Renting in Los Angeles - give me a reality check

[agnes]

My city would be perfect for your concerns of safety, walkability, suburbs, and fit your budget. But it's in OC not LA.

Flameful: Last night we forgot to close the slider to our bedroom and we were not murdered in our sleep.

[crashgizmo]

I think your budget is fine and you can definitely find something in your price range that is safe and comfortable. There are great pockets all over LA. The thing to be aware of is the traffic and commute time. It makes sense to secure a job first and then pick a place to live. I know people (myself included) who chose jobs based on their commute, because in LA the struggle is real.

I live in Pasadena and I love it. Safe, affordable, tons to do. However, if I had to drive to the westside of LA everyday, I wouldn't live here. My brother lives in Culver City and rents a 2BD decent apartment in a cool area for $2K.

What kind of dog do you have? That makes a difference as well. We have a pit/cattle dog mix and renting with him proved to be impossible, so we bought. Not what I would recommend for everyone LOL.

[Deleted]

I'm in culver city, the westside in general is hard however; you should be able to find an apartment to fit that bill with no issues. I can't answer for the dog as I don't have one but we've been in 2 bedroom apartments always on the westside, for $1900 and $1700 both with tandem secured parking and 2 bedrooms.

Palms is a good area to look in just next to culver city.

Look on westside rentals for idea's of the cost of apartments.

*Also, commuting distance should be taken into consideration. Feel free to PM if you need/want more information.  

[Deleted]

Don't live in Van Nuys.

I did it.

Don't do it.

[crashgizmo]

Jul 31, 2015 11:45:05 GMT -5 @fucksticklegit said:

Don't live in Van Nuys.

I did it.

Don't do it.

Ditto. So much ditto. 

[formerlyak]

Someone already mentioned Pasadena, which is what I was going to suggest. It would have all your must haves.

I'd also look at Sherman Oaks or Studio City near Ventura Blvd. for the good places to walk to.

Brentwood is nice, but I don't know what prices are like there now. However if you look around Barrington and Wilshire, but on the south side of Wilshire you still get all you want, but foralittle less because it is West LA and not Brentwood.

Culver City is great.

You could also look in Hermosa Beach. A bit longer of a commute, but fun places to walk to, close to the beach, not at congested as places closer to downtown and if you get fast track you can get to downtown using the toll lane in about 45 minutes. You may even be able to find a small house to rent at that price - I paid $2400 for my 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in neighboring Redondo Beach. Redondo Beach is also great and cheaper than Hermosa but not as many shops and restaurants to walk to (still safe walkable neighborhoods though).

You should be able to find something you like for your budget.

[formerlyak]

I should add that you said near downtown, but not knowing what industry you work in, I will say that there is a high possibility that your job isn't downtown. I have lived here almost my entire life and I have never worked downtown. My parents have never worked downtown. Many of my friends have never worked downtown.

There are a lot of jobs in El Segundo, Westwood, Century City, Pasadena, Playa Vista, etc. If you are working with a recruiter, you may want to talk to her about jobs in those areas as well.

[formerlyak]

Jul 31, 2015 12:00:50 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

Jul 31, 2015 11:54:02 GMT -5 formerlyak said:

I should add that you said near downtown, but not knowing what industry you work in, I will say that there is a high possibility that your job isn't downtown. I have lived here almost my entire life and I have never worked downtown. My parents have never worked downtown. Many of my friends have never worked downtown.

There are a lot of jobs in El Segundo, Westwood, Century City, Pasadena, Playa Vista, etc. If you are working with a recruiter, you may want to talk to her about jobs in those areas as well.

I work in tech - ecomm for mass retail and manufacturing with potential industry crossover to entertainment, advertising and marketing. 

H works at the film studios. When he works. Ha. 

A lot of tech companies are on the westside in Playa Vista and Venice area now. There are a number in El Segundo as well. Film studios you are looking at Culver City, Century City or Burbank mostly - unless he works as a post house which are all over.

[magpie]

I haven't lived in LA for a long time, but I did rent on the westside with a dog back in grad school. I think Culver City might meet a lot of your needs. I've always liked it there and would definitely try to live there if I ever had to go back to LA. Palms is also a nice area, though I had a hard time finding a dog-friendly rental there and parking can be a pain in the ass. I rented in the Pico/Robertson area back in grad school when I was on a tight budget and had a dog. This area was described as "Beverly Hills Adjacent" on CL and Westside Rentals listings. It was cheaper than a lot of Westside neighborhoods, but came with some trade offs (it was definitely a little sketchier than my H's neighborhood in Palms). I walked my dog and ran in the neighborhood a lot and always felt safe in doing so, but I grew up in the LA suburbs and had lived in SF for several years before grad school, so I was not coming from a midwest/leave your doors unlocked mentality... I usually ran to the park and through the neighborhoods of fancy houses in Beverly Hills from my apartment though

[msmerymac]

Negative on Van Nuys. You'll see a lot of relatively cheap apartments there and the location isn't exactly inconvenient - it's the middle of the San Fernando valley. But it's hot, boring and not high class. Lots of just generic mid century apartment buildings. Also, Hollywood proper has been kind of sketchy lately. It used to be bad, got better about 15 years ago, but now I don't know. And east Hollywood has always been a little in-between. I have lived in both and would be fine, but it doesn't sound like you'd be comfortable there.

