Renting on the Westside -- more sources? (Vista, Santa Monica: sublets, apartments)

[woodrough]

Hi all.

We're getting ready to find a place in LA, focusing on the Westside (our jobs are in Santa Monica/Venice). Our criteria are kind of specific, but I don't think completely unreasonable. The non-negotiable points:

* 2 or 3 bedrooms
* Laundry IN UNIT
* Covered/secure parking for two cars

We'd like to keep the budget around $3500, but there is some flexibility if the place is really amazing. We're open to apartments, condo sublets, townhouses or houses, as long as they meet those criteria. We also, of course, want a relatively nice and quiet area. Closer to the water is better, but I realize that also makes it more expensive.

I have a Westside Rentals account, and I've also been looking at Padmapper and Craigslist. I have found some options, mostly apartment buildings in Marina del Rey. But I haven't found much in Santa Monica (except the ubiquitous "Living at Santa Monica" buildings which I'm trying to avoid), and I haven't seen many house listings at all (even with looser criteria). Do these kind of places exist in Santa Monica and I'm just looking in the wrong place? Are there other sites I should also be looking at? Are there other nice areas in the general vicinity I should look at? Or is it pretty much just MDR for the criteria I have?

[BRinSM]

detached houses on the westside are very expensive, especially if they're close to the coast. as for apartments, the only area that has a high concentration of units with laundry inside the unit is in marina del rey. there aren't many in unit laundry apartments in the coastal neighborhoods of santa monica. you might check out the archstone main st apartments. i know those are nice, but they are expensive and you'll probably only get 2 bedroom that's not too big for $3500. marina del rey isn't too bad though and it's only a 20 minute commute to santa monica with traffic. if you live close to washington blvd you'll have easy access to a number of restaurants and bars, not to mention the beach bike path if you are into that sort of thing.

[woodrough]

Thanks. I don't have anything against Marina Del Rey. I actually liked it a lot when we looked around there last time. I like that it seems relatively quiet, but not too far away from things. But I want to make sure I have covered my bases before making a decision.

[JohnG72]

Looks like you don't want to live further than Marina Del Rey,

But there are nice areas of Westchester where your budget can easily afford a house to rent.

A family member has a 3 bd/2ba house a couple blocks from the beach(albeit Dockweiler) that they rent at $3500/mo. Place even has an additional very small studio with bathroom that is attached to the garage. Place is modern and remodled kitchen and bathroom. I've seen cheaper just a few blocks away.

[BRinSM]

the commute down lincoln from westchester is no fun. get a smaller place and stay closer to your office. fyi, i used to commute from MDR to SM daily for some time. if you find a place in MDR, I can give you some alternate commute paths to help avoid the worst of the traffic.

[Troof]

Culver City may be an option. Depends if you are set on a Santa Monica or Venice address though...

[woodrough]

I'm not set on any specific address. I have liked what I've seen of Culver City, but I haven't seen any nice places that really meet my criteria. I haven't looked there for a while, though. I will check again.

[tygayolo415]

Originally Posted by woodrough

Hi all.

We're getting ready to find a place in LA, focusing on the Westside (our jobs are in Santa Monica/Venice). Our criteria are kind of specific, but I don't think completely unreasonable. The non-negotiable points:

* 2 or 3 bedrooms
* Laundry IN UNIT
* Covered/secure parking for two cars

We'd like to keep the budget around $3500, but there is some flexibility if the place is really amazing. We're open to apartments, condo sublets, townhouses or houses, as long as they meet those criteria. We also, of course, want a relatively nice and quiet area. Closer to the water is better, but I realize that also makes it more expensive.

I have a Westside Rentals account, and I've also been looking at Padmapper and Craigslist. I have found some options, mostly apartment buildings in Marina del Rey. But I haven't found much in Santa Monica (except the ubiquitous "Living at Santa Monica" buildings which I'm trying to avoid), and I haven't seen many house listings at all (even with looser criteria). Do these kind of places exist in Santa Monica and I'm just looking in the wrong place? Are there other sites I should also be looking at? Are there other nice areas in the general vicinity I should look at? Or is it pretty much just MDR for the criteria I have?

You might want to think about Mar Vista. Cheaper than any of the other places mentioned so far albeit with similar locality. Rents are still inflated on the west side though.

[obscure reference]

Another vote for Mar Vista or Culver City. When I was looking for a place a couple of years ago, I saw several nice 2-bedroom apartments and townhouses in the $1800-$2100 range in both areas. (Prices may be slightly higher now, of course.) Maybe one in 10 had in-unit laundry hook-ups.

Depending on where in Santa Monica/Venice your jobs are, West L.A. might be an option - think Wilshire south to Olympic, west of the 405 (roughly the 90025 zip code). If your workplace is within a few blocks of Santa Monica Blvd, your commute should be pretty quick. The area itself is kind of nondescript, but there are some good deals to be found in older, smaller apartment buildings and complexes.