How to Find an Apartment in LA
Housing is cheaper and easier to find in Los Angeles than it is in New York, San Francisco or Boston, but finding a place there is still no picnic. Los Angeles is the biggest megalopolis in the United States. It's a city that has cities within cities. It might seem like a nightmare to find an apartment in LA. if you've never lived in a big city, but some expert guidance can make the process far less stressful.
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Instructions
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Determine How Much You Want to Spend on Rent
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Before you start looking for an apartment, you need to make an important decision: How much are you willing and able to pay in monthly rent? A good way to find your upper limit for housing costs is to divide your monthly net (after tax) income by three. If this figure seems unusually low, you have three options: make more money, consider living in a less expensive area like mid-Wilshire or the Valley, or save money on rent by finding a roommate.
If you decide to get a roommate to lower your housing costs, you can search for one yourself, or you can use a roommate agency. Either way, you must carefully choose your roommate, or you will rue the day you opted to hook up with a roomie. Obviously, not all strangers make good roommates, but not all friends make good roommates either. There are some people whose company you might well enjoy during the day, but who would drive you crazy if you lived with them. To exclude unsuitable people from your life, ask all potential roommates the following questions to assess their compatibility:
Have you ever had a roommate before? What, if anything, bothered you about your past roommates?
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend or other friend who will be staying here frequently? Are you promiscuous? (Do not be afraid to ask this one. You probably don't want strange people sleeping over a lot, and if you explain that this is the reason you're asking, it will establish what you consider unacceptable ahead of time.)
Do you smoke? Drink? Do drugs?
Do you stay out late on weekdays?
Do you have any credit problems?
Do you have any pets?
What is your occupation?
What do you like to watch on television? What music do you listen to?
Whatever you ask, in the end, you should feel very comfortable with your future roommate. If you do not, you are taking a big risk living with this person.
Try to arrange it so that your roommate co-signs the lease. If your name is the only one on the lease, you shoulder the entire burden of responsibility for the apartment from a financial standpoint. If your roommate loses his job (and, by extension, a steady cash flow), you'll be stuck paying his share of the rent. Then you'll be both angry and poor.
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- Photo Credit Hollywood Sign image by crossgolfing from Fotolia.com
