Crime and design

Our go-to moves when we renovate older buildings include radically expanding the windows and adding sliding doors. Check out this picture I snapped in an eight unit project of ours nearing completion: It’s pretty obvious why we do this: More light (which is why the rest of the shot looks so dark!) and creating a flow … Continue reading “Crime and design”

Boyle Heights

One of our agents created a flyer last week inviting renters downtown to a bike tour of Boyle Heights, a close-knit, working class, majority Spanish-speaking community east of the Arts District, with the intention of showing people the neighborhood so that they could possibly buy homes or small apartment buildings there. The flyer ended up circulating … Continue reading “Boyle Heights”

Rent vs. buy

This article in the Times is worth reading. The argument is basically that we’re entering bubble territory in single family home pricing in the main coastal cities. I think the rent estimates they’re using may not reflect the rents that are actually getting paid. That said, when I see small houses on small lots in … Continue reading “Rent vs. buy”

A terrible, terrible feeling

Was looking through some public records yesterday and came across this little bit of heartbreak: 1516 Micheltorena LLC was us, through our old entity, Better Dwellings. We purchased the property from Kinsling in September of 2010. We bled and sweated over that property, transforming it from a beat-up old dump into a beautiful place to live. … Continue reading “A terrible, terrible feeling”