Community Theatre

I’ve been a fan of Dan Bern for years. If you are not familiar with his music, I urge you to check him out.  He is an amazingly prolific songwriter possessing an unusual ability to weave comedy into poignant lyrics with a voice & attitude akin to Bob Dylan. Why is this relevant to eastsidedigs?  Because I dig Echo Park, and I now have one more reason to espouse its virtues.

Dan.

I had the rare opportunity this week to sit in a comfortable chair, surrounded by other Dan Bern fans in a room decorated slightly more quirkily than, but in the same vein as, the rec-rooms I recall from the 70s.  The venue was wedged into a commercial space in Echo Park next to a very cool frame store. In this uncanny space, I was treated to an amazing acoustic set, sans amps and mics. Dan performed a few feet away from me with an awesome group called Common Rotation. 

Common Rotation

Being a fan, I get an email every once in a while from Dan’s headquarters alerting me to his concert schedule.  It seems that even though he lives in LA, he doesn’t often play here.  I missed his last performance at the Bootleg, but noticed that he was going to be showing up at this enigmatic venue: The Echo Country Outpost. I arrived early and, to my surprise, found a no-cover, no frills room filled with chairs  and  couches from just as many yard sales.  I was offered a beer at no charge and took my seat.  Where the hell was I?  No line?  No duchey door guy? No cover?  Free beer?  Friendly, engaging people lacking the typical vapid, annoying attitude you might have also have come to expect from our city… Utopia?  No.  Echo Park... If you have the opportunity, go see a show here.

It was in incredible evening.  I left the event bolstered by a feeling that there is an unusual sense of community developing in EP.  Once known for its roughhewn edges, it’s now considered one of the up-and-coming hoods in our city.  Gone are the days when you would only go to Echo Park to see a baseball game and then just as quickly get the hell out!

Echo Park: It’s not just for baseball anymore!  Now you can push your stroller down the street, see live music for free, eat well and feel safe.  I was at The Echo a few Sundays ago... during the day!  There were several decent bands performing... and young children running through the crowd.  


If you are in the market to buy and haven’t considered Echo Park, you might be surprised by the steadily increasing home prices.  Take a walk on Sunset near Alvarado on any night of the week.  The energy is palpable.  The feeling of community is growing.  The neighborhood is alive and vibrant!  Don’t be surprised if you get back in your car and think, “hey… I want to live here!”

As for Dan Bern, Common Rotation and the Echo Country Outpost, put them all on your to-do list. 

Of course if you want to add Echo Park to your home search, I can help you with that!  Give me a call or email anytime! (310) 991-3808

MINTZ

Crosby, Stills, Nash & You? (Beachwood Canyon Mid-Century)

I checked out this hallowed Beachwood rocker pad today! Great new listing by CB Sunset. It boast's clean mid-century lines, a spectacular view (canyon & city lights) and an awesome classic rock history involving CSN, The Monkees, Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass etc..

Be the next rock star to hang your hat here.

2 Bedrooms. 1.5 Bathrooms. 1,527 SF of living space on a 6,600 SF lot. Priced well at $799,000.

If you want to see it, let me know (click here)!

Follow me on twitter (click here).

MINTZ

Spanish For "Wood"

Hitting the market this week is the best Atwater property I've seen all year!  Okay, so the year is only 12 days old... but still... GREAT HOUSE!

If you are looking for a totally "done," move in ready, exceptionally,  and tastefully renovated Atwater bungalow, you will definitely want this house.  The pictures tell the story.  If you want to see it, let me know.  Act quickly because it won't last long.

2 Bedrooms. 1 Bathroom. Huge, 6,750 SF flat lot. Built in 1923. Renovated in 2010.  Asking $599,000.

email me if you are interested:

MINTZ

Second Chances!

When this house hit the market in April of this year, I walked in… and promptly walked out.  In spite of my revulsion, it sold for way over asking ($775K) in just 13 days. It was a project, to say the least and I didn’t have anyone brave enough in my arsenal to take it on.  But someone did!

This house has been completely and wonderfully re-conceived and brought up to a standard befitting the celeb-lined street north of Los Feliz Blvd.  As you can see below, the house was a dog with seemingly very little potential.  However, possessing a keen eye and a strong stomach, its new owner has miraculously transformed the home (inside and out) into a true beauty.  At $1,175,000 it is priced well for the area.  A $400,000 profit in 6 months, you might ask.  My answer is: pull the comps!  It is a move-in ready, completely updated, stylishly finished pad at $581/SF.

If you are looking for a low maintenance house with charm and style, this one won’t last long.

If you want to see it, let me know! Let's make an offer!

3 Bedrooms

3 Bathrooms

2,020 SF

7,695 SF Lot

Built in 1957 (neglected until 2010)

Asking: $1,175,000

Before

 

Now

 

 

 

Ivy League

Perched on a hilltop with intimate canyon views, this Echo Park bungalow took the prize today. It is priced perfectly at $599K but will likely sell for more as inventory is low and properties of this caliber are far and few between. There are a few recent comps within 1/2 mile in the $630k-$640K range.

