Community and Whittier Real Estate News

You’ll find our blog to be a wealth of information, covering everything from local market statistics and home values to community happenings. That’s because we care about the community and want to help you find your place in it. Please reach out if you have any questions at all. We’d love to talk with you!  Willie & Anna Garcia

You can sign up here to receive your own market report, delivered as often as you like! It contains current information on pending, active and just sold properties so you can see actual homes in your neighborhood. You can review your area on a larger scale, as well, by refining your search to include properties across the city or county. As you notice price and size trends, please contact us for clarification or to have any questions answered.

We can definitely fill you in on details that are not listed on the report and help you determine the best home for you. If you are wondering if now is the time to sell, please try out our INSTANT home value tool. You’ll get an estimate on the value of your property in today’s market. Either way, we hope to hear from you soon as you get to know our neighborhoods and local real estate market better.

July 13, 2021

Whittier's Most Affordable Neighborhoods

  Whittier California’s Most Affordable Neighborhoods

 This Blog is a transcript of our video “ Whittier California’s Most Affordable Neighborhoods”

What's up, everybody? Willie and Anna with the Garcia Real Estate Team here in Whittier, California. If this is your first time to this channel, and you would like to know everything about living, playing, eating, working, sleeping and the most affordable neighborhoods here in Whittier, then make sure you tap the subscribe button down below, click the little bell, so that you are notified every single time we do a brand new video.

 We get so many calls every week from people who are thinking of relocating to Whittier, that we just absolutely love it!

 

Looking to own your first home? The Sorensen Park neighborhood is a great place to start!

Our first neighborhood is in West Whittier and it's the area that surrounds Sorensen Park. The major intersections are South of Whittier Boulevard, North of Mines Avenue, East of Glengarry Avenue, and West of Sorensen Avenue. This neighborhood is within minutes to Uptown Whittier, the Quad Shopping Mall, the Hellman trails, which are literally up the street, and the 605 Freeway. Houses in this neighborhood consist of ranch-style and a few older Spanish Mediterranean homes. There are a few 2 bedroom homes, but for the most part there are more three bedrooms with two baths, approximately 1,200 square feet up to 1,500 square feet of living space. The lots are typically around 5,000 to 7,000 square feet and prices start in the low five hundreds thousand to the mid six hundred thousand. Sorensen Park is great neighborhood for a first-time buyer. Prices are affordable and the neighborhood is really nice.

 

 The Palm Park neighborhood, located in South West Whittier

Our second neighborhood is in the South West Whittier area and it's the area that surrounds Palm Park. The intersections consist of South of Beverly Boulevard, North of Whittier Boulevard, East of Norwalk Boulevard, and West of Magnolia Avenue. The neighborhood is within minutes to Uptown Whittier. The Hellman trails, Turnbull Canyon and it within minutes to the 605 Freeway. The neighborhood architectural style is primarily ranch-style homes, which consists of quite a few two bedrooms with one bath, but the majority are three bedrooms with 2 baths. Living space start at 800 square feet up to 1,500 square feet and the lots average approximately 6000 square feet. Prices in this cute neighborhoods start in the mid five hundred thousand to the mid six hundred thousand. The Palm Park neighborhood is really nice and peaceful. Many of the streets are tree lined and well kept. You see many family in the late afternoon walking their dogs and exercising.

 

Adventure Park is located in Whittier's unincorporated area

Our third stop in the most affordable neighborhood tour is the area that surrounds Adventure Park. This neighborhood is located in South Whittier, which is in the unincorporated part of Whittier. The major intersections are South of Mulberry Drive, North of Telegraph Road, East of Painter Avenue, and West of Mills Avenue. You are also within minutes to Uptown Whittier, where there is a lot of shopping and restaurants, the Quad Shopping Mall, and Candlewood Country Club. Houses here are primarily ranch-style and they are approximately 1,000 to 1,500 square feet of living space. The lot sizes average 6,000 square feet and prices start in the low five hundred thousand and up to 600,000.

