Moving. Is my LA moving plan a good one? (Los Angeles: apartment, for rent)

[KenoLA101]

Hello everyone,

Long time lurker first time poster. Anyway my GF and i are moving to LA well actually we are moving to Lancaster Ca, first. She's from Cali i myself am from the east coast (pa) and it has always been a dream of mine to move to LA. I do have friends and a sister that live in LA so it shouldn't be too much of a culture shock. Anyway the plan is to sell all we own and pack the rest in our car and drive down to Lancaster this up coming Febuary. We plan to stay with her family in Lancaster for the first 6 - 10 months while we secure jobes in LA proper, save and take time looking for an apartment close to where we end up working. We both work in retail Banking and know it'll be pretty easy finding a job in our field. My question is how good is our plan? I've been of the mindset that our plan was pretty solid. The house we are staying in is HUGE with plenty of space. We are going to be cutting our bills in half while rasing our pay with the job's we have secured. And in the time we are in Lancaster we will be saving between 1-2k a month for 10 months. So i'm asking if thsi a pretty solid plan? The one draw back though is the communte between Lancaster and LA proper i know it'll be burtal. But, is it worth it to put aside 15-20k and make sure we get the best possible apartement? That is my question anyway any opinion requested.
Thanks.

[sll3454]

Once you have jobs, you won't need (or want) to stay with her family very long. Just save up enough for initial expenses, then move closer to work, even if you aren't ready for "the best possible apartment." Assuming you commute together, you'll probably still be spending $20/day on gas. That's four hundred dollars/month that you could be saving.

Working in banking will make your commute at the worst possible time. I've never done it - but maybe 2-2.5 hours each way? Maybe more?

Once you've actually done that commute for a week or two, your answer will become very clear.

[ccm123]

Lancaster to LA (Downtown, I assume) is a horrendous, stress inducing commute. It will likely shorten your life, guaranteed.
Live close to work.

[nightlysparrow]

Don't sell your winter clothes...you'll need them for Lancaster in February. Freezing temps and occasional snow. Very un-LA.

Oh, and unless you both end up working at the same place, you'll soon need another car.

But, go for it.

[timtemtym]

If you get a job downtown or close to a metrolink station, I'd definitely do that over trying to drive into LA every day unless you're working north of Sylmar.

Once you're here for any amount of time, you'll definitely see just how close you need to be to employment to enjoy your life here. Keep your bubble down to under 10 miles and you'll love LA.

[KenoLA101]

Thanks for the responces i'm thinking i might try to find work near the metrolink.

[Donny Brook]

Your plan sounds solid to me. I wouldn't worry too much about the commute because the AV (Antelope Valley) to LA commute is just one of many long commutes for people who live in the LA area. However, from Lancaster/Palmdale you have the Metrolink option which even if you aren't going all the way into downtown Los Angeles still has several other options for jobs in the type of work you are doing (Santa Clarita, San Ferndando Valley, Burbank & Glendale). Plus making bus connections at the various Metrolink stations is very easy and just a few bucks more over your monthly train pass.

[nmnita]

If I were you I would be looking at other cities for work, that commute will get really old, really fast. How about looking for jobs a little further north and looking for rent a little further south. As someone said, Los Angeles and Lancaster are very different. Good luck, your plan does sound feasible.

[ImtheBrilliantest]

Originally Posted by nmnita

If I were you I would be looking at other cities for work, that commute will get really old, really fast. How about looking for jobs a little further north and looking for rent a little further south. As someone said, Los Angeles and Lancaster are very different. Good luck, your plan does sound feasible.

Definitely agree about finding jobs somewhere other than LA. Your plan on living in LA is fine, but until then, you'll want to find jobs that are in between Lancaster and LA. That way, the commute from Lancaster is cut down (Even 15 minutes is a HUGE relief) and you can still live and commute from LA when you do move.

[KenoLA101]

Great ideas and you guys are right