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Old 06-22-2017, 01:52 PM
 
49 posts, read 99,469 times
Reputation: 38

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanms3030 View Post
Are you going to have to commute? If so there is no way that these three places are all options

Any discussion about where to live in LA goes like this:

1. Where will you be working i.e. commute times
2. Housing budget
3. Schools if you have kids. Which includes whether you will have budget for private schools as an option
4. Saftey
Will be working at home or at one of WeWork locations, so lucky enough not having to commute back and forth to downtown. However tho, my clients are in LA and suburbs I will be needing to make occasional (hopefully) visits. That's when traffic matters...

Housing budget - is not decided yet...

No intention for private schools just yet as my kid is only a year old. Wait do I need to think about it now!? Already?
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:54 PM
 
49 posts, read 99,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
OP, what you need to consider is your budget and where you will be working. Remember L.A. area is not like DC with a great public transportation system. As for your research, it is always best to do research, but don't pay a lot of attention on what you read.

Irvine is very popular and I doubt most people are really concerned about the toxins. It is a sad fact, kids get cancer and other diseases just like adults from many things.It couldn't be worse than the smog many of us sucked into our lungs for all our growing up years. Irvine will be the most conservative of the three cities.

Pasadena will the the prettiest. As for the schools, yes, they are not rated as high as other districts, but get in the right area and you will be amazed at how good some of them can be. Of the three areas you are considering Pasadena is the prettiest. Like someone has mentioned, So. Pasadena would be a great choice, if your budget can handle it.

Torrance, I have never been that impressed with the city, but they do have good schools if you are careful where you buy. Some Torrance mailing addresses, the north side for instance, are actually Los Angeles city. i say I have never been that impressed. I just think of one sub division on top of another when I think of Torrance. Several years ago we considered buying in Torrance. My favorite cousin and family are living there; have been for decades. Torrance will be the most ethically mixed of the 3 cities if that makes any difference to you.
Thank you!
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:56 PM
 
49 posts, read 99,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by socal88 View Post
All else equal, Irvine would be my top choice.

Irvine is a very safe city with great public schools and has become a primary job hub in OC. Some folks understandably complain that the city looks a bit homogeneous since it's a master planned city, but at the same time, that same master planning means it's well-designed and well-maintained with lots of parks for kids to play and making it easy to get around to run errands, etc. with plenty of parking.

As noted earlier, if you ultimately need to be close to core LA, I would also consider South Pasadena and La Canada if they are within your budget.
South Pasadena and La Canada is definitely added to the visit list.

How are the weathers there compare to Torrance or Irvine? Because of them situated in a valley setting, does it get hotter?
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Old 06-22-2017, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,771 posts, read 104,739,062 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ijyeo85 View Post
Will be working at home or at one of WeWork locations, so lucky enough not having to commute back and forth to downtown. However tho, my clients are in LA and suburbs I will be needing to make occasional (hopefully) visits. That's when traffic matters...

Housing budget - is not decided yet...

No intention for private schools just yet as my kid is only a year old. Wait do I need to think about it now!? Already?
Interesting you mention your little one being only a year old so no talk of private school at this time. I was sorta thinking the same thing about schools period. Today's good schools could be not so good 4 years from and and visa versa. In my life I have seen it more times than you can imagine. I would be more concerned I think or was when we were buying a home when ours were pre school about saftey of the neighborhood, demographics and what type of home I want, as well as price range. If you are undetermined as to what you want or will be able to pay, your research is not very valuable I wouldn't think.

South Pasa and La Canada are going to be, at least 10 degrees hotter than Irvine or Torrance but most homes have C/A, overall utilities cost are lower than the DC area and you will not be dealing with humidity. When we first moved from CA to DC the humidity felt awful. We did eventually adjust some but never completely.
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Old 06-22-2017, 02:14 PM
 
4,795 posts, read 4,823,491 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ijyeo85 View Post
Will be working at home or at one of WeWork locations, so lucky enough not having to commute back and forth to downtown. However tho, my clients are in LA and suburbs I will be needing to make occasional (hopefully) visits. That's when traffic matters...

Housing budget - is not decided yet...

No intention for private schools just yet as my kid is only a year old. Wait do I need to think about it now!? Already?
Everything in LA is hot over the summer unless you are one the coast. I love La Canada/South Pas areas. La Canada doesn't really have many rentals and you haven't mentioned if you are looking to rent or buy. La Canada you are probably looking at min of $800k for a 3 bed house. In South Pasadena prices start around the same but that $800k might only get you a 1000 square foot 2 bed house. There are more rentals/apartments/condos around South Pasadena.

Most private schools and charters have waiting lists. My kid is 2 and I just got on a waiting list for pre school that is 1 year out already. But if you are talking about elementary schools you should have plenty of time to get on any lists that you need to.