 

 

 Bring the family and enjoy the concerts in the park

Our final neighborhood is in Southeast Whittier and it's the area that surrounds Parnell Park. This area encompasses South of Lambert Road, North of Leffingwell Road, East of LA Mirada Boulevard, and West to Santa Gertrudis Avenue. The neighborhood is within minutes to the Whittwood Shopping Mall and Parnell Park. This neighborhood consists of ranch-style homes that are typically three bedroom, two baths, and are approximately 1,100 square feet to 1,600 square feet of living space. The average lot size is approximately 6,000 square feet and values in this neighborhood start in the mid five hundred thousand to the high six hundred thousand. This Park is host to the concerts in the park, many Whittier families come out during the summer to enjoy the music.

So there you have it folks, Whittier's most affordable neighborhood.

If you're looking for that perfect Whittier area that you're considering moving into or would like to see simply reach out to us. We would love to show you a few of these homes.

 

July 12, 2021

Top 5 Neighborhoods in Whittier, CA

Top 5 Neighborhoods in Whittier, CA

This Blog is a transcript from our video “Top 5 Neighborhoods in Whittier, CA”

What's up everybody. Willie and Anna with The Garcia Real Estate Team here in the Whittier, California. If this is your first time to this channel, and you would like to know everything about living, working, eating, sleeping, playing, and the five top neighborhoods here in Whittier, then make sure you tap the subscribe button down below and click the little bell so that you are notified every single time we do a brand new video.

 We get so many people reaching out to us that are thinking of relocating to Whittier, that we just absolutely love it!

 

You will fall in love with the views in Spyglass Hills

Our first location is Spyglass Hill Estates located in West Whittier among Whittier's Rolling Hills with panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles and within 30 minutes to downtown Los Angeles. Spyglass is within minutes to Uptown Whittier the Quad shopping mall and the 605 Freeway. If you are into hiking or mountain biking, you are close to the Sycamore Canyon trails and the Hellman Trails. Spyglass Hills consists of single one story  homes that have three to four bedrooms and approximately 1,800 square feet to 2,300 square feet of living space. There are also two story homes, which consists of three to five bedrooms and approximately 2,000 square feet to 3,200 square feet of living space. Prices in the neighborhood can start anywhere between the mid seven hundred thousand to the high nine hundred thousand.

 

The Historic District has a variety of architectual styles

Our second location is the Whittier Historic District, which is in Southwest Whittier. This beautiful neighborhood traces its beginning way back to 1887 when a group of Quakers began this new community. I love this neighborhood for its tree lined streets and its architectural style. As you walk down these streets, it's easy to spot among the neighborhoods, beautiful Craftsman-style homes, Spanish Revival homes, the Colonial Revival home and some Victorian homes. We even have a few tutors and bungalow court homes. The neighborhood is within walking distance to Whittier college, the Hellman hiking trails and Uptown Whittier. These houses are unique in style and vary from two bedrooms, one bath, approximately 1300 square feet priced in the high five hundreds to four to six bedroom homes, approximately 3,500 square and priced in the one million plus.

 

 Mar Vista Heights has beautiful tree lined streets with great views

Our third location is the Mar Vista Heights neighborhood located in East Whittier. The neighborhood is located north of Mar Vista street, which is the main artery for people traveling from Whittier to Hacienda Heights. The neighborhood is nestled between many subtle Hills with views of Catalina Island, you have views of Downtown Los Angeles and Orange County. Many of these streets up here are tree lined and wide. You are within minutes to beautiful Penn Park and of course Uptown Whittier Which is just down the street. The architectural home styles up here are midcentury modern contemporary and many Ranch style homes. You will find homes as small as three bedrooms, two baths, approximately 1,800 square feet in living space, starting in the high seven hundreds, to homes that are four bedrooms, two baths, approximately 2,800 square feet plus in the mid-900,000.

