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Health & Fitness

Measuring Up A Neighborhood – Tips From REALTORS®

Here in Los Angeles, professional real estate agents have many ways to evaluate the quality and socioeconomic character of a neighborhood thanks to online tools, professional resources and by working and living in a neighborhood for a long time.  But, what if you were plopped down into a neighborhood with no pre-visit planning and needed to determine the type of place you’d landed?

 

I asked a few of my colleagues to give visitors and potential homebuyers a way to assess a neighborhood using just what they have on them – their eyes, their nose, their ears, their instincts.

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Look for upkeep.  Selma of Woodland Hills advises you take a look at the lawn and garden.  Is it well kept?  Look at the houses, though the paint color may not be to your liking, but is it in good condition?  How about the gutters and the wooden fences, are they in good repair?  These are signs that you are in a neighborhood that is economically sound and where homeowners take pride in their properties. 

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Harriott of Studio City suggests you stand in the middle of the street, do a 360, and review the fences, the roofs, the lawns.  Does it look like someone has been taking care of the homes?  How about the quality of the materials? This will give an indication of the wealth of the homeowners.  Are there old growth trees that shield the neighborhood from the hot sun, and help to filter out pollutants?

 

Where are the cars parked? Ken of Pasadena advises that in wealthier neighborhoods, there are fewer cars on the street because people use their garages as they were intended.  It suggests that they can afford enough square footage to keep their other items in closets instead of storing them in the garage and displacing the cars.  And, the cars that are parked on the street, are they in good repair?  Late model?  Rusting on the lawn?

 

Karen of Colfax Meadows suggests you look for signs that it’s safe to play outside; are there basketball hoops in the driveway?  Do children’s swings hang from front-yard trees? 

 

How about people?  Do you see pedestrians out for relaxing strolls, chatting as they pass by?  This would say that the neighborhood is safe and friendly. 

 

On the other hand, are there bars on windows and security doors covering the entrance?  Are most windows covered with drapes or shutters, giving the impression that people shield their identity and keep to themselves? Are these people just private, or are they frightened?

 

Rather than friendly strollers, are the people hanging around when they should be at work or at school, glancing at you with a look of suspicion.  How are they dressed?  Is their clothing appropriate and clean, or old and dirty? This may indicate a community of people where many are unemployed.

 

Are the garbage cans placed neatly beside the house?  Or are they overflowing and taking up space in the front yard?  How about the front porches?  Are they inviting places to dwell, or a drop-off spot for unwanted items?

 

Do you see construction going on?  Perhaps this is a neighborhood on the mend, trending toward becoming a nicer place to live?

 

And, listen.  Do you hear children playing?  People socializing and laughing?  Arguments and slamming doors? 

 

Helicopters?  Those whirling birds might signal a higher crime area if they are police helicopters, or they could mean that you are in the scenic path of one of the LAPD’s daily surveillance route, like near the Hollywood Sign. 

 

Airplanes?  Are they high in the sky and giving you pause to dream of a vacation to Hawaii?  Or are they lower to the ground signaling that you are near an airport runway giving you an indication that the neighborhood endures daily noise and soot from the local airport.  Who has chosen to live there?

 

Do you hear the hum of traffic?  Is it local traffic that comes and goes or can you detect the sound of interstate travel, heavy trucks and the hum of commuters that may continue 24 hours a day.  This will tell you if you are in an urban area, and may indicate a less expensive neighborhood.  Obviously, people will pay more to enjoy the sound of the ocean from their bed in Pacific Palisades, but less for the sound of semi-trucks and construction rigs in 405-close areas of Brentwood.

 

Nearness to major thoroughfares does not, in and of itself, indicate a less desirable area. Instead, if the area combines enticing restaurants and shops within walking distance, this may instead be a desirable, trendy urban neighborhood like Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Melrose Avenue or the Wilshire Corridor.

 

Use your instincts, your gut, advises Coco of Valley Village.  Step into a coffee shop or convenience store and get a sense of the people there.  How are they dressed?  What are they talking about?  Do they have manners?

 

How about scents?  Do you smell the sweet smell of magnolias, jasmine and orange blossoms?  Or, is there a slight sewer smell which may indicate a geological problem.  How about a chemical smell, you may be near a commercial manufacturing area.  How does that affect the health and well being of residents? 

 

One of my favorite ways to get an indication of a neighborhood and its inhabitants is to take out my smart phone and look for wi-fi connections nearby.  Is there a free open community connection for all to use?  Check out the password protected signals.  Does your display show a JonesFamilyWiFi and cutesy names like “MommyzWireless” amidst the ubiquitous belkin.ca9 and linksys423?  Or, something less friendly like “FUpayforyourown.”

 

Lori Aronsohn

Your Local Neighborhood Realtor®

Keller Williams Realty

424.248.9772 or 818.516.9218

larealty@me.com

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