Lakeview: The Little Neighborhood That Could

Lakeview is a real estate phenomenon to me. Why? In this less than two mile area, between Robert E. Lee Boulevard, Orleans Avenue, Florida Boulevard/Canal Boulevard/I-610, and Pontchartrain Boulevard, it’s got terrible streets and floods like a pool (note Randi Rousseau over there). The streets feel like you’re at Six Flags over Georgia on the The Great American Scream Machine (the wooden rickety coaster). The flooding happens because it’s way below sea level. Hence LAKEview. Also it was obliterated in Katrina. Here’s the crazy deal: residents of Lakeview moved back. Lakeview took about a year and a half to get itself together again and gain more peeps. Fast forward to 2017, good luck getting into a decent house for less than $180/square foot. That’s being generous. And that’s what makes it a phenomenon, in my humble opinion.

What Kind of Fool Buys a Flooded House in Lakeview in 2006? No Fool, a Genius

I got into real estate after Katrina. It was actually about five or so years after Katrina. I only knew it from a regular person’s perspective at first. When one of my best friends told me he was buying a lot in Lakeview right after Katrina, I gawked at him. And he was paying $55k. What an idiot, right? Funny thing about that. I was the idiot. He was the genius. My other genius friend bought this flooded house for $115k and renovated it. Then had the nerve to buy the lot next door from Next Door Lot Program for about $60k. I’d say she is currently sitting on $600k worth of real estate. Drool. Hindsight for some of us – most of us – is 20/20. For others foresight is. I was in the former category.

Popular. To Say the Least

The popularity of Lakeview has been growing and growing. It’s for those people who want Orleans Parish without all the drama of murders. A really cool little bubble, “TBH”. The houses that started getting built were massive and beautiful. Great combination for added value. Restaurants were (and still are) popping up all over. A lunch fav is Susan Spicer’s Mondo. The food is consistently good; the bar is also awesome. Multiple shops landed there, too. Little Miss Muffin is a fantastic place to get gifts for all ages. And if you overexert yourself, there is a urgent care clinic on the same block that can revive you. Or you could just get a Nola Beans coffee. That might work equally as well. Who am I kidding? I’m going to old faithful Parlay’s.

It’s Utopia with Bad Streets

I know I started out saying all these things about the streets and stuff. And it’s true. That part can’t be denied. When I sold my first house in Lakeview, I saw the appeal. I kind of wanted that feeling of Utopia, too. Everything you needed was right there. The Lakeview Grocery, the Harrison Avenue Marketplace. Parlay’s (it’s worth a second mention); Cava (get the softshell crab); El Gato Negro (margarrrrrrita!). Do I really need to go on? There is an amazing community. It’s also got a great vibe. You can see why people pay top dollar to live there. Known fact: Lakeview is a rockin’ place, and lots of people know it.

Realtor Liz Wood Knows Lakeview ListingsPick Me! Lakeview is My Second Home

Let’s make that Lakeview dream come true by starting with a call to me. If you love community, your kids, your shopping, and your eating, it’s for you. It’s all right there, walkable as can be. At most it’s a short drive. Don’t let a few potholes get in your way. We’ll figure out how to get you the right house on the right street. We might just have to go really slow.