 

 The Michigan Park neighborhood has a park in the middle of the neighborhood

Our fourth location is the Michigan Park area. We absolutely love this neighborhood. It's right below the Mar Vista Heights neighborhood and it’s in between Mar Vista street and Whittier Boulevard located in East Whittier.  This area has a beautiful park in the middle of the neighborhood called Michigan Park. We see many family holding events at the park in the weekends, walking their dogs, exercising and just taking in the beautiful views. We love the neighborhood because it's surrounded by lovely tall Jacaranda trees. So come early spring, you start seeing the purple flowers and white flowers just sprout out and fall all over the streets. You are also within walking distance to Ocean View Elementary and East Whittier Middle School which are highly sought out.

 

If you like luxury living, then Friendly Hills is for you

Our final location is Friendly Hills, which is in East Whittier and is an upscale affluent neighborhood located North of Whittier Boulevard and East of Colima Road. The neighborhood is known for its beautiful Friendly Hills Country Club and many of the properties are situated around the golf course, which have amazing views of the Fairways. The neighborhood consists of subtle Hills with some views of Catalina Island and Orange County. You're within minutes to the Whittwood Mall, where there is a variety of shopping and local upcoming restaurants. If you are into hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding, you have the Murphy Ranch Trail right at your footsteps. Friendly Hills consists of many architectural style homes, such as tutor, midcentury, modern Spanish Mediterranean and ranch-style homes to name a few. The average home is no less than 2000 square feet to approximately 4,000 square feet of living space. And most of the lots are super huge. Prices range anywhere from the mid nine hundreds thousands to $3 million.

 So there you have it folks, the top five neighborhoods in Whittier.

 So if you're looking for that perfect Whittier area that you're considering moving into or would like to see, simply reach out to us. We would love to show you around!

 

June 29, 2021

Best Biking and Hiking Trails in Whittier

Best Biking and Hiking Trails in Whittier

This Blog is a transcript of our video "Best Biking and Hiking Trails in Whittier"

What's up, everybody? Willie and Anna with the Garcia real estate team here in Whittier California. If this is your first time on our YouTube channel and you would like to know everything about living, working, eating, sleeping, playing and the biking and hiking trails here in Whittier, then make sure you tap the subscribe button down below. Click the little bell, so that you are notified every single time we do a brand-new video.

We get so many people reaching out to us every week that are considering moving out to Whittier that we absolutely love it. 

Whittier is known for its beautiful landscape, from its lovely purple jacaranda trees to its pine trees, its magnolia trees and the big ficus trees. If you're into hiking or mountain biking, and would like to take advantage of these beautiful views, well, in this video we're going to take you on a tour of the beautiful Whittier trails.

 

There are five exhibit stations on the Whittier Greenway trails

So, the trail starts at the Northwest corner of Whittier and it extends 4.8 miles East ending at the corner of Lambert and Mills Avenue. The city of Whittier is actually looking into extending the trail all the way to Orange County. We can't wait until that happens. Were you aware that there's five exhibit stations within the Greenway Trails?

One of them is the Citrus Station, which is South of Penn Street. This exhibit features Whittier's agricultural history and the need for water policy and conservation, right behind this exhibit is the old Sunkist orange packing house. The next station is the Wind Sculptures, which is located West of Mills, exactly at the Five Points. This location exhibits beautiful, unique wind sculptures that were permanently installed here in Whittier.

Make sure to stop at the exhibits and read the history

Another station is the Sycamore station, which is North of the Five Points. This exhibit recognizes the native California Sycamore trees, and describes the history of transportation along this corridor from the wagons and railroads that transported citrus crops, to the early automobiles that traveled along the path of pre–Whittier Boulevard.

The next station is the Oak station, which is West of Mills Avenue. This exhibit describes Whittier's founding as a Quaker colony and traces the community's growth. The Exhibit station here at Palm Park received a grant from Southern California Edison to use historic wooden columns from the Fred C. Nelles sight for an arbor of Whittier Greenway Trails.

The above station is located at Palm Park in West Whittier. Anna and I see many families out at this station enjoying the park and having family picnics. The park has a softball field, a large children's playground, public swimming pool, many picnic benches and BBQ pits. This is definitely a great place to come out on the weekend and have some family time...

