Any opinions on Hawthorne, CA as a potential up-and-coming area?

Question

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?

Chuy Gonzalez · Answer

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.

Jo-Ann Lapin · Answer

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.

Amy W. · Answer

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...

Jennifer Stutland · Answer

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.

Chris Collins · Answer

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?

Shane Falkenstein

Shorewood Realtors

(310)678-0578

431 Main Street

El Segundo, Ca 90245

www.FALKENSTEINandSON.com

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.

Clarence Johnson · Answer

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.

Brian Tan · Answer

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/

Nick Hedberg · Answer

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.

Mark Wood · Answer

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.

Any opinions on Hawthorne, CA as a potential up-and-coming area?

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