Do people even Blog anymore? Maybe it’s just a Newsletter. Let’s call it that. Starting over…
Welcome to My Monthly Eastside Angle Newsletter!
Every month, I’m going to spotlight a different Eastside Neighborhood. Giving you a real estate market update, spotlighting different properties so you get a sense of what is available. AND since I love going out to dinner with friends or my crazy children, I’ll tell ya the best spots to eat and drink in that hood.
I’ll cover everywhere from Hollywood Hills to Silver Lake to La Canada to Sierra Madre, so stay tuned!!
Here we go!
Starting with My Home Base GLASSELL PARK
Glassell Park is smack dab between Glendale, Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, and FrogTown. It’s one of the easiest NELA locations to zoom over to other parts of town. Convenient freeway access to the 2,134 and 5. In the past three years, it feels like we’ve exploded with good restaurants and bars. Part of Glassell Park is in the Eagle Rock school district with access to Delevan Drive Elementary and Eagle Rock High School.
There were 103 single-family homes sold in Glassell Park in 2023. Median Sale price is $1,045,000 and the Median Days On Market is 6.
One of my favorites was 4413 Sunnycrest Drive. It was renovated by one of the OG flippers on the east side Better Shelter. 1994 sq feet on a 22,100 sq foot lot, 3 bed 3 bath, listed @ 1.988 and exited at 2.150, just about 10% above the list price.
Another beauty is 2129 Wollam Street. Listed at 1.625 and exited @ 1,996,820, just over 20% above the list, 3 bed 3 bath 2,228 sq feet.
Also a fan favorite is 2837 Moss Ave, a reimagined Craftsman by my friends @Bungalowe. A 4 bed 4 bath 1,794 sq feet on an 8,881 sq foot lot, listed @ 1.475 and exited @ 1.737, about 20% above list.
LOCAL RESTAURANTS & BARS
Polka is in a strip mall next to a vape shop and a laundromat. It’s been run by the same family since 1994. The food comes out of the kitchen through a wood credenza you would find at your sweet Polish Grandmother’s house. You start with their daily soup, which always has potatoes in it, and a salad. I usually order the same thing every time: a beer and chicken schnitzel to keep things low-carb. It’s small and cozy, and the service is not fast, but we LOVE LOVE going there.
The last time I was at Dunsmoor, I had the Low-Country Boil, which was gulf shrimp, smoked sausage, corn, and potatoes spread out on a big piece of butcher paper like the main event. I love food when it has a real sense of occasion that we can all talk about and rate. It was an A+. The restaurant is in a nearly century-old Spanish Revival building. It’s open and beautiful, with communal tables. They don’t have cocktails, but they have a perfect wine selection and a wine bar adjacent to the restaurant that serves small plates. The food is Southern and warm. The sour milk cornbread is delish, but it’s sweet, like having a piece of cake as an app that no one minds. Other highlights are the oysters, smoked tuna salad, chopped chicken liver, and ribeye.
I kinda fell in love with the couple behind Wife and the Somm on Instagram. Last summer, they did a lot of traveling and eating and wine drinking and they just seem IDK cool? I also really like it when couples have the same name. Their names are Chris and Christy, which is close enough. I started coming to Wife and the Somm when it opened in 2021. It’s a wine bar and restaurant. I had my first glass of Lambrusco there, a lightly bubbly red in a pretty petite coupe. The food is seasonal and designed to complement the vino. Lots of handmade pastas and charcuterie boards.
A few weeks after I first bought my house in Glassell Park, Little Ripper quietly opened its doors, and voila, I had the American Dream of a coffee shop I could walk to. I was very pregnant with Levi at the time and ordered their signature Little Ripper latte with homemade lavender-infused almond milk with only one shot of espresso for baby-making purposes. Once I had the baby, my mom went to Little Ripper and ordered my version of the latte for me. The owner recognized the order and asked if it was for me and sweetly sent my mom away with a basket full of pastries for me at the hospital. To strengthen my love affair this year, they opened up a WINE BAR. So now I can not only walk to coffee, but I live my wine-lover dreams of walking to VINO. I’ve done a wine flight there, and I have to say they have a beautiful selection of natural wine. All my friends were impressed. It’s a perfect light bite and wine kinda spot as well as a great cup of coffee in the morn.
I love meeting my husband here for lunch, sitting at the counter and ordering a tuna sandwich. Don’t think about asking for it toasted, they won’t. Matt, the aforementioned husband, hates a pretentious sandwich and was skeptical at first but their straightforward fare really won him over. Bub & Grandma’s bread is the kind of bread you can pick up fresh that day, pair with some Beurre de Baratte Doux butter and Maldon salt, and your friends will thank you. The space itself pays homage to the classic American diner, with cozy white booths and a kitchen-facing wrap-around bar.
Are you hungry?? Me too! Ok, let’s get back to the BIZ, here’s what I’m seeing in the market.
THE MARKET
The market as a whole feels like it’s picking back up. Lenders are flooded with new buyer applications, and personally, I’ve gotten quite a few calls from people who had decided to sit out last year but are ready to hunt again. Open houses are busy and inventory is starting to tick up too in different pockets.
My real estate idol is Barbara Corcoran. She is so positive and adorable. Here is what she has to say about the market. She is a great follow! She was interviewed on How I Built This. I found it very inspiring! Give it a listen!
Hope you have a great start to the year. Please let me know if you need anything or have any questions about real estate in 2024!
All the best,
Joy
Originally hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Joy fell in love with Los Angeles while vacationing here as a child. After 22 years of calling the Eastside her home, she has no plans to leave. She currently resides in Glassell Park with her husband Matt, their son Levi, and their 10 year old rescued pup, Cubby. When she’s not working with clients, you might find her exploring local boutiques, sampling the fare at one of the city’s newest restaurants with her girlfriends, or attending baby gymnastics classes with Levi.
