What happened to LA's housing affordability? (Sacramento, Torrance: houses, tax, living in)

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by majoun

When the state was planning on building the Laurel Canyon Freeway, which would have meant the destruction of Laurel Canyon, property there was cheaper (understandably because there was a major risk of it being razed). That's how it became affordable enough for the hippies to flock there. When Reagan became governor the project was postponed, but wasn't cancelled until Jerry Brown's first term as governor.

Am I right in guessing that was the period your grandparents lived there, when Brown's father was governor?

That is interesting regarding the freeway issue. I don't know the exact dates but I think it maybe have been the late 1960s? But they bought in Mandeville canyon in the 1970s..so the same issue with the freeway wouldn't of been an issue in that case since it was a different location.

I guess L.A and SoCAL in general was more of undeveloped at the time and perhaps less attractive in general, but there are lot's of issues nationwide that made housing prices rise too in other cities as well versus incomes.

[Fedekat]

The disappearance of affordable housing is a problem everywhere...

Been in our little apt (1 of 5 units) in FW for 2 years, comfortably making ends meet month to month, then on Friday, May 8th 2015 we tenants received Notice from Code Enforcement that we must all vacate due to MULTIPLE building code violations... talk about a shocker, anyhoo, we have no clue where this 'journey' is gonna take us & have been able to live vehicle-free until now, walking within a one mile radius for ANYTHING we could possibly need in this life. And by not eating out, no impulse shopping, etc... we've been fine with less than $1400 month household income, $750 of that for rent.

Seeing the current rent prices/fees/etc, is disheartening to say the least, and being told by MSC in our area that they can't help us because they haven't received their 2015 budget from the city yet... OUCH

Oh, and to those property owners out there who want to 'play' landlord, better get your properties up to code and deemed safe because being responsible for the sudden displacement of families is NOT good karma.

[annonymous0381]

I grew up in Encino and I'm 34 years old still living with my parents. A few days ago I went looking for apartments in Encino,Tarzana,Sherman oaks and woodland hills. I was very very suprised to find that a dumpy little one bedroom apartment in Encino that was built in the 1970s is going for $1500 per month. Ten years ago the same one bedroom apartment in Encino was renting for $900 per month.

I'm considering moving to las Vegas or Seattle where the cost of living is less.

Not only are houses and apartment rents high but the cost of gas and groceries is higher in LA than other parts of the country.

[True Freedom]

sorry to hear about your situation.

Have you considered moving to a cheaper city? LA is one of the most expensive.

Many years ago, I was living in a beach city rental. Rents kept rising to the point I moved inland. It hurt to leave the beach, but I was spending way too much of my money on rent. The cheaper rent inland allowed me time to go to school at night, increase my skills to increase my pay, plus save up a little for a future downpayment.

[annonymous0381]

In woodland hills near the Topanga mall new one bedroom apartments are renting for as much as $2500 per month. How can people afford that?

Unemployment in the LA area is very high.

My parents don't understand why I can't afford my own apartment in the valley.

[ashpelham]

Well, guess I'll wait for "the big one" to strike and tear the place all the way down to bare earth, then maybe I can afford it. Geez, how negative can a place be, that almost everyone in the world want to live at?

[disgruntled la native]

It's time for a revolution. An "American Spring." First target should be foreign investors, then the techies.

[True Freedom]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

It's time for a revolution. An "American Spring." First target should be foreign investors, then the techies.

This techie has: a) full home surveillance driven by tech b) a stash of weapons

[True Freedom]

Originally Posted by annonymous0381

a dumpy little one bedroom apartment in Encino that was built in the 1970s is going for $1500 per month. Ten years ago the same one bedroom apartment in Encino was renting for $900 per month.

That equates to 5% annualized price increase. Not that much higher than simple inflation, so really, that price increase is not bad.

[BRinSM]

to add on to what true freedom mentioned, tech is one of the last industries where the US is a leading force. get rid of those techies and you lose a huge part of the economy as well as future potential of the economy.