Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
May 17th 2015, 10:22 pm
#46
Bloody Yank
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: USA! USA!
Posts: 4,186
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Hi Fatboyslick.....
Been reading your posts and replies with some dismay. They do seem to me to be a bit naive with regard to the reality you and your wife will confront here in Los Angeles.
For instance…..
Your two chinchilla pets:
These are animals whose natural habitat, high up in the chilly Peruvian Andes, dictates that they fare best in a climate which ranges between 50 - 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
I'm sure you're abundantly familiar with this - but just to remind you, as I'm not sure you've taken it into account when considering the move:
Environment - Chinchillas - Our pets
Los Angeles, with its normal desert climate, exacerbated by the advent of climate change - has been experiencing summers of excruciating heat for days, if not weeks, on end (well over 100 degrees, even after dark!)
This means, for the health and welfare of your pets, you’ll be obliged to run your air conditioning (assuming your rental will even have it in the first place) 24/7.
If electricity is not included in the rental (probably won't be), with the 1st of those bi-monthly utility bills you’re in for a major shock to your pocketbook .
But this assumes you'll be able to find a rental, at your designated price limit, which permits pets, much less chinchillas, in the first place.
And if it does - they’ll likely demand a fat additional deposit fee (you can probably say bye bye forever to those $$$$s) and, believe it or not, possibly an additional monthly rental fee for each of the 2 chinchillas. (They'll have you over a barrel...take it or leave it - can't see that you'd have any negotiating position advantage with the prospective landlord).
Downtown Parking:
This is something your wife’s employer should (*must*) cover! Otherwise you’ll be making 2 round trips, each day, 5 days a week, as her chauffeur.
Have you calculated the petrol cost for those 4 daily trips? Ideally, you should do so; then compare it to the monthly parking rate at a downtown garage. Of course you can't do that 'till you know the actual driving distance. (catch 22)
And what happens once you do start working? Then she’ll have no choice but to start paying out of pocket for downtown parking!
Los Angeles Parking Finder | BestParking
So best sort that out now with her employer, as sooner or later, she'll be driving herself and needing to park. (but more 'bout that below....)
Where to Live:
So, given the above, and as a long time Angeleno, what would I advise?
Definitely re-think the practicality of bringing your chinchillas. Even without pets, given your budget, your rental choices will be bare-bottom minimal,. Your pets will further reduce those choices. And you’ll pay dearly.
Sorry if this sounds cruel - but as I see it - that’s the reality you should be facing.
Were I in your shoes, and given the location of your wife’s employment downtown, near 1st and Grand Ave, I’d want to live in:
1)Hancock Park/Larchmont Village:
Pros - Fantastic accessibility to Disney Hall/MOCA area where your wife will be working.
No freeway driving required at all.
Just take Beverly Blvd. all the way to Grand (Beverly becomes 1st street when it reaches downtown) It’s a 20 minute drive, at most - even in rush hour traffic!
Hancock Park is a long established, gorgeous, leafy residential neighborhood with old, beautiful homes.
Larchmont Village is a shopping street (adjacent to it) - several blocks long - with a great Sunday farmers market and lots of cafes, restaurants, as well.
Disadvantage - This neighborhood is NOT CHEAP!
Whether it’s even remotely possible to find a rental here within your budget is something I’ll leave you to explore. Will only say again - it would be the most commutable, beautiful and ideal location.
However - if you can’t find anything here - even going further west - as long as you take Beverly Blvd. to get to Downtown - you should never have to drive more than 35 - 40 minutes. I wouldn’t go further west than say San Vicente (Beverly Center area) in West Hollywood.
2)Downtown - Bunker Hill:
No, it’s not green and leafy, Yes, it’s completely urban and No, it’s not at all what you say you want but……
Your wife (and you) wouldn’t be contending with the cost and logistics of a daily commute.
She could walk to work. (You could even meet up for lunch once in a while, or she could pop home, where you'd have lunch a- waiting her
)
Living downtown could save you both a ton of time and money.
The convenience should certainly be considered when weighing pros and cons.
Also, most of the big downtown apartment complexes accept pets (dogs and cats…you’d have to inquire about chinchillas), ‘though you’d pay add’l for each one (see above)
And, they are definitely fully air conditioned (inquire as to whether electricity might be included in rent)
Some will even rent by the month - so you’d not be tied down by a long lease if you subsequently find something better - or wish to buy
And some will rent furnished, as well - so if you don’t have your things straight away - you could avail yourself of a furnished let, temporarily.
Downtown disadvantage - $1600 would only get you a studio
You never state how many bedrooms you require.
(I imagine your pets sleep in a big cage in a separate bedroom - and that you’re harboring the illusion that you'll find a 2 bedroom apt. for $1500?)
