Moving to LA at some point

I got a new job in Culver City in Los Angeles recently. I don’t have to move until sometime next year after they determine covid is over, but I would rather go now as a young single guy.

I’ve visited LA over a weekend once a decade ago. Was wondering if anyone from the area has any tips on housing (rent/buy), good food areas like Korea town, best neighborhoods to live in, type of place I would need with a 4Runner, gas prices, car expenses—I hear CA charges taxes up the ass for cars, etc.

 

Everything is expensive in Cali. Insurance, registration, gas and housing. My suggestion to you is save money, stay where you’re at and move when you actually need to move. Your wallet will thank you.

 

Welcome to the best city in the states!! It's true we pay a ton in taxes, and much of that imposed on vehicles, but the pros of living out here is pretty much an endless list (i.e. incredible food, geography, weather, people, etc.). As a young single guy, which I no longer am , there is no shortage of fun partying to do in a multitude of different areas of LA county, and there are more and more gastro pubs and breweries opening up all the time. Speaking of which, you'll be a short drive to incredible beer in San Diego and wine in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, but this reply is already getting too long...

I'll focus on living mainly since that is such a big item, but feel free to message me if you have any other questions, although I don't know everything about every area. Mainly, I would recommend trying to find something where you're working, in Culver City. It's a town that has seen a lot of development/attention in recent years and is a cool spot to be in as far as having fun. For the same reason, it will not be the cheapest place you can rent/buy, although perhaps it will balance out w/ not having a typical LA commute (usually 30min-1hr). You'll also be fairly close to the beach!! I grew up in this town, so commuting/traffic just rolls off my back, and if that sounds like you too, you might want to look at other fun areas like Pasadena, or if you like the beach, maybe even Santa Monica. Friends I've had that have lived there have loved it, but again, very expensive. Lots of people in the last few years have gone to more "gritty" areas that have slowly gentrified w/ great restaurants and bars and such, and if you're interested in that, I would recommend looking in Highland Park and surrounding area. You'll be near Dodgers Stadium and downtown. As I'm writing this I realize that you should really try to figure out what kind of a vibe you would most enjoy, because it's true that LA is vast, and getting from one side of town to another is not as simple as it might be in other towns. Therefore, if you see yourself enjoying the beach more, you should look in those areas, and if you are more of a downtown vibe kind of guy, you should be looking at HP as I mentioned above, or maybe even Glendale or Alhambra and San Gabriel (these last three should be more affordable b/c farther). Again, so much more to say.

Last thing I'll mention is if you plan on staying out here a good while, you should definitely try to buy as ASAP. This is more of a married old guy to single young guy tip, but the sooner you can get into the equity game (responsibly, of course) and stop paying rent, the better. This is something I'm unfortunately just learning through our own buying, but I don't think anyone would deny that one of the best avenues to wealth/stability in this country is through property. Again, if you can do it safely.

Obviously, all of this is just my own opinion/experience, and do take into account the current COVID situation.


MW

 

I own in LA and honestly wouldn't recommend it at all. Even total dumps and cheapo track housing in the suburbs START at half a mil. There's just no incentive to own; especially if you are young, single, and this may be a temporary move.

"bUt OwNinG iS aN iNvEstMeNt! wHy pAy FoR a LaNdLoRD's MoRtGaGE?" is a horseshit argument. You can rent, and put the money you save into assets with far better return (and liquidity). Even if a monthly mortgage payment is "the same cost as rent", you'll still save money on realty costs, bank interest, maintenance, repairs, property taxes, and insurance. People are fond of saying that renters are throwing money away, but have no problem paying a bank $300K for holding onto their deed for thirty years.

I'm not saying owning a house doesn't make sense for some people, but it sure isn't for everyone. And it rarely makes sense in LA.

 

I wish anything started at half a mill where I live lol

 

Absolutely. Not for everyone, and certainly not easy to do in an area that is actually worth it and will increase in value. It's a big question that will depend on H4yd3n's long-term plans, income for new job, etc. I've just seen it be a game-changer for people around me, including my brother-in-law who did buy when he was young and single.

MW

 

Thankfully I’ll be working for a tech unicorn that pays much more than I make currently in the army, but after CA taxes I’ll probably be left with not that much more take-home pay lol.

For me the biggest draw is the lifestyle. I’m bored out of my mind as a life-long east coaster. I’m looking forward to the perfect year-round weather, food, and the womenfolk.

But yeah the home prices in the area are definitely very high. I may need to consider just getting a luxury condo vs a very high mortgage for a tiny run-down $750,000+ single family house.

 

Don't.

 

Sounds you're going to dig it! Beach life in the summer, snow in the winter, camping/off-roading all year-round, and always something new to eat/drink. Hope you have a nice transition.

MW

 

Live as close to work as you can afford.

Traffic sucks in LA.

 

I bought a 3-bedroom home on a double lot in a town with almost zero crime a few years ago for $120k. I'm 30 minutes from the wilderness and thousands of miles of trails. I have a 14 mile commute and haven't seen road rage in years.

Took me 45 minutes to get to this camping spot next to a creek on Saturday. No fees, no reservations needed, and no one camped within a mile. I brought my girlfriend who grew up in California and was incredulous that we could simply drive into the mountains and find a premium camping spot with no reservation or having to pay anything. Freedom is awesome.

