Broker Opinion of Value  ·  LA Apartment Advisors  ·  Marcus & Millichap

5638 N Colfax Avenue

North Hollywood, CA 91601 · 8-Unit All-Studio Value-Add Multifamily

Prepared May 4, 2026
Zoning RD3-1
RSO Status Non-RSO (1985)
TOC Tier 1
Opportunity Zone Designated

Property Overview

Address
5638 N Colfax Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Units
8 All-Studio
Unit Size
550 SF Each
Year Built
1985
Building SF
4,524 SF
Lot Size
6,970 SF
APN
2339-015-059
Zoning
RD3-1
RSO Status
Non-RSO
Exempt — 1985 Vintage
TOC / Transit
Tier 1 · AB 2097 · AB 2334
Very Low VMT
Parking
8 Spaces (3 Covered)
Opportunity Zone
Federal OZ Designated
OZ Program Permanent

Investment Highlights

  • Non-RSO Status. Exempt from the LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance. AB 1482 governs tenancy, permitting 5% + CPI annual increases (capped 10%) and full market-rate reset upon any vacancy — without any requirement to petition the city.
  • Federal Opportunity Zone. The site qualifies for legacy OZ benefits: capital gains deferral and tax-free appreciation on a qualifying 10-year hold. The OZ program was made permanent under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025.
  • 35.7% Rent Upside. In-place rents average $1,249/month against a $1,695/month studio market. The gap is structural, not speculative — it reflects long-term family-trust ownership. Natural turnover captures the upside with no evictions required.
  • Studio Employment Corridor. Positioned 5–10 minutes from the nation's densest media employment cluster: Universal Studios/NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., CBS Radford, Disney Burbank, and Hollywood Burbank Airport.
  • Metro B Line Access. Under 2 miles from the North Hollywood Metro B Line terminus — Metro's primary crosstown spine — and within walking distance of major bus rapid transit corridors.
  • Clean Regulatory Profile. Post-1978 wood-frame construction: exempt from both the LA Soft-Story Retrofit Ordinance and the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone. No active code enforcement, no FEMA flood zone designation, no Hillside Ordinance area.
  • No Ellis Act Exposure. AB 1482 Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance applies; the property is not subject to the LA Ellis Act framework, removing a material liability commonly associated with older RSO buildings.
  • ADU Development Optionality. Eligible for up to 2 non-livable-space conversion ADUs plus 2 detached new-construction ADUs. AB 2097 eliminates parking minimums; AB 1033 enables future condo mapping and separate ADU sale.
  • Estate Succession — Motivated Seller. The property transferred from family trust in February 2026. Free-and-clear of debt since 2013. Seller is positioned for a clean, straightforward close — no lender payoffs, no partnership complexity.

Four Reasons This Deal Works

01
35.7% structural rent gap. All 8 studios are rented at $1,249/month. Three recent comps within a quarter mile average $1,707/month. No renovation required — turnover alone resets rents to market.
02
Non-RSO is the most-sought attribute in Valley multifamily. Buyers pay a premium for the ability to reset rents on vacancy without city interference. This building delivers that legally, permanently, and without rent board risk.
03
Federal Opportunity Zone — permanent program. Qualifying investors who roll gains into this acquisition can defer existing capital gains and eliminate tax on new appreciation over a 10-year hold. Few small multifamily assets carry this designation.
04
Estate sale at below-replacement cost. The family trust transferred in February 2026. Seller is unencumbered (no debt), unmotivated by tax risk, and positioned for a quick clean close — the conditions that produce real pricing.

North Hollywood — Valley Village Pocket

5638 Colfax sits in Valley Village, the quiet residential pocket between Studio City and the NoHo Arts District — a block north of Burbank Boulevard and one mile from Lankershim's entertainment corridor. It's one of the tightest rental markets in the San Fernando Valley: low new supply, high walkability for an urban Valley address, and a tenant pool drawn almost entirely from the entertainment and tech industries.

The NoHo Arts District — LA's designated performing arts and creative live-work hub — is within walking distance. Lankershim Boulevard's restaurant and bar corridor, NoHo Commons (Target, Regal Cinemas, dining), and multiple live music venues are all accessible without a car.

Driving, tenants are 5–10 minutes from every major studio: Universal Studios/NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., CBS Radford, Disney Burbank, and Hollywood Burbank Airport. This cluster employs tens of thousands of below-the-line workers who rent studios and one-bedrooms — the exact product this building delivers.

