In 1882 Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith bought the majority of the ranch and later bequeathed it to the city of LA, forming what became Griffith Park, LA’s largest municipal open space. Early movie studios sprouted in the flats, along with mansions in the hills. These days, however, the hipster hub has migrated east to Echo Park and into Downtown, and Los Feliz is still way too cool to care.

Nestled up against the southern border of Griffith Park, is Hillhurst Avenue. This is one of those big city avenues that is just crammed with cool restaurants, boutiques and watering holes (mostly of the lounge variety here in Los Feliz). For example, you can dine at the Vinoteca Farafalle, a upscale Italian restaurant with an excellent selection of wines; or get Japanese food at Mako; or get really delicious Mexican food at Yuca’s—which is just a shack.

In terms of boutiques, you have Little Boutique of Los Feliz good for clothing. Of course, since you are in Hipster Heaven, you have a number of vintage clothing stores like American Vintage and Oou, both good places to go to keep your wardrobe from getting fresh.

There is also a great indie bookstore, Skylight and a great movie theater, Vista.

But where Los Feliz really shines is the cool lounges. The Good Luck Bar (a lounge that makes you feel like you are in China), Covell—a very sophisticated wine bar that makes you feel like you are in a Post-Modern version of Madmen, the Drawing Room, a great dive bar, and, of course, the Dresden—the joint that you may know from Swingers. It is definitely worth a visit in and of itself.

In terms of living in the area, North of Los Feliz Blvd., nestled up against the hills by Griffith Park are some really beautiful homes from various architectural styles, but all exuding a feeling of wealth. You get everything from really cool looking Tudors to Spanish Revival, to Ranch Homes up in this area.

There is one odd section of the neighborhood built on a horseshoe set up that just has a plethora of these homes that most anyone would consider themselves lucky to live in. There is also a section of the neighborhood that has a high percentage of wonderful Fairytale Cottages.

Most people who live in the area will also tell you that it is a very walkable neighborhood in way that few LA neighborhoods are. If you want to take an early evening walk, check out the sunset and the Hollywood sign, and some of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area, you can spend a pleasant evening doing so.

Lots of people from the creative professions live here and many people from different cultures. Overall, it is a gem hidden right in the middle of Los Angeles.

LOS FELIZ HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 29, 2015

Santa Monica Homes For Sale

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

There are literally a million and one different reasons that you would want to call Santa Monica your home. Maybe the biggest reason that so many people are looking at different Santa Monica homes for their next big move is strictly because of the caliber of weather. You would be hard pressed to find even a single person that was unhappy with the day to day weather of southern California, and would have just as difficult a time finding people in Santa Monica homes that didn’t count it as a major reason for their move.

You’ll be able to jump into the Ocean inside of just a few minutes no matter where your new Santa Monica home is, the kind of access that people dream of almost every single day.

LAX is just miles away to make hitting any spot on the planet a possibility. You can be out of your door and on a flight around the world inside of an hour, which is the perfect thing to do from time to time to really help you better appreciate just how incredible the Santa Monica homes really are!

The last thing you need to know about why people make the move to Santa Monica is that it has as much to do with an inner change than an outer one. Sure, we’ve all dreamed of how our lives would be different if we could live on a beach house in a world class town like Santa Monica, but the residents there actually get to see what happens when they make the shift. People become more alive, more awake, more caring – it’s a whole mindset shift that can take you to another planet without ever having to leave the country you love so much.

Modern Santa Monica

Santa Monica has a dramatic setting over 200 feet above the beach with rugged cliffs that drop-off along the shoreline. The city enjoys fresh sea breezes coming in from the Pacific Ocean with an average year round temperature near 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For surfers and skateboarders, Santa Monica also borders funky, world famous Venice Beach.

Santa Monica features world class hotels, restaurants and shopping. It is really a place to be, if you want to have fun in the sun playing beach volleyball, biking, rollerblading or “people watching” to your heart’s content. For the more adventurous, a hike in the near by Santa Monica Mountains will be a rewarding experience.

For the Earth-loving, you will be delighted to know that Santa Monica is a “green” city with bicycle-friendly streets. The people in Santa Monica believe in creating a healthier, cleaner, safer and more beautiful city.

Shopping, Parks, and More

Santa Monica has three main shopping districts, Montana Avenue on the north side of the city, the Downtown District in the city’s core, and Main Street on the south end of the city. Each of these districts has its own unique feel and personality.

Montana Avenue is a stretch of luxury boutique stores, restaurants, and small offices that generally features more upscale shopping. The Main Street district offers an eclectic mix of clothing, restaurants, and other specialty retail.

The Downtown District is the home of the Third Street Promenade, a major outdoor pedestrian-only shopping district that stretches for three blocks. Third Street is closed to vehicles for those three blocks to allow people to stroll, congregate, shop and enjoy street performers.

Santa Monica Place, featuring Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom in a three-level outdoor environment, is located at the south end of the Promenade. After a period of redevelopment, the mall reopened in the fall of 2010 as a modern shopping, entertainment and dining complex with more outdoor space.

