The homes in Downey
Downey was farmland and orange groves before it filled in with houses, mostly from the 1940s through the 1960s. The typical home is a single-story ranch house on a regular city lot. Over the years many of those houses have been expanded or replaced with much larger two-story homes, so the same block can hold both.
You will also find condos, townhomes and apartment buildings in parts of the city. Because so many houses have been added onto, two homes on one street can differ a lot in size and condition. Ask Tony to check the permit record on any addition, second story or garage conversion before you make an offer.
Neighborhoods and tracts
Orange Estates is the named neighborhood most people know. It lies between Firestone Boulevard and Florence Avenue, roughly from Rives Avenue to Paramount Boulevard, with homes built from the 1940s to the late 1960s. Northeast Downey is known for larger lots, mid-century ranch houses and custom homes.
South Downey holds the former aerospace site and sits closest to the 105 and the Metro C Line. The Rio Hondo runs along the west edge of the city and the San Gabriel River along the east. Ask Tony to check the flood map for any address near a river channel, and the noise near the 5, the 105 or the 605.
Schools
Downey Unified School District serves most of the city. Its two comprehensive high schools are Downey High School and Warren High School, and Columbus High School is the district's continuation school. The four middle schools are Doty, Griffiths, Sussman and Stauffer. Elementary schools include Alameda, Carpenter, Gallatin, Old River, Price, Rio Hondo, Rio San Gabriel and Williams.
Which schools a home is assigned to depends on the address, including whether it falls in the Downey High or the Warren High attendance area. Look up the address with the district before you make an offer, and ask Tony to help you do that for each home on your list.
Parks, shopping and landmarks
The plant where North American Aviation and later Rockwell built Apollo and Space Shuttle hardware closed in 1999. Today the site holds the Columbia Memorial Space Center, which the city opened in 2009, the Promenade at Downey and Downey Landing shopping centers, the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center and the Discovery Sports Complex.
Stonewood Center, the mall at Firestone and Lakewood boulevards, opened in 1958. The oldest operating McDonald's in the world, opened in 1953, still stands at Lakewood Boulevard and Florence Avenue. City parks include Furman Park, Apollo Park, Dennis the Menace Park, Rio San Gabriel Park and Wilderness Park, which has two small lakes.
Getting around
Downey sits inside a box of freeways. The 5 crosses the north end, the 105 runs along the south, the 605 is on the east side and the 710 is just west of the city. Downtown Los Angeles is about 13 miles to the northwest. Long Beach Airport is the closest commercial airport.
Lakewood Boulevard station on the Metro C Line is open today in south Downey, in the median of the 105, with parking. The C Line runs between Norwalk and the LAX area. Metro also plans the Southeast Gateway Line with a Gardendale station in Downey. That line is not built, and Metro expects it to open around 2035.
Buying in Downey
Start by deciding how much house you want to take on. An original ranch house and a rebuilt two-story on the same street are very different purchases. Tony is a REALTOR and a licensed mortgage loan originator (NMLS ID 2359276), so he can go through what you may be able to borrow before you start touring.
On original houses, look at the roof, plumbing, electrical and foundation. On expanded ones, ask Tony to check that the added square footage was permitted and matches the public record. Condos and townhomes have HOA dues, so read the association documents during your contingency period. Tony works in Downey from his office at The Real Estate Solution in Cerritos.
Selling in Downey
Size and condition vary so much in Downey that the nearest sale is not always the right comparison. Your price should be set against homes of similar size, lot and level of updating. If your house has an addition, find the permits before you list, because the buyer's appraiser will look at the recorded square footage. Tony has held a California real estate license since 2007 and speaks fluently in English and Arabic.
