A native Angeleno who is considering leaving LA for good (Los Angeles: homeowners insurance, home)

[Finper]

You can get anywhere in Pasadena in less than 20 minutes. Why even leave?



some people actually like to leave their city once in a while...

Time of day, and accidents can impact any drive. Since that poster didn't bother to do any COL research, probably safe to say they didn't plan a good time for that appt. in West LA. Probably drove in peak traffic.


geez nice post he's not a idiot. I know it sounds crazy but some people don't like to have to schedule their whole lives around the fwy. It's one of the main reasons people leave that LA Hell hole..


Say you live in LA but have a cabin in Big Bear. You'd like to leave right from work on a Friday to spend the weekend there but you CAN'T. Your trapped in LA until 9pm or the next morning. That's not normal!! You can live anywhere else but NY and leave whenever you want to.... strange concept and mind blowing I know... but it's true!!

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Finper

You can get anywhere in Pasadena in less than 20 minutes. Why even leave?



some people actually like to leave their city once in a while...

Time of day, and accidents can impact any drive. Since that poster didn't bother to do any COL research, probably safe to say they didn't plan a good time for that appt. in West LA. Probably drove in peak traffic.


geez nice post he's not a idiot. I know it sounds crazy but some people don't like to have to schedule their whole lives around the fwy. It's one of the main reasons people leave that LA Hell hole..


Say you live in LA but have a cabin in Big Bear. You'd like to leave right from work on a Friday to spend the weekend there but you CAN'T. Your trapped in LA until 9pm or the next morning. That's not normal!! You can live anywhere else but NY and leave whenever you want to.... strange concept and mind blowing I know but it's true!!

That poster admitted they moved from NC to LA and never bothered to a COL comparison. Would you call that wise?

No one has to schedule their whole life around freeway traffic, but here's an idea, when you go to somewhere that involves several miles and you know the time of day you schedule that appt. can make a HUGE difference, guess what? You try and schedule it if possible when you won't be hitting peak traffic.

Example, you live in Pasadena, but need to see someone in Santa Monica. They say "can you come in at 9am", you say "I coming from Pasadena, can we make it for noon, and will we done by 2pm?"...see how that goes?

I know thinking and planning is so hard.

[Finper]

I said people don't like to have to plan their whole day around the fwy your saying he's too stupid to do it... big difference.

[cyberfx1024]

Originally Posted by Nerdlord

You've lived here 4 years yet you're surprised driving from the VA to Pasadena took 1.5 hours?
Pretty sad that you live/work in easily one of the best small cities in the US and still have reason to complain. Traffic should really not be an issue. You can get anywhere in Pasadena in less than 20 minutes. Why even leave?
Do people really move out here and not look at home prices and then magically think they will be able to afford to be homeowners? I don't get it.

I complain about Pasadena because the housing prices are way to high for what you get. I am sorry but I do not feel like I spend $500-600k on a crappy house and then put even more money in it just to make livable. That is really the only that I hate about Pasadena, except for the homeless but everything else I love about it. I love living right off Colorado, walking distance to PCC and the shops near there. I love being able to literally walk 50 yards down to the end of the street and camp out for free to have front row seats for the Rose Parade. I love the diversity in the city.

Traffic is a big issue for me because I have to drive around Central and Southern California for work, and that is the main part of my job and I love it because it helps in keeping everyone in SoCal safe.

I admit it was my stupidity for not doing a COL analysis before I took the job. But in my defense I was a Contractor in Afghanistan before I took this job. So I didn't really think about that at the time, I just wanted to find a good job somewhere in the USA.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Finper

I said people don't like to have to plan their whole day around the fwy your saying he's too stupid to do it... big difference.

I didn't say that at all. I said he didn't plan well when he moved across the country. Chances are he just doesn't plan things in general. Such as appts. involving driving distances and traffic times.

He may be brilliant at his job.

And you didn't say whole day, you said whole life.

You think LA and NYC are the only places that have traffic?

You mentioned Orlando earlier, they have horrible traffic and only one freeway. The roads never kept up with population growth.

[cyberfx1024]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Sorry your lost your dad, mine passed just a couple of years ago.

Exactly, it's no secret there will be heavy traffic. However someone can schedule an appt. so they can try and avoid some of the traffic. If you live in Pasadena don't make an appt. for 9am in West LA. Make it for 11:30am if possible. A little planning can help.

I figure is someone doesn't bother to a COL analysis before moving across country, they don't think about coordinating an appt. so that they can miss some traffic either.

It was 3pm yesterday when I left the VAMC on Wilshire to drive back to Pasadena from having an appt. I know it is mess getting to there and back whenever I have to go there. That is why I ALWAYS give myself 2 hours to get there when I have a appt. Sometimes it has taking me 2 hours and sometimes I am lucky and it takes me 45 minutes.

I didn't move across the country, I moved across the globe literally. But I figured making $90k here in SoCal would be a good wage.

[cyberfx1024]

It seems that you guys are getting hung up on my travel time more than anything else that I said.

Why don't y'all start doing something about the high taxes that everyone pays in this state with almost next to nothing to show for it? The roads are bad in a large part of Los Angeles and it just came out last week in the LA Times that the city will just let the worst roads go, all the while improving the better roads.

[Nerdlord]

Originally Posted by cyberfx1024

I complain about Pasadena because the housing prices are way to high for what you get. I am sorry but I do not feel like I spend $500-600k on a crappy house and then put even more money in it just to make livable. That is really the only that I hate about Pasadena, except for the homeless but everything else I love about it. I love living right off Colorado, walking distance to PCC and the shops near there. I love being able to literally walk 50 yards down to the end of the street and camp out for free to have front row seats for the Rose Parade. I love the diversity in the city.

Traffic is a big issue for me because I have to drive around Central and Southern California for work, and that is the main part of my job and I love it because it helps in keeping everyone in SoCal safe.

I admit it was my stupidity for not doing a COL analysis before I took the job. But in my defense I was a Contractor in Afghanistan before I took this job. So I didn't really think about that at the time, I just wanted to find a good job somewhere in the USA.

What's scary is that Pasadena is actually significantly cheaper compared to areas on the West Side like Santa Monica or Pacific Palisades.

If you actually want to stay in the area and own a home I posted some advice earlier in this thread.

Originally Posted by Nerdlord

If you want to own property in LA and you aren't making serious bank, you don't hold off for your dream home.

You get in the real estate market ASAP as soon as you can afford it. If that means a 2/1 condo in a less than desirable area, fine. Then in 5 years you sell it and move up to a 2/2 in a better area. Then a 3/2 townhouse or duplex with a rental unit, then a 3/3 SFR, etc. It's all about riding the huge wave of capital appreciation.

[cyberfx1024]

Originally Posted by Nerdlord

What's scary is that Pasadena is actually significantly cheaper compared to areas on the West Side like Santa Monica or Pacific Palisades.
If you actually want to stay in the area and own a home I posted some advice earlier in this thread.

I saw that and it is good advice thank you.

[boulder2015]

Originally Posted by Stevedore

You're single with no kids and live in a cheap shoebox that's perfect for you, congrats! We're coming from two different area codes.

What you dont want to sleep on the floor next to your dadin your 40s in a gamma city like san jose and still have a snobby attitude? What is wrong with you?