Help Design Our Los Angeles Lifestyle (Santa Monica, Rancho Palos Verdes: condo, townhouse, employment)

[LALifestyle]

I'm making the move back to L.A. after living away for the last 10 years. I'll be back in town with my boyfriend this June and need some focus in terms of what area to live in, what car to buy, and basically getting a handle on the overall lifestyle choices we should make. Now, of course I've thought about this (with my bf) a lot but I figured why not open the discussion up for some input from random people

Here's a little information to help get you started:

We're a gay couple. I'm 29 (business owner) and he's 25(working actor).
Income: My income: $10,000 per month (gross), We save all of his income
We don't want to buy a house
I prefer to live on ground level in a house that has a small back yard
He prefers to live in a condo with a view
We only have a couple of friends in L.A.
I will be working from home
We'll need a car
We both enjoy nice meals out but also cook a lot at home
We're both into staying fit


I might think of other things but consider it a blank slate in terms of lifestyle design. We're starting from scratch.

How would you allocate the income? (budget)
What area of L.A. would you recommend to a couple like us?
What type of car would you buy?
How do you feel about condo vs house in L.A.?
Any suggestions other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

[UNITYinternational]

Pay everything 50/50 and have your own savings and retirement accounts since he is your "boyfriend" and not your spouse

Santa Monica

Townhouse with 2nd floor view and a yard

Prius

[LALifestyle]

Originally Posted by UNITYinternational

Pay everything 50/50 and have your own savings and retirement accounts since he is your "boyfriend" and not your spouse

Santa Monica

Townhouse with 2nd floor view and a yard

Prius

Thanks for the suggestions. The plan is to be married but not until we've settled in after the move. We've combined our expenses and savings for the last 3 years. We're both "all-in".

Hadn't really considered Santa Monica. I'll look into it.

[UNITYinternational]

Well continue with the same budgeting system and maybe establish a basic cost of living budget based upon the lowest average annual income of one person that way if there are employment gaps or downsizing you can manage with minimal stress. Surplus income can be used for retirement, continued savings, individual retirement, extras and travel.

[nightlysparrow]

Single story with a yard and with a view---in the hills, like the Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica Mountains all the way to the ocean, or Pacific Palisades, Malibu hills, etc.

[LALifestyle]

Originally Posted by UNITYinternational

Well continue with the same budgeting system and maybe establish a basic cost of living budget based upon the lowest average annual income of one person that way if there are employment gaps or downsizing you can manage with minimal stress. Surplus income can be used for retirement, continued savings, individual retirement, extras and travel.

My thinking as well. Thanks

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Single story with a yard and with a view---in the hills, like the Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica Mountains all the way to the ocean, or Pacific Palisades, Malibu hills, etc.

On a $10k month income? Not sure that's possible

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by LALifestyle

We're a gay couple. I'm 29 (business owner) and he's 25(working actor).
Income: My income: $10,000 per month (gross), We save all of his income
We don't want to buy a house
I prefer to live on ground level in a house that has a small back yard
He prefers to live in a condo with a view
We only have a couple of friends in L.A.
I will be working from home
We'll need a car
We both enjoy nice meals out but also cook a lot at home
We're both into staying fit

A couple of key points needed:
--Where is your boyfriends' job (or, if he has lots of short jobs, were do they tend to be). Pick a place with a fairly easy commute to his work.
--Do you want to be able to go out every night or do you prefer a quiet stay at home life?
--You have a couple of friends in LA, do you want to live near them?
--Do you want to live in a neighborhood with a lot of fellow gay people? How about a neighborhood with a lot of fellow actors? Do you care how old your neighbors are? (Some really nice neighborhoods may have residents who are mostly 35+, is that ok?)

Taking a wild guess based on what you've provided, I'd suggest Rancho Palos Verdes or San Pedro. This is assuming that you are seeking a quiet neighborhood, don't want to go out every night, and don't care if you're in a neighborhood where there may not be lots of other gay people (and probably not that many people your age). However, you're near the beach, it's gorgeous. and there are lots of ways to work out. You can find plenty of places to live that are on the ground level, yet have a view. You will have plenty of hiking and bike paths in the hills, which will help you stay fit. Lots of people in RPV work from home, so you would have a network of other people around, which could be handy. Gardening is incredibly easy near the beaches due to the sand in the soil, which will help you cook nice dinners.

