Top 10 Place In Los Angeles To Invest Real Estate

Jumpstart Your Real Estate Investment Path is right around the corner. I thought I’d send you this list of the top ten places in California to buy real estate to help you get in the buying mood. I hope it helps.

Inglewood

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $647,500 / $622,500 (4% decrease)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $15,111,025 vs $13,577,000 (10% decrease)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (24) vs 2019 (21)

Inglewood is a southwestern city in LA County. While it isn’t known for having the best neighborhoods in terms of safety, it is experiencing some gentrification and home prices are increasing as people around are being priced out of its neighboring areas of Ladera Heights and Culver City. Inglewood is predominantly a Black (46%) and Hispanic (46%) city and home values are predicted to rise 16.3% next year. Construction of the Inglewood football stadium is now 40% complete and will be the largest, most expensive football stadium to date – costing $2.6 billion. While prices have risen quickly, Inglewood is still one of the most affordable neighborhoods for a single-family home in L.A. The average price of a home in the area is still below $500,000. The median price of homes jumped from $298,000 in 2014 to $485,000 in 2018 — a 63 percent price increase.

El Sereno

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $659,500 /$562,500 (14% decrease)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $3,807,000 vs $4,695,000 (23% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (6) vs 2019 (8)

El Sereno is a predominantly Latino neighborhood northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is bordered on the north by Highland Park and South Pasadena, on the east by Alhambra, on the south by East Los Angeles, and on the west by Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights. One of LA’s earliest settled areas, it features a number of historic buildings. Housing consists of modest single-family homes on decently sized properties and the occasional small apartment building. Since this is a hilly neighborhood, many of the homes have expansive views of El Sereno and its surroundings. Overall there has been a decent increase in sales volume and prices of homes here are still relatively affordable, with a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom single family home costing around $650,000.

Lincoln Heights

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $465,150/$786,000 (207 % increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $465,150 vs $2,279,000 (389% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (1) vs 2019 (3)

Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in LA and is bounded by the Los Angeles River on the west, the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) on the south, and Indiana Street on the east; the district’s Eastern border is unclear due to the area’s uneven terrain. Adjacent communities include El Sereno on the east, City Terrace on the southeast, Boyle Heights on the south, Chinatown and Solano Canyon on the west, Cypress Park on the northwest, Mt. Washington on the north, and Montecito Heights on the northeast. Closed prices in this neighborhood range between $300,000 to $850,000.

Cypress Park

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $667,500/$700,000 (4% increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $667,500 vs $2,182,000 (226% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (1) vs 2019 (3)

Cypress Park is a densely populated neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. Mt. Washington is to the northeast, the LA River is on the southwest, and Lincoln Heights is to the south. The area is currently undergoing rapid to moderate gentrification due to its close proximity to Highland Park, Downtown and various transportation hubs. Cypress Park is one of the neighborhoods that are targeted by investors and flippers looking to purchase homes that need TLC to remodel and flip quickly. In 2019 alone, there were 25 sales with an average price of $650,000. Homes here range anywhere between $489,000 to around $1.2M.

Silver Lake-Echo Park

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $1,112,000/$1,289,000 (15% increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $81,561,997 vs $84,995,751 (4% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (69) vs 2019 (61)

Silver Lake is known as the original hipster capital of Los Angeles and lies South East of Los Feliz. The neighborhood is relatively safe and is very close to Downtown Los Angeles. The neighborhood itself is walkable along Sunset Blvd and Silver Lake Blvd, where you will find the majority of the hip restaurants, cafes and shops. Silver Lake is definitely not as affordable as it used to be, with an average of $737/sqft. Homes currently on the market here range anywhere from $500,000 for small SFH to $6,000,000. Echo Park is an adjacent neighborhood that lies South of Silver Lake. It became the newer “hipster” neighborhood as people were being priced out of Silver Lake, which continuously saw exponential growth in prices over the past 20 years.

Ladera Heights

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $1,410,000/$1,175,000 (16% decrease)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $6,804,815 vs $13,100,300 (92% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (5) vs 2019 (11)

Ladera Heights is located on the southeastern corner of what is technically considered the west side of Los Angeles and is bordered by Culver City on the west, the Hills of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area on the East, and Centinela and the I-405 to on the south. Ladera is conveniently located near areas such as Santa Monica and West LA, while still being relatively affordable to other Westside communities. It is also located near another hot neighborhood, Inglewood, which is the site of LA’s future Chargers and Clippers stadiums. Ladera Heights is a hillside community, which offers scenic views of Los Angeles.

Downtown Los Angeles

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $410,000/$520,000 (26% increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $4,210,000 vs $7,750,000 (84% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (9) vs 2019 (13)

Downtown Los Angeles has seen a decent increase in both sales volume and median price. Condos here are relatively affordable compared to some other areas such as West LA and the constant construction of new residential high rises are proof that there is a high demand to invest in real estate in the ever-expanding downtown Los Angeles. There has been a significant increase in sales volume and prices of condos downtown continue to rise year after year.

Highland Park

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $900,000/$880,000 (2% decrease)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $44,770,498 vs $34,559,744 (22% decrease)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (47) vs 2019 (38)

Highland Park has often been named one of the most desirable spots not only in Los Angeles but the entire country, thanks in large part to its authentic local culture and relative affordability. The neighborhood has been thriving for a century and the residents here are protective of the architecture and community. Highland Park has been undergoing gentrification over the last 10 years and has seen an influx of trendy shops and restaurants particularly on York Blvd. At this point, it will be difficult to find a “steal” in Highland Park, as the median sale price in 2019 of a home was $797,250, a massive jump from the median sale price back in 2010 which was only $352,055. This neighborhood still has room for appreciation and will no doubt become another Silver Lake in the future, so it is worth considering purchasing an investment property in this thriving neighborhood.

Mid City

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $930,000/$940,000 (1% increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $46,254,980 vs $74,390,999 (60% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (47) vs 2019 (78)

Mid-City is literally in the middle of everything and is a centrally located neighborhood in Los Angeles. With a short drive to Hollywood, downtown, or the beach, there is hardly a bad commute from Mid-City. This neighborhood features quiet, palm-lined streets with a mix of single-family homes and duplex, triplex, and multi-family buildings. Home prices range between half a million dollars to well over $1 million, most of which are being purchased by Westside transplants being priced out of traditional coastal areas such as Venice, Marina del Rey, and even Mar Vista and Culver City.
Expect a family-friendly atmosphere within the neighborhood, but a healthy dose of commotion on the main streets. There are some parts of Mid-City that have been gentrified over the past two decades, however the majority of it has yet to be gentrified which is why homes in this area are relatively affordable compared to any neighborhood that lies north or west of Mid-City. There is also a lot of room for appreciation as this area continues to see increases in sales volume and prices.

Malibu Beach

  • Median price in 2018 vs 2019: $4,387,500/$13,490,000 (207% increase)
  • Sales volume % change from 2018 to 2019: $70,060,000 vs $194,967,500 (178% increase)
  • Number of listings sold in 2018 (12) vs 2019 (8)

There was a significant increase in the sales volume likely due to one of the largest sales on record at 27600 Pacific Coast Highway, which was sold for a whopping $100,000,000 back in August 2019. Malibu Beach is a community that is home to some of the most luxurious seaside properties in the world. Homes here are very expensive so aren’t for the average investor looking for up and coming neighborhoods, but you can be sure that a home here will only appreciate in value.