Finally it's worth pointing out that living expenses in Los Angeles aren't equivalent to those to which you’re accustomed to in Manchester. Therefore, if your wife’s employer simply factors in the pound to dollar exchange rate when determining her salary and never considers the actual difference in costs (which for many things, and certainly for rent, can be substantially higher here ) - you'll be unable to continue to manage as you have been in Manchester.
Your standard of living here will be far lower.
It's a "whole new ball game" - as the Americans like to say.....
Been reading your posts and replies with some dismay. They do seem to me to be a bit naive with regard to the reality you and your wife will confront here in Los Angeles.
For instance…..
Your two chinchilla pets:
These are animals whose natural habitat, high up in the chilly Peruvian Andes, dictates that they fare best in a climate which ranges between 50 - 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
I'm sure you're abundantly familiar with this - but just to remind you, as I'm not sure you've taken it into account when considering the move:
Environment - Chinchillas - Our pets
Los Angeles, with its normal desert climate, exacerbated by the advent of climate change - has been experiencing summers of excruciating heat for days, if not weeks, on end (well over 100 degrees, even after dark!)
This means, for the health and welfare of your pets, you’ll be obliged to run your air conditioning (assuming your rental will even have it in the first place) 24/7.
If electricity is not included in the rental (probably won't be), with the 1st of those bi-monthly utility bills you’re in for a major shock to your pocketbook .
But this assumes you'll be able to find a rental, at your designated price limit, which permits pets, much less chinchillas, in the first place.
And if it does - they’ll likely demand a fat additional deposit fee (you can probably say bye bye forever to those $$$$s) and, believe it or not, possibly an additional monthly rental fee for each of the 2 chinchillas. (They'll have you over a barrel...take it or leave it - can't see that you'd have any negotiating position advantage with the prospective landlord).
Downtown Parking:
This is something your wife’s employer should (*must*) cover! Otherwise you’ll be making 2 round trips, each day, 5 days a week, as her chauffeur.
Have you calculated the petrol cost for those 4 daily trips? Ideally, you should do so; then compare it to the monthly parking rate at a downtown garage. Of course you can't do that 'till you know the actual driving distance. (catch 22)
And what happens once you do start working? Then she’ll have no choice but to start paying out of pocket for downtown parking!
Los Angeles Parking Finder | BestParking
So best sort that out now with her employer, as sooner or later, she'll be driving herself and needing to park. (but more 'bout that below....)
Where to Live:
So, given the above, and as a long time Angeleno, what would I advise?
Definitely re-think the practicality of bringing your chinchillas. Even without pets, given your budget, your rental choices will be bare-bottom minimal,. Your pets will further reduce those choices. And you’ll pay dearly.
Sorry if this sounds cruel - but as I see it - that’s the reality you should be facing.
Were I in your shoes, and given the location of your wife’s employment downtown, near 1st and Grand Ave, I’d want to live in:
1)Hancock Park/Larchmont Village:
Pros - Fantastic accessibility to Disney Hall/MOCA area where your wife will be working.
No freeway driving required at all.
Just take Beverly Blvd. all the way to Grand (Beverly becomes 1st street when it reaches downtown) It’s a 20 minute drive, at most - even in rush hour traffic!
Hancock Park is a long established, gorgeous, leafy residential neighborhood with old, beautiful homes.
Larchmont Village is a shopping street (adjacent to it) - several blocks long - with a great Sunday farmers market and lots of cafes, restaurants, as well.
Disadvantage - This neighborhood is NOT CHEAP!
Whether it’s even remotely possible to find a rental here within your budget is something I’ll leave you to explore. Will only say again - it would be the most commutable, beautiful and ideal location.
However - if you can’t find anything here - even going further west - as long as you take Beverly Blvd. to get to Downtown - you should never have to drive more than 35 - 40 minutes. I wouldn’t go further west than say San Vicente (Beverly Center area) in West Hollywood.
2)Downtown - Bunker Hill:
No, it’s not green and leafy, Yes, it’s completely urban and No, it’s not at all what you say you want but……
Your wife (and you) wouldn’t be contending with the cost and logistics of a daily commute.
She could walk to work. (You could even meet up for lunch once in a while, or she could pop home, where you'd have lunch a- waiting her
)Living downtown could save you both a ton of time and money.
The convenience should certainly be considered when weighing pros and cons.
Also, most of the big downtown apartment complexes accept pets (dogs and cats…you’d have to inquire about chinchillas), ‘though you’d pay add’l for each one (see above)
And, they are definitely fully air conditioned (inquire as to whether electricity might be included in rent)
Some will even rent by the month - so you’d not be tied down by a long lease if you subsequently find something better - or wish to buy
And some will rent furnished, as well - so if you don’t have your things straight away - you could avail yourself of a furnished let, temporarily.