 

I’m beyond jelly right now. 120 wouldn’t get me a bedroom where I live lol

 

I lived in Hermosa Beach for a while and commuted to SM. It was about an hour and change each way...14 miles : (

Hermosa is really fun and while expensive, it is a super active, young, fun place to live. I think if you live anywhere in the South Bay (redondo, hermosa, el segundo) you will really dig it.

LA has it pros and cons.

I also lived in Santa Monica, it was OK. But there were reason I moved.

Culver is cool too, you are just far from the water. So depending what you want, you have a lot of great options.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Where in the Pacific North wet are you ?

 

On the Idaho/Washington border.

I grew up in this area and moved away due to military, then chasing a redhead. I've lived all over the US and I prefer it here.

 

Do you own firearms? If so, not a friendly place. I'm a CA native in the PNW. Just sayin'.

 

Then I take back the Pacific North wet comment, you live on the dry/sunny side of the Cascades. I lived in Olympia for awhile and it is real wet there.

 

Just chimin' here. I'm also on the dry side of the Cascades. Central OR. A buddy once told me "Don't move up there, it's always rainin'". HAH, not in the high desert. Snow ... that's a whole 'nother thing. LOL!

 

I heard that, we did not get much snow in Olympia but damn we got a shit load of rain.

 

Nice! I'm in Hermosa too.
I grew up in Nor Cal in the foothills and liked it a lot but I love the beach and SoCal. Like others said it has a lot to offer but is very expensive. We had a few friends move here and struggle with their commute. I would recommend renting at least for a bit. That way you can really see where you want to be. Maybe you want to live in a certain area and are ok with commuting to work or the opposite.

 

When we moved to Calif from Ohio 4 years ago we sold our 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 3 story w/ finished basement, brick house that backed up to a golf course, and had two garages on premises... for what we had paid for it 4 years before that...

$93,000 ---->



Now, even in extreme rural norCal, $93,000 wouldn't buy a closet in a skid row cum dump. Decent small house here is $350-$400k. We rent a 2 bedroom house valued at $380k, for $1200/mo, which is 3x my mortgage payment back home. Obviously LA, SF, etc are a thousand times worse.

At least we're paid better than in Ohio... plus the mountains are right there, and the ocean is right there... so there's that... financially we're actually in a slightly better place out here even factoring in higher CoL, taxes, etc.

 

Yeah the environment, weather, lifestyle and happiness are the most important things in life. Why suffer from awful Midwest weather if you don’t have to?

 

For some of us, liberty and freedom are the most important things in life. Sadly, most Americans now value material things and pleasures of the flesh over liberty, hence the mess we're currently in.

But, politics aside, I've lived in San Diego and spent time up near Fresno. California is a beautiful state that is being controlled by insane and immoral people. It's a shame.

 

Lol. Ok tough guy

 

Don't burn any bridges when you leave because you will probably want to go back. Pretty much the only folks moving to Cal now are the ones that don't know any better. Everyone I know here wants to leave. Everyone. If you are lucky enough to have a job (and many don't) they tax the crap out of you and give it away to people who don't even try to work. Bloated and slow government. HUGE lines for everything. Need to buy a $5 day pass just to go wheeling in the forest. Super high utilities. They mandate no water or drought type landscaping and then approve 400 unit apartment buildings with 450 toilets to flush....because more people packed together = more taxes they can waist. Every tax increase or "bond" measure on every ballot passes every year because most people that vote have nothing or very little so they don't care. Most restricting vehicle smog requirements in the country. Crowded and polluted beaches. Crowded mountains. Crowded lakes. Deserts are OK but getting to them on a popular weekend is a nightmare. Now they have rolling power outages because the power companies can't keep up. Crime and homeless populations the lead the country. Other bogus environmental scams ensure we get the crappiest paint for our cars and the crappiest fertilizer for our lawns. Hell, in LA county you can't even buy a freaking orange tree to plant in your yard. Seriously, no nursery will sell you one. Emergency rooms are ALWAY packed full. Building codes and permits are petty and outrageously expensive and it takes at least a full week to get an inspector to show up to look at the work. So every job takes six times as long as it should with more down days waiting that actual work days. You will for sure be involved in a traffic accident at some point, maybe several and for sure at least one of those will be with an unlicensed and un-insured driver, usually with no job or assets so you will be on your own. I'd have been gone a long time ago but I have too many strings in finances, medical, family etc keeping me here. Even if I got divorced and moved away there are still things I can not escape that would force me to come back here one and off for at least the next decade, maybe longer.

But this is just one guy's opinion. I've only been here 50+ years. YMMV.

But yeah, we have great weather.

Welcome to Kalifornia.

 

What did I say that warranted an insult?

 

I mean, I like pleasures of the flesh

 

I'm no California apologist. Much of what you say is not inaccurate. But then you have to go and shit on all your valid points with your closer: "Kalifornia". "Kalifornia" is kissing cousins with that other nugget, "Kommiefornia". Uttering either one of them immediately discredits the utterer.

Extreme Northern California is a good bit different from soCal and the population centers, though we're well and truly fucked since we can never muster enough votes to overcome 8 million people in LA. That said, you take the good with the bad and hope there's more good... and if you don't like it here, there's the fucking door.