Right now I'm looking in:
Hollywood Hills
Beverly Hills
Bel Air
Studio City
Where else should I look?
Hollywood Hills
Beverly Hills
Bel Air
Studio City
Where else should I look?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What are the best areas in Los Angeles to buy a house?
- Thread starter Hieveryone
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Really? I mean really?
If you are in the position to buy a house in Beverly Hills or Bel Air, the last people - and I mean the absolute last people, you should be asking, is us schleps at MR.
You do realize you're talking potentially spending millions of dollars to buy properties there?
Beverly Hills has a median price of $1.4m, Bel Air over $6m!
If you're truely and totally legitimate about this, we're not the folk to be asking, as for the vast majority of us, LA house prices are astronomical.
In addition, with Covid doing the rounds, there's a very real risk the a recession and a masssive drop in prices over the next 6 months.
The first question you should be asking is, how much can I afford, not where should I move to in LA.
I've already looked at prices...every single day. I've been looking on Trulia and am contacting agents.
I just want to hear from a native LA person more about the neighborhoods themselves, and since we are in quarantine forums aren't a bad place to ask.
I really like Hollywood Hills; Mullholland Dr would be amazing if I could get something there.
I just want to know which neighborhoods are best then narrow from there.
Given your various posts here, I'd have to personally wonder if you can afford to live there. You seem to have multiple Apple devices, but balk at buying coffee. You speak of your 4k monitor and various Macs but then state that you can't stomach $4,500.
Your money habits seem to be all over the place.
Meanwhile, assuming a cheap as dirt place for $800k, with 20% down that's going to be an easy $3k every single month on your mortgage. And that's just the mortgage for a dive.
I'm lucky, I'm a millionaire. My house cost me $100K 20 years ago and was paid off 5 years ago. All my money is in ssvings and retirement.
Before you look at property, consider with that first. Sorry, but when you talk about Bel Air then you're taking serious serious money - as in, you earn stupid silly money and have plenty to burn and ferrit away in tax shelters and other such vehicles.
You can’t get a decent place at all for 800k in those neighborhoods. I haven’t even seen a listing that low unless it was for land or a partially built house. I’m not looking at the lowest priced places.
I’m looking because I’m looking to buy bc I can afford it. Otherwise I wouldn’t look.
Do you know other neighborhoods besides the one I listed that are good?
Well, given the volitility were experiencing right now, I personally would stay far away from buying property in CA, even in my beloved old stomping ground of the East Bay area of SF.
Way way way too much risk unless I've got a spare $3m I'm willing to write off as a simple tax loss.
Covid is fast changing all the rules in this world. Property prices are no exception here.
If you can afford to wait a few months then I'd wait to see how this all pans out, but we've never ever been in this situation before and all the old economic rules are now up for debate.
Hot areas might suddenly cool dramatically if the major corporate players realize they can really draw from accross the country, if not the globe, and still be successful.
Way way way too much risk unless I've got a spare $3m I'm willing to write off as a simple tax loss.
Covid is fast changing all the rules in this world. Property prices are no exception here.
If you can afford to wait a few months then I'd wait to see how this all pans out, but we've never ever been in this situation before and all the old economic rules are now up for debate.
Hot areas might suddenly cool dramatically if the major corporate players realize they can really draw from accross the country, if not the globe, and still be successful.
Ok! I don’t know anything about real estate, not my area of expertise, but that makes sense.
Do prices in these neighborhoods fluctuate a lot?
I did see one house that was priced at ~6MM but was reduced to ~5.1MM which caught me by surprise. Slashing by that much feels like the owner was grossly overpricing to begin with.
Overall, it does seem like prices are all over the place.
I saw an amazing house for roughly 3 MM then some OK looking ones for 7 MM. I did not see why it would be more than double. Both were in Hollywood Hills.
I’m still trying to learn about this market...don’t want to make a mistake
Of all the places you ask this question, it's MacRumors. There are countless forums dealing with buying realestate/houses, and you come here? Most people here simply cannot afford to live in such an area, probably 95% if not more.
Considering your spending habits I have observed from past threads, you do not need a house worth millions of dollars. These threads are getting tiresome.
Considering your spending habits I have observed from past threads, you do not need a house worth millions of dollars. These threads are getting tiresome.
Low millions of dollars doesn’t get you much in LA.
If you want a safe neighborhood, and a decent house, that’s kind of the starting price
My hope is to permanently move there since I can work from anywhere
Can you DM me those forums? If it doesn’t break MR rules
Why there? You'll massively overpay on everything. If you can work from anywhere why pick a state that's damn close to reaching drought conditions again?
Why buy a piece of crap for $3m there, when $1m will get you a palatial residence somewhere else?
I saw a nice place in Hollywood Hills for just north of 3MM. It’s a “niche” home though. Dark themes throughout and pretty artsy, but a lot of homes are artsy from what I’ve seen. I love it.
I like big cities. There’s NYC, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and LA and out of those LA is the most fun for a young bachelor if you ask me
Are there anymore neighborhoods other than Bel Air, Hollywood Hills, Studio City, and Beverly Hills that are in that same area sort of geographically “above” DTLA that are considered nice places to live?
