The Subcompact Hybrid: Good Choice for Parking in Rossmoyne
The narrow driveways of many older neighborhoods in Southern California make we wonder: How did people from the 20s to the 80s maneuver vehicles in and out of their small garages and narrow driveways? Very small hybrid vehicles are available today, but they were not a mass market option when these driveways were laid.
Most homes in the Rossmoyne section of Glendale, just north of downtown, were built in the 20s and 30s and feature Mediterranean, Tudor, or Colonial designs. The neighborhood is well-kept, and home exteriors show very well, but garage access is not a selling point. Driveways here start out narrow, and when their borders reach houses they get even narrower. Some homeowners don’t even try to get their car past the house and into the garage.
Over the long term, maybe this is a good low-mileage strategy. If parking a car at home is difficult, more people will find other transportation options. Perhaps this is good design as well – with less land devoted to the driveway, there is more room for landscaping. Many streetscapes in Rossmoyne and other Glendale neighborhoods have a pleasant parklike atmosphere because of this.
Homes with close to 2,000 square feet were going for over $1,000,000 here at the peak of the market. According to Redfin’s neighborhood pages, homes sold here during the past three months had a median list price of $950,000, and a median sold price of $782,000. The average number of days on the market: 88.
These listings, in order from least to most expensive, are all on the market for below the average price per square foot in the area:
901 N. Everett Street
$630,000 (reduced from $665,000)
3 bed/2 bath
1,578 sq.ft.
$399 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 130 days
Built in 1929. This a lender-approved short sale.
1214 N Everett Street
$769,000 (reduced 3 times from $829,000)
3 bed/2 bath
1,928 sq.ft.
$399 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 74 days
Also built in 1929.
849 Cavanagh Road
$1,595,000
3 bed/2.25 bath
4,200 sq.ft.
$380 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 61 days
This is a trust sale with no court approval, designed by Paul Williams and built in 1928.
SGV Watcher said:
Hi Elise, enjoy the blog!
Just a quick question, is it considered an unethical practice by Redfin for agents to list a home, pull it off completely, and re-list it as a brand new listing?
I have noticed this on Redfin and I think its a bit misleading because it fudges the “Days on market” & “reduced price” statistics. One case that really caught my eye was 1124 Hope in South Pasadena. Originally listed @ 1.2M, this thing was on the market for a loooong time. The agent recently pulled the listing and published it as a brand new listing for $898,000.
In my opinion, this behavior should be checked on Redfin.
October 6, 2008 8:48 PM
Cindy Allen said:
Hi, SGV: I’ll butt in and answer this question. Redfin gets its listings directly from the local MLSs, so it’s subject to whatever each MLS does. Canceling and relisting homes is called “refreshing” the listing in agentspeak, and agents do it because people think that if a house has been on the market too long, there is something wrong with it. It’s annoying, but you can understand why agents do it. Hope that helps. –Cindy Allen, LA Blog Editor
October 7, 2008 8:02 AM
Elise Kalfayan said:
Thanks, Cindy, for answering.
SGV: if you keep all your Redfin email updates, you can spot activity like this by searching for the address. Agents’ moves like this aren’t easy to track by viewing the MLS on any one day, but the email trail will get you there!
October 7, 2008 11:58 AM
SGV Watcher said:
Thanks for the clarification and the tips, Cindy & Elise. It is annoying but I guess we can’t knock them for trying to hustle in such a bad market.
October 7, 2008 11:15 PM