Loving Your Next Neighborhood - 8 Tips

No question homes are expensive! To help you avoid buyer’s remorse, we’ve compiled a list of 8 considerations to help you pick a neighborhood you can love.

1. Where Are Your People?

Who matters most to you in your life? Parents? Grandkids? Best girlfriend? When it comes to living in Los Angeles and dealing with traffic, you really want to give some thought to where your people are and what days and times of the week you want to have ready access to them. For instance, if your mother is your primary daycare provider and she lives in the Valley, picking a home in Manhattan Beach will make your commute suck. 

Your people also include your service providers. Can’t live without a certain vet or manicurist? Or a staple restaurant? These things matter. I’m not saying forgo your dream home because it’s too far from your manicurist, but spend some time really thinking about what is important to you and what makes your life easier.

2. What’s Missing In Your Current Life?

What do you wish you had more of in your current neighborhood? More walkability? More hiking trails? More ethnic restaurants? Younger people? Older people? Higher end grocery stores? Maybe you wish you had a community garden or proximity to a dog park. Possibly you’ve gotten used to your current situation and don’t dwell on what is missing, but no harm making a wish list, right? Bring us some ideas and we might be able to point you to neighborhoods you haven't even thought of yet. 

3. What Kind Of Vibe Suits You?

Is there a particular architecture you want to surround yourself with? Do you want a laid back beach vibe? Sleepy Playa del Rey might be for you. Like new and shiny and walkable? Maybe Playa Vista is the exact right choice. I personally really dig the gritty creative vibe of Venice. Be open to exploring, but tune in to what you like and what is going to make you crazy.

4. What Does The Future You Look Like?

I once helped a bachelor find the perfect home for his future wife and 2.5 children. He was very clear what the home needed to look like for the long haul. It was lovely. I hope that future wife liked it. 

Maybe a pup is in your future? Backyards and fences will make your life a lot easier.

Moving is disruptive, no question. But don’t get too hung up on picking the perfect 20-year home. Plan for the next five years. If you’re like me and my husband, your 5-year home will happily work as your 20-year home.

5. So You Think You Know Which Neighborhood. What Next?

Before you fall in love with a home, explore the neighborhood. Spend time there on a weekend. Go to brunch if that’s a big part of your life. What’s the vibe on a Saturday night? Too noisy? Too quiet? How about commuter hours? Try your commute a couple of times on both ends of the day. Work from home? Drive through the area at midday and see what the activity level is like. Take your pup to the dog park at different times and see how you both like it.

6. What Else?

Shop in the neighborhood and chat up people in line at the local coffee shop or grocery store. Ask them what they like about the community. Ask what they don’t like. Ask for their best insider tips or favorite service providers.

Pro tip! Look for local groups on facebook and ask the same questions. There is no shortage of opinions on social media, right?

7. Don’t Forget This

Parking is becoming more and more of a premium in Los Angeles. Some neighborhoods are harder than others to score parking. What do you need? Do you have lots of guests? Need to pack your home with three roommates? Look around your desired neighborhood and assess whether parking headaches are going to make you crazy. 

8. Resale Value

I saved this one for last because I’m not a fan of picking a home primarily on this value, but if all else is equal, or you don’t know where to start, think about an area with strong resale value. For instance, I live in Kentwood in Westchester. Of all the communities north of LAX with beach proximity, Westchester and especially Kentwood offer so much bang for your buck.

This area has a ton of aging stock that you can easily live in now as is and update/upgrade later or you can pick something up for $1M and make it pretty nice by investing $200K before moving in. And you’re still pretty commutable to Silicon Beach, Century City and even the drive downtown isn’t horrible.

All this is to say that Westchester will remain highly desirable for a long time at a moderate price point (for the westside) and is, therefore, a great investment and resale will be easy.

Another resale play is to pick a good school district. The award winning Wiseburn School District in NW Hawthorne is on fire! We highly recommend this community for a starter home or to pick up a rental. I helped a young family buy a unique home in this school district last year and they are over the moon to not have to worry about the local public schools. They’re set now all the way through high school.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it! 8 ideas for finding your next neighborhood to love. These are things to think about, but don’t obsess! When we bought our current home in a crazy hot market, we had 15 minutes to make up our mind about a cute house in a far away neighborhood we’d not really considered. 20 years later, we’re still happy in our home. Nobody is more surprised than me.

This post is from our “Buyer Edge” series, content designed to give home buyers in the Beach Cities of LA an edge in a competitive residential real estate market. Read more about our full Buyer Edge program on our website. Want help buying a home in Silicon Beach? Contact us or grab time on our calendar. Need help beyond Silicon Beach? Reach out and let us help you find a high-caliber agent with hyperlocal expertise in your area. 

By Tracy Thrower Conyers

Tracy is a realtor specializing in Silicon Beach, with a hyper-emphasis on Westchester & the Playas. She is a past practicing attorney & proptech founder. Tracy is an early adopter of all things digital and 22-year real estate industry vet. She's been quoted on topics of Silicon Beach real estate by trusted media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, KCET and The Argonaut.