Long Beach Historic Homes

If you have every visited Long Beach, California that you probably know that there are a wide range of neighborhoods to choose from.  One of the more upscale areas of Long Beach tends to be the Alamitos Beach area that includes many of the Downtown condos.  A select number of these will offer ocean views that over look directly on to Alamitos Beach which typically command a premium in price.  Some of the more popular condo buildings include Aqua Towers, West Ocean Towers and the historic Villa Riviera.  Real Estate prices for condos here are typically lower than other neighboring beach towns which makes Long Beach so attractive.  If you are willing to live in a place that is located not right on the beach then real estate prices get more affordable the

The Zaferia neighborhood in Long Beach, California is a true hidden gem in the heart of the city.  The area is mixed with a nice variety of residential condos, townhomes as well as detached single family homes.  In fact, some of the cutest historic homes can be found in this area as well as pictured below.  Of course, the best part about this area is the prices.  It's not uncommon to find condos in the mid $300,000 to low $500,000 with detached single family homes starting at $499,999.  The best part is that there is typically no homeowners association dues for these older detached homes so more of your money can go towards paying off your property mortgage.

The best way to find the location of the Zaferia neighborhood is to get off the 405 freeway on

With a shift in the real estate market here in Southern California the more you are going to see sellers that are open to creative ways to sell their home.  In a down market, owners of properties need to be flexible in how they sell their home since there is typically a limited number of buyers in the marketplace that can buy a home.  This is especially true for the city of Long Beach where homes in a down market can take a longer time to sell.  One of the creative options we are starting to see is the idea of a lease option.  These are properties that are listed for lease with the owners also willing to sell as well.  In these cases, a lease with an option to buy can often be negotiated if you know how to structure the deal correctly.  Here is a brief

Long Beach has always been widely considered one of the most affordable places to buy a single family near the beach in Los Angeles County.  There are a number of homes that are currently for sale that are listed under $700,000.  When considering buying a home in this price range in the Long Beach area it's important to know the different areas and the pros and cons to buying in each of these areas.  The neighborhoods in Long Beach can be drastically different depending on where you want to buy a home.  For the most part, detached single family homes can be found in three different areas in Long Beach.  First are the homes located on the ocean side the 1 freeway which are the homes located closest to the beach.  The second area would be those homes

The one thing I love about the Long Beach area is it's unique mid-century modern homes that were designed by a variety of famous architects.  These include Cliff May designed homes as well as a newly listed home designed by Paul Tay.  The four bedroom home built in 1958 is located in the Alamitos Heights area of Long Beach, California and is very impressive.   The house has a lot to offer and comes with it's own guest house, a 4 car garage and updated kitchen area.  Select interior rooms have wonderful high vaulted wood beam ceilings with floor to ceiling glass to take in the views.   A wonderful and cozy living room with a fireplace accented by high ceilings as well.  There is an extensive use of wood use throughout the house that can often be seen on

The Cooper Arms building is arguably one of the most affordable places to find a rental property in the Downtown area of Long Beach.  it's not uncommon to find a studio apartment for around $1,400 a month which is an incredible pride point when compared to other buildings in the Downtown area.  Cooper Arms is an older building that was built in 1923 so don't expect everything to be perfect and new.  The building has a lot of charm and personality to it and buildings typically from this era tend to be on the small side.  For example, there is currently a studio rental that is on the market for lease that features 369 square feet of living space.   The floor plan is actually well thought out with a living room area that can also double as a bedroom that

One of the more charming places to buy a condo in the Long Beach area is the Barcelona condo complex.  The complex dates back to 1928 and has the look and feel of an old historic Spanish Village with one and two bedrooms condos located around a central courtyard.  This is a rather small complex with only 20 condos located here with condos located on either the ground or second level.  What I love about these condos is some of the original details that can still be found in these condos.  Select condos in this building will offer beautiful hardwood flooring, wood beamed ceilings and classic Spanish tiles.  Condos in the building often come with a secured parking space with additional storage capabilities and two laundry facilities.   The location really

The California Heights area of Long Beach is one of the best kept secrets when looking for a historic home in the Long Beach area.  Many buyers when the first come to town often look in the Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights area of Long Beach due to it's close proximity to the beach and the large number of historic properties located there.  As with any beach town the closer you are located to the beach the higher the real estate prices tend to be.  A much more affordable historic neighborhood in Long Beach is the California Heights area.  If you have ever driven through Long Beach on the 405 going north then you have passed this area as it's located just north of the Long Beach Airport and on the east side of the 405 freeway.  

Some of the first homes

Long Beach, California has several premier neighborhoods that are a very desirable place to live and always command a premium in price.  Neighborhoods like Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights, Naples Island, Peninsula and the condos located on Ocean Blvd always tend to be very active in the real estate market.  For those looking for investment properties are often surprised to learn that there are some great income properties that range from a simple duplex to a structure that can features 6 units or more.  Real Estate is always about location, location, location and the Belmont Shore area is considered one of the best when looking in Long Beach.

Currently multi-family properties in Belmont Shore start just under $1 million for a listing that features two

Having a high walk score has become one of the latest shopping items when looking for a home or condo in the Long Beach area.  What exactly is a walk score?  Well think about it this way, having a high walk score means that you have many local amenities that are within walking distance from you home or condo.  Places like restaurants, grocery stores, movie theater, retail shopping stores are all within a short distance from your place of residence.  The higher the score the closer these places are to the place where you live.  Scores go up to a 100 so if you see a score of 95 then you know that you have picked a place that offers a lot of places close by.

Long Beach, California is a very big beach town with a lot of different areas so not all