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Old 01-27-2018, 05:53 AM
 
Location: Where the sun always shines
2,170 posts, read 3,291,126 times
Reputation: 4501

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkinAz View Post
Having lived in LI, and LA and NYC as well - if you have a school age children you'd better budget for Private Schools in LA. The LA Unified district is at it's best, mediocre. At worst, it's dangerous for the students and teachers. Bussing to insure "fairness" in the districts mean that the areas that pay the highest property taxes end up having their kids shipped off to distant (and sometimes in the ghetto) schools. The world famous area of LA called "Bel Air" is merely a neighborhood in LA and not a separate city of it's own. The houses in Bel Air start at about 3-4 million and go up rapidly. A 3 million dollar home is considered a "starter" home in that lofty area. (Zip code 90077). Parents living in Bel Air can afford the best private schools and almost all of them do so - out of necessity - because they are in the LA school district and the schools their kids would go to are often in unsafe areas their parents would be afraid to drive through at night! Many of the "underprivileged' kids can't read or write even by graduation from HS! However the public schools keep promoting them regardless of lack of competency in core subjects! The Catholic Schools in LA offer a decent option starting at about $7000 for grade school. The high end private schools will cost you 20-40 k per year, per child, depending on grade level, etc. Scholarships are available if you do not make the kind of money it takes to pay that lofty tuition. HOWEVER, a little known fact is that Many of the most costly and top rated private schools have 50% or more of their students receiving financial aid, ranging from a few thousand per year up to a full ride, including tuition, books, fees, after school activities, etc. Most of those top rated and costly private schools have HUGE endowments and trusts that are used in part to fund many students there on full (and I mean full) scholarship. But forget about public schools in LA unless you want to deal with drug addiction by 5th grade and pregnancies even sooner! The exception is the Beverly Hills School District which is its' own entity separate from LA school districts. Beverly Hills public schools are top rated among the national ratings for public schools. However you have the cost of renting or buying in one of the most costly areas in the entire nation to contend with. The "entry price" for a single family home in Beverly Hills - not up in the hills but in the "flats" of Beverly Hills, can now be approaching 2 million or more. Check zip codes 90211 or 90212. Forget about 90210 (thats the zip for Beverly Hills Proper and into the real hills) unless you have piles of cash for an immense downpayment and an income of half a million per year or more. A large condo in Beverly Hills can go for 1.9m and up. LA proper is somewhat cheaper but not by a lot if you want to live in LA itself and avoid a ghetto areas, too. If you're going to live in the city, then I assume you don't want a 90 minute commute to get home each day. For many that's their only option because they do not have the cash for a downpayment of over 20% of the homes sale price and many, even then cannot get a mortgage once the bank factors in taxes, insurance, and utilities. Friends of ours in LA have house payments of over $18,000 per month and they put 2 million down on a four million dollar home! Taxes are 1.30 percent of your most recent sale price per year. Insurance can be from .5 to 2 percent of the value of the house per year. LA is NOT CHEAP. Not by a long shot. And unless you can afford Beverly Hills, private schools are nearly a necessity, not an optional nicety. People selling a home in the NYC tri-state area can usually manage the move to LA and even buy another home there. Others, coming from far less pricey areas like Ohio or the "rust belt" are totally in shock when they realize what it takes to live decently and enjoy life with all that the LA area has to offer. Be sure to explore your options. Many large companies who move employees into and out of LA often will offer tax free loans for as much as 50% of the cost of a home in LA to the employee. No payment, no interest due. You repay the loan when you sell the house. Lot's of people who can get such a perk have made serious money as the LA Market seems to keep on spiraling upward. Even the crash of 2008 didn't knock the lofty prices down by much. The suburbs got murdered in price drops during the crash, but the LA West Side, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills barely noticed it happening. The over 3 million dollar but under five million dollar homes took a hit - but even then it wasn't anywhere the huge drops other areas endured. And by 2010 they were back to previous levels and have since gone way above their 2008 prices before the crash happened. If you can get an interest free loan for 40 or 50% and you don't buy way the hell over your head, you could stand to make a LOT of money over 3-5 years of owning in LA. Sorry to ramble but I've been through that mill 2-3 times moving in and out of LA. My duplex in Hancock Park area of LA (zip 90036) that I bought for 975k in 1997 is as of last sale a year ago, going for 2.7 million. Even in 2009 after the big "crash" it sold for 1.9 million then! Damn I wish I'd kept it and rented out both units. Back then it was possible to break even doing so. Today unless the house is more than 50% paid off, you can't break even on rent, taxes and overhead even at 4500 per month per unit! And that's about what they're renting for, today. Guess I've given you a bit to consider. Wish you luck - and at least you will know something of what it's really like to live there. And yes, it can be truly wonderful. But LA has quickly become one of those places like NYC where it's hard to justify the overhead unless you're bringing in the kind of income where you can truly afford the good, protect yourself and your family from the horrors that exist there, and take advantage of all it has to offer from museums, to theatre, to the film industry and more. Just know it does not come cheap and the weather is nice, but the threat of earthquakes and fires is never far from your reality when you live there. n
Paragraphs are your friend. LMAO

