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Old 01-02-2010, 11:16 AM
 
4 posts, read 5,803 times
Reputation: 10

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First time I use a forum to ask help, Hope to do it right.
We are an European Family and we will reach L.A. next September 2010 to live.

We are a couple and 4 and 6 years old and a little baby, and my concern and why I write to you guys is because of finding a house.

I dont´n want to make a mistake choosing a bad neighbor and I need at least 3 bedrooms, but my job will be in down town.

I want to live near the sea, but as I suppose it will be so expensive

I really appreciate information about where can I found family houses for rent, and which areas do you think could be good.

Maybe the best option is to rent a furnished apartment kind of oak-woods in Marina del rey for a few months while I found something better and cheeper

Other concern it´s the quality of the school depending the area where I decide to live, but I hear about a school in SAnta Monica where you can live the kids whatever the place you live, It´s that true? could yo suggest to me some areas or schools?

Thanks for the information you could give us rely hope to have success in a beautiful city in a great country as USA.

I´m sorry form my english, I do all my best.

Regards and happy new year to all
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Old 01-02-2010, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,414,573 times
Reputation: 17827
One person is working downtown. Is someone else working? Where?
What is your rental budget?
What is your housing price range?
Do you have to drivers? Two cars?

Do you have any ethnic, cultural, racial, or religious neighborhood preferences?

Here's a start on finding potentially good schools

School Performance Maps

Here's a start on getting an idea of what rental prices are across the region

HousingMaps
MapsKrieg - CraigsList Apartment Listings Mashed With Google Maps
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Old 01-02-2010, 11:45 AM
 
4 posts, read 5,803 times
Reputation: 10
Thank for your response.
My initial budget are around 4k-5k furnished first months trying to get something in 2k unfurnished and buy all in the meantime.
I have some money to invest but I didn´t found anything for my budget yet.

About the preferences, I don´t have. Just I want a secure area for the kids.

I will need two cars

Thanks
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Old 01-02-2010, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,414,573 times
Reputation: 17827
There are some public transportation (trains) to downtown los angeles. If you lived near a train station you would not have to deal with the horrible traffic.

metro.net | Transit Services and Information for Los Angeles County


Sigalert.com Los Angeles Traffic Map
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Old 01-02-2010, 12:00 PM
 
4 posts, read 5,803 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks Charles, but I used to use the car everyday,every time in my day life.
I don´t have to be in an office all the days, I have to move to meetings everyday (I hope)
Is being to difficult to find property without the train nearby.
I really appreciate the suggest
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Old 01-02-2010, 02:51 PM
 
Location: Downtown LA
25 posts, read 78,159 times
Reputation: 14
Santa Monica schools are just okay. San Marino and La Canada have much better school districts, but both are expensive and not near the ocean, but pretty close to downtown.
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Old 01-02-2010, 06:50 PM
 
Location: City of Angels
1,287 posts, read 5,009,884 times
Reputation: 672
If you have a budget of up to $5000 just for rent then you are in good shape and should be be able to find a nice rental almost anywhere in LA, especially since it's kind of a renters market right now. However, since you prefer to live near the ocean, here is a list of some of LA's seaside communities and the approximate distance to downtown.

Pacific Palisades - 19 miles
Santa Monica - 15 miles
Venice - 15 miles
Marina Del Rey - 19 miles
Playa Vista - 19 miles
Playa Del Rey - 19 miles
El Segundo -18 miles
Manhattan Beach - 20 miles
Hermosa Beach - 20 miles
Redondo Beach - 20 miles
Palos Verdes - 28 miles
Long Beach - 25 miles

Craigslist is a good place to look for rentals as a starting point. This will give you a good idea of what you can get in each community in your price range. However, NEVER pay for or rent anything site unseen. Physically inspect every home you might be interested in.

craigslist: los angeles classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Another good resource is Westside Rentals, however they charge a fee to access their full listings.

Los Angeles Apartments, Orange County Apartments, and San Diego Apartments

Since you have young, elementary school age children, you will be able to find an excellent public school for them in all of these areas. Here is a good resource for finding parental feedback on schools in each of the above communities. GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

You obviously would want to enroll your kids in a school with a rating of 8 or better. Some places like Venice, for example, only have one elementary school with a rating of 9 (the rest aren't so good), so you would want to make sure that you lived within that particular school's boundaries if you chose to live in Venice.

Hope this all helps!
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Old 01-02-2010, 06:56 PM
 
4 posts, read 5,803 times
Reputation: 10
thanks a lot for the information.
Do you know a GOOD real state agent to help me to find the house?
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Old 01-02-2010, 07:11 PM
 
Location: City of Angels
1,287 posts, read 5,009,884 times
Reputation: 672
Quote:
Originally Posted by Puig Family View Post
thanks a lot for the information.
Do you know a GOOD real state agent to help me to find the house?
There are different agents who cover these areas. For example, you don't want an agent who mostly covers Long Beach to be giving you advice on Santa Monica. The best thing to do is narrow your focus on the area(s) you are interested in and then find an agent. However, IMO, an agent is a waste of time and money if you are looking for help with a rental. Most homeowners list their rentals themselves and you can find an abundance of listings with detailed descriptions and photos on the Internet.

When you are ready to purchase is when you will want an agent.
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