DTLA Pocket Rental Alert: Gorgeous Loft w/ Concrete Floors at Eastern Columbia

Gorgeous 900sf loft for lease at the famed Eastern Columbia building on 9th & Broadway. Beautifully maintained with stainless steel appliances and a Kelly Wearstler designed bathroom. Open plan layout with views to the south. Concrete Floors, 11 foot ceilings, and comes with 1 parking space. Within 3 blocks to Ace Hotel, Whole Foods, Terroni, Peking Tavern, Pattern Bar, Freehand, The Exchange, Cos, CVS, Loit, Verve, IL Cafe, Om Nom, Ralphs, Wood Spoon, New Moon, Tuck, Wild Living and more.

Asking $2800/mo. Available Oct 1, 2017. Call for a details. 310-869-2655

"Not Paying Some A**hole's Mortgage"

I ask all my buyer clients why they've decided to buy. A client of mine who just bought a small house in NELA had told me it was because he was sick of paying rent to a Landlord who was a piece of work. After the relationship had continued to get worse and his non-rent-control house increased to $3200/mo, my client decided that was it. No more paying someone else's mortgage.

He ended up buying a house where his PITI (principal, interest, taxes & insurance) equated to about $3350/mo. For $150 more per month, he is now paying himself to own a place in which he can paint, remodel, add onto, landscape, and park 24/7. 

With prices what they are currently, it's difficult to own for cheaper than you rent. We aren't in 2011 anymore. But sometimes the peace of mind and pride of ownership is worth every penny. 

Plus he gets to write off a mortgage interest and property taxes, and rent out the detached studio as an AirBnb whenever he wants. And he's still close enough to the neighborhoods he frequents, which are DTLA, Pasadena Glendale & Atwater. 

Minimum Salary Around $100k to Afford a Home in LA

Using the National Association of Realtors’ data on housing affordability, Business Insider gathered a list of the US metro areas where the minimum salary required to qualify for a mortgage, after a 20 percent down payment, is highest. What they found was that the salary needed to qualify in the top-five metro areas — four of which are located in California — exceeds $100,000.

Here’s what it you need to be earning to buy in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

The New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania metro areas ranked 13th overall in BI’s list. With a population of 20,182,305 and a median home cost of $414,000, the salary you need to buy is $76,613.

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida, metro area ranked down at number 20. With a much lower population of 6,012,331 and median home cost of $335,000 the salary a sunshine state buyer needs is $61,994.

Meanwhile in Los Angles-Long Beach-Glendale, California weighed in at number seven. The population is 10,170,292 and the median home cost was $514,000. That means that the salary you’ll needed to buy is $95,156.

If you were wondering about what metro area took the top spot, well, that would be San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California. The salary needed to buy there was calculated to be $218,996. 

TRD

Condo Prices Stay Stronger Than SFR Prices

As housing prices continue to climb, condo pricing is among the strongest, and where are the highest concentration of condos? DTLA of course. Condo prices in Downtown LA rose 2.4 percent in the first three months of this year, according to Douglas Elliman.

From January to March, condos in DTLA sold for a median price of $599,000, up from $585,000 in the same time period last year. And, the average DTLA condo spent 67 days on the market—a drop from 82 days in the first quarter of 2016.

There's a huge reason as to why. People are getting priced out of the SFR market, and condos often have a more affordable price point. For instance, a 1 bed condo in WEHO with nice amenities could cost you about $650k, while a 2+1 home will cost about 1.1k. The discrepancy is price is huge and you're not always getting a whole lot more for that upcharge.

In DTLA, you can snag a condo with nice views and parking and amenities like a pool, gym, lounge, concierge, for about $700k. You'd have to plunk down about $850 to get a semi-decent remodeled 2+2 in Highland Park, and you may not even have a garage.

The second reason is the upkeep. Condos are relatively headache free--just maintain your AC unit and keep the plumbing in good shape. While a house needs regular maintenance for the roof, basement, gutters, landscaping, etc, and this isn't for everyone. 

Still a Seller's Market

While "days on the market" are averaging about 30-45 days in DTLA, it's still a seller's market. The problem lately is that sellers are pricing too high. They think that the price of their condo is 25-50k more than the market value. This is causing buyers to disregard those properties or low ball. The worst scenario is when in escrow, the appraised value is lower, so the seller is often "forced" to lower the price or the buyer backs out. Not a good situation.

That said, properties are still selling though they aren't being snapped up within days.

