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Apartments and Townhouses around Los Angeles

bousozoku

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Jun 25, 2002
16,598
2,949
Lard
For those of you living near Los Angeles, could you give me some advice?

I'm currently researching living around Orange, Anaheim, Fullerton, Stanton, etc. I have a house which I'm selling here, but I certainly can't afford a house there. I'm not sure what to do but a townhouse is probably affordable with a proper job--otherwise, a decent apartment.

You know the area better than I do. I don't really think that I want to move into Los Angeles and I can't imagine living near the shore because of the cost. I thought that living closer to the Cleveland National Forest seemed a good idea. Of course, it's been partly ravaged lately.

Thanks for your help!
 
bousozoku said:
I'm not sure what to do but a townhouse is probably affordable with a proper job--otherwise, a decent apartment.
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Don't be so sure. :(

I'm on the other side of LA (North & West). In our area townhomes are few and far between, and some new ones in our development are selling for over $550K. :eek: :confused: :eek:

B
 
balamw said:
Don't be so sure. :(

I'm on the other side of LA (North & West). In our area townhomes are few and far between, and some new ones in our development are selling for over $550K. :eek: :confused: :eek:

B
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I should have a decent down payment.

iBlue said:
where will you be working down there? the commute will probably be a big deciding factor in your location.
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Yes, of course, but I don't know and I'm trying to restrict it to somewhere reasonably close to the area outlines.
 
$550K sounds reasonable. My neighbor just sold his 1BR condo (same as mine) for $449K. We both bought these in 1992 for $125K. I'd sell mine in a heartbeat if I had someplace else to go.
 
rdowns said:
$550K sounds reasonable.
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Yeah, to those coming from NYC, Boston, DC, ... these real estate prices are "reasonable", to those in the rest of the country they think we're all nuts.

;)

B
 
rdowns said:
$550K sounds reasonable. My neighbor just sold his 1BR condo (same as mine) for $449K. We both bought these in 1992 for $125K. I'd sell mine in a heartbeat if I had someplace else to go.
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Considering that my current 3 bedroom house is probably worth half that, it's not completely reasonable but compared to San Diego or San Jose, it's acceptable.
 
According to the latest news, home prices in southern california are beginning to drop. Granted, the drop is only a few % since December but I think it represents a trend. I'd rent here for awhile before buying.

Also, there are quite a few great pockets of neighborhoods that are located in cities you might not presently be considering...and you might even decide that the commute from the beach is worth it.

Anyway, of the cities you named, the only one I'd recommend is the town of Orange. It's really nice, has an old fashioned town square and very pretty vintage craftsman style homes. Its not cheap there but it is a nice place to live.

Anaheim is a place I'd stay away from. With Disneyland, a baseball stadium and a huge convention center it has major traffic issues.

I highly advise looking for your abode in the recycler ( which is online here) or craigslist.
You can get a good feel for the market here. I actually found the house I bought in the recycler. It was a FSBO and was exactly what I was seeking-unlike the places my agent kept showing me...

Good luck...and welcome, California's a nice (though expensive) place to live.
 
Thanks, I haven't lived in California (San Jose, Sunnyvale) since before I was 4 years old, but even then, I noted a radical change in people when we moved.

Of course, if the area is too expensive, I could always move to Riverside...maybe not. I'd be moving to Bakersfield or Fresno almost as quickly. :eek:

I can't believe that it's cheaper closer to the shore. Someone here mentioned Costa Mesa as being cheaper than Orange or Fullerton. I'm just trying to stay as far from the mess as possible.

I'm surprised that the traffic in Anaheim wasn't worse. I was in the area in June 2005 and it didn't seem nearly as bad as Orlando. I even spent time on the Orange County Expressway at evening rush hour a couple of times and it seemed perfectly easy to handle.
 
illegalprelude said:
i would look at North Hollywood or Sherman Oaks
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sherman oaks? surely you jest. the valley [south of ventura] is seriously expensive. :eek:

you might not have to go out as far as the san bernadino or riverside area but that is usually the right direction to lower cost and still live in a decent area. LA is weird though, you can go from a great neighborhood to a total crap-heap in 10 minutes flat. (i usually recommend navigation systems to everyone not familiar to the area)

maybe the Chino Hills area, or if you prefer closer to shore, Long Beach actually has some ok priced real estate if you are willing to do a bit of looking.

just a couple ideas anyway :)
 
~Shard~ said:
$550K USD for a townhouse/condo?!? Another reason I'm glad I'm livin' where I'm livin'.
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You are fortunate in that respect. Real estate prices in and around major American cities is nightmarish and truly deserving of the term "irrational exuberance."
 
iBlue said:
sherman oaks? surely you jest. the valley [south of ventura] is seriously expensive. :eek:

you might not have to go out as far as the san bernadino or riverside area but that is usually the right direction to lower cost and still live in a decent area. LA is weird though, you can go from a great neighborhood to a total crap-heap in 10 minutes flat. (i usually recommend navigation systems to everyone not familiar to the area)

maybe the Chino Hills area, or if you prefer closer to shore, Long Beach actually has some ok priced real estate if you are willing to do a bit of looking.

just a couple ideas anyway :)
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I stayed in the Chino/Ontario area while I was visiting. It's pretty reasonable but there were some pretty ugly areas...like parts of Floriduh here. I don't particularly remember Chino Hills but I was probably there looking for In-n-Out. :D I also considered Hacienda Heights because of all the Asians there but I've heard that it's not all that nice.

