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We looked on Zillow yesterday and there seem to be a lot of apartments that go for for $1,000- $1,250 all throughout SoCal. We could afford that. It's not much worse than Austin. Granted, a lot of apartments in that price range are studios which we're going to have to consider.
My girlfriend's brother rents a studio in Los Feliz with a pretty decent view of the city for $1,200..None of this aligns with what people are telling me online. What's going on? Are a lot of these listings bait and switch? How the heck is her brother living in a decent LA neighborhood for $1,200?
We looked on Zillow yesterday and there seem to be a lot of apartments that go for for $1,000- $1,250 all throughout SoCal. We could afford that. It's not much worse than Austin. Granted, a lot of apartments in that price range are studios which we're going to have to consider.
My girlfriend's brother rents a studio in Los Feliz with a pretty decent view of the city for $1,200..None of this aligns with what people are telling me online. What's going on? Are a lot of these listings bait and switch? How the heck is her brother living in a decent LA neighborhood for $1,200?
Maybe ask him.
You could go out there and do your research first hand.
It's probably in a bad area. For example, look in the neighborhoods near USC. Extremely dangerous, maybe not the most dangerous neighborhood in LA, but up there. Now look up the area near UCLA. Rents will probably run ~ $2500, maybe more. Certain places will also demand to see 6 months of paystubs, 3x rent prices for salary (maybe more if there are 2 of you?), and won't accept cosigners. $1200/month sounds too good to be true.
From what I've observed with studios (not just in CA), places that offer studios tended to be really crappy. Bad areas, full of roaches, whatever. The decent places to live didn't even offer studios (for the most part).
My girlfriend and I (both 27) live in Austin, Texas. She’s from California & I am from Ohio. We love it here but we both agreed that we would like to settle down closer to family or at least try living in another area before settling down. (We briefly talked about Colorado, Oregon and Sacramento/N. Cali)
In short, she doesn’t like the idea of Ohio because she grew up in Socal and now lives in Texas so she’s never experienced a real winter. She’s also concerned that it might be harder to find a good job and make good money in Ohio. With Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati all as options I think we’d be fine. As for the harsh winters I can’t really help her out there. I love snow but it does get COLD.
On the flip side, I am terrified of California. The cost of living, the taxes, the politics, the welfare, the pollution, the traffic etc. I love the geography and the natural beauty but I just don’t see us ever being able to afford a house in a halfway decent area as our combined income won't climb above 100K in the foreseeable future. I do not want to be stuck in San Bernardino or Bakersfield.
After discussing the pros and cons of each state we have decided to start applying for jobs in Socal…specifically the SD area.
As for being terrified, am I over-reacting? Should I be worried? We’ve discussed these things in depth but I still have my doubts. I guess it’s not a huge risk since we don’t have any children yet. We could re-locate back to Texas or Ohio in order to buy a house if we really wanted to.
Well I live in CA, and am terrified of TX....LOL.
You're not married, whose to say you will even stay together? If you get married, than worry about where you will live.
You also make no sense, you go on and on about your concerns about CA than you're looking to move to San Diego? The job marked there is very competitive and you pick one of the most expensive places in CA?
The worst part about SoCal is that you'll be unarmed and all the gangbangers will be armed. You will be prey for all the predators. The second worst part is the horrendous traffic.
There is a world of difference between having some illegals around you and the state bending over backwards to attract and accommodate them. I'm speaking from experience as someone who has lived in both Maryland and Texas.
Well I live in New York and I don't see how it would be different from Texas other than that there are actually more illegals there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaErik
The worst part about SoCal is that you'll be unarmed and all the gangbangers will be armed. You will be prey for all the predators. The second worst part is the horrendous traffic.
The worst part about SoCal is that you'll be unarmed and all the gangbangers will be armed. You will be prey for all the predators. The second worst part is the horrendous traffic.
We almost got shot in San Bernadino while visiting a relative, no lie. Long story short, my girlfriend's brother- who has no situational awareness, thought it was a good idea to talk crap to a Mexican gangbanger for using an inappropriate racial slur. We got chased down the street. Probably would of got some bullets fired in our direction if he would of caught up to us.
Growing up there in the 80's I loved SoCal, but it's just not the same place it used to be. Cost of living is astronomical, and the politicians are out of control. I visit friends when I can, but that's it. People are leaving in droves, I would look elsewhere if I were you.
We looked on Zillow yesterday and there seem to be a lot of apartments that go for for $1,000- $1,250 all throughout SoCal. We could afford that. It's not much worse than Austin. Granted, a lot of apartments in that price range are studios which we're going to have to consider.
My girlfriend's brother rents a studio in Los Feliz with a pretty decent view of the city for $1,200..None of this aligns with what people are telling me online. What's going on? Are a lot of these listings bait and switch? How the heck is her brother living in a decent LA neighborhood for $1,200?
It's a studio apt. Most likely under 400 sq. ft. OR a rented room.
Decent 1-2br apts, in decent areas will be considerably more than 1000-1200. I'd say 1200-1900.
In the end Socal is beautiful and relatively safe. There are a TON of things to do. However I was born here and don't plan on moving. If I was from out of state and didn't have a decent job/career, then I would be hesitant to move here too. Things (mostly housing) are expensive.
Can someone put here any movie about traffic in SoCal along the main roads, particularry from Riverside to the Ocean?
I`m used to hearing about stop-n-go drive and horrible traffic but used to think it is spoken only about LA and surroundings...Is this really because of overcrowded and densely populated Cali?
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