What $555,000 Buys in Alamitos Beach: A Top-Floor Condo Two Blocks From 4th Street

There is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath top-floor condominium for sale in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood of Long Beach, California at 1637 E 5th Street, Unit 302, listed at $555,000 with 840 square feet of living space, two assigned parking spaces, and a monthly HOA of $398. It sits in a boutique eight-unit building two blocks north of the 4th Street Corridor.

I represent this listing, so read what follows knowing that. I am going to give you the honest version anyway, including the parts that will not work for everyone, because a buyer who tours a home expecting something it is not is a buyer who wastes an afternoon.

The quick facts

• Price: $555,000
• Beds / baths: 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms
• Living space: 840 square feet
• Property type: condominium, top floor of an eight-unit building
• HOA: $398 per month
• Parking: 2 assigned side-by-side spaces behind a secured garage door
• Laundry: in unit, washer and dryer included
• Outdoor space: private balcony, accessible from both bedrooms
• Recent work: fresh interior paint and a new water heater, both 2025
• MLS: OC26158532

The full photo set, the room-by-room walkthrough, and a monthly cost breakdown all live on the property page for 1637 E 5th Street.

What $555,000 actually gets you here

Start with the number that matters most: $555,000 for two bedrooms and two full bathrooms within walking distance of the beach in coastal Long Beach.

I want to be straight about the trade-off. At 840 square feet this is a compact home, and there is a $398 monthly HOA on top of your mortgage, taxes, and insurance. If you are looking for square footage per dollar, there are better values inland.

What you are buying here instead is position and light. Top floor of an eight-unit building, so the ceilings go vaulted rather than flat, and the east-facing windows do real work in the morning. Two assigned parking spaces in a neighborhood where parking is the thing people complain about first. And a location where the car can stay parked from Friday night to Monday morning.

About Alamitos Beach, Long Beach

Alamitos Beach is the stretch of Long Beach between downtown and Belmont Heights, bounded roughly by Alamitos Avenue, Redondo Avenue, Ocean Boulevard, and 7th Street. It is one of the older parts of the city, and it shows in the best way: a mix of 1920s courtyard buildings, midcentury walk-ups, and newer infill on tree-lined streets, with a density that makes the neighborhood work on foot rather than by car.

The 4th Street Corridor is what most people mean when they talk about this area. It runs east from Alamitos Avenue and turns into Retro Row around Cherry, a stretch of vintage furniture and clothing shops, independent restaurants, coffee, and a Sunday farmers market that draws people from across the city. It is a genuine neighborhood commercial street rather than a development, which is why it has kept its character while other parts of Long Beach have turned over.

Here is what is actually within walking distance of this address. I measured each one rather than estimating.

• The 4th Street Corridor, where the shops and restaurants begin: 0.1 miles, about a 3 minute walk
• 4th and Cherry, the heart of the corridor: 0.3 miles, about 7 minutes
• Retro Row and the farmers market: 0.5 miles, about 11 minutes
• Bixby Park: 0.7 miles, about 16 minutes
• The Alamitos Beach shoreline and the bike path: 0.7 miles, about 16 minutes
• Downtown Long Beach, the Pike, and the marina: 1.9 miles, a short drive

That last line is the honest one. Downtown is close, but it is not a walk. It is a bike ride or a five minute drive, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not done it in August.

The Metro A Line at 1st Street Station is 1.3 miles out, which puts Downtown Los Angeles on rail without a car if you are willing to bike or bus the first mile.

Inside the residence

The floor plan is open, and the vaulted ceilings do more for the sense of space than the square footage suggests. Recessed lighting runs throughout, and the living and dining area takes the morning light through east-facing windows.

The kitchen has granite counters and a center island, and it opens directly onto the living space rather than being closed off, which matters more in a compact home than in a large one. Both bathrooms carry the same granite finish.

The primary suite has a walk-in closet, an en suite bathroom, and direct access to the balcony. The second bedroom has a large closet, direct bathroom access, and its own sliding door to that same balcony, which means it works as an office without feeling like a converted box.

In-unit laundry with the washer and dryer included is not a given at this price in this neighborhood. Neither are two assigned side-by-side spaces behind a secured garage door and a secured gate.

Who this home is right for

A first-time buyer who wants to be in coastal Long Beach without stretching to a house price gets a two-bedroom, two-bath home with parking solved and a low HOA.

A couple or a single buyer who works from home gets a real second bedroom rather than a nook, with its own bathroom access and its own door to the balcony.

An investor gets a top-floor unit in a small building in a neighborhood with genuine walkable demand, which is what actually holds rents.

What to know before you tour

The HOA is $398 per month, which is low for a building of this size, and I can walk you through what it covers and what the reserves look like. The building has eight units, so you are dealing with a small association rather than a management company.

Fresh interior paint and a new water heater were both done in 2025, so the near-term maintenance list is short.

Go stand on the balcony, and then go stand on 4th Street. The reason to buy in Alamitos Beach is the neighborhood, and you cannot evaluate that from photographs.

Come see it

Open house Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, both days from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

You can see the full photo set, the room-by-room walkthrough, and run the monthly numbers on the property page for this listing. If those dates do not work, request a private showing there and I will meet you at the door.

This is an active listing as of August 2026, and details are subject to change. Listed by David Mercier, DRE 02096621.

If you are looking in Long Beach and want an honest read on whether this one fits your situation, I am happy to run the real numbers with you. You can join the Dream Home Club for first looks and straight takes on listings like this, or reach out to me directly and we will talk it through. No pressure, just clear answers.