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Old 05-26-2007, 05:36 PM
 
Location: Penn
18 posts, read 116,616 times
Reputation: 12

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Hi,

myself and family (spouse and one 5-yr kid) are thinking of relocating to Los Angeles county (or perhaps Orange County) this summer. We currently live in Southeast Penn, in nice, safe and boring suburbia....

We will have to make do with an annual income of around 110k - we can afford to buy a house up to a limit of 600k - we are ok with a 3/2 (or 2/2) townhome or condo.... we realize we have to be realistic moving to Socal and have to scale down....

Our top priorities (in that order) are finding a place
- where we can be near like-minded spiritual (eastern/alternative/yogic), open-minded, friendly people.... don't necessarily need to live in that place.... but near to it ....
- good, safe community with decent schools
- a reasonable commute to places where hi-tech jobs might be available (jobs for the future; for now, it will be mostly telecommute or travelling to my company in Penn)
- outdoor activities....

We are currently considering Calabasas, Manhattan / Hermosa Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes and Irvine.

Reasons:
Calabasas: nearer to the alternative lifestyle hub of Santa Monica (weekends/special days), safe community, decent schools, affordable for us (saw online 3/2 townhomes less than 600k), outdoor activities .... drawbacks are long commute to LA and Santa Monica (weekdays) in case of a job there....

Manhattan/Hermosa beach: like-minded people, safe community, decent schools., centrally located ... drawbacks - seems out of range for us as far as housing goes....

Irvine: safe community, decent schools, tech hub.... drawbacks - culture.... and distance from Santa Monica and South Bay....

RPV : safe community, decent schools, nearer to North OC /Cerritos (tech jobs), outdoor activities .... drawbacks - a bit isolated.... cost of housing.... not sure can find anything is our range....

So, as you can see, we are a bit confused.... not sure where to move to at the moment....

Any ideas / positive suggestions would be greatly appreciated....

Are there any other towns that we should consider in the area?
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Old 05-26-2007, 10:41 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
644 posts, read 3,320,902 times
Reputation: 338
$600K is not going to get you a house in Manhattan, Hermosa, or Palos Verdes. Maybe a small condo in Irvine. You've picked some areas that are pretty spread out. Do you know where you are going to be working? Most people take a job into consideration first and then look for nearby areas to live in. $110K salary is not a lot for a family of three. Are you sure SoCal is an area that you want to live in? Have you been to visit?


Artie
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Old 05-26-2007, 11:13 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati
1,749 posts, read 8,337,824 times
Reputation: 784
110k is fine for a family of 3 to live on. Like Arti said, look for a place to live relative to your employment...or you'll spend half your life in your car. My best suggestion if you can't come out here prior to your move is to look on craigslist under sublets and get a landing spot for a bit so you can get to know the city before you buy something. There are areas you can buy a 3 bedroom house or nice townhome in the 600's but you'll need to adjust your areas. Typically the west side and beach cities are more expensive.

RPV-Sparkling clean with a fresh ocean breeze, takes forever to get to work unless you live on the hill. You can get grocieries, gas and all the necessities up there. There are some nice restaurants as well. My grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins all live up there and express fond memories of living in Redondo and having everything right there.

Manhattan/Hermosa-My personal preference is Hermosa. Manhattan has fallen prey to those who squash normal family homes and build zero lot-line mcmansions. This may not bother you, it does me. Hermosa has more to do as well. Housing is some of the most expensive in L.A. The beach, the bike path, the piers, pier avenue...it's really, really nice down there. I prefer South Redondo but then again I grew up there. It's got more room to breathe i.e. houses not jammed together.

Irvine-for what you seek, I'd cross this one off. Just my opinion.

Calabasas-in no way near to Santa Monica. It's out there. Also polar opposite to the spiritual center you seek (much like Irvine in that respect).

Your spot is out there. Good news is that there are now plenty of really nice homes in the 600's...if you look in the right places.
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Old 05-27-2007, 03:56 AM
 
Location: Southern California
119 posts, read 881,186 times
Reputation: 121
Try Culver City or Fairfax Village,Silver Lake, Los Feliz sections of Los Angeles. Hope this helps.
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Old 05-27-2007, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Penn
18 posts, read 116,616 times
Reputation: 12
Thanks for the answers so far....

I'm not sure where I'll be working in the future.... as of now I'll continue working with my Penn company remotely half of the time and travelling the other half.... I do want to make sure that I move to somewhere near the jobs for the future....

I've been to Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, Malibu, Hawthorne, Pacific Palisades, and the surrounding areas a few times.... driven through the beach cities.... though never been to RPV....
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Old 05-27-2007, 09:41 AM
 
Location: Penn
18 posts, read 116,616 times
Reputation: 12
How is El Segundo? Can't seem to find much info on rentals and homes there....
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Old 05-27-2007, 10:48 AM
 
Location: In a room above Mr. Charrington's shop
2,916 posts, read 11,077,883 times
Reputation: 1765
Default Topanga Canyon

Cost and housing availability could be a bit more of a barrier there than other areas, but if you can make it happen, Topanga Canyon might suit you.
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Old 05-28-2007, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Penn
18 posts, read 116,616 times
Reputation: 12
Thanks Cre8. Topanga Canyon seems interesting....
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