I saw plenty of L.A. County and it's surprising that it's like that but it seems a lot like here. It's amazing when you have to pass shacks with tin roofs (rooves? I've never used that) to get to some really expensive homes. There was a fruit & vegetable stand like that outside an upscale development and the one two story home that you could see was right behind that building. Imagine waking up in the morning and looking out the window onto some tin roof. :eek:
 
bousozoku said:
I stayed in the Chino/Ontario area while I was visiting. It's pretty reasonable but there were some pretty ugly areas...like parts of Floriduh here. I don't particularly remember Chino Hills but I was probably there looking for In-n-Out. :D I also considered Hacienda Heights because of all the Asians there but I've heard that it's not all that nice.

I saw plenty of L.A. County and it's surprising that it's like that but it seems a lot like here. It's amazing when you have to pass shacks with tin roofs (rooves? I've never used that) to get to some really expensive homes. There was a fruit & vegetable stand like that outside an upscale development and the one two story home that you could see was right behind that building. Imagine waking up in the morning and looking out the window onto some tin roof. :eek:
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the whole area is baffling with respect to distance from the good to the bad and the ugly. if you are interested in being in LA itself and in the valley, northridge is not a bad way to go. people hear that word and think of that goddawful earthquake (it really did suck) but because of that the prices are sometimes lower... and also with it being north of ventura blvd. being north of the blvd is not terrible or anything, it is just a reflection of price and the oh-so-important 'status' of living in LA. <sigh>

it used to be that canyon country was a great way to go for afforable but nice real estate but it's not that way anymore. too many people figured that out. :p the commute is a pain from there too.

there's so many directions to go. if you are patient you can often find a steal, but it's a needle in a haystack most times.
have you thought of talkiing to a real estate agent? (i know, that is generally evil but it might get you some ideas)
 
iBlue said:
the whole area is baffling with respect to distance from the good to the bad and the ugly. if you are interested in being in LA itself and in the valley, northridge is not a bad way to go. people hear that word and think of that goddawful earthquake (it really did suck) but because of that the prices are sometimes lower... and also with it being north of ventura blvd. being north of the blvd is not terrible or anything, it is just a reflection of price and the oh-so-important 'status' of living in LA. <sigh>

it used to be that canyon country was a great way to go for afforable but nice real estate but it's not that way anymore. too many people figured that out. :p the commute is a pain from there too.

there's so many directions to go. if you are patient you can often find a steal, but it's a needle in a haystack most times.
have you thought of talkiing to a real estate agent? (i know, that is generally evil but it might get you some ideas)
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I really wasn't interested in living in L.A. outside of Little Tokyo, although Venice Beach looks wonderful. :D

A musician friend in Burbank works for his mum in her real estate office. I think it might help but I haven't gotten to talk much. I need to sell the house here first to see what I can do.
 
Ontario represent ! w00t w00t ! its within 45 mins of like 5 apple stores, the closest being in Rancho Cucamonga and its a very decent place to live if you know where to look.

We have tons of trees and are in the middle of 5 major freeways. traffic is very decent so long as you dont have to drive to or from LA at 8am, 3pm or anytime from 5-7pm. haha ! To get to downtown LA is a 30 min commute, add another 15 if your going to Santa Monica. And right now construction is booming, tons of new homes and apartments being built and its good looking and cheap. Ontario, Gateway to the Inland Empire.;)
 
tangerineyum said:
Ontario represent ! w00t w00t ! its within 45 mins of like 5 apple stores, the closest being in Rancho Cucamonga and its a very decent place to live if you know where to look.

We have tons of trees and are in the middle of 5 major freeways. traffic is very decent so long as you dont have to drive to or from LA at 8am, 3pm or anytime from 5-7pm. haha ! To get to downtown LA is a 30 min commute, add another 15 if your going to Santa Monica. And right now construction is booming, tons of new homes and apartments being built and its good looking and cheap. Ontario, Gateway to the Inland Empire.;)
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Where I was staying seemed extremely convenient. I was just off Pomono Freeway at Euclid Avenue. If my history says anything about where I'll live, it might be somewhere around that area but who knows? I'm not betting against anything but Compton. :D
 
Euclid is a major artery in my little town, except you were stuck down south by the 60 where it smells like cow. If ontario is indeed one of your choices, try closer to the 10 and Euclid, thats our historic college park area, very posh east coast type house. Beverly Cleary had a house in that area, thats where the mayor lives, half the city council... but not me, im not cool enough. I live a few blocks outside of college park, but im working on it.
 
Well, I don't choose where motel chains put their units. :D

By the way, would someone please tell me where Woodland Hills is? I see several jobs but I can't find it on the map.
 
Deepdale said:
You are fortunate in that respect. Real estate prices in and around major American cities is nightmarish and truly deserving of the term "irrational exuberance."
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Yeah, I know what you mean. I like living here where my hard earned money goes a lot farther for me. :cool:
 
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