Midwesterners considering relocation (Irvine, Torrance, Orange: apartment, for rent, house)

[ledabout]

LA (specifically, Venice) is one of the options we may have for relocation. We are seriously considering this even though we're born and bred Midwesterners. I guess you could say we're ready for an adventure. The biggest concerns we have are:

1) We have four children, including one who is African-American (we are Caucasian). Will we look like major freaks for having a large family and/or for having adopted?

2) Where can we live? $2k/month or so for rent will probably be our max. We would prefer four bedrooms but figure we'll probably have to make due with three. That's okay as long as it's somewhere safe and clean. We heard good things about Topanga, but it's 14 miles away... how does that translate in terms of length of time spent in traffic?

3) We last lived in Chicago when we were single, so how will having a family change adjusting to big-city living? We both LOVE big cities; we just know we don't have any clue how to go about raising a family in one. Any insights or advice into this would be great.

Thanks in advance!

[BRinSM]

i can gaurantee that you will not find a 4br house or apartment for $2000 within 5 miles of venice (probably not 3br either). also, venice really isn't a family friendly area, lots of drugs and homeless in the area, not to mention the crowds. there really isn't any room for kids to play either, except maybe in the streets. venice does not equal safe and clean. housing in the safest and cleanest parts of venice is way beyond your budget. hopefully this news wasn't totally unexpected.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ledabout

LA (specifically, Venice) is one of the options we may have for relocation. We are seriously considering this even though we're born and bred Midwesterners. I guess you could say we're ready for an adventure. The biggest concerns we have are:

1) We have four children, including one who is African-American (we are Caucasian). Will we look like major freaks for having a large family and/or for having adopted?

2) Where can we live? $2k/month or so for rent will probably be our max. We would prefer four bedrooms but figure we'll probably have to make due with three. That's okay as long as it's somewhere safe and clean. We heard good things about Topanga, but it's 14 miles away... how does that translate in terms of length of time spent in traffic?

3) We last lived in Chicago when we were single, so how will having a family change adjusting to big-city living? We both LOVE big cities; we just know we don't have any clue how to go about raising a family in one. Any insights or advice into this would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Where will your job(s) be?

[ledabout]

The job will be in Venice, but we don't have to live IN Venice. That's partly why I asked about Topanga.

[Charles]

Maybe Culver City? Schools are OK but you'd have to check rents.

El Segundo? Schools are really good but I don't know rents, check www.housingmaps.com or www.mapskrieg.com

[ledabout]

I found a decent option in Playa del Rey, but then looking around this site found out about the airport traffic. So just how bad is it?

Also, if anyone could answer my questions about family size and such that would be great. Thanks in advance!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ledabout

I found a decent option in Playa del Rey, but then looking around this site found out about the airport traffic. So just how bad is it?

Also, if anyone could answer my questions about family size and such that would be great. Thanks in advance!

The closer you are the worse it would be. Normally (probably 95%) flight traffic at LAX takes off west and gradually turns south.

Where abouts is the option?

[sucrose]

Topanga is pretty pricey and competitive (it's wealthy people and singles mostly?).

One of the problems with working near the beach (unless you're very well-paid) is affording housing with an easy commute.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ledabout

L we just know we don't have any clue how to go about raising a family in one. Any insights or advice into this would be great.

Can you work off hours a little like 6-3? If so, you can greatly expand your radius of family homes within a reasonable commute including Orange County. You could even consider Ventura County but even leaving at 3PM and even though Ventura County is closer than Orange County, the drive to Ventura County is worse though you could probably get to Thousand Oaks in an hour from Venice if you left at 3PM.

If I were you (and I sort of am), I would look at Los Alamitos, Cypress, Torrance, Irvine, and Rossmoor. You can probably get a four bedroom home in one of these communities for something in the $400K-$500K range, (Irvine more like $500K and up, Rossmoor even higher). All of these places are your basic suburban community with good schools, nothing fancy, mostly tract housing, etc. but they are conventional.

Topanga is sort of "out there" geographically and literally. It is unique and it attracts a special type of person. I went to elementary school in Malibu for six years and a lot of my friends lived in Topanga.

Here's about what you're going to get for under a million:

1164 BONILLA Dr, Topanga, CA 90290 | MLS# 10-443555

[ledabout]

Well, the listing we were looking at in Playa has been flagged for removal on craigslist, so apparently it was too good to be true. Figures.

I find this process very frustrating. We're considering a rent-to-own situation because after we sell our house in the Midwest (that is IF we ever sell it), we aren't going to make anything on it. That doesn't mean we can't afford a house in the future, but we definitely won't have anything for a decent down payment. Has anyone ever done this successfully?

And again... thoughts on our transracial family and "large" (to some people) family size? Is it laidback enough out there that people won't bat an eye?

Ooh.. one thing that's a fun question and that I keep forgetting to ask. Are farmers' markets there basically year-round?

Thanks again for all of your help! It's fun planning for the future even if it's a little daunting of a task from this far away.