Do you want your children to attend some of the best performing public elementary schools on Los Angeles’s Eastside?  Here are some of the least expensive homes you can buy to assure your child gets the best education Los Angeles Unified District has to offer without having to pay for expensive private schools. The best schools are based on the California Academic Performance Index (API) scores with the top number being 1000. The API score is measured by the test results of the California Standard Test (CST). Ivanhoe Elementary School in Silver Lake with an API score of 950 for 2012 3021 La Paz Drive – completely remodeled, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths – asking price is $744,698 Ivanhoe Elementary School in Silver Lake with an API score of 950 for 2012 2510 Griffith Park Blvd. – 2 bedrooms, 1 bath – asking price is $649,000 Ivanhoe Elementary School in Silver Lake with an API score of 950 for 2012 2408 Griffith Park Blvd – 2 bedrooms, 1 bath – asking...

Have you ever climbed the many staircases connecting one street to another in Silver Lake? Talk about a good cardio workout and firming your buns! There are lots and lots of these stairs, built mostly in the 1920’s, winding through the steep hillside neighborhoods of Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz and beyond.  The website SecretStairs-LA offers a walking and hiking guide dedicated to these hidden forgotten treasures of Los Angeles. Here are some of the stairs I frequently climb. Silver Lake stairs connecting Kenilworth Ave. to Moreno Dr. If you want a really great workout try climbing the 280 stairs starting at Westerly Terrace (cross street is Swan Pl.), which connects you to Resdesdale Ave. The second set of stairs takes you to Rotary Dr. Sorry, you are not finished yet, continue with the third set which ends on Westerly Ave. It is downhill from there. Now do that 3 times more! The stairs starting on Westerly Terrace. (cross street is Swan Pl)

In the Fall of 2013, there are plans to launch an arts focused pilot middle school in the Silver Lake area. The school’s website explains that “the Silver Lake Studio Middle School is neither a charter school, nor a private school, but something new: a public pilot school that has been given the freedom to innovate schedules, curricula, instruction, and partnerships within the second largest school district in United States. A team of committed, experienced and passionate Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers who know school can be academically rich, socially developmental, and engage with the real world. Supported by both LAUSD and Future Is Now Schools, led by pioneer Green Dot Founder Steve Barr. The goal is to create a small, safe learning environment that truly serves the students and the families of Silver Lake and the surrounding communities through innovative practices, rigorous academics and commitment to the arts. This is just the beginning.” A few years...

A. 2435 West Silver Lake Dr. LA, 90039 B. 2331 West Silver Lake Dr. LA, 90039 C. 2501 West Silver Lake Dr. LA, 90039 D. 2261 Kenilworth Dr LA, 90039 E. 2087 Redcliff St. LA, 90039 F. Redcliff St. and Rock LA, 90039 G. 2812 Bright Lane LA, 90039 H. 2815 Bright Lane LA, 90039 I. 2913 Angus St. LA, 90039 View Larger Map

 Two great homes in Silver Lake and Los Feliz. It has been a long, hot, dry summer with little to see on broker’s caravan and little to show my clients. Each house is completely different and I love them both. 4421 Finley Ave. Los Angeles, 90027 list price: $799,000     bedrooms – 3     baths – 2     sq.ft. – 1492 Built in 1910, this special Los Feliz California bungalow blends old world charm and modern touches. It was re-done by the talented Design Vidal team. Public records show the home to be 1492 sq ft, but I think it is definitely larger. So close to all the cool restaurants and shops on Hillhurst Ave. It is in the Franklin Elementary School. The new chef’s kitchen opens up to the living room and dining room creating a warm open space. There are three bedrooms upstairs, an enclosed sleeping porch, and large new bathroom, with a soaking tub and separate shower. Great big newly landscaped backyard! ——————————————————————————————————————————————— Looking...

The real estate market in Silver Lake changed as of January 1st 2012.  We went from a buyers market to a sellers market almost over night.  The inventory is shrinking with only 36 homes for sale on the Multiple Listing Service in all of Silver Lake and Echo Park. I have never seen inventory this low. The interest rates have been amazingly low, the prices of homes have come down and rents have gone up.  It now makes sense for buyers who have been sitting on the sideline to jump into the market and purchase a home. The problem is there are so few homes for sale and multiple offers on most.  Many of my would be sellers do not have enough equity in their home for a down payment on a more expensive home after paying Realtor fees and any repairs. Here is an example of what happened to my buyers this past January.  In late December 2011 my buyers wrote a purchase contract on a house in Silver Lake, which has been on the market since March 2011 and never had an offer.  My buyers and the...