We're at the highest price points in the last 10 years so is it a good time to sell? If you've made a killing, then yes, it might be time.

It's Been a Long Real Estate Wave in DTLA, and Still Going

Crazy to think that prices have been increasing in DTLA (and most of LA for that matter) for about 270 weeks straight. Prices went up exponentially between 2012-2014, then less exponentially from 2015-2017. But still, prices kept going up.

In downtown, even with all the construction of condos and the increase of apartments for rent, the fact remains, there's still not enough inventory to buy, causing demand to remain high. True, properties are sitting on the market longer, average about 60 days, mainly due to the higher prices and lending restrictions, but they do sell in the end.

DTLA has reached a critical mass where now I'm getting contacted by DTLA homeowners who want to buy a second property as an investment. People who already own in the area want to own another, and that's hugely telling. It's a desirable place to live, and the rents are even more desirable.

One key change from about 7 years ago: You'd buy an $900k property and expect to rent it out at $2000/mo. Now, you buy a $900k property and expect to rent it out for about $3500/mo.  The math pencils out much better.

Hence the influx of people from NYC, Chicago, SF buying either a second home or investment property because it's still affordable compared to those areas. And yet it's reminding them of Brooklyn, SF's Mission or Wicker Park in Chicago a few years ago. Heck, even Detroit...nuff said.

Pocket Listing Alert - 1 bed + 1.5 bath, 1050sf luxury high rise pad

Bid before it hits the market.

Stunning pad just steps to Staples Center and LA Live, 

Whole Foods, Ralphs, The Bloc, Ace Hotel, etc. Asking $715k. 

Email reinventingdtla@gmail.com for viewings.

Currently, the Better Bet is on Buying Instead of Renting

If you're in a rent controlled apartment and you're paying about $1/sf, then you should probably stay put. You might still want to buy an investment, but you really should keep your apartment because $1/sf is too good to throw away.

However, if you're renting somewhere around $3/sf, which is about $3000 for a 1000sf pad, then it might be a better bet buy while interest rates are still at historic lows. Reasons why:

1. Interest rates are expected to hike up at least twice in 2017, then again in 2018. I don't think we'll be going into the 5% arena but it could go up to about 4.65% for a SFR.

2. If you're in a rent-controlled building, then the Landlord can hike up rents 2-3% per year. If you're in a non-rent controlled building, then the Landlord can raise the rents to whatever the market rate is after your lease is up.

3. If you get a 30-year fixed mortgage, then your "rent" is fixed for 30 years. Duh.

4. Rents are so high in LA right now, that if you ever decide to keep the home and rent it out, it's likely that someone else's rent money will pay for your mortgage. No brainer.

Pocket Listing Alert - Eastern Columbia Rental

 Enclosed 1 Bed, 1 Bath, 1130sf, 
South Facing with Bonus Storage Room for $3500/mo
310-869-2655

Why are Prices Still High?

Seriously, doesn't it seem like prices aren't stopping their climb? Because no one is selling. Inventory is super tight and as usual, there are too many buyers.

Here are some reasons why:

1. Believe it or not, some people are still underwater on their mortgages. From the height of 2007, there are a good number of homeowners who borrowed way over their limits and are just barely getting into the black now, but with the costs of selling (transfer taxes, escrow fees, etc), they will still be in the negative. That Echo Park home bought in 2007 for $750k is now worth 815k. After selling fees, you're netting about 0.

2. They can't afford anything else after the sale. Prices are high, and in a high market, unless you really downsize from a single family to a condo, or to Phoeniz AZ, you really aren't making a difference in your expenses. Plus rents are ridiculously high now. It's almost cheaper just to stay put, which is what so many are doing. You can sell your Miracle Mile house you bought in 2007 for 950k for 1.1MM. You've made 150k plus whatever down you put in. That's great, but cut 70k in selling fees. What are you going to upgrade to? Not much. You're going to have to either buy a small 80s style condo in West LA or a studio with a doorman in DTLA for about 600k.

3. Boomers and Empty Nesters, the ones with the homes with lots of equity, who should downsize, are not selling because their children (well into their 30s) are still living with them.

4. Rents are super high. Recession or not, rents have stayed strong in LA. When the housing market collapsed beginning in 2008, the amount of renters increased. To be a renter these days (unless you've lived in that 1940s RSO pad in Santa Monica since 1980 and are now paying $600/mo), is tough. More renters are trying to buy because they are realizing that just adding $200-$300 extra per month could get them a mortgage instead. Hence, more buyers to the market.