If you want to live in the San Fernando Valley, Sherman Oaks is pretty cute - the closer to Ventura Blvd the better if you want shops and restaurants. North Hollywood in the arts district (near the red line station) is also good. Burbank is a cute area, especially near downtown or near Magnolia. Glendale could work for you, too.

I used to live in West Hollywood, which is expensive, but I lived east of Fairfax and west of LaBrea. It's still pretty walkable, but not the super hot areas (boystown and the sunset strip areas are the parts with tons and tons of nightlife), so it's cheaper. I think that part of West Hollywood would be cheaper - and it also seemed more convenient, to me, in terms of public transit and freeway access (101). This is in my old neighborhood and is in your budget, and would be perfectly fine with your requirements, IMO: losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/apa/5136988286.html

Santa Monica, Westwood, downtown Culver City and Century City would be good, as would areas of Pasadena. But it also really depends on where your job is. I cannot stress enough that you should really figure out where you are likely to be working before you get an apartment. When I lived in West Hollywood, my husband worked in Culver City, and I worked in Encino, and we both had 35 minute+ commutes - 8 miles and 11 miles respectively. We could have lived more in between our jobs in maybe Westwood, but we chose WeHo for personal reasons. Mostly because then we never had to take the 405, which suuuuucks at all times of day.

I also really recommend buying a membership to Westside Rentals. I've found great apartments there, including my duplex in West Hollywood, and always within just a few days!

[Deleted]

You couldn't pay me to move back to LA county.

[msmerymac]

Actually, the one I posted doesn't allow pets. Please live in this one, so I can live vicariously through you: losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/apa/5148567664.html

[Deleted]

I've lived in Glendale and West Hollywood. I think either would fit your needs. Safe, walkable, etc.

Re everyone else : traffic is a real nightmare. And a 10 mile distance can be a 45+ commute. Know where you're working beforehand.

[alleinesein]

mp @kirkette

Honestly its easier to figure out where to live once you know where you will be working.  Traffic in LA can be brutal and you really want to take your commute into consideration.  And dont rule out living in the OC; if you end up working in the southern part of LA county OC will be much closer than some parts of LA.

[insominac]

If I worked downtown I would live in Pasadena, Los Feliz, Echo Park, or Silverlake, downtown.

If I worked in mid-city, I would live in the 3rd street area, miracle mile, pico/Robertson.

If I worked in Century City or West LA, I would live in Century City, Beverly Hills, Rancho Park, West LA.

If I worked in Culver City, I'd live in Palms, Mar Vista, Culver City, Rancho Park, or West LA east of the 405.

If I worked in Santa Monica, I'd live west of the 405 - Santa Monica, Venice, parts of Mar Vista.

Basically I like to live no more than 5 miles away from work. I can't deal with crazy commutes.

[Deleted]

You have to figure out where you are working first. Commute is everything.

[y4m]

I think $2500 is doable although it might be on the small side. Could not agree more with insominac about commutes. If you literally mean downtown, we lived in Los Feliz and it was wonderful.

[qubit]

We rented in Hermosa Beach when my H worked in El Segundo. We also have a big dog and found limited options. Our complex was great though, and just a couple blocks to the beach. Beach proximity, in addition to a quick commute for H were key for us. We rented a studio with garage parking for $1700, so I think you can find a 1 bedroom in your budget. I think Hermosa Beach is pricier than many areas too.

I also grew up in the rural Midwest and found Hermosa Beach to be a really great, safe community. We walked on the beach with our dog every day.

[madisen]

Also agree with insom about live/work relationships. Knowing where you'll be working should narrow hints down.

To give you an idea about rent on the westside/west la, my sister and I own a duplex where the 10 and the 405 meet. It's walkable to a trader joe's and the new exposition metro line. We rented one of the units last year for $2100 per month. About 730 sq feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 2 car garage. The tenant is an ex-coworker of my sister's and the duplex needs some updating so it's a good deal for both sides all things considered. The other unit rents for less (because tenant has lived there for years under rent control) does not have access to the garage but the tenant has a small dog.

[nancybotwin]

We lived in studio city and had an amazing 3 bedroom walking distance to Ventura for $2500. Now we live on the westside and...not so much.

[dapotato]

agree with posters above that say to find a job first, then choose a place to live.

a lot of tech jobs are in silicon beach/westside. some of the jobs in your industry have moved downtown or to the arts district, if you're interested in working & living near there. a bunch of clothing retailers have offices in vernon with their warehouses/factories (don't live there! you can't anyway, really...but it's an ok commute from downtown or a lot of the more eastside neighborhoods). and also a lot of tech has been moving to culver city, hayden tract specifically, just off the expo line.

also, don't know how much/how often your h works, but try to find a job near whichever studios he works closest to or else figuring out where to live becomes a cluster when trying to minimize both commutes. the clusters are kinda far from each other--like the burbank/hollywood ones vs. culver city ones vs. mid-city ones.

[namasteak]

4 years ago we lived in a 500 square foot studio loft in Westwood (near UCLA) and paid $1550/month.