Houses and Schools: Torrance to UCLA (Inglewood, Vista: for sale, real estate, rentals)

[ennekube]

My husband and I are contemplating a move to the LA area but have serious questions about what our quality of life will be like. He'd be working in Torrance, I would work at UCLA. Probably only making ~$160-180k. Living in an area with a good school district is mandatory. We will both have some flexibility in the hours we work (him more than me).

1. Is home ownership out of the question for us?

2. Are there specific neighborhoods you recommend?

Based on scouring the City-Data forums, I've heard Culver City, El Segundo, and Torrance mentioned but would like to know if there are any other neighborhoods we're missing and if any of you know what to expect in terms of prices for a home in these neighborhoods. Is $600K way too low?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

[987s]

Those would be the 3 cities I'd suggest. Redondo Beach might be an option too.

I do think 600k might be a little low for a SFH in those three areas. I think you'd have to start around 750k and expect an older 3+2 (~1600sq ft) on a small lot (less than 6000 ft lot)

[JohnG72]

Assuming you have good credit and a decent downpayment(20%), you can probably get approved for a loan at around $800K.

But its really up to you if you want to take on a mortgage that high, including the higher interest rates for a jumbo.

Also, inventory is really really low at the moment.......IMO, you really ought to look at renting a home in Culver City or a townhome in any of those areas(recognizing that the commute from say Torrance or El Segundo to UCLA is gonna not be all that fun).

FYI, I just did a search on Redfin with the following parameters:

Max price $700K
3 bed min
2 bath min
1500 sq ft.

No listings at all in Culver City, El Segundo, or Torrance.

1 place needing work in Redondo Beach for $590K.

When I expanded the price to $800K, there were a handful of listings, mostly in Torrance.

Personally I would not buy under such circumstances, especially when you can rent a townhome in the $2500-3500 range, or rent a house in the $3000-4500 range(assuming at least 3/2 1500 sq ft...many of the sfr rentals I saw were 4 bd, 2000+ sq ft)

[BRinSM]

there's a hidden little area near LAX called Del Aire/Holy Glen that is reasonably priced and located almost half way between UCLA and torrance. the schools are rated well and the home prices are considerably less than nearby el segundo. check the area between the 405 and Aviation Blvd in the link provided (Real Estate Search | Redfin).

[Pennychaser11]

I suggest you live close to work. In and out of UCLA will drive you nuts. I used to work at UCLA as a scientist 2006-2008. Commuting from DTLA drove me nuts. I spent a good 2.5hours/day in traffic. From Torrance to/from UCLA will be hell unless your shift is abnormal. Just pay a little more to live near work, your body will love you. Beverly Hills is a good area. BHHS is fantastic, I miss that place.

[PureHapa]

Torrance is a pretty big city - where will your husband be working? If you don't want to post that, is it north, south, near a freeway, etc? Some western-most parts of Torrance can be a half-hour drive just to get to a freeway.

Torrance has very good schools and is a safe place to live. I agree that you should rent at least in the beginning. I've seen small homes pop up now and then under $600k, but you will have to wait for them. Maybe the winter will be a better time to buy.

[Benedizzle]

Driving north on 405 during the morning hours and south during the evening hours is pretty bad. If anything, it would be better to live closer to UCLA and commute south to Torrance opposite the flow of traffic. Perhaps Culver City where there are some homes for 500-600, though I'm not sure of the quality of the schools.

[calipoppy]

Just wanted to add Mar Vista and Ladera Heights to your list (not sure about the school district, maybe LAUSD) That would make your commute to UCLA much easier and his commute to Torrance would be going against traffic.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

Just wanted to add Mar Vista and Ladera Heights to your list (not sure about the school district, maybe LAUSD) That would make your commute to UCLA much easier and his commute to Torrance would be going against traffic.

Schools are very bad at middle and high school level. Ladera is Inglewood school district, Mar Vista is LAUSD.

Originally Posted by Benedizzle

Driving north on 405 during the morning hours and south during the evening hours is pretty bad. If anything, it would be better to live closer to UCLA and commute south to Torrance opposite the flow of traffic. Perhaps Culver City where there are some homes for 500-600, though I'm not sure of the quality of the schools.

Currently in Culver City there are 2 single family residences listed for sale.

One is $593K and needs a lot of work. One is $599K, small(1100 sq ft), and not well located(at the elbow of the 405/90Fwy, and not far from the projects).

[ennekube]

Thanks all for the feedback. My husband will have significantly more flexibility in his commute than I will, and may in fact only need to drive to work 2x/week (and work remotely the rest). I will have less flexibility in working at UCLA. If we expanded our budget to $750K but would strongly, strongly prefer to spend <$650K, would it be wise to expand our search to Woodland Hills area? We both love hiking, which is why all that green space near Topanga Canyon is appealing, but I don't know if it's a dumb idea if quality of schools is a concern. Previous forums seemed to suggest that Woodland Hills Elementary and El Camino weren't so bad...