Son Moving to California -- maybe

Parent Cafe
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<p>My first born son has a job interview on an upcoming weekend near Los Angeles. He currently has a Manhattan apartment with roommates about 50 miles from our home in the 'burbs. He’s been through a phone interview, a local interview, plus a few rounds of “show me your stuff” and now they want him to come out for a 3 day weekend including actual in-person on-site interview.</p>

<p>He’s scoped out the area a little – and I just want my CC buds to chime in with any information he should know before making a big move like this.</p>

<p>He’s thinking about Marina del Rey which is about 8-10 miles from his prospective office. Wants to be near the water / near the beach. Wants his own apartment – no roommates for this adventure. Knows it’s a pricey area – prepared to pay 2000+/month. (This kid has been paying Manhattan prices. It makes me gasp.) The right studio could work. Does not need to be a 1BR.</p>

<p>Other areas he should look at? Recommendations of apartment complexes? Should he get in touch with a real estate rental agent? Do people use agents to find apartments in LA? It’s normal in Manhattan, and to a certain extent around here, but out there?</p>

<p>He owns a motorcycle (a whole 'nother thread in itself). Will that work out there or will he need a car? I understand that everyone drives everywhere – and it never rains in Southern California. My knowledge of California is limited to a week-long vacation prior to 9/11 and the Beach Boys / pop music.</p>

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<p>Except for luxury home rentals I don’t know of any real estates who specialize in apartments. There are some management companies, they may be able to help. Please note: traffic is ungodly here…8 miles as the crow flies may be a 40 minute commute.</p>

<p>Brentwood is also a great area for young professionals. (going west: Beverly Hills, Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica. Marina del Rey is south of Santa Monica). Another really happening area is the Farmer’s Market/Grove area. (Again…Beverly Hills to West Hollywood, to that Grove area…near Fairfax…around 3rd Street) That is inland from the beach…but it isn’t far. You still get better weather than the valley which is HOT. </p>

<p>If you would like I can send you a copy of the Beverly Hills Courier (although it is online I believe) which has a lot of apartment rentals.</p>

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<p>This was 8 miles from a randomly selected apartment in Marina Del Rey to the prospective office building address – so not as the crow flies, but actual travel distance. I have heard about the traffic tho – and I can imagine that’s not a 10-15 minute drive.</p>

<p>I’ll look at the Beverly Hills Courier online. Thanks!</p>

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<p>What if the crow rides a bicycle?</p>

<p>I ask because my son is also moving to LA. In his previous community in Northern California, he commuted to work by bicycle – at first because he could not afford a car and later because he liked it. </p>

<p>Could commuting by bike enable you to avoid traffic jams in LA?</p>

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<p>Technically the bike can be faster and sweatier. Routinely the Times writes articles about the dangers of bike riding, even where there are bike lanes (for instance down San Vincente to the beach)… And, depending on the office…parking?</p>

<p>And to be honest…dating? </p>

<p>I am writing this knowing full well that my kids never rode a bike. Never. They were driven everywhere and then got cars.</p>

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<p>My friend’s son, a 2012 college grad, called his folks from Kansas City a couple of weeks ago - “Mom and Dad, I decided to move to California!” “Son, did you remember to change the oil in your car?” “I’m fine, Mom!” Next call from Arizona, same conversation about the car. Next call from a deserted parking lot in LA, late at night, “Mom, I’ve been sleeping in my car. The engine gave out and it’s going to cost $2,500 to fix it. I need you to send me the money.” Gotta love it. Oh, and during one Skype call, a homeless guy asked him for money. After hearing his situation, the man patted him on the shoulder and said, “Dude, that’s tough! I’ll be thinking of you.” The mom saw this entire encounter! She doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point.</p>

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<p>We found out after S1 had moved out to northern CA that his employer offered a reloc consultant (including for locating apartments). By that time he and DIL already had found a place. If OP’s son gets an offer, it is certainly worth asking his new employer about. Depending on what reloc the company is offering, it may make sense to sell the motorcycle and get transportation once he’s there, though that makes the need for wheels a very high priority right from the get-go. However, we have learned that a number of employers in S’s area offer shuttles from various apartment complexes into work. This could be a viable option, too.</p>

<p>One can also google map bike routes when plugging in addresses. S’s area has a lot of bike commuters and he was able to find routes that avoided the heavily trafficked areas.</p>

<p>My suggestion would be to touch base with folks who work there (once he has an offer) to see what the reality on the ground is.</p>

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<p>I agree, talking to the people who work there can help steer him toward the areas where younger single people live.</p>

<p>Marina del Rey may (or may not) attract slightly older, young married couples. Hermosa Beach, south of LAX, is more known for younger single people. </p>

<p>I have suggested pad mapper before and I think it is a neat visual tool. It pulls apartment listings from craigslist and agencies and puts them on a map. It has filters for price, number of bedrooms, etc.</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.padmapper.com%5B/url%5D”>https://www.padmapper.com</a></p>

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<p>Another suggestion would be for him to stay in an extended stay hotel for a month. It would give him time to get to know his co-workers and learn about the area. </p>

<p>In our experience, we used agents to search for privately owned units (condos or homes) and most apartment complexes have their own rental offices.</p>