Downtown disadvantage - $1600 would only get you a studio
You never state how many bedrooms you require.
(I imagine your pets sleep in a big cage in a separate bedroom - and that you’re harboring the illusion that you'll find a 2 bedroom apt. for $1500?)
Finally it's worth pointing out that living expenses in Los Angeles aren't equivalent to those to which you’re accustomed to in Manchester. Therefore, if your wife’s employer simply factors in the pound to dollar exchange rate when determining her salary and never considers the actual difference in costs (which for many things, and certainly for rent, can be substantially higher here ) - you'll be unable to continue to manage as you have been in Manchester.
Your standard of living here will be far lower.
It's a "whole new ball game" - as the Americans like to say.....
While it is worth asking for parking, I have my doubts that a $90k gig will include it. (A stipend that is high enough to pay for transit may be more likely.) And even with parking included, there is a fair amount of savings that can come from being a one-car family.
I would consider North Hollywood (near the Red Line), Miracle Mile (subway, then express bus down Wilshire Blvd.) or Culver City/Palms (end of Expo line). What you do for a living may determine which one of these is best, as you will want to avoid a long drive if you can. Being near the Metrolink trains is not as desirable, as they run less frequently and cost far more.
You will need to budget more for rent, but the savings from avoiding a second car may make up for it. It will be an apartment, the trees may be few and far between, and it will be a chinchilla-free zone.
May 17th 2015, 11:22 pm
#47
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Indeed...it is
too bad he's not here to pound the pavements to search....You know...when there's a will....blah blah...I'll bet they could manage to find something there.
I think their biggest hurdle isn't the rent limit - but the chinchillas - meaning they must feel they require 2 bedrooms...so that an extra $1000......don't think he quite gets that - tho now he does
too bad he's not here to pound the pavements to search....You know...when there's a will....blah blah...I'll bet they could manage to find something there.
I think their biggest hurdle isn't the rent limit - but the chinchillas - meaning they must feel they require 2 bedrooms...so that an extra $1000......don't think he quite gets that - tho now he does
Could chinchillas go in the living room?
May 18th 2015, 12:20 am
#49
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2011
Location: "LA LA Land"
Posts: 2,448
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
In this particular case, I would seriously consider a one-car strategy
I would consider North Hollywood (near the Red Line)
You will need to budget more for rent, but the savings from avoiding a second car may make up for it. It will be an apartment, the trees may be few and far between, and it will be a chinchilla-free zone.
I would consider North Hollywood (near the Red Line)
You will need to budget more for rent, but the savings from avoiding a second car may make up for it. It will be an apartment, the trees may be few and far between, and it will be a chinchilla-free zone.
I've never set foot in the LA Metro - so can't say anything about it. But the Red Line Civic Center station is practically at his wife's doorstep. Couldn't be more convenient. And I doubt any parking facility would be any closer.
As you point out, they could then look to rent in North Hollywood - which can be quite nice.
So, there we go....sorted!
As for chinchilla free zone....yes....but OTOH, see my prior post
May 18th 2015, 12:54 am
#50
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2011
Location: "LA LA Land"
Posts: 2,448
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
With regard to living in North Hollywood...an LA Weekly piece, written just over a year ago, says:
"While the streets of NoHo have plenty of apartment complexes with on-site amenities, it's also a neighborhood where creatives still can afford to rent an actual house - often an offbeat bungalow with wood floors, some character inside and a pool/patio in the back. One-bedroom apartments and studios in NoHo go for as little as $900 to $1,100. You can rent a three-bedroom house for $2,000. No way you're finding that in L.A.'s pricier neighborhoods."
The Best Neighborhood in L.A.? Try North Hollywood | L.A. Weekly
So that should give you some hope.
btw (no doubt you figured it out) "NoHo" is short for North Hollywood
ps: For more perspective (or negotiating with wife's employer) see this:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/it-take...-house-5289964
"While the streets of NoHo have plenty of apartment complexes with on-site amenities, it's also a neighborhood where creatives still can afford to rent an actual house - often an offbeat bungalow with wood floors, some character inside and a pool/patio in the back. One-bedroom apartments and studios in NoHo go for as little as $900 to $1,100. You can rent a three-bedroom house for $2,000. No way you're finding that in L.A.'s pricier neighborhoods."
The Best Neighborhood in L.A.? Try North Hollywood | L.A. Weekly
So that should give you some hope.
btw (no doubt you figured it out) "NoHo" is short for North Hollywood
ps: For more perspective (or negotiating with wife's employer) see this:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/it-take...-house-5289964
Last edited by MMcD; May 18th 2015 at 1:22 am. Reason: added link
May 18th 2015, 5:11 am
#53
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 83
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Thanks everyone.
