Seriously, how do any of you survive out here? (Los Angeles: apartments, rent)

[Daisy32673]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Lack of space
Noisy neighbors
No yard
No washer/dryer
No garage
Neighbors filling my apartment with smoke of various kinds

You got it - aside from the yard (which we could do without) and lack of space I would agree with this list. I would spend the extra money knowing I dont (and my children dont) have to smell anyone elses smoke or nasty apartment and that I dont have to listen to people's arguments/sex/anything else thru the wall everyday. There are parts of my sanity and my health I simply wont sacrifice.

[readymade]

Originally Posted by West of Encino

That's outside of LA city though.

Ah, so by "everyone," you meant the actual city of Los Angeles?

I know people in Altadena, Hollywood, Pasadena, West Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank and (yes) Los Angeles to name a few. All of them... solidly middle class.

[fatmancomics]

Hey, OP: You and your husband should be living in Woodland Hills. You say he starts three out of his five day work week at the office anyway and then has to drive to downtown L.A. That's no big deal. He could be waking up much later and have a 15 minute drive on surface streets instead of a 45 minute to 1 hr commute on those days. Those days he goes to Irvine will still be a pain in the butt but I'm sure they're no picnic now considering which freeways he has to take to get home.

For less than what you're paying now, you guys could have a four bedroom house with a pool on a MORTGAGE instead of renting. The market may be down right now but it's still being maintained much higher than what those homes were going for 10 years ago and, if you're not planning on moving any time soon then your home will be an investment that you can cash in on when your husband retires.

The public high school for Woodland Hills is El Camino High School which is the number one school in the Valley. I don't know how that compares to the schools in Pasadena but it's something to think about since you guys have kids.

There is plenty of shopping and dining in the area and it's surrounding neighborhoods. The nearest "ghettoes" are in Canoga Park (which still has it's good areas) and Reseda but they're nothing in comparison to the bad areas of downtown L.A. and they have some pretty good eateries. The most you have to worry about in those "ghettoes" is people not speaking english but you may never have to go to those areas since Woodland Hills has all its essentials (grocery stores and the like) within its own city limits.

If you don't like brown skinned people then you can mostly avoid them by hanging out in Calabasas and Thousand Oaks which are 10 and 20 minutes away respectively. I say mostly because you still see the occasional brown skinned individual or couple (like my wife and me) adding some spice to the cream.

You can take Topanga Canyon to Malibu and be there in 20 minutes on most days and it's a very scenic drive. Once in Malibu, drive east for another 20 minutes when it's not rush hour and you end up in Santa Monica. Take Topanga Canyon in the opposite direction and you end up in Stoney Point, a park full of rock formations that local climbers love.

I live nearby since I can't afford to live in Woodland Hills but I see lots of "for sale" signs every time I drive in the area. Summers are VERY hot in the SFV and it might take some getting used to but that's what that pool is for.

[Daisy32673]

Originally Posted by fatmancomics

Hey, OP: You and your husband should be living in Woodland Hills. You say he starts three out of his five day work week at the office anyway and then has to drive to downtown L.A. That's no big deal. He could be waking up much later and have a 15 minute drive on surface streets instead of a 45 minute to 1 hr commute on those days. Those days he goes to Irvine will still be a pain in the butt but I'm sure they're no picnic now considering which freeways he has to take to get home.

For less than what you're paying now, you guys could have a four bedroom house with a pool on a MORTGAGE instead of renting. The market may be down right now but it's still being maintained much higher than what those homes were going for 10 years ago and, if you're not planning on moving any time soon then your home will be an investment that you can cash in on when your husband retires.

The public high school for Woodland Hills is El Camino High School which is the number one school in the Valley. I don't know how that compares to the schools in Pasadena but it's something to think about since you guys have kids.

There is plenty of shopping and dining in the area and it's surrounding neighborhoods. The nearest "ghettoes" are in Canoga Park (which still has it's good areas) and Reseda but they're nothing in comparison to the bad areas of downtown L.A. and they have some pretty good eateries. The most you have to worry about in those "ghettoes" is people not speaking english but you may never have to go to those areas since Woodland Hills has all its essentials (grocery stores and the like) within its own city limits.

If you don't like brown skinned people then you can mostly avoid them by hanging out in Calabasas and Thousand Oaks which are 10 and 20 minutes away respectively. I say mostly because you still see the occasional brown skinned individual or couple (like my wife and me) adding some spice to the cream.

You can take Topanga Canyon to Malibu and be there in 20 minutes on most days and it's a very scenic drive. Once in Malibu, drive east for another 20 minutes when it's not rush hour and you end up in Santa Monica. Take Topanga Canyon in the opposite direction and you end up in Stoney Point, a park full of rock formations that local climbers love.

I live nearby since I can't afford to live in Woodland Hills but I see lots of "for sale" signs every time I drive in the area. Summers are VERY hot in the SFV and it might take some getting used to but that's what that pool is for.

Thanks very much for the tips! However we are in no place to buy. We had to short sell our home in order to move so our credit has been damaged and we will most likely be transferred again in a few years. I do think we could rent up there though.

[Setsuko]

Load up on education & connections you can make it too.

[Voyageuse]

I know that this is a really old post, but if you're still stuck in the same housing situation, and you'd like to remain in the SGV, why not move to Arcadia? Arcadia has some great public schools and you can rent a house there very inexpensively. Now mind you, this houses available at this price point are in the less posh south Arcadia area, but considering that the city doesn't have any bad areas to speak of, I think you'd be in good shape. In fact, I just found a 3 bedroom house in Arcadia for rent on Craigslist for $1,000. DM if you'd like me to forward the link.

[HoliWood]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

Actually, yes - I used to live in BH before moving the the desert. But $3500 for rent - especially in Pasadena - is NOT the norm. You need to look around and find a place where your landlord isn't ripping you off.

That's not true - if you rent a house in Pasadena in one of the nicer/safer neighborhoods, it IS that much for rent (for a 2-3 bedroom place). Prices - as I'm finding out - are outrageous for rent around here, worse than Beverly Hills!

[Mr. Opinionated]

Really?? You're kiddin' right? 'Obscene' rent nor gangs are not everywhere. And just what city did you think you were coming to? For better or worse, Los Angeles is no nickel and dime small-timer, my friend.

[Marce30]

If you think LA is too expensive you should move back to your city then. Very easy.
LA isnt for everyone.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by Mr. Opinionated

Really?? You're kiddin' right? 'Obscene' rent nor gangs are not everywhere. And just what city did you think you were coming to? For better or worse, Los Angeles is no nickel and dime small-timer, my friend.

Seriously. I don't get a lot of these posts.

1. You moved to LA because you/your husband/your wife/your parents are getting a better salary here than back wherever.

2. If you/they are getting a better salary here, there's a good chance that other people are, too.

3. If other people are getting better salaries here, then it is implied that there are better opportunities here than many other places.

4. The more opportunities there are in a place, the more people are likely to flock there so that they, too, may earn a higher salary, or start a business to take advantage of a larger number of people with a disposable income than elsewhere.

5. The more people that flock to a place, the more that housing is a commodity.

6. The hotter a commodity, the more people are generally willing to pay for it.

How is it that evidently-educated, travelled adults can possibly think that they'll be able to move to one of the most desirable places on earth, let alone the US, and find abundant and inexpensive land with miles and miles two-story houses on 1-acre lots for $250,000? If there was an area like that in LA, some company called The Mahboubi-Kerakian group would buy it up and start flipping the houses as a 200% markup and end up 200% richer in eight months...

To answer the OP's original question, though: I live quite well and comfortably out here, with very little stress, thanks