Gardena Multifamily Sales: $82.5 Million Across 432 Units in the Past Year

Published July 25, 2026

A look at what Gardena's small apartment building sales actually show, based on a brokerage's trailing 12 month market report.

Gardena's small apartment buildings reportedly traded for about $82.5 million across 432 units over the past year, at an average cap rate near 5.7%, according to a market report from Bluechip Investment Group. Properties reportedly sold in about 3.4 months and within about 3.4% of asking. Here is what that means and what I would confirm before leaning on it.

Where this number comes from

I want to be upfront about the source. This figure comes from one brokerage's own market report, not a public MLS feed or a county recorder pull. Bluechip Investment Group works multifamily deals in the South Bay, and a page like this is part market summary, part marketing for their own listing and advisory services. That does not make the numbers wrong. It does mean I would treat them as one firm's read of their own deal flow and the comps they track, not an independent audit. If you own a building in Gardena and this number matters to a decision, ask your broker or appraiser to pull comparable sales directly from county records or a service like CoStar before you act on it.

With that said, the shape of the story lines up with what I hear from owners and brokers working Gardena. It is one of the more active, workmanlike apartment markets in the South Bay, and it trades differently than the beach cities.

What $82.5 million across 432 units tells you

That works out to an average sale price of roughly $3.7 million per building and about $190,951 per unit, per the same report. Those are averages across a mix of property sizes, so any single building could land well above or below that per unit figure depending on unit count, condition, and location within the city.

The bigger signal is volume. $82.5 million across 432 units means Gardena had real transaction activity over the trailing 12 months, not just a handful of scattered sales. For an owner deciding whether now is a reasonable time to test the market, that matters. A market with steady trades gives you comparable sales to lean on. A market with two or three transactions a year does not.

Why the cap rate sits where it does

An average cap rate around 5.7% puts Gardena above what you would typically see in the beach cities like Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach, where buyers pay a premium for location and accept a lower initial yield. Gardena sits in the geographic center of the South Bay, does not have its own local rent control ordinance layered on top of state law, and carries a lot of older apartment stock built decades ago.

Older buildings often mean units that have not been fully renovated and rents that have not kept pace with newer construction nearby. That is the profile of building the most active buyers are chasing: a property where there is room to improve the unit and the rent roll after purchase. It is also why cap rates run higher here than in newer or more renovated submarkets. Buyers want to get paid for the work ahead of them, not just for the location.

If you own an older building in Gardena, this cuts both ways. It can mean your property is attractive to a specific and active buyer pool right now. It can also mean a buyer's offer reflects a discount for the deferred maintenance or below market rents they expect to deal with after closing.

What "3.4 months and 3.4% off asking" actually means

Two more numbers from the report are worth sitting with. Properties reportedly took about 3.4 months to sell, and closed within about 3.4% of the asking price. Compared to a market where buildings sit for a year or sell 10 to 15% under list, that is a fast, tight market. It suggests sellers who price realistically are not leaving much on the table and are not waiting long to find a buyer.

I would still be careful reading too much into a single average. Time to sell and price to ask both depend heavily on how a property was priced to begin with. A building listed aggressively above market will sit longer and close further under ask, dragging down the average for everyone else. A building priced in line with real comps can move fast and close near list. The average tells you the market is functioning. It does not tell you what your specific building will do.

What this means if you are deciding whether to sell

None of this is a signal to list your building tomorrow. It is context. If you have been sitting on the fence about whether Gardena has enough buyer demand and liquidity to support a sale, this report suggests the answer is yes, at least over the past year. Whether the timing makes sense for you depends on your own numbers: what you paid, what you owe, what the property cash flows today, and where you would put the proceeds next, including whether a 1031 exchange makes sense for your situation.

Before you make any decision, get a broker opinion of value on your specific building, not just the market average. Ask them to show you the actual comparable sales they used, not just a summary figure. And if cap rate, timeline, or price to ask numbers are central to your decision, confirm them against a second source.

Common questions

Is $82.5 million a lot of multifamily sales activity for a city the size of Gardena?

It reflects meaningful activity relative to Gardena's size and stock of small apartment buildings, and it suggests the market has real liquidity. Whether it counts as "a lot" depends on comparing it to prior years and neighboring South Bay cities, which this report does not break out.

Does a 5.7% average cap rate mean my building would sell at that rate?

Not necessarily. Cap rate depends heavily on a building's condition, current rents versus market rents, unit mix, and location within Gardena. The average blends properties in very different conditions. A broker opinion of value based on your actual rent roll and expenses is the only way to know where your building would likely land.

Should I trust a market report published by a brokerage?

Read it as one firm's view of the market they work in, not an independent audit. It is a reasonable starting point for a conversation, but for a real decision, ask for the underlying comparable sales or pull them from an independent source like county records or CoStar.

Last verified: July 25, 2026. Figures are from a brokerage's own market report, not an independent or public data source, and reflect trailing 12 month averages that may not represent any individual property. This is general information for property owners, not investment or legal advice. Confirm current pricing and terms with a broker or licensed professional before acting.

Kellie

Schofield Properties

323 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90245

Topics: investing, gardena, south-bay, cap-rates

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