You must visit the Hellman trails and enjoy the views

Here in Whittier, we also have the Hellman hiking trails which consist of 6 other trails such as the Sycamore Canyon trail. That trails about 1.3 miles in length and the elevation is about 200 feet. You also have the Peppergrass trail, which is about 1.1 miles and the elevation is 350 feet. You have the Mariposa trail which is a bit over a half a mile and the elevation is only 60 feet. Here in Whittier, we also have the Hellman hiking trails which consist of 6 other trails such as the Sycamore Canyon trail. That trails about 1.3 miles in length and the elevation is about 200 feet. You also have the Peppergrass trail, which is about 1.1 miles and the elevation is 350 feet. You have the Mariposa trail which is a bit over a half a mile and the elevation is only 60 feet. You have the Rattlesnake Ridge trail and that one is about a mile and a half long and the elevation is 200 feet.

Visit the East Whittier Trails, Arroyo Pescadero

We just left the Hellman trails and now we are at the Arroyo Pescadero trails, these trails are really close to the intersection of Mar Vista and Colima Rd. This place is also just amazing and the vegetation is green and colorful.

Recently, there's been so much rain that everything has turned green, the land has so much vegetation. We highly recommend you guys come out here and bring the family. It's a great place to work out and enjoy a peaceful, tranquil nature walk.

Near the intersection of Mar Vista and Colima, there are three additional trails. There's the Arroyo Pescadero Loop trail. That trail is 2 miles and the elevation is about 180 feet. Then you have the Arroyo San Miguel trail which is 1.8 miles and the elevation is about 360 feet. Then you have the last trail, which is the Deer Loop trail that trail is a much shorter trail, It's about 0.8 miles and the elevation is 20 feet. Well, these are the trails that are near the intersection Colima and Mar Vista. Come out here, you'll enjoy the beautiful sceneries early in the morning. You can actually see Catalina Island on a clear day.

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, bring plenty of water, water for you dogs and some sunscreen. Anna and I hope to see you on The Green Way Trails in Whittier soon!

 

 

June 29, 2021

Top High Schools in Whittier

Top High Schools in Whittier

This Blog is a transcript of the above video " Top High Schools in Whittier"

 What's up everybody, Willie and Anna with the Garcia Real Estate Team, right here in Whittier, California. If you are new to our YouTube channel and you want to know everything about living, playing, eating, sleeping, and the four top high schools here in Whittier California, then make sure you tap the subscribe button down below, you ring the little bell so that you are notified every single time we do a brand-new video.

We're getting so many people reaching out to us who are relocating to Whittier that we just absolutely love it.

 Whittier High was the first High School in Whittier, built in 1900

Whittier High School is located in west Whittier within walking distance to uptown Whittier and the Quad shopping mall. The school is currently ranked a 6 and there's approximately 1900 students attending, a typical class size for Whittier High School is 25 students per class. For those of you that didn't know, Whittier High School is the alma mater of President Richard Nixon. The neighborhood that surrounds the school is comprised of cute, ranch-style homes, craftsman homes, and bungalow homes. The neighborhood around the school is surrounded by tree-lined streets. You will see many Magnolia and fica trees as you drive around area.

Pioneer High was the second high school established in Whittier, built in 1959

Pioneer High School is located in Southwest Whittier, which is the unincorporated area of Whittier and is right next door to the 605 Freeway. The school currently ranks a seven and there are approximately 1300 students attending this school. A typical class size would be composed of 22 students. The school is right next door to the City of Santa Fe Springs and Pico Rivera. The neighborhood that surrounds this school consists of average priced ranch-style homes with average lot sizes.

In 1954 Cal High became the third High School in Whittier

California High School is located in east Whittier and is within minutes to the Whittwood Town Center, Uptown Whittier and The Quad shopping mall. The school is currently ranked a seven and there’s approximately 2830 students attending the school. A typical class size would be 27 students. The school recently rebuilt their football and track field, and it is beautiful. The neighborhood that surrounds the school consists of primarily ranch-style homes and it has many tree-lined streets.

 

In 1961 La Serna High was built, making it the fourth High School for our city.

