City Living in the News
Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010
March 2010
This Old House named the Historic West Adams District among the "best of its best" on its list of “Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010,” giving it the honor of the “best place for movie fans.” When the editors were looking for an expert to help them identify the top old house neighborhoods in America, they turned to City Living Realty's broker/owner David Raposa for advice. He helped them hone their choice to the community where he has specialized in historic properties for a quarter century.
According to the article, "In recent years, residents have been restoring homes, showing how collectively invested they are in its future. 'When you have everyone working together to preserve and maintain a neighborhood, it's a very powerful approach,' Raposa told This Old House."
Read the full article here.
Edgy Neighborhoods Attract Frosh Buyers
L.A.'s historic core appeals to young industryites
June 2008
"Despite Los Angeles' residential real estate market downturn, it's still not a slam-dunk for young Hollywood's prospective first-time homebuyers. Prices are indeed lower, but that's a relative figure: $400,000 to $600,000 is the buy-in range for starter homes in what are termed "edgier" areas requiring a "pioneer spirit" -- often the option for first-timers."
City Living Realty's broker/owner David Raposa helped journalist Kathy McDonald in her reporting about Historic West Adams. Read more here.
Old? It's Gold
For owners of homes built when craft was king, replacing aging fixtures with new ones can be a costly error
November 2006
When the Los Angeles Times did a story on renovations that enhance older homes' propery values, the reporter turned to one of City Living Realty's own. "One of the biggest mistakes owners of older homes make is altering or removing original features in the name of home improvement....According to Adam Janeiro, an agent for City Living Realty, people who want to buy in historic neighborhoods will pay up to 15% more for a home in which the character-defining features are intact....Janeiro says it pays to respect the time period in which the house was built. 'Putting in a contemporary kitchen can be a very bad investment decision for homeowners,' Janeiro says. 'Think of those kitchens from the 1960s and '70s. They seemed very contemporary at the time, but now they look terribly dated. Yet kitchens that fit the style of the house will never create a feeling of dissonance that may turn off potential buyers.'"
Read the full article here.
Banking on The Value of History
More residents seek 'historic' label to preserve home prices
September 2007
"In a city whose population disdains aging, it's more than a little ironic that older homes in designated historic districts have become quite the rage.
"Twenty-eight years after their inception, Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, or HPOZs, are popping up all around Los Angeles as residents seek to preserve their neighborhoods, prevent the spread of mansionization and protect their home values."
City Living Realty's broker/owner David Raposa is a prime mover in Los Angeles' HPOZ Movement, and has been often quoted about it, such as in this Los Angeles Times story.
Read the full article here.
Welcome to Gentrification City
August 2006
L.A. Weekly reported on the mixed blessing as Angelenos began to discover urban pockets like West Adams. The writer contacted City Living Realty for insight, reporting that "real estate agent Adam Janeiro has spent years catering to the multiethnic, largely well-heeled home buyers who want to buy, restore and live in the historic houses in and around West Adams, a section of South Los Angeles that takes in Arlington Heights, Halldale and other neighborhoods. In short, Janeiro is sowing the seeds of gentrification, by showing newcomers from Philadelphia and West L.A. alike what those neighborhoods have to offer....In Jefferson Park, where Janeiro lives, buyers were intrigued by the 'esprit de corps' of the neighborhood — the block clubs, the civic groups, the progressive parties.
Read the full article here.
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES: Home Prices Are Rising In a Historic Los Angeles Area
July 2004
The New York Times reported on a "sharp rise in housing prices in West Adams, just west of downtown Los Angeles. In the early 1900's, West Adams was a wealthy community, and it became home to many actors and musicians, including Hattie McDaniel, Fatty Arbuckle and Theda Bara. The studio of Ray Charles, who died recently, is in West Adams, and is designated a historic landmark. His private funeral was recently held at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the many historic churches in West Adams.
"The neighborhood lost some of its grandest houses and some of its cohesion in the 1950's, when Interstate 10 was built through its center. But many large, architecturally significant homes still exist and are often featured in movies and on television. The funeral home in 'Six Feet Under,' for instance, is in West Adams.
"David Raposa, a real estate agent [and City Living Realty's broker/owner] who has been selling houses in West Adams for 20 years, estimates that housing prices have increased 25 to 60 percent in the last year, depending on the neighborhood and the house."
Read the full article here.
