Journal · selling
How Do You Find the Best Real Estate Agent in Northeast Los Angeles?
Look past online rankings and advertising. No official ranking of real estate agents exists, and ranking lists reflect whoever compiled them. What matters is whether an agent can explain the sale of your house. A Northeast Los Angeles real estate agent should be able to explain:
- how location, condition, lot size and features affect your home's value
- which comparable sales support the recommended price
- which repairs, improvements or staging are worth doing, and which are not
- how the home will be photographed, marketed and presented
- how offers, contingencies and negotiations will be handled
- which City of Los Angeles requirements, including the Residential Property Report and, when they apply, Measure ULA, may apply
Then check the facts. Verify the license on the DRE public license lookup. It should be current, not expired, surrendered or revoked. Review the broker information the lookup shows. If you see a disciplinary "H" number, ask about it. Ask for recent sales in your part of Northeast Los Angeles and for named client references you can call. The California Department of Real Estate recommends the same checks. It also recommends verifying any claimed designation or affiliation and looking the agent up with the Better Business Bureau. (DRE: choosing an agent; DRE "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent")
Real Estate Agent or REALTOR®: What's the Difference?
Every real estate agent in California needs a license from the DRE. A REALTOR® is a licensed agent who has also joined the National Association of REALTORS® through a local association and agreed to follow the NAR Code of Ethics. Under the Code, a REALTOR® pledges to protect and promote the client's interests while treating all parties honestly. Local associations enforce the Code. The DRE alone controls the license. (NAR)
Meet Sidney Manzo, a Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate Agent
Sidney Manzo has lived in Pasadena since 1976 and has worked in real estate since 1990. He began at Century 21 Art Del Rey in Arcadia, then joined Jim Dickson Realtors in Pasadena, where Jim Dickson mentored him. He advises homeowners across Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, with selected greater Los Angeles work when the property calls for it. He is a real estate agent and a REALTOR®, a member of the Pasadena Foothills Association of REALTORS® (PFAR) and the California Association of REALTORS®.
- More than 30 years in real estate
- 155+ closed sales on his agent profile
- RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award
- English and Spanish
- Office: RE/MAX Dream Properties, 650 Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, Suite 202, Pasadena, CA 91107
- CA DRE #01108914. Confirm it on the DRE public license lookup.
Sidney does not buy houses. He represents sellers and buyers as a licensed agent. His full background is on the About page and his agent profile.
What Makes A Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate Agent Different?
Northeast Los Angeles is a group of neighborhoods inside the City of Los Angeles, not a separately incorporated city and not a single Census place. City of Los Angeles rules apply when the parcel is inside City limits; confirm the address. This site also has agent pages for individual neighborhoods in the area, including Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Glassell Park, Atwater Village, Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights. A house in one of those neighborhoods is not priced from a sale in another, and a Pasadena sale is not a Northeast Los Angeles comparable. This page does not give a regional dollar median, because the Census Bureau does not publish one for Northeast Los Angeles as a whole.
A pricing review for a Northeast Los Angeles home starts with the property itself, not a neighborhood-wide figure. It weighs:
- location and street
- lot size and usable land
- living area, layout and architecture
- condition and updates, including permitted work
- comparable sales nearby that actually match the property
- competing active listings
- current buyer demand
The result is a price range. It is an advisory market review, not an appraisal and not a promised sale price. To check the reasoning yourself, see how to read comparable sales.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not publish a median owner-occupied home value for Northeast Los Angeles as its own place. This page does not substitute a City of Los Angeles citywide figure, because that figure is not a Northeast Los Angeles sale price.
Working with a Realtor in Northeast Los Angeles
Realtors in Northeast Los Angeles can explain how a price range is built from nearby sales, which preparation is worth doing, and how offers are compared. Northeast Los Angeles Realtors put that plan in writing. The seller chooses whether to list and which offer to accept. No price or closing date is promised.
What Services Should You Expect From Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate Agents?
A listing agent represents the seller from the first price conversation to the recorded deed. In a Northeast Los Angeles sale, that work has six stages.
1. Pricing and market review.
A price range comes from the house's own features and from the nearby Northeast Los Angeles sales and active listings a buyer would actually weigh, matched to the same kind of property.
2. Preparing the home.
This is a list of repairs, cleaning, staging or improvements likely to be worth the cost, and the items better left for the buyer to handle.
3. Northeast Los Angeles and local requirements.
These requirements come from the City of Los Angeles, the County and state law, not from any agent. Each one is checked early because each can delay a sale. Sidney Manzo is not an attorney or tax adviser. Consult a California attorney or tax professional about how these rules apply to your property.