The oldest movie theater in the city is the Majestic. Also known as the Mayfair Theatre, the theater which opened in 1912 has been closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The Aero Theater (now operated by the American Cinematheque) and Criterion Theater were built in the 1930s and still show movies. The Santa Monica Promenade alone supports more than a dozen movie screens.

Palisades Park stretches out along the crumbling bluffs overlooking the Pacific and is a favorite walking area to view the ocean. It includes a totem pole, camera obscura, artwork, benches, picnic areas, pétanque courts, and restrooms.

Tongva Park occupies 6 acres between Ocean Avenue and Main Street, just south of Colorado Avenue. The park includes an overlook, amphitheater, playground, garden, fountains, picnic areas, and restrooms.

The Santa Monica Stairs, a long, steep staircase that leads from north of San Vicente down into Santa Monica Canyon, is a popular spot for all-natural outdoor workouts.

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Santa Monica Beach Culture

It’s a small city with forward-thinking social and environmental ideals and fascist parking codes. Here, you’ll navigate a landscape of surf rats, skate punks, string bikinis, yoga freaks, psychics, street performers and a prodigious homeless population. Here’s a place where real-life Lebowskis sip white Russians next to martini-swilling Hollywood producers, celebrity chefs dine at family-owned taquerias, and soccer moms and career bachelors shop shoulder to shoulder at abundant farmers markets.

Most, if not all, of which can be found along a stretch of sublime coastline that cradles the city to the west, and laps at the heels of an undulating mountain range that defines the entire LA area to the north. This is Santa Monica – LA’s cute, alluring, hippie-chic little sister, its karmic counterbalance and, to many, its salvation.

The Santa Monica Pier

Once the very end of the mythical Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier dates back to 1908, and is the city’s most compelling landmark. There are arcades, carnival games, a vintage carousel, a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, and an aquarium, and the pier comes alive with free concerts (Twilight Dance Series) and outdoor movies in the summertime.

The thing here is the view: extending almost a quarter mile over the Pacific, you can stroll to the edge, hang out among the motley anglers, and lose yourself in the rolling, blue-green sea.

Kids get their kicks at Pacific Park , a small amusement park with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, kiddy rides, midway games and food stands.

Peer under the pier the Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Sea stars, crabs, sea urchins and other critters and crustaceans scooped from the bay stand by to be petted – ever so gently, please – in their adopted touch-tank homes.

South of the pier is the Original Muscle Beach, where the Southern California exercise craze began in the mid-20th century, and new equipment now draws a new generation of fitness fanatics. Close by, the search for the next Bobby Fischer is on at the International Chess Park .

SANTA MONICA HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 21, 2015

Westlake Homes For Sale

WESTLAKE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Westlake is surrounded by some of the best neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Its amazing location is one of the best kept secrets in Los Angeles. Its access to the best thoroughfares in Southern California (CA 101, 10 and 110) lets its residents get just about anywhere, fast.

Westlake is flanked by the incredibly hip Silver Lake to the north, Echo Park to the northeast and east, Downtown to the southeast, Pico-Union to the south and southwest and Koreatown to the west.

Downtown Los Angeles is close enough to walk or ride a bike. Within minutes the Downtown Los Angeles Library, Staples Center, and the Los Angeles Music Center can be enjoyed without it being a “special event”, these gems are a daily sight to the residents of Westlake.

To the west are some of the most iconic destinations and they are within minutes of travel. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the largest and finest collection of art west of the Mississippi is convenient enough to make the most of a season pass.

Historically Westlake has been a over-looked extension of Downtown Los Angeles. It’s homes are nearly as old as the city itself, with neighborhoods that have beautiful architectural styles, and have the rare opportunity to be brought up to date.

Most of the greater area in and around Los Angeles has been redeveloped, refurbished and often gentrified. To come across a neighborhood that is beginning to gain interest in such a prime location is rare, and unlikely to be seen many times in the future. Westlake is a perfect area to shop for a new home for first time buyers who don’t want to commute from a suburb and make the most of what Los Angeles has to offer.

The area Westlake that is closer to the downtown border are many luxury and medium condominiums.

In past years the condominium and loft market in Downtown Los Angeles, both buyer’s interest and prices has skyrocketed. Many adjacent areas are beginning to feel the impact of the high demand to live in the area. Westlake has many great condominiums to chose from that can give a Los Angelino a downtown residence and a budget left over to live the lifestyle.

MacArthur Park (formerly Westlake Park) is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and a designated City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument.

Beginning in 2002 the Los Angeles Police Department and business and community leaders led a revitalization effort that has led to the installation of surveillance cameras, the opening of a recreation center, increased business, early-morning drink vendors, a new Metro station, the return of the the fountain, and large community festivals attracting thousands. In 2005 the park was celebrated for having the highest reduction of crime statistics per resident in the United States.

WESTLAKE HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 4, 2015

East Hollywood Homes For Sale

EAST HOLLYWOOD FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED HOMES

With a population of just over 48,000 residents, East Hollywood is a 1.8 square-mile community adjacent to central Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake,and Koreatown. One of the most culturally diverse communities — if not the most culturally diverse community, it is home to Little Armenia, Thai Town commercial district and El Salvadoran communities.

