r/AffordableHousing

Townhomes, row houses and bungalow courts are likely coming to 57 neighborhoods across L.A. as part of the city’s plan to delay Senate Bill 79.

The historic housing bill, which took effect Wednesday, was written in hopes of addressing California’s housing crisis. It’s designed to boost apartment construction by overriding local zoning laws and allowing taller, denser developments near bus stops and train stations: up to nine stories for buildings adjacent to certain transit stops, seven stories for buildings within a quarter-mile and six stories for buildings within a half-mile.

It serves as a definitive statement from Sacramento lawmakers to cities that have failed to keep up with housing demand in recent years, including L.A., where single-family housing is still king. However, the bill was so contentious that in order to squeak it through, legislators stuffed it full of carve-outs and exemptions, allowing cities to delay implementation by passing their own plans to add density.

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I need to sell my house ASAP. New job, new city, can't afford to carry two mortgages right now

The thing is, my house isn't a disaster. Indeed, everything works and all the wires, pipes, roof, all fine. It just needs a fresh coat of paint and maybe some updated furniture to look modern. I've lived here for years without a single major issue

But every time that I take people through the house, their face falls immediately because they realize how out of date everything is like the cabinets in the kitchen, the paint on the walls, the carpet in the basement

No matter how much I explain that it's purely cosmetic, they don't believe me

I started googling what to do. Then I found Sure Building Inspection. They do comprehensive home inspections and provide a detailed report on the actual condition of the property

Perhaps if I personally employ them, I could show the report to prospective buyers from the very beginning. They would then get to read in black and white what kind of condition the house is in, how sound the electrical, plumbing and roof are

And if they still don't believe me? I can tell them to hire their own inspector

At this point, I don't know what else to do. I'm losing potential buyers because they can't see past the aesthetics. But I also don't want to spend thousands on renovations I can't afford just to make the place look move-in ready

Has anyone tried this approach? Would a pre-listing inspection actually help? Or am I just wasting more money? I'm desperate to sell and running out of time

I found one house... Approximately it was built in 1970s and it’s charming, great neighborhood, with good bones. Or at least I think they’re good bones. Hard to tell through the leaking roof and the ancient wiring

But I love the place. I can see past the faded wallpaper and the orange shag carpet. I’m not stupid and I know a fixer-upper when I see one. I just don’t know how much of a fixer-upper it really is

The roof is leaking. The electrical panel looks like it belongs in a museum. I’ve already started doing the math in my head, wondering if I can even afford this

Friends said I should just walk away. While others say I’m overthinking it. But one friend told me not to make any assumptions and to get an inspection first. He recommended Sure Building Inspection and said they do really detailed work and tell you the whole truth about what you’re buying

That sounds like the smart move. But I’m also scared of what they’ll find. What if the report comes back with a list of repairs that costs more than the house itself?

I’m torn between excitement and terror. This could be my dream home. Or it could be a money pit that destroys my savings

Has anyone bought a house with similar issues? Am I crazy for even considering this?

An aging downtown office complex will be converted into apartments as part of an ambitious plan by local real estate companies to create 4,000 affordable housing units in Los Angeles.

The first project will be a $200-million makeover of the L.A. World Trade Center, a sprawling white elephant of an office complex on Figueroa Street built in the 1970s that will be turned into 512 apartments in one of the largest affordable housing conversions to date downtown.

Future projects being planned in the central city for delivery over the next five years will include other office-to-apartment conversions and new housing built from the ground up.

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