I’m moving to LA to work in the film industry. I need to find an area to live where it is safe and rent is reasonable.
I don’t know anything about life in LA so any advice is welcome.
Thanks!
Hehe, no job yet, trying out my luck for about a year.
I’m looking for a studio or 1bdrm, I’m hoping for $600 (what I pay now) but don’t expect that. I dont want roommates. Where is the ideal place to stay for some trying to break into the business. Near UCLA?
Probably the best mix of safety and reasonable rent (for LA, so still expensive) are Glendale, Burbank, and Culver City/Palms. You can expect to pay on the low end, $1200 for a decent 1 bedroom in an OK area, nothing too great, and $900 for a single. You’ll want to check out the specific neighborhood, as not every neighborhood may be acceptable to you. Westwood (near UCLA) is one of the most expensive areas in LA, besides being a very wealthy area, there is tons of demand for apartments due to UCLA, so you can expect to pay quite a bit more in Westwood. The entertainment industry is all over LA, from Santa Monica to Pasadena, so people live all over. Many industry people live in the valley because that’s all they can afford.
You need a car in LA, unless you can work it out that you live very close to your job and on a bus line, our public transportation is not good. But if you are in the film industry, a car is likely absolutely necessary more than for other jobs. You really want to live near your job, traffic is horrible. What should be a 20 minute commute can easily turn into an hour for no apparent reason.
If you don’t have a job, you can expect it may take at least 4 months to find a job, more if you’re looking in the film industry, as they have had massive layoffs and those laid-off will be the first to be hired back. Even top production companies have less assistants, readers, etc, and believe me, they can afford to hire more people back, but this is an opportunity to save money without losing face. Layoffs used to be embarrassing for companies, a sign of failure, but not anymore, it’s the thing to do. Smart business. Word is there are going to be some more layoffs at major studios coming up soon. Some people in LA, especially in the entertainment industry, have been looking for a job for over a year, and they have lots of experience. So if you can get a job before actually moving out here, that would be great.
Safety info: www.lalife.com/ Click on Safety, and Maps
Good luck!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
What is reasonable to you? You have to pay a higher price for a safer place, but I’ve seen "reasonable" prices in places like Burbank and Brentwood. They strike me as pretty safe, but then again, my reasonable may not be your reasonable.
You need to visit LA so you can get an idea about what life is like there and it’s best to apartment hunt while you’re visiting.
References :
Experience
July 29th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
Well where’s your job located? You don’t wanna work in Santa Monica and live in Hollywood and make that trip everyday.
References :
July 29th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Probably the best mix of safety and reasonable rent (for LA, so still expensive) are Glendale, Burbank, and Culver City/Palms. You can expect to pay on the low end, $1200 for a decent 1 bedroom in an OK area, nothing too great, and $900 for a single. You’ll want to check out the specific neighborhood, as not every neighborhood may be acceptable to you. Westwood (near UCLA) is one of the most expensive areas in LA, besides being a very wealthy area, there is tons of demand for apartments due to UCLA, so you can expect to pay quite a bit more in Westwood. The entertainment industry is all over LA, from Santa Monica to Pasadena, so people live all over. Many industry people live in the valley because that’s all they can afford.
You need a car in LA, unless you can work it out that you live very close to your job and on a bus line, our public transportation is not good. But if you are in the film industry, a car is likely absolutely necessary more than for other jobs. You really want to live near your job, traffic is horrible. What should be a 20 minute commute can easily turn into an hour for no apparent reason.
If you don’t have a job, you can expect it may take at least 4 months to find a job, more if you’re looking in the film industry, as they have had massive layoffs and those laid-off will be the first to be hired back. Even top production companies have less assistants, readers, etc, and believe me, they can afford to hire more people back, but this is an opportunity to save money without losing face. Layoffs used to be embarrassing for companies, a sign of failure, but not anymore, it’s the thing to do. Smart business. Word is there are going to be some more layoffs at major studios coming up soon. Some people in LA, especially in the entertainment industry, have been looking for a job for over a year, and they have lots of experience. So if you can get a job before actually moving out here, that would be great.
Safety info: http://www.lalife.com/ Click on Safety, and Maps
Good luck!
References :
July 30th, 2010 at 12:10 am
Try the Fantasyland Apartments. Tell them Walt sent you. Tinkerbell is the manager.
We see this every day in this forum: Everyone who wants to move here is looking for “cheap/affordable and safe". However, such a place just doesn’t exist; the two terms are mutually exclusive. It’s all about supply and demand: If it’s in SoCal, then it’s not going to be cheap to begin with. If it’s a safe area, then it’s more expensive.
If you want to live here and enjoy the weather, then you have to pay for it. You put up with the smog and the traffic, enjoy the weather and pay your rent or mortgage. My advice is to start checking out craigslist, rent.com, and apartments.com if you are looking to rent. You’ll quickly see that the minimum rent for a non-ghetto place is about $1,000/$1,200 per month for a studio/1BR. Really nice areas (like the West LA area) easily run $3,000 or more. Want to live near the beach? Expect to pay a premium.
Most people who ask this question are unprepared, unrealistic, with no money, no experience, no skills, and no plan.
You need a plan: First item on the agenda is rent. A decent 1BR apartment in LA currently goes for $1200, give or take. Nicer areas and areas closer to the beach are much higher. Don’t expect to move to Santa Monica and get an apartment on the beach for that much. Or Toluca Lake, or Beverly Hills or Westwood.
Next, you will need a car. Los Angeles is VERY spread out, and train service is extremely limited. If you don’t have a car, you will have to take a bus, which takes 3 times longer to get anywhere than a car.
All told, it generally takes about $3,000 per month to live here. If you don’t have a job that pays that much or skills that can get you that kind of job, stay where you are. If you are unskilled and work for minimum wage (or for tips like bartending or waiting tables), you’ll only make about $1200 per month.
And speaking of jobs, they are rather hard to come by now. College grads seeking employment are having a very tough time of it right now, since the job market is flooded with experienced people who were laid off. Unemployment is over 12% right now. Not exactly the kind of job market you want to move into.
Finally, you will need money. Landlords want first month’s rent and a security deposit up front. You’ll need money for food, transportation, utilities, etc. The consensus in this forum is that you need about $7500 to start out.
So there’s your plan. And please don’t tell us that you have dreams of being an actor or singer. That sets off another alarm. We already have a million (literally) wannabe actors in this town. Don’t even get me started.
If you are looking for safer areas, go look at http://www.lalife.com and read the maps.
References :
July 30th, 2010 at 12:38 am
What you are looking for does not exist in the neighborhood you seek it without a roommate or two. While Los Angeles is an ideal place for someone like yourself to try and break into the industry, you had better get used to the fact that you will be slumming it as you build your career.
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