Northeast Los Angeles is in the City of Los Angeles when the parcel is inside City limits. Confirm the address. City of Los Angeles rules, not a separate city hall's, apply to those parcels.
Residential Property Report. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety states that sellers of residential property must provide a Residential Property Report (RPR) to the buyer before selling or going into escrow, in accordance with Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 96.300. The seller applies to the City for the report and delivers it to the buyer prior to entering into an agreement of sale or exchange, or prior to close of escrow. LADBS lists a fee of $70.85 for each report requested. The homeowner pays that report fee. LADBS also lists other City requirements that can apply when selling, including water-conservation and safety items. Confirm current requirements with LADBS. (LADBS, Residential Property Report; see also Do I need a Residential Property Report to sell in Los Angeles?)
City documentary transfer tax and Measure ULA. The LA County Registrar-Recorder lists, for the City of Los Angeles, a city documentary transfer tax of $2.25 for each $500 or fraction thereof, in addition to the County rate of $1.10 per $1,000. For transactions under the rates effective July 1, 2026, the same official table also lists an additional tax of 4 percent of the total transaction value of sales above $5,400,000 but less than $10,900,000, or 5.5 percent of the total transaction value of sales at or above $10,900,000. This page does not say who pays those taxes; that is a matter for the purchase contract, escrow and, if needed, a real estate attorney or tax professional. The tax calculation is the responsibility of the document preparer, not the County Recorder. Sidney Manzo is not an attorney or tax adviser. (LA County Registrar-Recorder; see also Does Measure ULA apply when I sell a home in Los Angeles?)
Tenants. California's Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) limits rent increases and requires just cause for ending certain tenancies. Coverage depends on the property and the tenancy. A California attorney can explain how those state rules apply to a tenant-occupied Northeast Los Angeles sale. City of Los Angeles rental ordinances may also apply to some tenant-occupied properties. Official Housing Department (HCIDLA) pages for the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Just Cause Ordinance were not fully read today, so those local rules are not summarized here. Confirm any additional local rules with HCIDLA and with counsel.
4. Marketing and showings.
This covers photography, listing copy, the MLS entry, online exposure and showings. Under California law, a listing may not be placed in the MLS unless the seller authorizes it in the listing (Civil Code §1088).
5. Offers and negotiations.
Each offer is compared side by side on price, financing, contingencies, deposits and closing dates. The seller then decides which to accept, counter or decline.
6. Escrow and closing.
Escrow, title, the buyer's agent and any attorney or executor work to one timeline, from accepted offer to recorded deed.
How Do Northeast Los Angeles and Pasadena Real Estate Markets Compare?
Northeast Los Angeles is a group of neighborhoods in the City of Los Angeles. Pasadena is a separately incorporated city with its own market and rules, including a Presale Certificate program that is a City of Pasadena requirement. City of Los Angeles requirements, including the Residential Property Report and, when they apply, Measure ULA, are City of Los Angeles rules and do not apply in Pasadena. Pricing should rely on comparable sales from the specific neighborhood and on the correct city's requirements.
The service area also includes neighboring communities, each with its own agent page:
Questions to Ask Before Hiring A Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate Agent
Ask every agent you interview the same questions, and get the answers in writing if you can.
- How many homes have you sold in Northeast Los Angeles?
- What recent sales have you had in my part of Northeast Los Angeles?
- How would you set the price for my home?
- Which comparable sales support that price?
- What should I do before listing?
- How will you market my property?
- How do you handle multiple offers?
- Do I need a Residential Property Report, and might Measure ULA apply to this sale?
- What are your listing fees, and what other selling costs should I expect?
- Can I review the listing agreement before signing?
On question 9: commissions are negotiable between you and the broker, and the agreed amount belongs in the written listing agreement. For one to four units, California law (Business and Professions Code §10147.5) requires that agreement to include this notice: "The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker." See also the site's questions to ask when choosing an agent.
Selling an Inherited or Trust Property in Northeast Los Angeles
Estate and trust sales have two separate sides. The real estate agent handles the property side: preparation, pricing, marketing, offers and coordination through escrow. An attorney handles probate, trust administration and the question of who has authority to sell. The sale moves forward once the attorney confirms that authority. Sidney Manzo is not an attorney or tax adviser. Ask a California attorney or tax professional about the legal and tax questions. Northeast Los Angeles is not a separately incorporated city, so this site does not have a single Northeast Los Angeles probate page. Neighborhood pages such as selling a probate house in Highland Park and selling an inherited property in Eagle Rock cover the same county-court process for parcels in those neighborhoods.
How Do You Get a Home Review in Northeast Los Angeles?
