What a local Lakewood agent helps you decide
Lakewood was built fast. The Lakewood Park Corporation broke ground in February 1950 and put up about 17,500 homes in three phases by 1953, according to the city's own history, and smaller builders filled in the eastern side between 1957 and 1963. Census figures (ACS 2020-2024) show that 54.5% of the city's 26,867 homes were built in the 1950s and the median year built is 1957. So most listings look alike on paper. What separates a $780,000 sale from a $1,000,000 sale is the lot, the square footage that has been added since 1950, the quality of that work, and the ZIP.
A local agent helps with three decisions. First, which part of the city: west and central Lakewood around City Hall and Lakewood Center (ZIP 90712), the east side around Woodruff Avenue and Lakewood High (90713), or the area east of the river (90715), which is served mostly by ABC Unified and has more townhomes and condos. Second, which kind of home: an original two- or three-bedroom tract house, an expanded or rebuilt one, or one of the city's relatively few attached homes. Third, how hard to push on price. Redfin reports that Lakewood homes sold at 100.5% of list price on average in the three months to September 2026, and 47.8% sold above list, with just 2.0 months of supply.
Buying a home in Lakewood
Redfin counted 117 sales in Lakewood in the three months to September 2026, with 78 homes on the market at the end of the period and 54.4% of homes going under contract within two weeks. Zillow's typical home value, a different measure that covers all homes rather than only those that sold, was $872,068 in September 2026, the highest it has been, and up 83.2% over ten years.
Step 1 for Lakewood buyers: set a budget at today's rate
At Freddie Mac's 30-year average of 7.24% (week of October 29, 2026), a buyer putting 20% down ($178,715) on the Redfin median of $893,574 pays about $4,872 a month in principal and interest. The 1% base property tax adds about $745 a month before voter-approved charges, and insurance comes on top. Get a full pre-approval before you tour; with homes going under contract in about five weeks, sellers often pick the cleanest offer.
Step 2 for Lakewood buyers: choose the ZIP and the house type
Redfin's single-family median was $924,767 in 90713, $870,280 in 90712 and $859,783 in 90715 over the three months to September 2026. The cheaper route is attached housing: the six condo sales in 90715 had a median of $603,482. Our Lakewood ZIP code guide and Lakewood condo guide go further.
Step 3 for Lakewood buyers: read the house, not just the listing
In a city where most homes are 70 years old, the inspection drives the price. Ask for permit history from the city's building department for every addition, garage conversion or accessory dwelling unit, and budget for a sewer lateral camera inspection, an electrical panel check and a roof report. Unpermitted square footage is common in older tracts, and it changes both the appraisal and the insurance.
Step 4 for Lakewood buyers: write the offer and keep contingencies
With homes selling slightly above list on average, ask your agent for closed sales on the same tract within the last three to six months, with square footage and condition notes, before you decide whether to go over asking. Keep the inspection and loan contingencies unless you have the cash and the repair budget to waive them. Our guide to buying a house in California walks through the contract.
Selling a home in Lakewood
Sellers are working in one of the tighter markets in the county. Redfin counted 142 new listings and 123 pending sales in Lakewood in the three months to September 2026, against 117 closed sales. In ZIP 90713 there was 1.6 months of supply and a median 32 days on market.
Step 1 for Lakewood sellers: price from your own tract
Redfin's median price per square foot was $687.79 in 90713, $615.47 in 90712 and $545.98 in 90715 over the three months to September 2026. Because the original houses were built in a few standard plans, a good comparable is often a house on the same street with the same plan. Ask for a comparative market analysis that adjusts for added rooms and lot size, not a citywide average.
Step 2 for Lakewood sellers: gather permits and disclosures early
California sellers owe buyers a Transfer Disclosure Statement and a Natural Hazard Disclosure. In Lakewood, the questions that come up most are about additions and conversions, so pull your permit records before listing. See our California seller disclosure guide.
Step 3 for Lakewood sellers: work out your net
Closing costs include escrow, title, the Los Angeles County documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of price (about $983 on an $893,574 sale), and any commission you agree to pay. Ask escrow to confirm whether any other transfer charge applies to your address. Our California closing costs guide and transfer tax guide list the rest.