Honestly you need to have a housing budget before you get too deep into discussions of where to live. Not having to commute will open it up a bit. Do you know for a fact that your business will all be in downtown?
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Old 06-22-2017, 02:33 PM
 
49 posts, read 99,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
Interesting you mention your little one being only a year old so no talk of private school at this time. I was sorta thinking the same thing about schools period. Today's good schools could be not so good 4 years from and and visa versa. In my life I have seen it more times than you can imagine. I would be more concerned I think or was when we were buying a home when ours were pre school about saftey of the neighborhood, demographics and what type of home I want, as well as price range. If you are undetermined as to what you want or will be able to pay, your research is not very valuable I wouldn't think.

South Pasa and La Canada are going to be, at least 10 degrees hotter than Irvine or Torrance but most homes have C/A, overall utilities cost are lower than the DC area and you will not be dealing with humidity. When we first moved from CA to DC the humidity felt awful. We did eventually adjust some but never completely.
Schools are something we are thinking about generally (like 'we need to be at good school district' level) but not immediately right at the moment (like 'gotta get in the waitlist' level). So private school is a bit far ahead of me.

What you said about the school changing in years is a good point. I definitely should think about it. For instance, DC schools are also changing rapidly, especially in NE where I am at right now.
Thus, yes. I am more concerned about the safety (security) at the moment.

So, about the housing, I do want to look into the possibility of buying but after renting for at least 6 month period. Need to figure out if this move works out. Of course, it could be sooner if a right property comes along. My thought is that we want to live somewhere where we might purchase a home. That's the reason behind my research.

The budget would be around 3-4k for 3 bed for rent. Buying would be somewhat of 800k-900k... depending on the house or my situation then obviously.

Will definitely visit the South Pasadena and La Canada tho!
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Old 06-22-2017, 02:37 PM
 
49 posts, read 99,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanms3030 View Post
Everything in LA is hot over the summer unless you are one the coast. I love La Canada/South Pas areas. La Canada doesn't really have many rentals and you haven't mentioned if you are looking to rent or buy. La Canada you are probably looking at min of $800k for a 3 bed house. In South Pasadena prices start around the same but that $800k might only get you a 1000 square foot 2 bed house. There are more rentals/apartments/condos around South Pasadena.

Most private schools and charters have waiting lists. My kid is 2 and I just got on a waiting list for pre school that is 1 year out already. But if you are talking about elementary schools you should have plenty of time to get on any lists that you need to.

Honestly you need to have a housing budget before you get too deep into discussions of where to live. Not having to commute will open it up a bit. Do you know for a fact that your business will all be in downtown?
No. my clients will be spread out thru out the city and the suburbs and I don't need to take my business in downtown.

Haven't really look into the school scenes but I guess the time is coming. Will need to bring this with my wife tonight... (who obviously is going to be so ready to discuss )
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Old 06-22-2017, 02:42 PM
 
Location: So Ca
26,731 posts, read 26,812,827 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ijyeo85 View Post
Will definitely visit the South Pasadena and La Canada tho!
As mentioned above, housing prices drive everything. Median price of a home in South Pas: $1.2 K, La Canada: $1.7 K. You're being given recommendations for those cities because their public school districts are very good (as are Irvine and Torrance). La Crescenta looks to be in your price range. https://www.zillow.com/la-crescenta-...a/home-values/
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Old 06-22-2017, 05:01 PM
 
908 posts, read 1,303,968 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ijyeo85 View Post
South Pasadena and La Canada is definitely added to the visit list.

How are the weathers there compare to Torrance or Irvine? Because of them situated in a valley setting, does it get hotter?
Irvine and Pasadena can get pretty hot in the summer. Torrance is fairly close to the ocean so not as hot.

With regards to your budget of buying for $800-900K, you can find some homes in Irvine in that price range. Nothing big or necessarily brand spanking new, but good homes. The OC and LA housing markets keep rising, so I'd definitely try to buy a place in Irvine. It's already boomed because of very good public schools with a lot of foreign Chinese buyers buying places (often all cash deals) to have their kids come to the U.S. and go to solid public schools. Same thing has happened in other parts of LA like San Marino and Arcadia.

Luckily, you've still got some homes in Irvine under $1M, so given that you've got an excellent school district where you won't have to shell out private school money down the road (which you'd have to do in Pasadena), I'd take advantage now.
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Old 06-23-2017, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Planet Earth, USA
1,702 posts, read 2,324,299 times
Reputation: 3492
There are other options in o.c than Irvine.

Also if youre so worried about power lines and cancer then torrance is a no go too. You want to live near the refinery plant formally owned by ExxonMobil? They have explosions, gas releases and evacuations once or twice a year. One day that whole area is going to blow up.

If you're thinking pasadena, why not san marino or arcadia?
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