If you are currently mulling over the possibility of purchasing the house of your dreams and relocate for good in the City of Angels, now is an exciting time to make a move. With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic still in full force, the real estate market works slightly differently from how it did just at the beginning of the year.
Real estate agents and property managers have to get creative about the process of showing the property to potential buyers and renters while abiding by the strict rules about social distancing. The whole buying and renting process takes a lot longer, as instead of an in-person house and apartment showings, we now live in the era of virtual apartment tours and similar online alternatives
Still, now is not the wrong time to buy a house in the Los Angeles area, as prices are expected to remain flat or decrease by 1% in the upcoming year, which is a rare sight for the Los Angeles real estate scene. Also, even though the banks have tightened up, mortgage rates are expected to remain low or fall further because of the current situation. Consult with an experienced Los Angeles mortgage broker to know all up-to-date information about mortgage rates, house loans, and the financing part of the home acquiring process in the Los Angeles area.
Still, once you’ve decided to find your perfect new house in the Los Angeles area, you better know that there are many unique architecture house styles in the area, that you probably aren’t even aware of. As you drive through the city and look at stunning homes with the exceptional exterior design, you’d probably want to know what they are called. While architectural style certainly isn’t a high priority for buyers compared to other house features and attributes of functionality that the house should offer, it never hurts to be able to recognize different types of property and identify common Los Angeles home styles.
In the following paragraphs, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list covering the most frequently seen house architecture styles in Los Angeles that you can buy or rent when you decide to call this marvelous city your hometown.
Contemporary Homes
Even though architects find it hard to provide one unified definition of what contemporary homes are, they agree that the term refers to the current and modern building style that favors energy-efficient buildings above all. Typical contemporary houses in Los Angeles are built with sustainable building materials and have blended living spaces. This building style originates from the 1950s and is considered to be some medium between traditional style and modern style houses.
Houses made in this particular style are known for tall windows, funky exteriors with a medley of stone, wood, and brick, and feature exposed outdoor beams. They can be found everywhere across the city, as many new construction homes in Los Angeles are built in this style.
Craftsman Homes
Also known as Bungalow homes, this home style is accredited to the architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley who first designed this type of house during the Arts and Crafts Movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This style is supposed to reduce the house to it’s purest form – the house is low, and the broad proportions and lack of ornamentation gives the house its natural and unaffected character that is easy to blend in any landscape. Craftsman-style houses are famous for their low gabled roof, overhanging eaves, expanded porches, and tapered columns.
The exterior is commonly made of a mix of wood, stone, and concrete, thus giving the home a natural and understated look. The interior often comes with an open floor plan completed with built-in furniture. The Craftsman-style dwellings can be found around Mid-City, Culver, Mar Vista, and parts of Santa Monica.
Modern Homes
This home style is incredibly easy to tell apart from the other architectural styles. Modern style homes are characterized by a lack of decorative design, emphasis on rectangular forms with no roof, oversized glass sliding windows, and doors to allow natural light to come through the house. This style provides an open and airy layout, and the use of large glass areas enables the home to take advantage of the beautiful surrounding landscape. These multi-million modern style houses are a regular sight in West Hollywood, Fairfax, Melrose, and Beverly Grove.
Art Deco Homes
Since Art Deco earned its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s and reflected the modern and glamorous Old Hollywood feel of the time, the style is all over Los Angeles as is used for numerous commercial buildings and residential homes in the area. The style is notoriously known for its flat roof, stucco walls, bold colors, clean lines, and geometric zigzag patterns and details. This sought-after home style is characterized by the elegance of Gatsby’s Golden era, and it also brings the bright and airy light-filled decor that can be found in contemporary homes.
Victorian Homes
Victorian-style homes saw the light of the day in the mid-1800s when Queen Victoria took the throne in England. It was during her era when Los Angeles transformed from a small Mexican outpost into a robust American boom-town. Consequently, thousands of buildings and homes were built this period, many of whom were made in Victorian style. Such homes are in most cases, two or three stories (including an attic and basement) high and have elaborate brackets, spindles, and patterned shingles. They also feature huge porches, multiple wings, bays, and towers. These homes are scattered from Santa Monica to Hollywood.
Final Words
As housing was and continues to be the predominant building type in Los Angeles, there is a never-ending choice of different architectural styles that you will run into when driving across the city. From Craftsman to Victorian, Los Angeles has it all when it comes to modern housing objects. Set your eyes on something that, besides being fully-functional to your needs, is also an architectural masterpiece, invest in the property, and enjoy everything that the City of Angels has to offer as a full-time resident.
