Pasadena for two Minnesotans (Rosemead, Altadena: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[keri578]

Hello,

I chose Pasadena because everything I have read about it on these forums have been great! It sounds like the perfect community for us. We can't afford to live in the huge, popular cities but still like to be in southern California. Combined we make about $60-70k per year, but not looking to buy, just rent for awhile. A 1bed/1bath in a decent area (doesn't have to be perfect, we have no kids) that is close to major amenities for roughly $1,000 a month. Can it be done? I've been searching on craigslist and have found very little, and when I read reviews on the apartments, they are terrible. We don't require a lot, just something to start us off for a year or so. Are there any recommended websites where most of the rental listings are posted? In MN, craigslist is the biggest one.

I am in the auto industry (thus the more dealerships around, the better) and he is in the banking industry (banks are everywhere). Ultimately we were hoping to move somewhere near the metro line so one of us could ditch our car but I'm not sure if Pasadena is within that distance? It's hard to keep everything in perspective.

Either way, we are both bright, educated and aware that cost of living is much, MUCH higher than where we are from. Here in the Twin Cities an apartment of the quality/size we are looking is roughly $750 a month. We are just hoping that someone can give us any advice on location/apartments/apartment search tools/etc so we can start to plan a bit more!

Thanks!

[SalParadise]

$750 for Pasadena is not going to be nearly enough....probably more like $1,200 to $1,500.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by SalParadise

$750 for Pasadena is not going to be nearly enough....probably more like $1,200 to $1,500.

Exactly this.

[keri578]

I was hoping to find something in the $1,000 range, not 750. I was just saying something comparable goes for 750 where I am from, in case anyone is from MN and can help me make comparisons.

[island92657]

try zillow - Pasadena CA Homes for Sale & Pasadena Real Estate - Zillow

There aren't a whole lot of 1-bedroom apts for around $1000 in Pasadena. If you're willing to share a 2-bedroom apt with someone else that's already living in it, you might be able to find something at that price range.

[True Freedom]

Check LA Metro Home for the Gold Line stations that run through Pasadena. Basically, you'll need to be near the 210 freeway or in Old Town or down Raymond (stop at Del Mar and also Fillmore).

Old Town apts will be more expensive. They are newer and more trendy. My mom lives at the Paseo and pays $1400/mo for a studio. I looked at the Stuart in east Pas near the Gold Line. For a 900 sq ft one bedroom.. it's $1900 /month.

Pasadena does have a huge range in prices.. for both homes ($200k to $25M) and in apartment rentals. So, I'm sure you could find something.. might be run down or in a sketchy part of town.

[SalParadise]

Try the LA secton of Craig's List. Seems to be the most often used search engine for housing in So.Calif.

I see I did miss your comment that $750 was your Minnesota/Twin Cities rent.

The areas/neighorhoods SOUTH of the 210 Freeway (Foothill Freeway) are generally nice. But there are some areas north of the 210 that are ok as well.

[A1Lexo]

Might be worth a membership to westside rentals. Finding anything that cheap near a Metro line might be difficult though not impossible, especially if you are open to going a little further east, like where Rosemead/San Gabriel meet. It's not as pretty over there but safe, diverse and close (ish) to the gold line. There are rentals for 900-1000 in Pasadena/Altadena but they are few and far between and will be very small, and might not be in neighborhoods your comfortable with, though (as I mention all the time) the "bad" area's in every city are always really exaggerated in these forums.

[sumtopaz]

East Pasadena would be a perfect place. There are quite a few dealerships right off of Colorado Blvd. and Foothill Blvd. (Toyota, Ford, Etc. and many small owned ones).

We live off of El Nido Ave. in a small condo community where people are renting out their 1 bedroom condos for $900-$1000/month. The area is close to the metro, just drive a block up to Sierra Madre Blvd and park your car and you can hop on the metro.

Look for places in East Pasadena and you find what you are looking for and East Pasadena is a nice area of town and not one of the scetchy areas. Our neighbors professions are teachers, Chiropractors, Engineers, social workers. Nice area that is mixed between apartments and million dollar houses. Amazing how one second you are near a condo adn right next door is a house selling for 900,000.

Good luck

[Troof]

(I'm from the Midwest)

Pasadena is a great spot. Still quite Cali without the uber skinny jean pretentiousness of the local uber hipster areas, and without the over bougie-ness of the snobby areas of LA. Definitely a good spot to start out while acclimating to those nuances of SoCal.

$1200-1500 is about right though as someone pointed out...