Location Drivers

  • Metro B Line — North Hollywood terminus under 2 miles; direct rail to Hollywood, Downtown, Koreatown
  • Highway 170 — Immediate freeway access north to the Valley, south to the 101
  • Lankershim / Magnolia Corridors — Restaurant, retail, and nightlife density within 10-minute walk
  • NoHo Arts District — Designated city arts corridor; cultural anchor for the submarket
  • Supply Constraint — RD3-1 zoning with small lots limits new multifamily development; organic rent growth structurally supported
  • AB 2334 Very Low VMT — Qualifies for streamlined environmental review on future development entitlements

Who Buys This Building & Why

Buyer Type 01
Value-Add Operator
A SFV-focused investor or private equity operator with existing multifamily management infrastructure. Enters at a 5.6–5.8% in-place cap with a clear path to 7.3–7.8% stabilized yield through natural turnover — no renovation required, no tenant displacement. Optional light interior upgrade ($12K–$18K/unit) supports rents of $1,800–$1,950/month for Class A positioning.
Buyer Type 02
1031 Exchange Buyer
An investor deferring gains from a recently closed SFR sale, commercial property, or larger multifamily asset. Colfax offers a clean, low-basis entry into a Non-RSO asset with no debt to assume and no regulatory complexity to navigate. Federal Opportunity Zone designation adds a second layer of tax efficiency for qualifying redeployments.
Buyer Type 03
Long-Term Wealth Builder
A family office, trust, or high-net-worth individual seeking a generational hold in a supply-constrained LA submarket. Below-replacement-cost basis, AB 1482-governed NOI growth (5% + CPI annually), and TOC Tier 1 entitlement optionality create a favorable long-term risk-reward profile with minimal management intensity.

Anticipated Buyer Objections

Why are rents so far below market for a post-1985 building?
The property has been family-managed under a trust for decades with long-term tenants paying below-market rents — a deliberate management style, not a market signal. The trust dissolved via estate succession recorded February 2026. That ownership dynamic is precisely what creates the opportunity: the rent gap is structural and will close organically through normal lease turnover without any required evictions or capital program.
How does AB 1482 Just Cause affect rent upside?
AB 1482 requires just cause for eviction — it does not cap rent increases. Landlords may raise rents 5% + CPI annually (maximum 10%), and upon any voluntary vacancy, the unit resets fully to market with no city approval required. This is the central advantage of the Non-RSO, post-1978 designation. Buyers who confuse AB 1482 with RSO rent control systematically undervalue Non-RSO assets — and the open-market comp sales bear this out.
The price per unit looks low relative to closed comps — what's the story?
The closed sale comps at $272K–$333K/unit reflect buildings with rents at or near market. Colfax's in-place rents of $1,249/month are 35.7% below market — pricing reflects that income gap. The correct way to underwrite this asset is on stabilized yield, not on gross price-per-unit multiples. A buyer who models in-place entry at 5.6–5.8% cap with a path to 7.3–7.8% stabilized understands the pricing logic. The comp table is there to anchor the market — it is not the valuation methodology.

Studio Rent Comparables — North Hollywood

Three directly competing studio units within the immediate submarket establish the $1,695–$1,725/month market-rate range for a renovated or well-maintained 500 SF studio in Valley Village / North Hollywood.

# Address Type Size (SF) Rent / Mo Rent / SF
1 11458 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood Studio 500 $1,696 $3.39
2 5751 Camellia Ave, North Hollywood Studio 481 $1,725 $3.59
3 5020 Tujunga Ave, North Hollywood Studio 500 $1,699 $3.40
Comp Average 494 $1,707 $3.46
5638 Colfax — In-Place 550 $1,249 $2.27
$458
Monthly Rent Gap / Unit
35.7%
Below-Market Discount
$42,768
Annual Upside (8 Units)

Current Rent Roll vs. Market

Unit Type SF In-Place Rent Rent / SF Market Rent Market / SF
Unit 1Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 2Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 3Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 4Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 5Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 6Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 7Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Unit 8Studio550$1,249$2.27$1,695$3.08
Total (8 Units) 4,400 SF $9,992 / mo $2.27 $13,560 / mo $3.08

Operating Statement — In-Place vs. Pro Forma

In-Place (Current Rents)

