Thinking of a move... does such a place exist? (Los Angeles: sales, real estate)

[ma91pmh]

Hi! Currently living in NC but we've been talking about a move to California. Obviously our money goes a long way here in the South-East and much would depend on our ability to find the "right" place... so...

Can anyone suggest an area that might fit. We are in mid-30s with two young kids. Looking for somewhere with other young families. Would spend around 1m-1.25m on home and would want to get ideally at least 3000 sq ft more like 4+, and at least 1/4 acre lot, and at least near the coast pref with some view of the ocean. Trick is need to be within 1 hr commute of work which would be Century City Zone. Does such a place exist???? I can see down in OC somewhere like Laguna Niguel fitting perfectly but way too long to commute.

Any thoughts or do we need wait until I've run up the ladder a bit further!??

[cmarlin20]

Many people in the South Bay commute to CC, I don't know of any area that will give you 1/4 acre with an ocean view for that price. There are nice family neighborhoods in Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach with good size houses and lots that are close to the beach. Look on zip for some ideas.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ma91pmh

Hi! Currently living in NC but we've been talking about a move to California. Obviously our money goes a long way here in the South-East and much would depend on our ability to find the "right" place... so...

Can anyone suggest an area that might fit. We are in mid-30s with two young kids. Looking for somewhere with other young families. Would spend around 1m-1.25m on home and would want to get ideally at least 3000 sq ft more like 4+, and at least 1/4 acre lot, and at least near the coast pref with some view of the ocean. Trick is need to be within 1 hr commute of work which would be Century City Zone. Does such a place exist???? I can see down in OC somewhere like Laguna Niguel fitting perfectly but way too long to commute.

Any thoughts or do we need wait until I've run up the ladder a bit further!??

If public schools, then work this:

School Performance Maps

Monitor this during expected commute times:

Sigalert.com Los Angeles Traffic Map as one hour may only get someone 20 miles from Century City and that will be one painful hour.

check out redfin for housing as it shows recent sales data

Using those three tools, you should be able to come up with a couple candidate neighborhoods.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think it would be difficult to find that large of a lot and house that close in (and near the beach, and especially with a view of the ocean) for that price. If you can be flexible on some of your search parameters you might find something. If you could work from home some of the time and therefore take on a longer potential commute for part of the week you'd have more options, or if you went inland, or if you were willing to go down in size. You're looking for a pretty large place. I don't know your reasons for wanting so much square footage, but one thing to keep in mind with southern CA homes is that you can spend so much time out-of-doors that your yard becomes another living space. Potentially, and this depends on your own needs and tastes, you may find that a well-designed smaller house on a smaller lot still gives you the sense of space that you'd find in a larger home, but at a lower price tag.

[ppbg]

I'd suggest Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Calabassas areas. You can find the lot size but no view. At least it'll be in a nice area. Lot size and ocean view dont go together. Thing is that it will be about 10 degress warmer in these places (valley) than in Santa Monica.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ppbg

Thing is ...

The other thing is he will be brutalized in traffic everyday. TO is an awful far commute to Century City. It would be about 50 minutes with no traffic (like 3AM) and TO to CC would have some of the worst traffic in Southern California. Same is true for anywhere in Orange County.

Unfortunately for our original poster, Calabasas and the Conejo Valley make a good second choice.

I would focus on these priorities:

Good schools
Commute
Demographics (other families with kids for example)
*
*
*
Ocean view
Big Lot


Maybe something in the northern side of Santa Monica or east towards Westwood, Beverly Hills. Second choice is Calabasas and the Conejo Valley.

If private schools aren't a consideration, then there is no third choice (San Marino maybe? South Pasadena? I'm not familiar with those places but they look like a bad drive too)

[JTGJR]

It is doable, but will take a lot of looking. The 1/4 acre with a view for $1.25 probably puts you in Rancho Palos Verdes as your best bet in the south bay. But it's probably more of a limited ocean view or peekaboo view and bordering on that 1-hr commute time. There are a few possibilities in El Segundo as well, but you'll have an obstructed view. If the view is not that important, there are quite a number of double-lot homes in ES as well. I have a peekaboo view on 1/5 acre that would fit your needs, but I'm not sellin'

Torrance and Redondo are also doable, but not with the ocean view. Not sure about Playa del Rey, but possible. Again, your toughest requirement is the property size.

[ma91pmh]

Thanks for the feedback. This is very much embryonic idea stage right now. We have nearly 6k sq ft in NC and I hate to say it but you get used to having it. It would be tough to go back down. At 3k we'd be in half. We also have good outside space with a pool we use all summer and outside seating/dining etc etc. So we have a nice setup where we are, but we are attracted to the face that California is such an awesome place with so much to see and do.

Probably the most flexible point is price. Could go up to 1.5m. After that ocean view, I knew this would be long shot, but would be nice. I figured given all the stories of supposed house price collapse that there would be some window of opportunity to get out there now and get real estate at a more reasonable price.

[BRinSM]

i'm going to second thousand oaks and environs. only 20 minutes or so from the beach via Kanan or Decker and in the 1 hour range to and from Century City during commuting hours. For that price, you will get a very nice/large house, not 6,000sf, but certainly in the 3-4k range.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ma91pmh

This is very much embryonic idea stage right now.

Also, don't forget property taxes which are like 1%, and don't forget Mello Roos for homes built after the early 1990s, and also don't forget HOA fees.

Those three alone could be $1000/month + $500/month = $1500/month.