Lakewood areas at a glance
Zillow does not publish neighborhood values for Lakewood, so the figures below are by ZIP (Zillow typical value, September 2026). The city's history names the tracts. Our Lakewood neighborhoods guide profiles each one.
West and central Lakewood (ZIP 90712): Lakewood Mutual Homes, Mayfair and Westgate
Zillow's typical value in 90712 was $862,486, up 1.8% in a year. This ZIP holds City Hall on Clark Avenue and the Lakewood Center mall at Lakewood and Del Amo boulevards. The city's history places Lakewood Mutual Homes west of Lakewood Boulevard (begun late 1951) and the Mayfair tract around Mayfair Park at Clark Avenue and South Street, and notes that Westgate, in western Lakewood, was built on a former oil transfer site and named in 1995.
East-central Lakewood (ZIP 90713): Lakewood Park and Carson Park
Zillow's typical value in 90713 was $898,661, up 3.1%, the highest of the three ZIPs. The first 1950 tract, Lakewood Park, runs east of Lakewood Boulevard and reaches into both 90712 and 90713, and Carson Park, begun in 1952, lies east of Palo Verde Avenue. Census figures show 85.4% of homes in this ZIP are owner-occupied.
East of the San Gabriel River (ZIP 90715)
Zillow's typical value in 90715 was $818,284, up 2.9%. This side was built mostly from 1957 to 1963 by smaller developers and annexed by 1963. It includes Palms Park, Bloomfield Park and the numbered streets around 207th Street, and it has more renters (48.4% owner-occupied, Census) and more townhomes than the rest of the city.
Local property checks before you buy in Lakewood
These checks catch most of the address-specific costs in Lakewood.
- Water provider. The city runs its own water utility, but the city's history notes that homes east of the San Gabriel River are served by Golden State Water Company. Ask for recent bills either way.
- Flood zone. Lakewood is flat and borders the San Gabriel River channel. Check the parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, since a mapped zone can require flood insurance for a mortgage.
- Fire hazard and earthquake. Look the address up on the CAL FIRE hazard map and read the Natural Hazard Disclosure. Most Lakewood homes predate modern seismic codes, so ask the inspector about foundation bolting and cripple walls, and price coverage through our California earthquake insurance guide.
- Insurance. Get two quotes before removing contingencies, and see our California homeowners insurance guide.
- Property tax. The base rate is 1% of the purchase price, plus voter-approved charges that depend on the tax rate area. Look up the area on the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller's site, and read our Los Angeles County property tax guide.
- HOA dues. Most detached homes have no HOA. Condos and townhomes do, so ask for the budget, reserve study and any special assessments; our California HOA laws guide lists the documents you are owed.
How to choose a real estate agent in Lakewood
No official body ranks agents, so treat any "best realtor" list as an opinion. What you can check is the license, recent local sales and how the agent plans to price or bid in a market with about two months of supply. Our featured local agent for Lakewood is profiled on our featured local agent page, but compare at least two or three agents.
Questions to ask a Lakewood agent
- How many homes have you sold in 90712, 90713 or 90715 in the last year, and which tracts?
- How do you value an addition or garage conversion that may not be permitted?
- What did your last three Lakewood listings sell for against list price, and how many days did they take?
- Who handles showings, disclosures and escrow updates day to day?
Check any agent's license on the California Department of Real Estate public lookup before you sign.
How agent commission works in Lakewood after 2024
Commission is negotiable and not set by law. Since August 17, 2024, buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring, and that agreement states the agent's pay. Offers of buyer-agent pay no longer appear on the MLS, though a seller may still agree to cover it. Our California real estate commission guide covers the details.
More on living in Lakewood
Lakewood was incorporated on April 16, 1954 and contracts with Los Angeles County for law enforcement, a model the city pioneered. For more, see is Lakewood a good place to live, Lakewood schools and Lakewood crime data. ZIP-level market history is on the data pages for 90712, 90713 and 90715.