 La Serna High School is located in east Whittier and is next door to Friendly Hills Country Club, close to the Whittwood Town center. The school currently ranks a nine and there's approximately 2718 students attending the school. Now, a typical class size for La Serna is approximately 27 students per class. The neighborhood that surrounds this school is Friendly Hills, which is an upscale area, consisting of beautifully built homes and many tree-lined streets. This neighborhood around the school is very upscale, beautiful real estate and many trees, a lot of greenery. We really like this neighborhood.

 

Whether you live in East, West, North or South Whittier, there's a great high school for your children to attend. We have great teachers that really care about our children's education. Please feel free to reach out to us for additional information.

The Garcia Team

 

 

 

 

 

June 28, 2021

New Real Estate Construction in Whittier

New Real Estate Construction in Whittier

This blog is a transcript of our video "New Construction in Whittier"

What's up everybody, Willie and Anna, with the Garcia Real Estate Team, here in Whittier, California. If you are new to our YouTube channel and you would like to know everything about living, working, eating, sleeping, playing, and the new home construction here in Whittier, make sure you tap the subscribe button down below, and you click the little bell. So you get notified every single time we put out a brand-new video.

Honestly, we get so many people calling us who are relocating to Whittier that we absolutely love it!!

West-North Whittier New Construction

Today we are at 5303 Davidson Drive in the city of Whittier, which is basically on the corner of Workman Mill Road and Beverly Boulevard. This construction site is brand spanking new, still under construction. The name of the site is called the Hadley Trails. The community will consist of 32 homes comprised of eight single family homes and 24, two, and three-story townhomes. These new homes for sale and nicely built and selling pretty fast. The only caveat is that Workman Mill Road can become pretty busy in the early morning and late afternoon.

The floor plans will range anywhere from 1,558 to 2,001 square feet of living space. Some of the amenities will be a children's play area. They'll have several BBQ areas and a beautiful succulent garden. You're also within minutes to uptown Whittier, Rio Hondo College, and the 605 Freeway.

this is our first stop on our tour of new developments here in Whittier. Follow us to our second stop, lets go!

Our second stop is what used to be the Fred C. Nelles Correctional Facility on the corner of Sorenson Avenue and Whittier Boulevard, which is now the new site for The Groves in Whittier. This community will consist of 750 homes of which 651 will be single-family residences and townhomes, 189 apartments, and 60 homes for individuals who are 55 years of age and over.

West Whittier New Construction

Four of the original Fred C. Nelles historic buildings will be kept on the premise and used as commercial buildings. The community will incorporate a dog park, the new Stater Bros. store, Raising Cane's, and they are even working on plans for an In-N-Out Burger. The Groves is centrally located to Uptown Whittier, The Quad shopping malls, Whittier High School, restaurants, and the 605 Freeway.

Here we are at our last new construction site. We are at 14,000 North Telegraph Road in the city of Whittier. This new development is called Candlewood Villas. This community consists of approximately 53 two and three-story luxury townhomes

South Whittier New Construction

The floor plans will range anywhere from 1,402 to 2,088 square feet of living space. This community is adjacent to Candlewood Country Club, and some of the townhomes have a backyard view of the golf course. The community is within minutes to the Gateway Plaza Shopping Mall, Target, Marshall's, and In-N-Out Burgers.

Our city of Whittier has been in need of new home construction and finally we have a few construction companies building new homes for our neighborhoods. These houses are built nice and are selling pretty fast,. Make sure to come out and visit these sites. 

Reach out to us if you have any questions.

 

The Garcia Team 

 

 

May 12, 2021

Pro's & Con's of Living in Whittier, CA

The Pros and Cons of Living in Whittier, CA

This Blog is a transcript of our video "The Pros and Cons of Living in Whittier

What's up everybody? This is Willie and Anna with the Garcia Real Estate team here in Whittier, California. If you are new to our YouTube channel and you want to know everything about living, working, eating, sleeping, playing, and the pros and cons of living in Whittier, then make sure you tap the subscribe button down below, you click the little bell so that you are notified every single time we do a brand-new video.