I know weho is more for new people who may be unestablished. Several of my college friends who graduated moved to weho and work somewhere in LA
What prevents you from asking your college friends? They know you better than we do. They would likely have better recommendations for you on where to live than a bunch of anonymous Q&A forum participants like us.
By friend I mean one of my exes, her friend, and her sister, and I’d rather not talk to any of them about it because they’ll get jealous and there’ll be problems. I know all three of them well, but if I ask one, the others will know
Your definition of "friends" is very peculiar.
Since my definition of "friend" is substantially different, I just don't feel that my words have any connection to your world.
I hereby bow out of this discussion.
Best of luck.
Since my definition of "friend" is substantially different, I just don't feel that my words have any connection to your world.
I hereby bow out of this discussion.
Best of luck.
Ok, I’ll fix it for ya.
My ex, her sister, and her friend (who I’m still friends with but I don’t want to ask bc they’ll get jealous) live in Weho and have jobs somewhere in LA. They aren’t established, so I know that’s an area I prob wouldn’t want to live.
Bottom line- I think Weho is out.
If there’s something about Weho I don’t know, someone please feel free to chime in.
[automerge]1586322848[/automerge]
Funny thing is, you can still spend millions in Weho, but I don’t understand why someone would when they can live in a better neighborhood unless I’m missing something?
The houses aren’t noticeably better IMO.
How many car Garage do you need for your various Autos?
Phantom/Silver Shadow/Excalibur, etc.??
My Friends in the Vintage in Indian Wells had a 16 car garage!!
Beverly Hills for sure!!
How many car Garage do you need for your various Autos?
Phantom/Silver Shadow/Excalibur, etc.??
My Friends in the Vintage in Indian Wells had a 16 car garage!!
Beverly Hills for sure!!
Im only gonna have one SUV
[automerge]1586328034[/automerge]
I also had another question if anyone can chime in:
It seems like Weho is for young people who aren’t established and studio city has a lot of people in their 20s and 30s who are millionaires.
I would love to live in studio city for that reason alone, bc it would be nice to network with young people who have “made it”
Is this generally true?
With the price ranges you’re looking at I’d also suggest looking at Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates. Nice peaceful areas away from the hustle and bustle. I like to look at the hill and wonder what it’d be like to afford a place there 🤣. Good luck to you.
It’s the more humble range of the prices in those areas. Not the ~10 million dollar homes unfortunately but maybe one day, I’m still young.
I’m targeting Hollywood Hills right now. I think one can get a decently luxurious house for 3MM +/- 500K if they shop around
I’m going to research studio city today. I’ve heard a lot of good things. I feel it’s a great area for the younger crowd. I’ve heard Beverly Hills is more older people.
Last edited by a moderator:
OP, why do you want to be bothered with a house and all of the upkeep that is likely to bring along with it? Sure, it sounds great to have a house and a nice lawn, front and back, a pool and maybe a little guesthouse, a garage for two or three cars, lots of space — but in the end, even for the most basic property you’re going to have additional expenses, such as paying for regular lawn upkeep, regular pool upkeep, ongoing maintenance of the house itself, inside and out, with roof, siding, appliances, HVAC system, in-home security system, etc., etc. Oh, and don’t forget the real estate taxes, which can be substantial, along with other federal and municipal taxes. Unless you buy a nice big and expensive house (sorry, but a million or two isn’t going to cut the mustard here) you’re not going to have much in the way of an in-home gym, so add in the costs of going somewhere else for your daily workouts at an external gym, too.
If you are currently living in a rented apartment or perhaps a condo or co-op somewhere in NYC, you are in for a really rude awakening when it comes to purchasing and maintaining an actual house and the land upon which it sits (even if it is only a postage-stamp-sized lawn) which comes with it.
If you are currently living in a rented apartment or perhaps a condo or co-op somewhere in NYC, you are in for a really rude awakening when it comes to purchasing and maintaining an actual house and the land upon which it sits (even if it is only a postage-stamp-sized lawn) which comes with it.
All beside the point - if OP could afford the sort of property he's talking about, he'd have a financial adviser to talk to about it. If he isn't wealthy enough to have a financial adviser he can't afford such a property. Even if you stretch and believe OP really is on a good salary, as he's implied in previous threads, that's not enough to afford a $3-5M mansion. You'd never get a mortgage for it even on $250K, probably even on $500K.
Right a million or 2 isn’t really cutting it in Hollywood hills, which is my target market. But around 3 there are some nice luxury houses I like.
Regarding upkeep, I’m not planning on keeping it forever per se. maybe 10 years or so then maybe move to another city.
EDIT: Actually, I saw a decent place for just north of 2 million. Like 2.3ish. But I think around 3 is will cut it
But this is my last push while I’m still young to fully enjoy the bachelor life. there is no better place than LA
[automerge]1586385124[/automerge]
Ummm a financial advisor for the guy who works on Wall Street...right
Actually, I have the impression that this, the OP, is someone who has no idea about what it involves to buy and own a house, regardless of the cost, regardless of the location, and regardless of his actual or imagined income level. And, yes, he probably also has no clue as to how much of a down payment would be required and how that is only the beginning when it comes to expenses when actually owning (along with the bank) a house...... And he also probably has never experienced the unpleasantness or the costs which can come with a plumbing emergency.....