Beverly Hills (Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver City: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[Nadia]

If I was offered a job in Beverly Hills, where should I rent a place?
I know that BH is so expensive, but what do people who are not as rich as the movie stars live?
I do not know much about the area. I am in WA State, but may end up working in Beverly Hills, I am not sure where to look for an apartment or a condo to rent, or if I should even consider taking the job.
Thanks,

[TheRealAngelion]

Depends on how much you are willing and able to pay. What's your budget?

[artichoke63]

You can have my apartment. I'm leaving.

I live on a great street in Beverly Hills. Wonderful neighbors. My place was overpriced to begin with at $1650 a month. Now my landlord is trying to get $1850. I've seen some good apartments in Beverly Hills go for $1500. You can also live in West Hollywood, which is right next door. It's a good town to live in. It's worth paying more to live in a decent area where you feel safe, but you have to look for a good deal.

Artie

[PureHapa]

Most residents of Beverly Hills are renters. What's your budget?

[Nadia]

Thanks for the replies:
This is going to be on a teacher' salary, which is not much, but I will probably work a second job.
I would rent, I can afford between $1,500 - 1,800 a month. However, this is a huge difference for me. I now live in Bellingham, WA, I rent a two bedroom/2 bath with all appliances in it, very lovely apartment with a huge, beautiful backyard for $650/month.
Before moving to this one, I rented a very large 2 story condo with an amazing view of the lake, very nice, and I paid $950 a month for it. So, as you can see, this is going to be quite a shock for me. I am optimistic, but I need to know of good/ SAFE neighborhoods to start looking at to find a place to rent. The only reason I am leaving Bellingham for is lack of diversity. I am willing to pay more to enjoy being part of a diverse community.

[artichoke63]

Nadia,

You should be able to find a decent apartment for $1500 a month, but you will get a better deal outside of BH. The laws in BH allow landlords to raise the rent 10% a year, and they don't mind doing it. It's a popular area because of the school district. You will see an entire family of five people squeezing into a one-bedroom just so they can get their kids in the schools here. You will find a better deal in West Hollywood, which is right next to BH. You can find an even better deal in Culver City. It's a bit of a drive, but not too bad. I met someone recently who found a nice 1-bedroom in Culver City for $1,000. You are better are to look around and find a good deal than to work a second job. Life is too short to spend it all working. You will find plenty of diversity in Los Angeles.

[Nadia]

Thanks artichoke63
I feel good about making this move.
I am glad to hear that the school district is popular, I am looking forward to becoming one of their staff.
I will check out both areas of West Hollywood, and Culver City online, and look at what's available to rent. How long of a drive Culver City is from BH? Are we talking 30-40 minutes or more, and will the traffic be okay?
Thanks again,

[JackSparrow]

Areas to look for on WestSideRentals.com (or real estate if that's your deal) are:

Beverly Hills (duh), Century City, The Grove area, West Hollywood*, Culver City, Westwood, Bel Air, West LA, Miracle Mile, and uhm, what else did I miss...?

Those areas will keep your commute short, and have a wide range of prices. I put a * by West Hollywood because it's a predominantly gay area. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Also, Culver City is large, and if you're working in BH, you're going to want to stay in the north part of Culver.

Hope that helps.

[JackSparrow]

Originally Posted by Nadia

Thanks artichoke63
I feel good about making this move.
I am glad to hear that the school district is popular, I am looking forward to becoming one of their staff.
I will check out both areas of West Hollywood, and Culver City online, and look at what's available to rent. How long of a drive Culver City is from BH? Are we talking 30-40 minutes or more, and will the traffic be okay?
Thanks again,

OOps! I didnt see this reply.

Use maps.google.com to plot out addresses. Then look at the drive time. I have found that Google Maps are pretty good at calculating drive time for surface streets. Just don't trust the "total time" if the route takes you onto an LA freeway.

HTH

[artichoke63]

Culver City is not too bad. Maybe 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. It's not that far away, it's just the traffic you have to deal with. But I think you should look in West Hollywood first. It's closer. West Hollywood is a big gay area, but that shouldn't stop you from looking there. The gay bars are all on Santa Monica Blvd. Other than that, just about everyone loves Weho because of its central location. It's on the top of my list for sure. You can find a good apartment on craigslist for free. Driving around is another excellent way to find an apartment Most landlords here put "For Rent" signs in front of the building.

Artie