Hotscot

One of the issues in L.A. is that many of the young students are not native English speakers. This serves to slow things down in the classroom.

In addition, there's not so much comprehensive education, as being trained for the test.

(Anyway, in case my message gets lost in the mix, I suggest you strongly consider Orange County. When coming from the UK and without much real life experience of this region I suppose living in Los Angeles can sound somewhat exotic. But it's a dirty, rundown, crowded POS.)

Sally Redux

If I were coming for 3 years only with young kids, I would just get a condo in a nice coastal area of LA or Orange County and make the most of the nice bits.

Long-term, it's not such a great proposition.

markonline1

Cheaper than the UK, or at least here it is. 5 days a week, 9 hours a day, $650 a month for our 5 year old. We wouldn't get close to that back in the UK. I'm assuming the utility company down in LA is Pacific Gas and Electric. If so, expect to pay quite a bit more than the UK. Have you ever been to LA? Now is the time to maybe come out and do a recce before you decide.

christmasoompa

Yes you would. 15 hours free childcare, so that's the mornings taken care of, and most private nurseries around here are approx £20 for the remainder of the day - £400 a month so about the same. That's ignoring the fact that a 5 year old would be in school for free in the UK of course, but pretending s/he is 3 or 4 instead.

Bob

Damn, that's half the cost to what it is in my neck of the woods and then some. Good going!

Bob

So you're right. I just presumed when "small" was mentioned, which was presumptuous

markonline1

Ok, in my defense she's my step daughter, she doesn't turn 5 until December LOL.


That's a private sitter mind, not a nursery. Although she has about 5 kids that she looks after and schools them. If I had to pay double that, I'd be bankrupt in 6 months!!!

Alan17

4) How much does renting a family car cost? (I drive a BMW 5 series in the UK)
Leasing with nothing down you can probably get a decent German car (A4 or 3 series) for around $400/month

5) areas to live - safe family area top of the list with good links to LAX
I live in OC and commute to near the LAX area. I'd agree with others, around LAX is horrible. Fly out of John Wayne. Helps with #6 also

6) my company is talking about $3,000/month for a place - we need 4 bedrooms - is that enough?
Depends where you want. Near the beach is cooler, its near the beach, but its crowded. Huntington Beach is an area we looked at but you get less for your money.
We're in Anaheim Hills (suburb of Anaheim), just bought 6 months ago. Schools are good and its a nicer area but it gets warmer in the summer. $3000 should get you a decent place with a pool or community pool and its pretty commutable (as LA/OC goes). Other areas to look at are Irvine, Tustin and Yorba Linda which are all nicer areas with decent schools. Look up www.greatschools.org - higher the school ratings, higher the house prices

7) is the cost of utilities (gas/electric) comparable to the UK?
Can't remember. But the cost of AC is definitely higher !
One good thing about Anaheim is it owns its electric utilities so the pricing seems to be cheaper

8) does anyone have any recommendations for a relocation broker/advice company?
Nope. Never used them. But realtors around here also handle rentals. Theres lots around. Once you settle on an area then personal recommendations probably count more than company ones.

I'd also agree with the past comments. Check out daycare costs to ensure that its worth your wifes while to go to work (if she can find it). You may want to look at an area with a family environment so that theres other non-working moms to hang out with. Around here you're talking $700/month+ for a 3 year old, and daycares definitely vary in quality.

Pulaski

I sincerely doubt that, someone reporting here on BE was recently quoted about that for a Fiesta.

Alan17

From one of the local Audi dealers around here. I can post the dealer if needed but thats what they're advertising.

2013 Audi A4 Lease Deals‎
$350 Per Month Lease Special Audi A4 In Stock - Compare Models‎

Alan17

So Cal Audi's site are advertising $450/month for a 36 month lease with $2K at signing.

A bit more than I thought but not far off. Whoever was quoted $400 for a Fiesta was getting ripped.

One point though that I'd guess that that involves some credit history in the US, or company backing. If thats not available then theres always the deal that VW used to run for new expats which I took advantage of when I moved here in 2001. Not sure if thats still available ?

Bob

But is that offer available with zero down to someone with zero US credit history?

If that's the case, then it's a cracking deal...

VW still do their deal.

Pulaski

Ah, end of year specials! ..... If they still have 2013's they'll want them off the lot PDQ, but there might not be very many of them.

snj_2000

Hi everyone.

Wow - thanks for all your comments - very helpful and gives me some good food for thought.

I will investigate the car lease prices and insurance costs as my wife will also want her own car.

Take your points about the alternative areas to live - thanks for the advice. I need to weigh up the costs in those areas plus the furnished/unfurnished options.

Thanks again

Steve

markwm

5) You need to base this on school district, so I've been told. The LAUSD has a poor reputation so look for other school districts close to LA. (You'll have to research this as I have no idea - my kids are all grown up).
I lived in the city for a year or so and have now moved to the valley (Woodland Hills, Encino, Tarzana, Thousand Oaks, Sherman Oaks, etc.) and much prefer it though the temps are about 15-20 degrees higher than the city and beaches. The beaches can be cold: most places don't even have air con as you only need it for a short period every year.
6) In the valley? Might be quite tight at $3000: depends on the area.
7) Higher!
8) Try Zillow.com or Trulia.com or Rent.com. Avoid CraigsList - always feel that it's a scam waiting to happen. Or find a real estate agent in the area you are interested in.

For me, if I had kids, the school district would be the most important factor unless you can afford to send them private. A colleague here just moved to Hermosa Beach because of the schools. (I'll double check that in case I have that wrong).

Good luck!