Help finding LA real estate agent

[Former SD resident]

After a year long job search my husband has finally landed a job in LA!! We will be moving cross-country again and plan to rent at first but hope to buy when the right property comes along. I would like to start working with an agent to help direct us to the right location to both rent and buy. My husband will be working in DT LA and we are currently looking at the Glendale/Pasadena area or Woodland hills, but open to other suggestions (schools are a top priority). Does anyone know of a trust RE agent in LA?

[Hobie]

Can’t help you with an agent, but with respect to schools, there are more options in the Woodland Hills area. Consider Agoura Hills which is not much farther. Traffic will be a bear to Downtown so keep him happy 😉

[Former SD resident]

we are leaning toward woodland hills, but the commute is an issue. ive heard there is a commuter bus from there that goes straight DT or a train, hopefully that’s the case and hubby can use public transit and get some work done while commuting. do you think the commute will be longer than 1 hour? also, fwiw he’s going to shoot for a 6-3:30 work day.

[Former SD resident]

Is there a piggington equalvent for LA? Maybe I can ask this question there.

[CA renter]

FSD,

Congratulations on your husband’s new job! 🙂

Mr. CAR and I are native Angelinos and know the valley (SFV) very well. We grew up in Woodland Hills and Sherman Oaks, and still go up there about once a month.

FWIW, it might be a good idea to check out Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, and Burbank if you want to live in the SFV and commute downtown. While traffic to LA might not seem bad from WH when it’s not rush hour, I can assure you that your DH will get sick of the commute very quickly if he’s commuting from Woodland Hills or beyond, even if he tries to leave early, etc.

Just MHO, but if you live in LA, you’ll find that you tend to do everything in a ~5-mile radius or less, if possible. Otherwise, a 30-minute commute can easily turn into a 2-hour commute if things go wrong, especially if you’re going “over the hill” from the valley into downtown LA or Hollywood.

If you’re willing to live near downtown LA, I’ve heard that the Silver Lake area has been gentrifying. Silver Lake was seedy even when my parents lived there in the 50s and 60s, but people are saying that it’s slowly being cleaned up (will always be “gritty” LA, though), and they have some fantastic architecture, if that’s your thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Lake,_Los_Angeles

I can get info for you on agents, too. Just let me know what you’re looking for. You should use long-time agents who are very familiar with their particular areas, so will need to discuss more exactly where you are thinking of moving to.

One more thing…LA is VERY diverse and has lots of “pockets.” A very bad area can be just a couple of blocks away from a very exclusive area. You need to really understaned all the details, which is why I recommend getting an agent who works in a “micro” area. An agent who knows Glendale well will not be the right agent to use if you’re buying in Woodland Hills. It might be a good idea to think about where you’d like to live and rent there, maybe trying a few different areas and commutes before you buy.

[Former SD resident]

Thanks CA Renter. We are attactrated to the SFV because like everyone else it seems like the schools are better and you get more for your money. We would love to live closer to DTLA, but we require good schools and at least a 3BD/2BA and stongly prefer a SFH. Our budget is $675K so if it’s possible to get in a good neighborhood for that than we’re more than willing to live there. We do plan to rent initially but with 2 small kids, and the low interest rates we’d like to buy sooner rather than later.

I’ve heard good things about Eagle Rock, is that a nice area? Any others we should consider closer to DTLA? Thanks again!

[The-Shoveler]

There are good Schools in Valencia/Stevenson-ranch and Simi Valley, from these areas you can catch the Metro train direct to DT as well.

600K will get you a very nice place in either location.

As someone who has grown-up in the North L.A. area I can tell you the above is much better than the SFV these days especially.

I don’t like the SFV but to each their own.

Pasadena and Arcadia are nice and have Metro access as well.

[CA renter]

[quote=The-Shoveler]There are good Schools in Valencia/Stevenson-ranch and Simi Valley, from these areas you can catch the Metro train direct to DT as well.

600K will get you a very nice place in either location.

As someone who has grown-up in the North L.A. area I can tell you the above is much better than the SFV these days especially.

I don’t like the SFV but to each their own.

Pasadena and Arcadia are nice and have Metro access as well.[/quote]

Many people I grew up in the SFV have moved to the Valencia area and really, really like it. From how they describe it, it’s like how the Valley was before the 80s when it started really degrading.

Good suggestion, Shoveler. The public transit/train expansion happened largely after I moved to SD, so this is a much more appealing option now WRT a commute to downtown LA.

[CA renter]

FSD, Eagle Rock is supposed to be nice, but my info about that area is more dated. I’m most familiar with the west SFV and parts of North Hollywood, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, etc.
…

As far as schools go, Woodland Hills always had the best schools in LAUSD when I went there, but I believe that the Valencia area schools are better than those schools now. This is just based on anecdotal evidence from friends and the reputation of those schools. I haven’t checked recent data on it.

[Anonymous]

Glendale/Pasadena area would be a better commute to downtown than the valley. I know of a good agent in Pasadena area who could help you find a place to buy or rent.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

Hello other FS D

Take a look at Culver City.
commute to downtown by rail

Schools are good.
Great. Little downtown vibe

Best kept secret in LA.

[desmond]

Your best (and by far) only option with a $675 budget is Valencia. You will not be able to find a house in any other area mentioned for that price. I lived in (awesometown) and raised my kids, it is a well run, clean, safe, impressive city with excellent schools. There are huge freeway projects underway at the I5/14 & I5/170 interchanges along with the I5 through Bubank that will be finished shortly that will really help the commute to downtown L.A. Here is the top RE agent for that area, he is a personal freind, the top agent in California, and his knowledge will answer all you question.
http://nealweichel.com/

[Former SD resident]

Looks like I’ll have to take a closer look at Valencia. I initally dismissed it b/c I thought it looks too far out to commute, but if public transit is an option then we’ll consider it. Just curious why people say the commute from valencia would be better than woodland hills? seems like there is a commuter bus from WH that takes about 1 hour and from Valencia the train seems to be about an hour too, what’s the difference? Is the bus time much less reliable?

Desmond, why do you say we couldn’t afford a home closer than Valencia? I’ve seen what seem to be nice homes in Glendale, Burbank, Eagle Rock in the low to mid 600s, if we buy in at range are we buying in a poor area? We’re not opposed to an older/smaller home if it’s been updated and taken care of. I kinda like the character of some of the older homes I’ve seen Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank, etc.. but we definitely can’t do a fixer with 2 young kids.

[desmond]

Glendale, Burbank, Eagle Rock, for $675 you might be able to get a two bedroom one bath fixer, in a very old, probably dumpy neighborhood, with very crappy schools, with congestion that will drive you mad, etc. These areas are just expensive for what you get. I bought my first house in La Crescenta, it is nice, but now it is also too expensive. I was in Valencia yesterday and thought to myself how nice it was to raise my kids there and the city has continued to improve itself. You can take the Metrolink (train) right to downtown. Valencia is family oriented with endless programs for youth. It is very competitive so you have to also work hard to keep your kids up to the challenge in schools, sports, etc.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

other FS D –

What part of SD did you live in previously ?

We lived in San Diego for a decade+ before moving to LA. We lived in Central / Central Coastal San Diego (Clairement, then Bay Park) and didn’t want to live too far inland for climate purposes. This pointed us to areas like Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, etc (which were a bit too expensive). But we found some nice pockets on LA’s west side that are really nice places to live. You shouldn’t omit these areas in your search.

The places you are looking are nice, but to me the heat and air quality in places like Pasadena overcame the positives you’ve already mentioned.

[Author]

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