OP, I lived in NYC and my best friend still currently has a home in Suffolk county.
You were honestly a bit too general. All of Long Island is not white for starters.
2)You sound unhappy now, did you buy that house impulsively? Just asking b/c buying a house is a huge decision and I would guess much thought goes into it so you don't regret the decision in 2-3 years.

You had good suggestions for school districts. Anything by the Grove is LAUSD, which overall is not too good although small pockets are. But those are in the really expensive living areas.

Also, I don't think you listed a budget. Are you able to spend 2K per month and still pay the mortgage on the Long Island home.

To those suggesting Atlanta, that suggestion needs to be thrown out. I've been there recently due to family relocating there, and if someone wants to live in LA, Atlanta is not a good alternative. Very different demographics; life is not too lively once you leave the main part of the city, and yeah housing overall is cheaper than here, but generally so are wages. And to live in a nice area not too far away from the main work hub will not be cheap, only if you are out in the sticks. Cheap housing isn't everything.
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Old 01-27-2018, 07:55 AM
 
6,039 posts, read 6,019,953 times
Reputation: 16753
Quote:
Originally Posted by Millenia98 View Post
Thanks. Not looking to buy in LA at this time. I’d like to rent for a few years and see how it goes (for flexibility). We already own here in NY- I don’t need that there too.

Just looking for that different lifestyle, I think. I want to meet families and Moms at rooftop apartment pools and other community outdoor things. You can’t find a pool in Long Island to save your life (just as one example). I want to attend festivals at The Grove year round and go to farmers markets. I want to work in LA and live in LA.

The only thing that’s concerning is the schools. I need to rent in a good school district, but I’m ready for this different lifestyle. Oh, NY.
This is all over the place, hard to tell what you're legitimately assuming happens out here.
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Old 01-27-2018, 10:09 AM
 
908 posts, read 1,292,940 times
Reputation: 1196
I'm not sure if moving out to an LA suburb is going to fix the issues you're bringing up. Most of the nightlife and activities are in the core of the city, which is mostly expensive and for the most part, geared more than young, single folks than families. Your best bet is to live in a suburban area which is still fairly close driving distance to amenities. For instances, areas such as the southern part of San Fernando Valley, or adjacent cities to LA such as Glendale and Burbank are close to nightlife, entertainment, nice restaurants, etc.

Also, if you decide to live in the city of Los Angeles proper (which includes the San Fernando Valley), unless you are in one the very expensive areas where you can find good elementary/middle public schools for your daughter, the public school system is subpar to put it nicely. You have to potentially factor in private school if you aren't in an area with good public schools. You also have to consider where your job will be. The last thing you want is to find a nice suburb that happens to be far from your job and then you're spending over 2 hours/day in traffic.

What is your budget to rent an apartment or buy a home? That will determine what areas you can reasonably afford.
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Old 01-27-2018, 10:48 AM
 
428 posts, read 966,121 times
Reputation: 168
Quote:
Originally Posted by Commonproject View Post
lol didn't read
I did! I read all of it. Thank you
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Old 01-27-2018, 11:10 AM
 
428 posts, read 966,121 times
Reputation: 168
Quote:
Originally Posted by socal88 View Post
I'm not sure if moving out to an LA suburb is going to fix the issues you're bringing up. Most of the nightlife and activities are in the core of the city, which is mostly expensive and for the most part, geared more than young, single folks than families. Your best bet is to live in a suburban area which is still fairly close driving distance to amenities. For instances, areas such as the southern part of San Fernando Valley, or adjacent cities to LA such as Glendale and Burbank are close to nightlife, entertainment, nice restaurants, etc.

Also, if you decide to live in the city of Los Angeles proper (which includes the San Fernando Valley), unless you are in one the very expensive areas where you can find good elementary/middle public schools for your daughter, the public school system is subpar to put it nicely. You have to potentially factor in private school if you aren't in an area with good public schools. You also have to consider where your job will be. The last thing you want is to find a nice suburb that happens to be far from your job and then you're spending over 2 hours/day in traffic.

What is your budget to rent an apartment or buy a home? That will determine what areas you can reasonably afford.
You're right. I just want a more lively environment, and maybe LA suburbs wont do the trick. I just find it so much closer than NY suburbs to Manhattan. Takes me 2 hours each way. By the time you commute, you have no energy for anything.

