Van Nuys, CA · Member since 2017 · 1 post · 1 vote
I have a friend that recently bought a pretty nice house in Hawthorne. It is an old house from the 40's but was fixed up very nice. Some of the finishes are a a little sloppy, but all-in-all, it is nicer than most apartments in WeHo, and it comes with a big backyard.
Driving around the area, the businesses looked old and distressed - old auto repair shops, no fancy restaurants, a Wal-Mart, some Mexican restaurants. However, the street where the house was located on was cute and looked completely middle-class and safe to me... some people had nice landscaped lawns, some people had weeds. It was a mix of "cute" and old and felt safe.
I did some research, and the location is convenient to the 405/LAX, Beach, Silicon Beach tech center, etc.
The schools are maybe below-average to average. I think the schools might be a drawback.
Any opinions on this area? Could it be potentially up-and-coming?
It's poised for growth...Culver city gentrified sometime in the 90s...The better parts of Inglewood have already seen gains...the gravy train is making its way down the 405.
That area is up and coming. Perfect area to value add. Have checked with the city to see what you add on? From a structure stand point the home is old and there is a fault line near by so you must consider that.
It's poised for growth...Culver city gentrified sometime in the 90s...The better parts of Inglewood have already seen gains...the gravy train is making its way down the 405.
I see it being an up and coming area. It's surrounded by other nice neighborhoods with great property value like Torrance, beach cities, and a couple of others. I think Gardena as well as lawndale will see rates rise within the next 12-24 months. It's a great area to buy and hold also.
@Kevin T. Would you mind disclosing some cross streets? I grew up in Hawthorne and could shed some light to school districts (there are 2) and the neighborhood.
I've lived in Hawthorne the last five years...prices have been going up like crazy. It sounds like the area you are describing is east of the 405. West of the 405 is a bit pricier....If you're worried about the schools, check out the Wiseburn school district...the high school opens this year. Also, Wiseburn is much better than the schools in the Westchester area (homes are closer to $1M) where many permit in from...
I recently talked to a real estate agent/ real estate investor and he mentioned similar things as @DorianJones. Torrance is a really hot market and there isn't a lot of inventory. So, places like Hawthorne, Gardena, and Inglewood are heating up.
Hawthorne is nice and could see spill over from the Inglewood demand. Also, there has been talks for years about turning the old mall into a nice outo or shopping area or outlets to cater to the LAX crowd. I like it for multifamily investments but absent a mall development I prefere nicer pockets of Gardena and San Pedro to Hawthorne for SFR equity growth.
My wife and I have been wondering the same thing. Interested in other's opinions of specific areas.
@Kevin T. perhaps you could jump in the car with a realtor who focuses on the area and get their pulse? I personally think Hawthorne East of the 405 will be very hit and miss. But I did read a great article recently about the arts area over near Space X that sounded intriguing... But also sounded like 'they've been trying to 'fix' that economy for years with very little success. The city representatives were simply hoping to 'get back to ground zero' as opposed to 'thriving and growing.'
I had a couple phone conversations with Shane Falkenstein back in 2016. He and his dad work the area, so they may be of help?
Like @Amy W. I lived in Hawthorne WEST of the 405 (Hollyglen) for the last couple years (renting). They kept raising the rent, I eventually moved back to N. Redondo (saved about $700/month in rent). Prices in that neighborhood have been SKYrocketing it seems. Crazy for proximity to the 405/air quality. But it is a nice neighborhood, and convenient to freeway.
I have some residential clients that are looking to purchase in Hawthorne and I like most of Hawthorne. There are some pockets nears the main streets that aren't as nice, but the Del Aire area is great and Wiseburn school district is fantastic. I've done quite a bit of door knocking to find off market deals for my clients and some streets are really hot.
I think prices are going to keep going up in Hawthorne since it's relatively affordable and has some great neighborhoods.
I would agree with @Dorian Jones and others that it's up and coming. The median sales price in Hawthorne is about $617K as of April, which is higher than the median home price in LA. In 2017, we've seen a jump in closed sales in this area compared with active listings. In April, homes on average were selling at about 101% of original listing price. This tells me, people are liking what they're seeing and are ready to buy.
I work as a structural engineer for developers and I am getting more an more request for work. I came acrross teh following article. https://lalascoop.com/2018/02/21/hawthornes-resurrection/ Some of the things i noted about Hawthorne is that it enjoys a great geographical position due to its proximity to beaches, public transportation, DTLA, and airport access. The city is located adjacent to the beautiful and affluent “South Bay” beaches and enjoys immediate access to LAX and to 3 major freeways (110, 405, and 105). For those who value public transportation, Hawthorne enjoys access to various Metro Green Line stops which connect Hawthorne to Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Downtown Los Angeles, and in few months directly to LAX. The city is beginning to see an influx of young professionals, new families, and artist brought to the Hawthorne by the likes of SpaceX, Porsche, trendy breweries and coffee shops, and the highest number of art gallery applications in LA county. The following is a link to a hawthorne community group https://www.instagram.com/nohacommunity/
I read the Ring HQ is being built in Hawthorne right next to SpaceX HQ. Considering its location to freeways, the beach (and adjacent to expensive beach cities), you would think this area would have gentrified a long time ago. It seems west of the 405 has seen gentrification, and the east of the 405 is only a matter of time.
Grew up in the South Bay, Torrance. I can remember when Hawthorne used to be a D+/C- area, arguably worse in some parts. Lots of good stuff happening in Hawthorne now though! I think it's a great area to invest for appreciation right now. Try to find something that needs at least a bit of work, you can't go wrong.
I bought a condo in Gardena (closer to the 110 than the 405, for $210,000 in summer 2016. The place has shot up in value and worth about $350,000 maybe more now. The complex is getting better but still not great by any means (empty swimming pool for example), and my tenant is section 8, but more and more owners are moving in, another rehabbed unit recently sold for $399,000, and places a couple of blocks away are selling for $600k. When the Rams stadium and housing complex get built I think it will just speed things up. I am not sure where those who can't afford the rising rents will go though. Compton is also in value and so I am guessing south LA?
I live in Lawndale city south of hawthorne the area is changing thanks to NFL stadium and development in Inglewood. But also hawthorne has spacex, tesla, ring from amazon the city of gardena to east of hawthorne also is seeing new businesses growth and new residents too. You have those two main things happening in Inglewood and hawthorne along with silicon beach in the coast tech hubs emerging the south bay is going to change even more so in these next years where the cities in the south bay will benefit from it so yes Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena and Inglewood are all up and coming thanks to those all of new business coming to the area.
As a former resident my advice is DON'T Do it, but if you must opt for property as close as possible to the police department and fire department.it appears nice but it is still inner city neighborhood, only descent neighboring City is El Segundo otherwise you have Watts, Inglewood, Compton, Lennox and Lawndale, school system is independent run by centinella SD not la unified, police department is also independent the only county thing is fire department it's Los Angeles county fire, children pass through metal detectors to go to school, crime is high but again it's inner city neighborhood, it's been going down hill since 1985 , gang's and drugs, shootings , businesses pulled out of the area, after the riots and the fact that the city lost money investing it poorly into orange county but it is your money not mine do what you want I'm only the son of a former City accountant.