tool462

The other thing I hate about driving in LA (especially the Hollywood area) is the poor condition the streets are in. Especially after the rain, there are some near-invisible pot holes that make me want to cry whenever I hit them.

PsychoBen

All

I am somewhat on the same boat as YellowFever, though my plan for moving is December.

Some tidbits about myself:
-Single, like the social scene.
-Asian, like to hang w/ homies (and others too, of course).
-Looking to rent at least in the first year. Have to get to know the areas before buying.
-My budget for 1 BR rental is ~ $1,200-$1,300.
-I work for Fidelity as a business system analyst in the mkt department. BSA positions should be relatively common and I do not nec. have to be in the brokerage industry.

I hung out at DaRKCrow's place for a week couple years ago, so I have a decent idea of the Pasadena/Rowland Heights/Arcadia areas. I used realtor.com to do some searches for apartments in those areas and they are almost non-existent.

Thus far, I have found some decent apartments in some of my prospecting areas: SD, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, etc.

Any feedbacks would be appreciated.

webdiva

My main feedback would be...find a job first, then make all the other plans. Your happiness in the LA area will depend on your commute and where you live. Commuting sucks... Post again when you have a job, and we'll happily suggest some areas.

watermain

^ Wise beyond her years. Listen to webdiva.

flitcroft

Ditto here. The difference between San Diego and Huntington Beach is light years. You couldn't commute between the two without huge scarifices.

In general, you can pick areas that are central. In LA county you can basically live in Pasadena, LA/Hollywood, West LA, or in a beach community a bit South (Marina Del Ray, Huntington etc). Most LA commerce (at least the businesses that will allow you to afford an S2000) are located around where people want to work. If you are in or near those four spots you'll be fine for jobs and could get an apartment before a job,

Now if you live in Hollywood you can commute to any of the four of those spots as it's right in the middle...

For apartments, try Rent.com (crappy, but free) and Westside Rentals (accurate but very expensive).

webdiva

Don't forget Craigslist.org! Caveat...you really have to view those apartments before renting. I've seen some true shitholes...

PsychoBen

I work in Boston and live 8 miles outside of it. My commute is 40 minutes - one way - when I used to drive into town. Believe me, I can relate ... and I agree with your advice.

I am not overly concerned with finding a job as BSA is a pretty open-ended position. My concern is which area I should look for a job in. It wouldn't be much fun if I had taken a job and settled in a certain area, only to find out later I didn't like where I was.

My plan is: find the right area; find a job in that area; then find an apartment near work.

flitcroft

Yep, that's what I did too. Good luck with your search!

BTW: I don't trust Craigslist in the slightest. I was just looking at CL apt listing with a friend last Saturday too. You get what you pay for. The free listings there are complete garbage -- there's no disincentive to post retarded things. Too many scams and jackass landlords. For apartments, I always pay a bit more and go with a good management company in a nice building (with covered, gated parking for my S of course ).

YellowFever

Thanks for all the great advice!! I'm definitely getting a job before I move out there. I want to be sure that I"m financially stable when I'm out there. I'm looking for jobs in downtown LA. I will update you guys with my job situation. Thanks again! But continue to post any advices.

CynCrvrAP1

woodland hills is a nice area aswell to check out.its about 1/2hr from down town.