Gross Scheduled Rent$119,904
Vacancy & Credit Loss (5%)($5,995)
Effective Gross Income$113,909
Operating Expenses (30%)($35,971)
Net Operating Income$77,938

Pro Forma (Market Rents)

Gross Scheduled Rent$162,720
Vacancy & Credit Loss (5%)($8,136)
Effective Gross Income$154,584
Operating Expenses (30%)($48,816)
Net Operating Income$105,768

Closed Sale Comparables — North Hollywood

Both closed comps are same-vintage (mid-1980s), same-submarket (North Hollywood), same product type (small studio multifamily), and transacted within the past 12 months. They establish the trading range for stabilized or near-stabilized assets in this corridor and provide the income-per-dollar context for underwriting Colfax's value-add yield story.

# Address Units Built Closed Sale Price $/Unit Cap Rate GRM
1 11218 Oxnard St, North Hollywood 6 1985 Sep 2025 $2,000,000 $333,333 5.80% 11.95x
2 5621 Klump Ave, North Hollywood 9 1987 Jul 2025 $2,450,000 $272,222 5.31% 13.01x

Suggested List Range

Defensible List Range

$1,350,000 — $1,450,000
$168,750 – $181,250 per unit  ·  8 studios  ·  4,524 SF
List Low
$1,350,000
$168,750/unit
In-Place Cap
5.6 – 5.8%
At $1.35M – $1.45M
Pro Forma Cap
7.3 – 7.8%
At market rents ($1,695)
GRM (In-Place)
11.3 – 12.1x
On $119,904 GSR
List High
$1,450,000
$181,250/unit

Pricing Rationale

The recommended range reflects the property's in-place income position — not the stabilized comp multiples. Buyers correctly underwrite this asset as a value-add entry: the in-place yield of 5.6–5.8% is the starting point, and the path to a 7.3–7.8% stabilized cap rate is through natural tenant turnover at no additional capital cost. Applying the closed comp GRM (11.95–13.01x) directly to Colfax's $119,904 in-place GSR produces a range of $1.43M–$1.56M — consistent with the upper bound of our recommended range.

The estate sale dynamic (no debt, family trust dissolution, free-and-clear) supports a clean, prompt close and removes the escrow complexity typical of leveraged sellers. Qualified buyers who can close in 30–45 days will find a seller willing to transact at the right number.

Expected trade range: $1,300,000 – $1,425,000 based on LAAA's experience with comparable Non-RSO value-add assets in North Hollywood and Van Nuys.

LA Apartment Advisors  ·  Marcus & Millichap

458+
Closed Transactions
$1.46B+
Closed Volume
#1
LA County Multifamily
Trailing 3 Years
Glen Scher
Glen Scher
Senior Managing Director, Investments
Glen Scher is a Senior Managing Director at Marcus & Millichap's Encino office and a founding principal of LA Apartment Advisors. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Economics, Glen has built one of the most active multifamily investment sales practices in the San Fernando Valley, specializing in the disposition of stabilized and value-add apartment assets from 4 to 150 units. He was recognized as Rookie of the Year in 2016 and has consistently ranked among the top multifamily specialists in LA County.
glen.scher@marcusmillichap.com
Marcus & Millichap · Encino
Filip Niculete
Filip Niculete
Senior Managing Director, Investments
Filip Niculete was born in Romania and raised in the San Fernando Valley. A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Finance, Filip co-leads LA Apartment Advisors with a focus on multifamily investment sales across the Valley and Mid-Cities. His deep command of local regulatory environments — from RSO classifications and TOC entitlements to Opportunity Zone structuring — gives buyers and sellers a meaningful analytical edge in an increasingly complex market.
filip.niculete@marcusmillichap.com
Marcus & Millichap · Encino

Team Members

Aida Memary
Aida Memary
Associate, Investments
Logan Ward
Logan Ward
Associate, Investments
Morgan Wetmore
Morgan Wetmore
Associate, Investments
Luka Leader
Luka Leader
Associate, Investments
Alexandro Tapia
Alexandro Tapia
Associate, Investments
Blake Lewitt
Blake Lewitt
Associate, Investments
Mike Palade
Mike Palade
Agent Assistant
Tony H. Dang
Tony H. Dang
Business Operations Manager

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View Full Active Inventory at laaa.com
Active listings updated continuously. Contact LAAA for off-market opportunities.