If you want to go out all the time or be near a younger crowd, Santa Monica or the other beach cities would work too. But they will be pricierand you probably won't get a place with a view.

[Gurbie]

Originally Posted by LALifestyle

I'm making the move back to L.A. after living away for the last 10 years. I'll be back in town with my boyfriend this June and need some focus in terms of what area to live in, what car to buy, and basically getting a handle on the overall lifestyle choices we should make. Now, of course I've thought about this (with my bf) a lot but I figured why not open the discussion up for some input from random people

Here's a little information to help get you started:

We're a gay couple. I'm 29 (business owner) and he's 25(working actor).
Income: My income: $10,000 per month (gross), We save all of his income
We don't want to buy a house
I prefer to live on ground level in a house that has a small back yard
He prefers to live in a condo with a view
We only have a couple of friends in L.A.
I will be working from home
We'll need a car
We both enjoy nice meals out but also cook a lot at home
We're both into staying fit


I might think of other things but consider it a blank slate in terms of lifestyle design. We're starting from scratch.

How would you allocate the income? (budget)
What area of L.A. would you recommend to a couple like us?
What type of car would you buy?
How do you feel about condo vs house in L.A.?
Any suggestions other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

This is fun. I'll pretend I'm you. Here's what I'd do:

Budget: 30% rent, 30% gas and food, 25% bills, 10% entertainment, 5% savings.

What area: NELA (your orientation is a non-factor)

What car: small SUV hybrid

Condo v house: house

[LALifestyle]

Originally Posted by Caladium

A couple of key points needed:
--Where is your boyfriends' job (or, if he has lots of short jobs, were do they tend to be). Pick a place with a fairly easy commute to his work.
--Do you want to be able to go out every night or do you prefer a quiet stay at home life?
--You have a couple of friends in LA, do you want to live near them?
--Do you want to live in a neighborhood with a lot of fellow gay people? How about a neighborhood with a lot of fellow actors? Do you care how old your neighbors are? (Some really nice neighborhoods may have residents who are mostly 35+, is that ok?)

Taking a wild guess based on what you've provided, I'd suggest Rancho Palos Verdes or San Pedro. This is assuming that you are seeking a quiet neighborhood, don't want to go out every night, and don't care if you're in a neighborhood where there may not be lots of other gay people (and probably not that many people your age). However, you're near the beach, it's gorgeous. and there are lots of ways to work out. You can find plenty of places to live that are on the ground level, yet have a view. You will have plenty of hiking and bike paths in the hills, which will help you stay fit. Lots of people in RPV work from home, so you would have a network of other people around, which could be handy. Gardening is incredibly easy near the beaches due to the sand in the soil, which will help you cook nice dinners.

If you want to go out all the time or be near a younger crowd, Santa Monica or the other beach cities would work too. But they will be pricierand you probably won't get a place with a view.

--Where is your boyfriends' job (or, if he has lots of short jobs, were do they tend to be). Pick a place with a fairly easy commute to his work. -
He works on features and that takes him away from home so being near work isn't important. I'm in e-commerce and work out of a home office
--Do you want to be able to go out every night or do you prefer a quiet stay at home life? -
We enjoy dinners at good restaurants and drinking at bars but don't go to clubs (dancing). We do have people over for big dinners a few times per month.
--You have a couple of friends in LA, do you want to live near them? -
I really don't care.
--Do you want to live in a neighborhood with a lot of fellow gay people? How about a neighborhood with a lot of fellow actors? Do you care how old your neighbors are? (Some really nice neighborhoods may have residents who are mostly 35+, is that ok?) -
It doesn't matter if people around us are gay or not. Most of our friends tend to be straight men. Not really concerned about age of neighbors. My youngest friend is 22 and my oldest friend is 65. Neighborhood of actors? Not if I can help it!

Adding RPV and San Pedro to the list of places to look.

Thanks again!

[LALifestyle]

Originally Posted by Gurbie

This is fun. I'll pretend I'm you. Here's what I'd do:

Budget: 30% rent, 30% gas and food, 25% bills, 10% entertainment, 5% savings.

What area: NELA (your orientation is a non-factor)

What car: small SUV hybrid

Condo v house: house

That's a lot of gas and food!