A home review does not require a listing agreement. A review of a Northeast Los Angeles home covers:
- the property's condition
- comparable sales nearby that actually match the property
- a suggested price range
- preparation recommendations
- a possible selling timeline
- your questions about the process
A first conversation is free, and there is nothing to sign just to discuss your property. Request a Northeast Los Angeles home value review, or contact:
Sidney Manzo, RE/MAX Dream Properties
650 Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, Suite 202, Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 296-2900 · CA DRE #01108914; RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193. Equal Housing Opportunity.
More for Northeast Los Angeles sellers:
- Northeast Los Angeles agent page
- Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Glassell Park, Atwater Village, Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights. Values shown on any home-values page are estimates, not appraisals. Any automated figure is an automated estimate, not an appraisal.
Sources (checked 2026-11-11)
- California Department of Real Estate, public license lookup: https://www2.dre.ca.gov/PublicASP/pplinfo.asp
- California DRE, choosing an agent: https://dre.ca.gov/newsroom/DRE_Updates/2025_03_26_ChoosingAnAgent.html
- California DRE, "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent": https://www.dre.ca.gov/files/pdf/re16.pdf
- California Business and Professions Code §10147.5: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=10147.5
- California Civil Code §1088: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1088
- National Association of REALTORS®, agent vs. REALTOR®: https://www.nar.realtor/membership/how-to-become-a-realtor
- LA County Registrar-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax: https://www.lavote.gov/home/recorder/property-document-recording/documentary-transfer-taxes/general-info
- LADBS, Residential Property Report (LAMC §96.300; fee $70.85): https://dbs.lacity.gov/services/zoning/residential-property-report
- Journal note, Residential Property Report: /journal/do-i-need-a-residential-property-report-to-sell-in-los-angeles
- Journal note, Measure ULA: /journal/does-measure-ula-apply-when-i-sell-a-home-in-los-angeles
- Credentials (years in real estate, residency, closed-sales record, Hall of Fame, memberships, office, service-area wording): /about, also /agents/sidney-manzo
Northeast Los Angeles Real Estate Agent FAQs
- Who is a real estate agent in Northeast Los Angeles, CA?
- Sidney Manzo is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Dream Properties (CA DRE #01108914) and a REALTOR®, a member of PFAR and the California Association of REALTORS®. He has lived in Pasadena since 1976 and advises homeowners across Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, with selected greater Los Angeles work when the property calls for it. You can confirm any California agent's license on the DRE public license lookup.
- How do I find the best real estate agent in Northeast Los Angeles?
- No official ranking of agents exists. Verify each license, ask for recent Northeast Los Angeles sales of homes like yours and named references, and compare two or three written plans for your house.
- What's the difference between a real estate agent and a REALTOR®?
- Both are licensed by the DRE. A REALTOR® has also joined the National Association of REALTORS® and agreed to follow its Code of Ethics.
- Are there real estate agents who specialize in Northeast Los Angeles homes?
- Many agents concentrate on Northeast Los Angeles. Ask each one for recent Northeast Los Angeles sales similar to your home.
- Can a Northeast Los Angeles real estate agent sell a home in Pasadena?
- Yes, an agent licensed in California can. Pasadena is a separate city with its own market and rules, including a Presale Certificate program, so the pricing should rely on Pasadena comparable sales and Pasadena requirements.
- How much does a Northeast Los Angeles real estate agent charge?
- Commissions are negotiable between you and the broker, and the agreed amount belongs in the written listing agreement, so review it before you sign. For one to four units, California law (B&P §10147.5) requires the agreement to state: "The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker."
- Does a Northeast Los Angeles sale require a Los Angeles Residential Property Report?
- If the parcel is inside the City of Los Angeles, yes, for covered residential sales. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety states that sellers must provide a Residential Property Report to the buyer before selling or going into escrow, under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 96.300, and lists a fee of 70.85 dollars for each report. The homeowner pays that fee. Measure ULA and the City's additional documentary transfer tax can also apply to higher-value City of Los Angeles transfers, under the rates the LA County Registrar-Recorder lists as effective July 1, 2026. Confirm the address and current requirements with LADBS and escrow.
- Do I need to sign a contract to get a home valuation?
- No. A home review does not require a listing agreement, and the first conversation is free.
- How can I verify a real estate agent's license?
- Search the agent's name or license number on the DRE public license lookup at www2.dre.ca.gov. Check that the license is current and review the broker information the lookup shows.
- Does Sidney Manzo buy houses?
- No. He is a licensed agent and REALTOR® who represents clients. He does not purchase houses.
- What does a Northeast Los Angeles Realtor do when you sell?
- The work is a price range from comparable sales, a preparation list, and offers set side by side. Those terms belong in a written listing agreement that can be reviewed before it is signed. The seller decides whether to list and which offer to accept. No price or closing date is promised.