For a house in the hills, the terraced yard is surprisingly expansive with mature foliage and much sought after seclusion, a covered patio and charming pathways. The home features updated systems mixed with 1920s charm. A wall of windows maximizes the view of the canyon beyond. Even though it was an overcast, gloomy day, the home was filled with light.

This house will sell quickly, so if you are interested in seeing it, you will have to act quickly!

Let me know! See This Echo Park Home In Person!

2126 Princeton Ave.

2 Bedrooms + 1 Bathrooms

1,224 SF

6,350 SF Lot

Built in 1928

Asking: $599,000

Afraid Of Heights?

According to the ancient Greeks, the Elysian Fields were the final resting place for the souls of heroes and the virtuous. Elysian Heights in Echo Park, however has existed eternally for the living. Having been home to many notorious animate souls since the hills were settled in the teens, the area has been a refuge for artists, political radicals, architects, filmmakers and writers. Will that tradition continue with you. Do you have what it takes to live in Elysian Heights? Are you that hip?

If you want to find out, then I want to show you a great house that was on Caravan today. Not only was it special from a location, amenity, and usable land standpoint, but it comes with a very cool history as well. The house was built in 1910 and sat comfortably in the flats for decades. But, like many of us Angelinos, this house spent its days, longingly looking up at the twinkling lights of the hills above Los Angeles; year after year wishing for a more grandiose existence. Well, the house got its wish in 1952 when it was literally moved to its current address at 1917 Baxter St., high atop the city on one of LA's landmark streets. Baxter certainly puts the "heights" in Elysian Heights!

Having been lovingly updated, the home comes replete with a hip, urban vibe that pays homage to the neighborhood and the house’s venerable roots. It is quaint, adorable and ready for you to move in! It has a flat lot with an amazing backyard and if you can believe it… a pool! Priced right at $649K, some very wise hipster will snatch up this wonderful enclave before you can say, “did I put my parking brake on?”

If you want to see it, let me know! www.mintzre.com

1917 Baxter St.

2 Bedrooms

1 Bathroom

1,260 SF

7,550 SF Lot

Built in 1910 then moved in 1952

Asking: $649,000

Carnavon on Caravan

Finally back on the market and finally well priced at $1,450,000 is 3824 Carnavon Way in the hills above Los Feliz.  It is easily my favorite house this week. If you are in the market for an uber-hip, completely updated Mid-Century, do not let this one’s posts and beams pass you by!  With an epic jetliner view, tons of outdoor deck space and your own private beach just off bedroom number 2, the home is setup perfectly for one to take advantage of our city’s weather and on a clear day, the gorgeous landscape/cityscape that lies beyond this house’s arresting wall of glass. Clearly an inspiration for the case study houses that would be built years later, this building is simply an artistic statement that renders the study unnecessary.

Inside the home one cannot avoid feeling hip.  It is so sleek and stylish it’s just begging to be the destination of choice for unusual parties hosting fascinating people.  From the moment one enters the front door, the house reveals itself.  With its wide-open floor plan, it lets you see clearly from the kitchen through the living room to city lights twinkling miles away.  The home boasts a kitchen that is such a work of art that it is on display for all to see.  On the floor below, this home’s new owner will revel in simplicity of design and thoughtful architecture.  A sitting room with a 2 story ceiling, a screening room fit for a mogul, a magnificent deck off of the bedrooms and a shower that could easily handle 4-5 (see comment about parties) all add to this home’s mystique.  I don’t want to sell it… I want to buy it!

If you want to see it let me know!  www.mintzre.com

3824 Carnavon Way

3 Bedrooms (plus screening room)

3.5 Bathrooms

3,051 SF

6,570 SF Lot

Year Built: 1951

Asking $1,450,000

 

Happy Hipsters

You are going to be so psyched when you pull your veggie-powered diesel convert into the garage at 2746 Auburn St., my pick for the best of the week on the Eastside caravan.  Just listed is this amazing eco-friendly home that stands as the pinnacle of green architecture, existing as a showcase for what the modern home truly is and should be.  From solar power and sustainable materials to community gardens and a seldom seen sense of community itself, this end terrace townhome is part of a “small lot subdivision” in Silver Lake.  It’s perched high atop a quiet knoll on Auburn Street with great canyon views and a seemingly endless supply of gentle breezes that flow throughout the indoor/outdoor spaces of the home.  The seven linked houses are aptly named “Auburn 7,” row houses, plain and simple. However, plain they are not and it’s their simplicity that makes them charming.

This DWELLing will be the envy of all your friends at Intelligencia.

If you want to see it, let me know! www.mintzre.com

2746 Auburn Street
3 Bedrooms
2 .5 Bathrooms
2,114  SF
Year Built: 2008
Asking $839,000