It is also home to many Mexican, Filipino, Guatemalan, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern residents and businesses. Because of this cultural diversity, East Hollywood offers a veritable food paradise comprising of countless ethnic restaurants and bakeries.

The neighborhood is served by the Red Line as well as the Los Angeles bus system. Additionally, more “Eco-Friendly” means of transportation are being encouraged and developed, including increased bike traffic, amenities for experimental zero-emission cars, and corporations dedicated to making housing more energy efficient. The neighborhood is home to three hospitals, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Queen of Angels, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Area homes are primarily large, single-family dwellings, with some reaching the size and majesty of a mansion. There are a few apartment buildings and condominiums, but local housing ordinances prevent these structures from being too tall.

East Hollywood is west of supremely hip Silver Lake. It is unpretentious and fastidiously unkempt, East Hollywood boasts neighborhood dive bars, streetside churro stands, and community fairs where sidewalk musicians make all the noise they want.

Vista Theatre is a historic single-screen movie theater in Los Angeles, California, located in East Hollywood on the border with Los Feliz.

Vista Theatre opened on October 16, 1923, as a single-screen theater. In addition to screening films, the theater also showed vaudeville acts on stage.

It is one of the remaining historic structures from the 1920s, when Hollywood was first built up and began attracting residents to its new suburban homes from areas near downtown Los Angeles and East Los Angeles, at the time middle and wealthy class sections of Los Angeles.

In a manner reminiscent of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, The Vista is a local landmark. It has been renovated to play new release movies, and retains its historic architecture.

East Hollywood and its adjacent communities is where you go to experience the “real” not reel Los Angeles. It’s roots are deep and reach into many cultures. This is where you will truly discover Hollywood.

EAST HOLLYWOOD FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED HOMES

Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449

December 2, 2015January 24, 2018

Culver City Homes For Sale

CULVER CITY HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED HOMES

Culver City is a great place to live and is a beautiful city in the Los Angeles area that is centrally located. It is surrounded by the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Mar Vista and Palms to the north; Westchester to the south; Mid-City and West Adams to the east; Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights to the southeast; and the L.A. beaches of Venice and Playa Vista to the west, along with the bay area of Marina Del Rey.

Culver City’s major geographic feature is Ballona Creek, which runs northeast to southwest through most of the city before it drains into Santa Monica Bay in Marina Del Rey.

Since the 1920s, Culver City has been a significant center for motion picture and later television production, best known as the home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. It was also the headquarters for the Hughes Aircraft Company from 1932 to 1985. National Public Radio West and Sony Pictures Entertainment now have headquarters in the city. The NFL Network studio is also based in Culver City.

Culver City is served by major Southern California freeways; the San Diego (405), Santa Monica (10), and Marina freeways (90).

Museums and The Arts

The Actors’ Gang at the Ivy Substation
Kirk Douglas Theatre, featuring the Center Theater Group
Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum: The largest and most academically substantial independently held collection of objects, documents and memorabilia on African-American history and culture.
The Wende Museum possesses a collection of the former Soviet Union’s and German Democratic Republic’s visual art and everyday artifacts. Open to the public on Fridays.

Public Art Installations; In addition to the many museums and theaters, Culver City is commitmented to the beautification of it’s public areas.

Farmers Market

The year round market offers fresh fruits, vegetables and a selection of other fine foods, and takes place every Tuesday, rain or shine, on downtown Culver City’s Main Street, from 2 to 7 pm.

CULVER CITY HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED HOMES

Parks

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
Blair Hills Park
Blanco Park
Carlson Park
Coombs Park
Culver City Park
The Boneyard (Dog Park!)
Culver City Skate Park
Culver West Alexander Park
El Marino Park
Fox Hills Park
Lindberg Park
Syd Kronenthal Park
Tellefson Park
Veterans Park

Neighborhoods

Culver City Hotel, Culver City Homes for Sale — Culver City Hotel

Beverlywood West
Blair Hills
Blanco
Carlson Park
Clarkdale
Culver Crest
Culver West
Downtown Culver City
Federal Park
Fox Hills
Hayden Tract
Helms District
Higuera
Huron
Lucerne
Jefferson
McLaughlin
McManus (East Culver City)
Park East
Rancho Higuera
Studio Estates
Studio Village (Lindberg Park)
Sunkist Park (El Marino)
Telefson Park
Veterans Park (Park West)
Veterans Park

The two primary ZIP codes for Culver City are 90230 and 90232. Because ZIP codes do not necessarily follow city boundaries, a portion of Culver City is in the 90066 ZIP code, which also serves some of the Mar Vista neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles.

Culver City Map - Culver City Homes for Sale — Culver City Map

CULVER CITY HOMES FOR SALE | NEW LISTINGS | UNLISTED HOMES

Copyright © This free information provided courtesy SoCal Home Blog with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 888-240-3500 or visit NewHomesInLA.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.