I suppose I really need to start with the job thing if it matters that much for commuting purposes. I hate to center my living on a job though, but I guess I can start there.

We will rent out our house and have additional income. But we are not interested in buying a house there. Only renting at less than $2800 if possible. I'm not factoring in private school though, but we do pay $800/month now for my daughter's nursery school now.
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Old 01-27-2018, 01:31 PM
 
Location: San Fernando Valley
240 posts, read 237,995 times
Reputation: 237
OP - I think people keep giving you house prices for buying instead of renting because it's a little easier to compare cost of living for your current home to about what you'd be getting for the same here. If your house was $600K there (and/or my guess is that your income might support a $600K mortgage here)... then EVENTUALLY if you sold/bought at $600K, that would put you in a decent, very starter neighborhood. To be in your desired area by Santa Monica, renting or buying for a 2 bedroom is going to be much more expensive than $2800. Santa Monica is the #1 Most expensive neighborhood in LA - even more expensive than Beverly Hills at this point. Your best bet will be either more for your money in the valley or spending a little more and staying in the Westside.

I actually think Burbank might be an option for you though. You said before you liked Burbank and there's a ton of kid or date friendly spots/restaurants/points of interest in Burbank/Studio City area. I have a kid in the same age group as well and we hang in that area all the time with her. I still don't think you could easily find a $600K or a $2800/mo budget there... but maybe something affordable nearby would work.

But definitely, start with jobs. The key is commute and I think that would determine a lot of this for you.
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Old 01-27-2018, 05:17 PM
 
10,681 posts, read 6,072,309 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryanms3030 View Post
all of LA is like a Long Island suburb
Except Hollywood KTown DT, etc.
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Old 01-27-2018, 06:19 PM
 
Location: DC
20 posts, read 29,116 times
Reputation: 84
Quote:
Originally Posted by Millenia98 View Post
You're right. I just want a more lively environment, and maybe LA suburbs wont do the trick. I just find it so much closer than NY suburbs to Manhattan. Takes me 2 hours each way. By the time you commute, you have no energy for anything.

I suppose I really need to start with the job thing if it matters that much for commuting purposes. I hate to center my living on a job though, but I guess I can start there.

We will rent out our house and have additional income. But we are not interested in buying a house there. Only renting at less than $2800 if possible. I'm not factoring in private school though, but we do pay $800/month now for my daughter's nursery school now.
Honestly if you're too tired to do anything after a two hour commute to NYC then I don't know how moving to LA is going magically solve your problems. Where you currently live actually has decent nightlife for Long Island. You could have lived in Brooklyn or Queens if you wanted a more lively environment closer to Manhattan. Nobody moves to Nassau or Suffolk county for the nightlife they move there for the schools, otherwise it's pointless to pay the high property taxes. I get the weather it sucks half the year but if you can't have fun in NYC then just adjust to the life of being a parent and have fun when you get the chance.
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Old 01-27-2018, 11:46 PM
 
823 posts, read 1,048,086 times
Reputation: 2027
Do it. Life is too short for shoulda, coulda, woulda.

As an accountant, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting a job, and you should be able to get one on the Westside. Not sure about your husband, don't know much about corrections work in LA. There's the county jail (shudder) in DTLA but I think most of the other facilities are out in the desert, Antelope Valley way. Maybe other law enforcement related work?

You can find a two bedroom in Santa Monica for $2800. The more you can stretch the budget, the more you'll get in the way of space and amenities, but you can find 2 bedrooms for $2800. You can also look at other parts of the Westside for the same kind of money. Look at apartments.com or padmapper to get an idea of prices.

Don't get too freaked out about the schools. The SMMUSD schools are fine (although some are more fine than others). If you work in Santa Monica but live in LA, you get priority for an interdistrict permit for your child to go to SMMUSD schools.

LAUSD, you need to take each school on a case by case basis. The LAUSD elementary schools on the Westside are generally fine. I would be ok with sending my kids to any of: Beethoven, Walgrove, Short Ave, Mar Vista, Grandview ( which also has Spanish immersion program), Coeur D'Alene, Clover Ave, Warner Ave, Kenter Canyon, Playa Vista, Broadway (which has both Spanish and Mandarin immersion). The elementary schools have really improved over the last 5-8 years. Many people simply can't afford private schools, so parents have put the effort in and built strong learning communities at their local public school.
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Old 01-28-2018, 02:06 PM
 
428 posts, read 966,121 times
Reputation: 168
So All - what about Orange County? Am I going to feel exactly as I do about Long Island except for the amazing weather?

Orange County seems to have AMAZING public schools. LA has all of 1 or 2. I really love the LA experience though. But will I hate the move to OC Instead?
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