Pro #1

Pro number one about living in Whittier is that you're centrally located to Los Angeles and Orange County. You are only 30 minutes away from Downtown Los Angeles, the Staple Center, Sofi Stadium and the Coliseum and you have easy access to the 605 FWY and the 60 FWY. 

Additionally, you are about 15 minutes away from Orange County where you have the beaches, The huge malls, Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. 


Pro #2

Coming in at number two, another great thing Whittier is known for is its beautiful tree lined streets. Our streets are lined with bright lavender jacaranda trees, huge ficus trees, magnolia trees, and maple trees. It just nice to walk the different neighborhoods and enjoy the view of all the beautiful trees. 

Pro #3

Coming in at number three, Whittier has a diversity of neighborhoods and homes. For example, Whittier has four Historic Districts, all within walking distance to Uptown Whittier. As you walk the neighborhood you are taken back into time, you get to appreciate the old American Colonial homes, The Craftsman homes and all the details that went into this type of construction. There is also the Michigan Park neighborhood which is surrounded by beautiful Michigan Park. You also have Friendly Hills which is our exclusive neighborhood surrounded by a Friendly Hills Country Club and there are other neighborhoods also.

Pro #4

Coming in at number four, new construction. Our city continues to grow and there's a need for more real estate housing. The city currently has three new housing construction site. On the West North side of town there's the Hadley Trail Townhomes which are beautiful and selling fast. On the West South side of town we have the Groves in Whittier which are also new homes for sale, this construction site is the largest in our city and it consist of 750 new homes and lastly, we have the Candlewood Villas which are in South Whittier.

Pro #5

Coming in at number five is our family favorite Uptown Whittier which is our Downtown. Uptown Whittier is where families gather during the week, but particularly on the weekends to shop at the specialized boutique, visit the local restaurants, enjoy the local music and walk the tall ficus tree lined streets. We love eating in Uptown Whittier, You'll find great Mexican, Indian, Asian, Vegan and our favorite Peruvian food. Uptown is a great family environment and its really nice during the Christmas holidays.

Pro #6

Coming in at number 6 is our hiking trails. If you are like us and enjoy taking long nature hikes and enjoying our beautiful landscapes, Whittier has plenty of trails to hike. On the west side of town you have the Hellman trails which within the Hellman trails there are smaller trails to hike. You can also mountain bike these trails. Not to far from the Hellman trails is the Turnbull Canyon trails, once you reach the trail peak you can enjoy the beautiful views. Make sure to come out early in the morning to catch the fresh air and avoid the strong sun heat. We also have the Arroyo Pescadero trails which are located on the East side of town. These trails are closer to Colima Road and Mar Vista Street. Within these trails you will also find smaller trails. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water for you and your pets. 


Pro #7

Coming in at number seven, Whittier has four high schools and two colleges. The high schools are Pioneer High School which is located in West-South Whittier and has a student population of 1,300 and currently ranks a 7. Whittier High School is located in West Whittier and has a student population of 1,900 and currently ranks a 6. California High School which is located in East-South Whittier and has a student population of 2,830 and currently ranks a 7. La Serna High School which is located in East Whittier and has a student population of 2,718 and currently ranks a 9. Our colleges are Rio Hondo College and Whittier College, where President Nixon attended.

Pro #8

Coming in at number eight, Whittier has three amazing golf courses. On the east side, we have Friendly Hills Country Club. On the north side we have Whittier Narrows Golf Course and on the south side, we have Candlewood Country Club.


Cons of living in Whittier

Con #1

Now let's get into the cons of living in Whittier. Coming in at number one is a distance to the freeway. Depending on where you live the further east, the farther the freeway can be. If you live in East Whittier, the freeway can definitely be 15 to 20 minute drive depending on traffic.

Con #2

Coming in at number two, Whittier Boulevard is the city's main traffic artery. It can become pretty busy during rush hour, so you quickly start to learn all the shortcuts and side streets.

Whittier is such a great city to live in and raise a family. The community is great, the city does its best to keep our city clean and safe. We have so many natural resources such as our hills, the views and all our hiking trails. Reach out to us if you have any questions…