West Hills/Tarzana, possibly Pasadena -- French family seeking advice (Los Angeles: foreclosures, rent)

[RogerKint]

Any opinions about West Hills?

Family of 4 relocating to LA soon . Not familiar with the area at all. Would like to buy but consider renting.

We are French nationals and would like our kids to be educated in the french system. We like the French schools in Tarzana.

We have a budget of 600-750K or 3k if we rent.

Looking at listings - we see a lot of family homes in West Hills - seems like a reasonable drive to school and work (Sylmar).

Other option is looking is teh French school in Pasadena and living there as well....

[majoun]

Originally Posted by RogerKint

Any opinions about West Hills?

Family of 4 relocating to LA soon . Not familiar with the area at all. Would like to buy but consider renting.

We are French nationals and would like our kids to be educated in the french system. We like the French schools in Tarzana.

We have a budget of 600-750K or 3k if we rent.

Looking at listings - we see a lot of family homes in West Hills - seems like a reasonable drive to school and work (Sylmar).

Other option is looking is teh French school in Pasadena and living there as well....

Isn't there also a French school in Los Feliz? In that case, you might be able to find something.

Los Feliz if not for its public schools would be a perfect family area, since public schools are not an issue for you I'd recommend it. Although you'd be looking at the upper end of your price range for a small house. Silver Lake might also be a good idea since schools aren't an issue.

[RogerKint]

Thanks. Is that a reasonable commute going north from there?

[JohnG72]

If you are buying in West Hills, Woodland Hills, or Tarzana, you wont need $600-700K to buy a decent 4 bed 3 bath home.

In Pasadena, that amount won't buy you much in a decent area. Same thing with Los Feliz or Silver Lake.

The commute from Los Feliz or Silver Lake north on the 5 Fwy to Slymar is going against traffic if you have normal rush hour commute. So it should be no problem at all. I'd guess from the 5 Fwy Los Feliz Bl onramp to Slymar is about a 20 minute drive in the morning. Going back home, the 5 Fwy can get messed up though.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Originally Posted by RogerKint

Any opinions about West Hills?

Family of 4 relocating to LA soon . Not familiar with the area at all. Would like to buy but consider renting.

We are French nationals and would like our kids to be educated in the french system. We like the French schools in Tarzana.

We have a budget of 600-750K or 3k if we rent.

Looking at listings - we see a lot of family homes in West Hills - seems like a reasonable drive to school and work (Sylmar).

Other option is looking is teh French school in Pasadena and living there as well....

If you have children who are high school age, I would say rent in West Hills or in the far most western part of Woodland Hills. This will put you in El Camino Real are which is probably the best LAUSD high school.

Tarzana is nice but nothing really special about it. I went to middle school there at Portola Middle school which is also a great school for your kids if they are of age.

Woodland Hills is probably the best bet for your money in terms of resale.

[RogerKint]

Looks like these are our choices based on schools.

A. West Valley
B. Los Feliz
C. Pasadena

We have two kids, a dog, and a nanny - so we really are looking for a good sized single family home with a yard. I think our budget is too low for many areas.

So, we will check out West Hills and Woodland Hills. Also, Los Feliz and Silver Lake. Any suggestions for Pasadena? Wondering if there are more "value" options west of Pasadena?

Thoughts, suggestions? We'll make a trip out and check out neighborhoods. Given he wide range of suggestions - we consider renting for a year and then look to buy.

Thanks

[JohnG72]

I think you will benefit from renting first. You will be able to scout out neighborhoods, determine if you can deal with the summer heat, and I think the Woodland Hills/West Hills area which is already dropped in price is just going to get pummeled once the foreclosures onset from the Alt A and Option Arm resets that will take place now through 2012.

I ran a search on homes in those two cities on ziprealty specifying 4 bed 3 bath and 1750 sq ft min price range $350K-700K. I got 59 hits and of those, most are well over 2000 Sq ft, many over 2500sq ft. Some are older, some are new build. Most are spectacular IMO, and many are under $600K, some even under $500K.

There are not value options west of Pasadena that are worth looking at. West of Pasadena is South Pasadena which is at least as expensive as Pasadena, Eagle Rock which is not as nice of an area as the others you are looking at, and La Cresenta and La Canada which are two of the more expensive areas of Los Angeles.

[RogerKint]

At this point, we are sure we will rent - painful as it is to move again when we buy - we'll wait to find the right home.

Pasadena seems nice - it is similar to other places we have lived in the US - like Cambridge, Mass and the Mainline in Philadelphia. In particular, the Washington square (?) neighborhood in Pasadena seems nice. Posted another thread looking for info on Pasadena.

Haven't looked into Los Feliz and Silver Lake yet.

[JustPassinThru]

Renting at this time would be very prudent, as housing prices continue to decline. Tarzana or Encino would appear to be ideal locations for their proximity to the school and easy access to the 405 via Burbank Blvd. for the daily trip to the workplace in Sylmar.

[RogerKint]

I read that NW Pasadena is not too good. How about the Washington Square area - it is a historic district but in the NW.