Best Place to RENT HOUSE? (Los Angeles, Santa Clarita: real estate, apartments, rental market)

[steve60]

Hi:

I currently rent a 3bed/1bath house in Tarzana for $2200/month, which is now more than I can comfortably pay. I'm therefore looking to move someplace cheaper, but am finding that narrowing my choice is somewhat overwhelming.

Here are my Top 5 criteria (in decreasing order of importance):

1. No shared walls. I lived in apartments for many years (I'm 49) and when I moved to this house I told myself I wasn't going back. This means no apartments, condos, or townhouses.

2. Stay within an hour's drive of Santa Monica. This is my biggest limiting factor. My sister and nieces live in SM, and I visit frequently. They are, in fact, the biggest reason I'm staying in California, let alone Los Angeles.

3. Lower rent. As mentioned above, I'd like to lower my rent by (at least) $500/month.

4. Nicer neighborhood. "Nicer" for me means less congested. More open space. A place with some natural beauty around it, where I don't feel like I'm always driving through Urban Ugliness.

5. Nicer House. I'd be willing to trade smaller for nicer. I could get by with a 2bed/1bath (I live alone but work out of a home office). I'd even consider renting a (detached) guesthouse, though the majority of these seem to be 1bed/1bath.

Given the above, and especially #2, I'm presently favoring a move either west or north of Tarzana.

For example, I like the open spaces of Calabasas or even Agoura Hills, but these tend to be expensive communities without a lot of small houses.

I'd also consider Simi Valley, though this seems to be at the limit of my desired commute (and perhaps not much different than the San Fernando Valley).

Right now, my #1 prospect seems to be Santa Clarita. However, I'm not sure I can find a house that meets my criteria.

A. Any thoughts about the areas I mentioned?

B. Any thoughts about areas I might not have considered?

I'd appreciate any info. I just discovered this Forum, and it seems like the perfect place to get some pointers.

Thanks,

Steve

[LASam]

What part of town do you work in? Does commuting factor into your decision-making?

[LABornandRaised]

Originally Posted by LASam

What part of town do you work in? Does commuting factor into your decision-making?

I think the OP mentioned he works out of his home office.

[JohnG72]

Move to a different house in Tarzana. Rents are dropping like crazy. Look on Doman(Dohman?) Street. Like half the houses there for rent, with several dropping rent lately.

Also I suspect you can find something small...maybe a 2 bed, 1 bath house around 1100 sq ft in Lake Balboa or Van Nuys near Sherman Oaks for around $1500 a month.

You might be able to find a guest house in areas of Encino, Sherman Oaks, or Valley Village that are sufficient in size at under $1200 a month. These areas feature large range style homes in many cases and lots of trees, larges lawns, gardens etc.

[steve60]

LASam and LABornandRaised: Yes, indeed, I work out of a home office, which saves me from having to make a daily commute of any kind (a HUGE consideration in L.A.!).

JohnG72: Many thanks for your helpful post. I didn't think I'd be able to find anything near Tarzana in my price range, but I'll check out some of the areas you mentioned.

Anybody else? In particular, does anybody know anything about the house rental market in Santa Clarita?

Thanks,

Steve

[LASam]

You should check what comparable rents are currently in your area... you may be able to renegotiate your rent with your landlord. I got my rent knocked down 5% by doing that.

[steve60]

LASam: Thanks for your suggestion, but the inflexibility of my landlord is one of the reasons I'm now looking to move. He called me recently and said that, since he "hadn't raised my rent this year", maybe I should take over the landscaping duties at the house so he could get rid of the gardener. That sounded like a defacto rent increase to me. When I pointed out to him that rents were generally going down everywhere, he went pretty ballistic (which is, unfortunately, his demeanor) heatedly pointing out that he "gets contacted by real estate agents all the time wondering if he wants to lease out the house." I've been here a loooooong time and have never missed a rent payment. I'm just tired of the situation and need a change.

I'm leaning even more toward Santa Clarita, but don't know that I'll be able to find a rental house that meets my criteria (especiallly price). Of course, this is complicated by the fact that rental houses are much more scarce than other types of rental properties.

Anyway, I'm still open to (magical solution!) suggestions.

Thanks again,

Steve

[LABornandRaised]

Hi Steve, I'm just curious why you want to move to Santa Clarita. I lived there for 4 years and it's not the funnest place to be (and that's an understatement). It's also a bit too conservative and cookie cutter for my taste. That's a big part of the reason I moved back down to the San Fernando Valley along with the fact most of my friends and family live in SFV. An hour seems kinda tight if you want to drive all the way from Santa Clarita to Santa Monica. You're going from desert to Valley to basin to Beach. That's quite a trek. My mom still lives in Santa Clarita and it's not a fun drive for her to visit me or vice versa. Consider staying in SFV around Ventura Blvd (Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Encino, Woodland Hills, even Toluca Lake and Valley Village). Lots to choose from.

[stuffavail]

It kind of depends on how much less you wish to spend.
And I agree with whomever said [why Santa Clarita!?!]
There are smaller options so you dont have to miss out on the kids.

[steve60]

LABornandRaised: Thanks for the response. As to why I'm particularly interested in Santa Clarita, it's mostly just the "feel" of the place - it seems less congested and, for lack of a better word, "cleaner". Since I walk and/or bike everyday, the paseos are intriguing as well. "Cookie cutter" doesn't really bother me, as I rarely take advantage of the eclectic entertainment opportunities in the (SF) Valley or (LA) Basin.

As for drive time, it currently takes me 25 minutes to go from Tarzana to Santa Monica (in "normal" traffic) and since Santa Clarita is almost exactly 20 miles further north (to the Valencia exit), I figure I'd probably be doubling that time, which is within my 1-hour radius. In rush hour, of course, all bets are off, but this is true where I live right now anyway.

I will continue to look around Ventura Blvd, as you suggest (but probably mostly west of Encino), though it's beginning to look like finding a "better" rent situation (price, neighborhood, house) may be difficult. But I'll definitely suss it out.

stuffavail: I'm willing to downsize, but my feeling is I'd have to save enough on my monthly rent to justify pulling up stakes and moving. I live pretty close to the "heart" of the SFV, and finding what I'm looking for may be a pipe dream.

But the search is on!

Thanks again,

Steve