Our headspace is that we recognise we may need to give up the pets so that's why I glossed over them.
Although I come across naive, the point of me posting here was to learn more from the experts. Stuff like parking fees were definitely unknowns.
Our headspace is that we recognise we may need to give up the pets so that's why I glossed over them.
Although I come across naive, the point of me posting here was to learn more from the experts. Stuff like parking fees were definitely unknowns.
May 18th 2015, 6:03 am
#54
Misses Los Angeles
Joined: Dec 2010
Location: London
Posts: 436
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
I'm not sure about chinchillas, but we have 2 cats and I didn't find renting in LA any more or less difficult than the UK or anywhere else. If you have pets and rent, you know the drill: a bunch of places will automatically rule you out, and others will probably want a specific pet deposit and set some rules. It's inconvenient but doable. We found our rental before arrival, but there's always risk with that; it's just a PITA staying in a hotel with pets (although several near LAX do accept them).
I think, with your wife's salary, you can and should budget more for rent. You definitely don't want to end up in some skeezy apartment block in LA.
If you do bring the chinchillas, research the procedures and prices for getting them back into the UK, though, in case you end up returning. I think it cost us more than 3 or 4 times the outward cost to get our pets home, which was a shock.
I think, with your wife's salary, you can and should budget more for rent. You definitely don't want to end up in some skeezy apartment block in LA.
If you do bring the chinchillas, research the procedures and prices for getting them back into the UK, though, in case you end up returning. I think it cost us more than 3 or 4 times the outward cost to get our pets home, which was a shock.
May 18th 2015, 11:56 am
#55
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 83
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Thanks for the info.
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
May 18th 2015, 12:07 pm
#56
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Thanks for the info.
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
Description of aircon always seems to be a bit confusing like that.
Aircon can't get the temperature right down in the summer even if you run it full-tilt - well ours couldn't and we had a whole new system put in. I think chinchillas could have a problem, although I have seen them for sale in LA.
Saying that, there are microclimates, we were in the Valley which is hotter than west LA. I think Burbank gets pretty hot too though.
Last edited by Sally Redux; May 18th 2015 at 12:11 pm.
May 18th 2015, 12:38 pm
#57
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
- (whole house) AC, which is the same technology a fridge uses. There are two different ways to install it, but the principle is the same: warm air from the house is cooled and circulated back into the house and the heat is transferred to the liquid refrigerant which is pumped outside and cooled using a compressor, a radiator, and a fan. Running it draws a lot of power and can be expensive. In California lots of people running AC simultaneously has been known to cause "brown outs" (partial power failures).
- Room AC aka "mini split" or "ductless", which is fridge technology but instead of cooling air and blowing it through ducts around the house, the refrigerant is piped to the room and a fan blows air through cooling vanes. This system only works for a few rooms (not more than three), so might be found in apartments, or fitted in a bedroom and living room in an older house built without AC. The advantage is that it can be installed without need big spaces in under the floor, the ceilings, and walls for the ducts, but it is quite noisy when running.
- Window AC, which is again fridge technology but it inserted into the window frame. It only cools one room, and can look trashy, but is common in small, older but unrenovated houses
- Swamp cooler - different technology to a fridge, works on evaporating water to make things cooler. Not as effective as conventional AC, but a whole lot cheaper.
- Whole house fan - a giant fan, typically three feet across, is installed in the ceiling to draw air up and out through the attic - you need to open the windows so air is drawn in. The breeze can be cooling, but only makes much of a difference if the air is cooler outside, for example in the evening.
Last edited by Pulaski; May 18th 2015 at 12:51 pm.
May 18th 2015, 3:48 pm
#58
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Google Town
Posts: 7,532
Re: Moving from UK to L.A....Logistic help please
Thanks for the info.
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
We need to assess our budget for the rental.
I had a quick look on Zillow between $2k and $3k and found properties matching my initial "dream"...for example
Houses For Rent - 3 Homes | Zillow
As for the Chinchillas, we know we definitely need Air Con in the property. Im guessing where it says "other" on the property guides it means there's a fan and open window! We have an idea about shipping them over and factored into our expenses for the move.
With the salary guide I posted earlier, what do posters here think would be a typical amount people spend on rent when earning that much. I totally get it's all about personal budgeting etc etc but was just after a rough opinion from people in similar circumstances
The other alternative for the day, which I know a lot of people do, is doggy daycare, PetSmart run a good one. I know they offer discounts for people who use the services regularly, it's probably price comparable with running the air con all day.