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<p>I haven’t heard of anyone using a realtor to find an apt in California (or the West in general).</p>

<p>I think the areas he should consider depend on exactly where his workplace is. The LA area is a huge geographical area. There are many nice areas and some not so nice areas. If you can state the general area of his workplace (ex: downtown, El Segundo, Torrance, etc.) maybe CCers can come up with some specifics.</p>

<p>I echo ‘ellebud’ on the areas mentioned and there are other nice ones as well. Marina Del Rey is a nice area and if it’s within his budget for a decent place there and it’s within an acceptable commuting *time<a href=“as%20opposed%20to” title=“distance’ - i.e. 'traffic”>/i</a> then it’s a good choice. If he’ll travel much in the job it’s pretty close to LAX which would come in handy.</p>

<p>Westwood is adjacent to UCLA so there are lots of college students living in that area which he might find appealing (or not) and he has the resources of what goes on at a large major university. Westwood is somewhat urban-ish (as opposed to suburban) but not NYC-urban. To the north of Westwood is Bel Air ($$$$$), to the east is Beverly Hills ($$$$), to the west is Brentwood and then further west Santa Monica ($$$$) so the general area is upscale.</p>

<p>Generally, beach areas will also be expensive and desirable. There’s Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Rey, and other areas. The actual beaches in these areas are very nice - wide sandy beaches good for playing on the beach or in the water, surfing, boogie boarding, body surfing, etc. </p>

<p>Google street view and Bing birds-eye views can give one a pretty good idea of these areas and I recommend using those for remotely scoping out areas including specific apt buildings.</p>

<p>It WILL rain sometimes and he probably wouldn’t enjoy his motorcycle too much when it does. It also wouldn’t be very safe. I think he’s better off with a car rather than a motorcycle or at least in addition to it. Basically, there’s around a 6 month period of very little to no rain but it does rain in the other half of the year and sometimes it can rain heavily. </p>

<p>There are some public transport options, trains/subway/bus in the LA area but whether those are viable for him would depend on his route. He s/b able to scope this out online beforehand as well.</p>

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<p>We were told that the realtors in S’s area would be useful if one wants to rent a condo vs. living in a rental apartment complex.</p>

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<p>So I have the reverse question for you. My son will probably be moving from the west coast to NYC. Would it be crazy and expensive to have a car there? And what should he expect to pay for housing? He will be working in the financial district.</p>

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<p>busdriver11: If your son can afford $1,000 a month for a space is in budget…yeah. We have several friends who’s kids live in NYC. The kids use public transportation, cabs, car services (provided by the company). If they need a car to drive somewhere they rent. </p>

<p>Our friends kids all work in hedge fund or investment banking. The kids pay a lot…The most expensive that I heard was %6500 per month…two guys sharing. My cousin pays $1200 for his part of a 3 bedroom. He has the smallest room.</p>

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I don’t know but it seems that Craigslist would be more useful. I don’t know what a realtor would have to offer in this area and would only add to the cost.</p>

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<p>S was told that the agent’s fee would be paid by the condo owner, though I am sure that fee would be recaptured in the rent. He looked at Padmapper and Craigslist – found that things moved pretty fast in those forums. He and DIL did not have wheels (except us for a few days) and had a limited time in subsidized temp housing before they had to land a place. They were not picky about amenities and had a fairly low budget, and were able to find something they were happy with. Once they have a car and are more familiar with the area, they may decide to move further out and get more for their money. </p>

<p>If I were a 20-something moving cross country and didn’t know anyone, I would be looking for communities where there are other young professionals, with entertainment, restaurants and activities I’d enjoy nearby. That would be worth a premium in rent to me, assuming I was reasonably well paid.</p>

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<p>Yes, ellebud, I think my son would be thrilled to pay only 1K-1200 for a place. He is working in tech, and the salary is really good, I think. I was afraid it was more like 3-4K.</p>

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<p>Busdriver - think $1500 to $2000/month per bedroom for a nice place with roommates in Manhattan.</p>

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<p>In CA,most people don’t customarily use agents to find apartments. However, any fees involved in renting are paid by the owner. They either use craigslist, padmapper, local ads or drive around the area they like looking for “For Rent” or Vacancy signs. Marina Del Rey used to be a hot “meet market” back in the days.
In Manhattan, I find having an agent is a must to save time. Try to negotiate a package that includes realtors fees.
This is a helpful site listing NYC apartments without fees. [Search</a> No-Fee New York Rental Apartments - NY Bits](<a href=“http://www.nybits.com/search/]Search”>http://www.nybits.com/search/)</p>

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<p>Thanks, cbreeze, good information there.</p>

<p>But…no fee apartments? People really pay fees to find an apartment? Jeez, around here, people just pull stuff up on Craigslist or rental sites, just like you said in CA.</p>

<p>I’m hoping he can find a place with other kids from his school. Apparently, this company employs a number of graduates, maybe he will even know someone to share a place with. Hopefully the companies provide information also.</p>

<p>cpn55, that doesn’t sound too bad for a nice place.</p>

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<p>My cousin from New England thinks that it is interesting that in California when someone asks us how far it is to a location, we talk about it in time, not distance (as in, I live 20 minutes from the office). I hadn’t noticed it until she mentioned it!</p>

<p>But it’s true!!</p>